Movies, Friends And Air Conditioning

You know that feeling of opening the door to your house (or anyone's house) on a hot day and the rush of cool air comes to greet you? Isn't that just wonderful?! Especially the past few days as it's been unbearably hot outside! Thankfully the kids agreed with me and we've stayed indoors all yesterday and today. So I've been air conditioner hopping. From house to car (which gets cool after a few minutes) to house to car to house to car to church to car to house again. Though I never enjoy the blast of hot air that smacks you in the face when you open the car door.

Now then, today I've been babysitting all day as usual and I discovered something! Awesome One actually likes musicals!!! A nine year old boy! Likes musicals!! :D It made me quite happy for him. We actually watched Meet Me In St. Louis today for our movie of the day. Oh how I love that movie! Here's my favorite song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQ224PLpY9o

And yes, I do envy Judy Garland's voice!!

So, tonight I have plans to go hang out with Joe and Zach. Hopefully they won't be foiled like they were last week!! Then I have to pack for tomorrow night. What am I doing? Well I'll leave that until tomorrow's post. :)

Stay cool! Until next time!

Variety Post

I have lots to show you today! First, the Ty and Jill are over and since Maisy is gone today, Jill and I had some time to get creative! We took journals and covered them with paper and pictures. Mine turned out quite well and I thought I'd show it to you!

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!

One more thing to show you. I started a new blog! I realized today that I have so much "dead" writing that's just sitting in a folder on my computer. And lots of it I've not put forth for any critique or opinions! So, if you're interested, here is the link! Enjoy!

http://rapunzelsnotebook.blogspot.com/

So, the kids are here for the rest of the afternoon and then I'm off to Bible Study after dinner. I'm looking forward to it!

I hope your day has gone well, my dear reader. Until next time!

Faithfulness

Today turned out being a pretty good day for waking up at 5:30 am! I got to wear my new purple skirt today so maybe that's why...

Anyway, the kids were good today for the most part. I had no disasters and was never tempted to throw them in the dungeon. I think this is a first! There always seems to be one or the other.

This evening, we had some friends over for a cookout! I got to catch up with my friend Becky and we had a lovely time laughing and just having some long overdue girl talk. I'm going to miss seeing her every Monday. Then we watched a Tim Hawkins video with everyone, had some dessert and they left.

I've been thinking today. Yes I know, blond thinking. There should be a warning sign someplace. But nevertheless, I've been thinking. You know, patience is hard when you try to do it by yourself. However, when you're trusting in God to lead you through your struggles, He will and it's a lot easier. We don't have to do it alone. While I was going about life today, this song came to mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k1WhFtVp0o

He is ever faithful! He knows what's best for us and will care for us! His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me! I find that very comforting.

Until next time dear reader!

My Holiday Adventure Continued

You just missed my contented sigh. Today was wonderful! A beautiful day spent out on the lake with family and good friends, the Remmels and the Ostendorfs. But before I elaborate, let me give you a song to listen to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sVqGYXBVG0

Now then, my day started at about 8:30 this morning. After a quick cup of coffee, hurriedly getting myself ready and loading the van, we met up with the Remmels and started on our way. It was about an hour drive and I got to ride with Dawn, Steve and Gavin. We played the alphabet game the whole way there and we girls lost by not being the first to find 'Z'.

The Ostendorfs were already at the lake house and when we got there, we had Subway sandwiches for lunch. Then we all donned our suits and headed to the water! We swam for.... oh..... about 5 hours or so. The boys were thrilled about jumping off the 18ft high dock and after LOTS of pressure, I jumped off once. I hate heights. Of course Steve didn't see it but no one made me do it again. At some point during the day, we all went for a ride on the pontoon boat and then Larry O. and my dad and I took Garrett, Matt, Steve and Maisy out tubing in the speed boat.

What fun! Speeding over the water, the wind in your hair, being splashed by the waves, laughing at the tubers. Ah, the thrill.

Dinner was burgers and watermelon with strawberry shortcake, piled high with whipped cream for dessert! Then we packed up and left for home.

So now I'm sitting here, a little sunburnt but happy. Tomorrow begins the work week but I have a few things to look forward to. What you ask? Well if I told you, I wouldn't have anything to blog about!

Until next time!

My Holiday Adventure

Happy Fourth of July to all! I hope your day was filled with good friends and fireworks and watermelon! Mine was quite interesting indeed! Now if you'll just make yourself comfortable, I shall relate to you my tale.

First I had church this morning as usual. My dad preached on Rev. 3 (which was wonderful) and then I got the kids lunch and brought them home. After dancing around the kitchen, eating and cleaning up from lunch and putting baby to bed, I spent a few hours chatting with some friends online and reading. Then my parents arrived home from wherever they went and we all got ready to leave.

Soon after, we went to our friends, the Dickey's, house. Our families had a great time hanging out with the intention of going to see fireworks later. Matt joined us and we all ate dinner and I taught him how to play James Bond (and I won by the way). By then my family had decided that they wanted to socialize at the Dickey's and give up our fireworks plan so, with my big blue eyes and irresistible puppy face (HA!), I persuaded Matt to take me to see them.

So after a quick stop at Starbucks (to which I treated), we made it to Brandywine CC for some fireworks. After spending almost half an hour finding a place to park, we walked up to where a few of my friends were. What a surprise to see Zach and Joe there! By the time we got up to them however, the fireworks had ended. So I stayed and talked while Matt went to get the car. Poor guy. I had quite a nice conversation and finally I saw him coming up the street, very slowly but surely. I began to edge toward the road as planned, still talking to Zach and what do you know but Matt keeps on driving! I literally had to run all the way down the street and around the corner to catch up with him! In a skirt and flip flops too!! But I finally did and he brought me home.............. only to discover that I was locked out of my house! So I had to run over to my grandparents until my family got home. And now I'm here!

One thing I have to say. Driving home tonight, the sky was filled with bursts of sparkling color but that's not what I was looking at. Yeah, the fireworks were beautiful but my eyes were on God's fireworks. It seemed that every single firefly had come out to dance tonight. The blinking yellow green lights hovering just over the bean fields and grass were even more beautiful than the bursting blues and reds and purples. It just makes me marvel at how wonderful God is! How He can create something so majestic as mountains and oceans and yet also something so small and delicate as a firefly. He is so amazing!

Well I'd best stop for tonight. I'll have so many more adventures tomorrow to relay and maybe write another interesting blog post. Until then dear reader, goodnight!

Why I Kissed Dating Goodbye

The other day, I received a comment on one of my posts about one of the books I recommend (I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris) and a link to a blog containing some thoughts on the book and courtship in general. I know I'm only 18 and my social circle is quite limited so I'm probably not the best authority but here are my thoughts on the subject of courting:

First I should probably give you my definition of courting. I see courtship as a couple spending time together with the intentions of possibly getting married. Of course the guy should first seek the father's approval to court his daughter and all parents must be in agreement. Then the couple spend time together with either family or groups of friends, spending very little/no time alone. This gives both the opportunity to see the other in real life situations. How they relate to their family, friends and different circumstances.

As I said, I've not had a very large social circle so this may attribute to my reasoning not to date, but from what I've seen in my friend's dating lives, it doesn't work all that well. At least at this stage of the game, it doesn't work. You're going out with a guy one day and the next, you're sitting on the couch with red eyes, bleary makeup and chocolate ice cream. Personally, I have no wish to willingly put heartache in my future.

Another of my reasons comes from the Bible. God gives us many examples in His Word of not just courtship, but actual arranged marriage! In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. Isaac has no choice in the matter whatsoever but God provides a wonderful wife in Rebekah. Genesis 29 displays the story of Jacob and his infatuation with Rachel. He had to work 14 years to gain her (more of a courtship story). Genesis 41:45, the Pharaoh of Egypt gave Joseph his daughter in marriage, another arranged marriage. Exodus 2:21, Reuel gave Moses his daughter in marriage, another arranged marriage. Judges 16, Samson chooses Delilah himself and pays the price. Ironic? Hosea chose his wife at God's command. Matthew 1:18, we are told Mary was pledged to me married to Joseph, another arranged marriage. The way I see it, at least with courtship, you get to choose who you're marrying!

My last reason may sound quite silly to you. It's simply the fact that I'm a girl. We girls like to be chased. It really means something if a guy is serious enough about our relationship to ask my dad for permission to deepen that relationship.

Instead of dating around to figure out who may be right, I've been trusting God to bring me the man I'm to give my heart to and I pray that I will soon have my own courtship story to tell.

So there you have it. That is why I kissed dating goodbye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cPvRlnY-As

Until next time!

Patience

My mind has been quite busy this morning and I had to write some of it down.

First, I had a long talk with my mom yesterday when I got home. She reminded me that I am spending more time with these four kids than their own parents do and that it's my influence they're seeing. Honestly, it's one of those obvious things you never think of until it smacks you in the face. What am I teaching these kids? When they watch me, what are they seeing? I realize that as the summer goes on, my patience gets thinner. But I'm just getting a taste of what I want someday! God is giving me a chance to see what it's like being with the same kids all the time. And I got it easy! I'm just with them during the day. I'm not having to take care of sick kids or get up fifty times a night with them. I know, it'll be different with my own children someday but I need to practice my patience now.

Speaking of patience, there's something else going on in my life that requires it. A certain relationship that I'm waiting to see what will happen and let me tell you, it's hard! I have no idea what God is doing here but I miss my best friend! I sincerely hope that God reveals His will soon.

"Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." ~ Psa. 37:4

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." ~ Prov. 16:3

God give me patience! Until next time.

Change Of Plan

Of course on a horrible day like today, I wouldn't get to go hang out with my friends. Of course! So to handle my disappointment, when I get home, I'm gonna change into my pjs, have popcorn and ice cream for dinner and watch Pride & Prejudice until I fall asleep. SO THERE!

Proving My Skills

Ok, someone take me away now before I prove that I am a spy and that I do in fact have skills!! How will I prove it? Well... just try looking for the kids. You won't find them.

Today started out pretty good and has been going downhill. This morning, they were all great and did exactly what I told them to do. So I'm sitting here thinking "Lovely! Finally a day I can go home and say 'Yeah Mom! Today was great!'" Thought too soon.

All four loved our walk in the woods yesterday so much that they wanted to do it again. So I took them to the park after lunch. Big mistake. We got there and suddenly, no one could listen to me. I had kids running out in the road and almost falling in the creek and trying to run away in the woods!! Apparently they were trying to get killed and no one notified me. So we didn't stay too long before I dragged them home and had the brilliant idea of Rest Time. Currently, all four of them are in separate rooms and quiet. FOR A WHOLE HOUR!!! Why did I not think of this before now?!

So, after this we'll watch a movie and then probably ride bikes until their parents get here. Then I get to go home, drop my stuff, eat and head to New Pal to hang out with Joe and Zach for the evening!! I sincerely hope that makes up for the bad day.

Well that's all I've got for you. Until next time.