Seth my Hero!

Sunday morning we are rushing out the door before church like most people. The reason we rush is I think I can do a half an afternoon's worth of chores on our to do lists on Sunday morning before we leave. It's been almost 19 years and it hasn't worked yet, but each Sunday I do my best to try! I am not a QUITTER! But that is another tale... you're wondering about this photo... allow me to explain!

So Sunday morning arrives, we head out to the van. I'm driving as Mark's been on heavy duty painkillers for his shoulder (can't wait for surgery and we are on the road to recovery!) I open the driver's door to climb in... Seth shouts...

"Mom, there's a spider on you!"

I leaped out of the van, did the jig and slapped myself like crazy!

"MOM! The spider's still there, it's on your thigh!"

Mark graciously smacks my thigh and brushes it to the ground, and he steps on it. But NOT before I saw it... it was HUGE! I wanted to squeal like a girl, I opened my mouth and Mark gave me the don't you dare "Daddy Look!" It was a MMMOOONSTER SPIDER, not really but it was almost the size of a quarter! Which is big enough for me!

I kiss Mark, get back into the van, thank my sweet Seth for saving my life and begin to drive away. It was then when I noticed all of the spider webs on the steering wheel, on the gear shifter thingie and wiper stick thing... it was gross. I can't concentrate on driving under these conditions. I swerved all over the road until Mark helped me swipe them all away. He's such a gentleman and I truly appreciated him... until he laughed at me!

I couldn't concentrate in church. I felt like I had spider babies crawling all over me. It's a gross feeling. I have no idea what the sermon was about. (holding my head down in shame... "I'm sorry Pastor John.") I don't deal well with creepy crawling things! I love camping and the outdoors but not in my house and certain NOT in my car!

I now find myself praying before I get in the car, asking my Jesus to get the bugs for me. He'll do that. He loves me and unlike Mark he doesn't laugh at me! (well at least I can't hear Him if He does!)

Moral of the Day... check the car for spiders before entering the vehicle. It could save your life.

Every Life {is} BEAUTIFUL

Tooling around online I discovered this video.

It sums up so vividly the relationship our heavenly Father has with us!

Deacon, who us?

Tonight Mark was ordained as a Deacon at our church. It was (is) a very moving and humbling experience. I'm so blessed to be married to this amazing man of God. I love him!

... and you will probably not see him in a suit for another 4 years...

so enjoy the photos!

Fighting Couple and Church

Yesterday in church I couldn't stop laughing. Seriously laughing. You see Mark and I have found ourselves sitting behind a local national couple every week for the past couple of months. They are such a sweet couple probably in their mid sixties or early seventies. They are truly the cute old couple that Mark and I want to grow old and be like. But yesterday, yesterday they were AWESOME!

Picture this, we are early in the service singing Praise and Worship songs. The couple is in front of us, singing. The wife is getting into the service, raising her hands and worshiping. It's pretty normal right. Suddenly she reaches over to her husbands hand grabs it and tries to force him to raise his hands while he sings. He revolted and yanked it back down. They shared 'a look' and she resumed to her singing. A minute or so later the same thing! She is aggressively trying to get him to join in on the praise. He's determined that he ain't doing it! The looks between them were hysterical. I couldn't help but laugh. This went on for a few minutes back and forth. I'm talking strong belly laugh at this point. Mark can't hold it in either. Tears are now streaming down my face from laughing so hard. I'm trying not to make a scene but I can't help it. They were so stinkin' cute fighting over putting their hands up singing.

Understand that the Okinawan people are very reserved and formal. So to watch this display of marital bliss, when it's the wife pushing the husband is funny enough but to see it in church over praise and worship was priceless. I've seen this couple many times before and they are usually very proper and respectful toward one another. But today, (well actually yesterday) they let their hair down so to speak and shared their lives with us.

I love it, it makes me smile that every family has moments. After the service they looked into each other's eyes and shared a small peck of a kiss. Mark and I did the same thing, laughing and smiling the rest of the afternoon knowing that we aren't the only couple that shares intense moments of fellowship, even during church!

I believe this is a FIRST!

I think this is a first for me... if not it's been sooooooo long ago I don't remember it.

I slept thru my alarm. I've always been petrified of sleeping through my alarm clock. I hate the snooze button and probably have only used it 10 times in my whole life. Today I woke up at 5:35am. I know this because I looked at my watch on my way to the bathroom. My alarm clock is my watch since our old clock that Mark had in high school died about 6 months ago! We are very high tech around here. I keep my watch beside my bed in a really cool bowl shaped coffee cup. (I don't really know why I just told you all that?)

So anyways, I wake up at 5:35. I return to bed, for some strange reason I put on my watch. I think I was sleep walking or something. Well my arm ended up under the covers and I never heard the alarm go off. Hence sleeping thru the alarm. I abruptly awoke and grabbed my bowl to get my watch out and subconsciously finding it odd that it's on my wrist. So I look at it. It reads 6:20. We get up promptly at 6:00 for school; 20 minutes late...Ughhh!

I scurry around getting my sweet cherubs up. "Mom why'd you wake us up late, you never wake us up late! We'll be late for school!" I calmly reply "You won't be late you just can't lallygag this morning."

Needless to say they weren't late...And I still made the clay for Katie's project this morning...And they had a healthy fruit filled breakfast of fresh grapes and Crunch Berries and apple juice! (Yep, I finally made it to the commissary yesterday!)

Moral of the story... even if you're late. Remain calm, stay focused, and you can still make it out the door on time!