Prayer Needed

I ran across this link through a blog I follow a couple days ago and I have felt burdened to pray for this family.





Mark Lamberth was in a dirt bike accident on Saturday afternoon, December 13. It appears that the damage to Mark’s brain is severe and irreversible, but his family and friends are praying for a miracle.

You can read more about his condition through the blog that was created for him here.

Will you join me in prayer for this family? I don't know them, but God certainly does and they need as many prayers as we're willing to give.

Christmas Traditions

I LOVE Christmas! And with that - I LOVE Christmas traditions! I love the oldies that we've been doing year after year and I love the new ones we make with our family each year.

Here are some of our family's Christmas traditions...

1.) Family Christmas Cookie Day. When I was a kid my grandma, my aunt, my cousins, my mom and myself used to get together for a cookie bake off always the week before Christmas! It was a BLAST! I just remember my grandma's tiny kitchen being jam-packed with flour, eggs, baking soda, peanut butter, chocolate chips and sugar covered over everything that would stand still! It was such a great time and some of my sweetest memories are of us in that kitchen!

2.) Birthday Cake for Jesus. This is something that Chloe has really enjoyed the last couple years. She especially enjoys the decorative touches!

3.) Christmas Prayer Links. This is something we started a couple years ago. We take green and red construction paper and make a prayer link (you know the links you used to make as a kid?). We put the name of someone we want to pray for on each link and then take the days leading up to Christmas to pray for each and every individual name on the links. It's a neat way to keep the focus away from ourselves and on other people we love and care about.

4.) Snowflakes. We make home-made snowflakes and hang them up from our kitchen ceiling. Chloe's gotten into the habit of then naming all of her snowflakes. :)

5.) Christmas picture. We've done this every year since Chloe's been born. We take her picture (or of all three of us if it works out) next to our decorated Christmas tree to send in our Christmas cards to our friends and family. Then we frame the picture and put them out on display during the Christmas holiday.

6.) Christmas Tree decorating night. Every year our Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. No exceptions. As we decorate the tree, we ALWAYS watch Christmas Vacation. It's just what we watch! ALWAYS!

7.) Mama's House Sleepover. For years we used to stay the night at my mother-in-law's the night before Christmas Eve. We did this from the time Chloe was born (the year my father-in-law passed away) until about 2 years ago. Hey mom - we need to continue that tradition... we're coming over this year! :)

8.) Sleigh Ride. Every Christmas Eve since I was a KID, we've gone out to look at Christmas lights around town. In recent years, we've added a twist to this old time favorite... we bundle up in coats, hats, scarfs and gloves, pack a thermos of hot cocoa, get in the car and drive around looking at lights WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN! This is particularly fun when it's snowing... kind of feels like you're strolling in a carriage ride through the snow!

9.) Thank You Letters. Every year I sit down days before Christmas and write individual letters to my family members. My daughter, my husband and my parents. I thank them for being in my life and tell them what they mean to me. I highlight memories I have with them over that year and just simply take the time to tell them how much I love them. Then I hide them in the tree for them to find on Christmas morning.

Those are some of our family's Christmas traditions... what are some of yours???

Proud Mommy Moment # 1,009 :)

So... my daughter decided today that she'd like to go see Santa at the Adrian Mall. This is a far cry from last year when she would barely walk past the man without "feeling embarrassed."

She marched right up to Santa's station and before I knew it, she was on his knee. Have I ever mentioned how cute she is?

He started out with the same question he asks all the kids... "Have you been naughty or nice?"

Then he asked what she wanted this year for Christmas.

I think some of her answers surprised him.

First she started out with all the normal things she's been asking for for some time now... a guitar, pix-o's, HSM3 stuff etc, etc.

But these last 2 requests made Santa a bit speechless.

"I'd like a hardcover Bible." (He mentioned that for him, this was a first.)
"I'd like some soup for the poor people."

I love how compassionate Chloe is.
I love her heart and how she's always thinking of other people's needs before her own.
I believe that's how Christ intends for us to live.

I'm such a proud mommy.
I have the best little girl in the world!

I love you Chloe!

New Recipe

I realized that I hadn't posted a recipe in quite a long time. I found this one in a magazine a couple months back and I made them this past Thanksgiving. They were a big hit so I thought I'd share it here with all of you.

Candy Bar Cookies

Prep time: 35 minutes Bake time: 10 minutes Cool: 2 hours

1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup dark or light-color corn syrup (I used light b/c that's what I had)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1 cup butterscotch chips
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For oat layer, in medium saucepan, stir together brown sugar, butter and corn syrup over medium-low heat until combined. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in the 1/4 cup peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Place the rolled oats in a very large bowl. Pour brown sugar mixture over oats, stirring gently until combined. Press oat mixture evenly onto bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let oat layer cool slightly in pan on wire rack.

In the same saucepan, stir together chocolate chips and butterscotch chips over low heat until melted. Stir in the 2/3 cups peanut butter until mixture is smooth.

Sprinkle half of the peanuts over oat layer in pan. Slowly pour chocolate mixture over the peanut-topped oat layer, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining peanuts on top of chocolate.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for several hours or until chocolate layer is firm. Cut into 1-inch squares. Makes about 115 pieces.

To store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

YUM-O!

Charlene

I met Charlene Larson back in October of 2001 when she started Small Wonders Preschool and Daycare. I will never forget the first time I met her! That smile, that laughter... it was contagious! I knew I had found the right person to take care of my only child, Chloe.

I cannot begin to put into words the kind of person Charlene was and what she meant to our family. Words that come to mind that describe my friend include... joyful, caring, loving, trustworthy, funny, outrageous, courageous, thankful, gentle, spontaneous, wonderful, crazy... the list could go on and on. I loved so many things about Charlene. She changed my world. She made me want to be a better person. I feel privileged and honored to have been able to have her as part of my life for 7 years!

So - here's to you, my friend...

Thank you for living an authentic, transparent life.
Thank you for loving my child like she was one of your own.
Thank you for your hugs.
Thank you for the Small Wonders back rubs.
Thank you for living selflessly.
Thank you for teaching us about forgiveness.
Thank you for teaching us about finding the good in everything and everyone.
Thank you for your courage.
Thank you for your laughter.

Thank you... for you. I love you my dear friend and I will miss you every day this side of heaven. But I rest in the knowledge that we will be together again one day in paradise. Today... the angels have one more reason to celebrate and I can just hear the words of our Savior saying... "WELL DONE, my good and faithful servant."

You will live in our hearts forever!

Dance on, Charlene! Dance on!

I know it's gonna be worth it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQVmR0jV52A

Feeling Thankful...

This year I thought I'd jot a few of my thankful thoughts down as this Thanksgiving day quickly approaches.

I'm THANKful for...

My wonderful husband who makes my life complete!
My beautiful daughter for giving me a reason to want to be a better person!
My mom and dad who gave me life and who stand beside me no matter what!
The awesome work I get to do every day of my life!
My friends who know me well and STILL love me!
My dog who teaches me every day about loyalty!
The volunteers I have the privledge of serving alongside of each week who teach me what it means to truly give your life away!
CHOCOLATE! This one goes without saying, right?
My mother-in-law for living such a selfless life!
My great nieces and nephews and all the smooches I get from them!
SNOW! I LOVE SNOW!
Coca-Cola - the drink that's gotten me through many a mornings!
My health.
My trusty Trail Blazer. It's not the greatest, but it's reliable and always gets me where I'm going.
My small group. They pretty much ROCK!
Email! What would we do without email?!
God! For sending His son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross for ME! For His grace, mercy and love!

What are YOU thankful for this year?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

She's 8...

Had an interesting conversation with Chloe tonight while cutting her nails...

Chloe: Don't cut that one too short, that's my special nail.

Me: Why, is that the one you use to pick your nose?

Chloe: NO! I use my middle one for that.

Ha! That kid cracks me up!

It's Coming...

... mark your calendars! December 5 & 6. More info coming Sunday at Crossroads!

Here's last years video (you'll want to put my play list on pause so you can hear the music with the video).

Paying It Forward... Pass it on!

So.. I'm normally not a breakfast eater, but this morning when I left the house I realized I needed to take some cold meds and the side of the bottle strongly advised that I eat something when taking the medicine. So - I decided to stop at Mickey D's for a breakfast of champions... an Egg McMuffin Meal.

When I got up to the window to pay the woman said to me, "No need to worry about paying - the gentleman ahead of you paid for your breakfast this morning!"

WHAT? Who does that?

She went on to explain that almost every day this particular person comes through the drive-thru and he "pays it forward" by paying for the car in back of him. She even said that there are days that it's a little more expensive than normal - but it's okay by him. She said he feels honored and humbled to be able to do for someone else.

Again - WHAT? Who does that?

Well - this man does! And I was quite inspired by that! I have to say - it made my day and it caused me to pause during the hustle and bustle of my day to thank God for this man and to thank Him for all of the blessings He has given to me in my life.

When I got to work this morning, I received a note from a friend. She, too, was "paying it forward" by forwarding me a note she'd received in the signature line of another friend of hers. It said:

"You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who cannot repay you."

Priceless! A perfect ending to my blessed morning.

I'm going to pay it forward. I'm going to encourage my teams to pay it forward. Together - we can change lives by demonstrating Christ's love. Let's be His hands and feet. Start today.

Pay it forward... Pass it on!

Fall Time Fun!

Took the kids to the Clinton Fall Festival last week. We had a nice time. I think the kids had more fun. For the first hour or so that we were there - it was all about them. We ate - what they wanted, visited the booths - they wanted to visit and did things - they wanted to do. What's up with that? :)

One of the first booths we came across was face painting. This was NO ordinary face painting either, let me tell you! This woman was incredible! So - with their own money... they picked out and purchased their own face painting. Take a look...









Happy Fall!

Wherefore Art Thou Toothfairy?

I'm ashamed right now to even admit this.

I blogged earlier in the week about Chloe losing 2 teeth right?

So... She goes to bed on Tuesday night and decides that she should tape the envelope with her teeth in it to her bedpost so that 1.) It doesn't fall behind her bed and 2.) So to make SURE that the Tooth Fairy sees the tooth (after all she's very small, you know?!). I have a pretty smart kid. :)

Wednesday morning she wakes up. Envelope still there. Teeth still inside. No money.

Darn that Tooth Fairy must have forgotten all about it!

Wednesday night Chloe decides to tape it to the very top of her bunk bed ledge. This time "she's sure to see it" my daughter cries out!

Yep - for SURE she should have seen it.

She didn't.

She forgot.

Again.

So... we will try again tonight.

Must be the Tooth Fairy is getting old.

And forgetful!

;)

Losing Teeth!

There's an epidemic going around Chloe's third grade classroom! Everyone is losing teeth like mad! This week Chloe lost 2 teeth. Other kids in her class have also lost multiple teeth too! Good thing picture day was LAST week!

Here's my very own jack-o-lantern! :)

Complete Randomness

I haven't posted in a while. I know most of you will believe me when I say this... it's NOT because I haven't had anything to say. Just not enough time to say it! :)

So - here's some complete randomness...

~ School starts next week and my baby's gonna be in the THIRD grade! I can hardly believe she's that old already! Heck - I can hardly believe I'm that old already!

~ Trevor and I passed a sign hanging in a store today that said, "50% off everything today only!" Not very unusual. But the store was closed. Hmmm...?

~ I just saw a sign that said "Obama-Biden" and for a moment I could have sworn it said "Osama Binladin". What??

~ It's the end of summer and I realized the other day that not only did we NOT finish the projects we had planned... some of them we didn't even start! It's been a busy summer! Guess those summer projects will turn into fall projects... and so on. ;)

~ Went school shopping the other day. Was successful on clothes - but found absolutely NO shoes that were decent! Not ONE pair. Seriously. It was weird. It's slim pickens out there for shoes! Does anyone know where they actually have cute shoes for 8-year-olds?

~ Every morning this week - I've woke up at 4:20 A.M. and couldn't get back to sleep. Weird? Is God revealing 4:20 to me for some reason?

~ Went to lunch this week with two of the greatest people I know. I'm blessed to have such wonderful friendships!

~ I spent 2 hours on an online project this week that I accidentally deleted and LOST in it's entirety! ARGH! That's 2 hours I can't get back! :0

~ I'm addicted to party planning. I know, it's weird. I've already started planning Chloe's Fall Party in October.

~ Have you been grocery shopping lately? OMW! I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and was so disgusted at the rising prices of things! Things I noted that were SKY HIGH are... cheese, milk, produce, peanut butter, butter and bread. And that's just because those are the basics I needed. WOW! Dropped $140.32 like it was nothing!

That's it. That's all I got.

Hope to get back to posting more regularly soon.

;}

The Lead of Love

The other day I was sharing my story with someone who had some questions about the my life's journey. During the course of the conversation, I found myself, several times, saying, "looking back I see God's fingerprints all over my life!"

The person I was talking with was questioning this... asking, "What do you mean by 'God's fingerprints'?" And so I continued with story after story about the times God had me in just the right place at just the right moment and how His love has been so evident in this journey of mine.

I decided to post some of these "Fingerprints of God" in my life...

~ The time I was in a severe car accident that should have ended my life. I shaved the side of a tree with my car. An onlooker would later recall the incident as "amazing"... "like someone "lifted your car and moved it right out of the path that was leading directly into a tree!" No - that was God' fingerprints.

~ Blessing me with a wonderful man in which to share my life with. Someone who is not only my husband, but my best friend. Someone to laugh with, cry with and love. God's fingerprints.

~ The love and support I received from friends and family following the death of my best friend my freshmen year of college and the lessons learned about God's grace and mercy even in times of great sorrow. God's fingerprints.

~ For God's perfect timing on the conception and birth of my daughter, Chloe. I waited and waited to have her - begging God for a baby in my timing. I learned that only His time is the perfect time. God's fingerprints.

~ For giving me special friends and mentors who aren't afraid to speak truth into my life - even when it hurts - because they care about me that much. God's fingerprints.

~ For a sprained ankle back in 2005 that kept me down and out for close to 3 weeks because God needed to get my attention and tell me to slow down! I slowed down and was able to really hear God during that time. God's fingerprints.

I could go on and on about the times in which God was leading in my life. Times that I can look back on and see Him at work and it's absolutely amazing!

I love the song by Caedmon's Call entitled, "Lead of Love".... Enjoy it!

A man is more than the sum of his deeds! Thank you, God, for your lead of love!

My Daughter Cracks Me Up!

So - - Chloe sat in the service with us yesterday. (She does that far more than I like to admit!) And she's become a pretty good note-taker. She pays attention and even though I know she doesn't always "get it" she always seems to take something away from the service she attends.

I'm afraid this is not so true for yesterday.

Pastor Scott's message yesterday was entitled Shadows. He talked about the valleys we go through in life and how even in the midst of those valleys we should fear no evil, because as Christ-followers, we can rest in the knowledge that God is always with us. He said that all dark valleys are inevitable... we're either just coming out of a really dark valley, we're currently in a dark valley or we're getting ready to go into a dark valley. Either way - valleys of the shadow of death are unpredictable, impartial, temporary and purposeful.

Pretty good stuff.

As I look down at the fill-in's on my eight-year-olds paper, here is what I see...

Valleys are COOL
Valleys are WIRD (supposed to be WEIRD)
Valleys are DISASTERS (surprisingly spelled correctly!)
Valleys are INSTANT
Valleys are TENTS

What to do in Dark Valleys
Refuse MOM (what?!?)
Remember LIFE
Rely on DIEGO (what can I say, he's one of her best friends!)

3 Important things about Shadows
Shadows are always WIRD (there it is again!)
Shadows cannot SKIP
There is no shadow HERE

I'm not even sure what to think about this...

:)

My Purse Is Too Heavy?

So - I went to the doctor yesterday. Been having some pains that were worrying me a bit, so I went to get them checked out. Things are okay. HOWEVER, my purse, apparently, is not okay.

It has to go on a diet!

Yes - I was scolded by the Physicians Assistant and told that my bag was "way to heavy" to be carried around!

IN FACT - - the P.A. actually put my purse on the SCALE to be weighed!

7 lbs!

I carry around a 7 lb bag! I couldn't believe it.

BUT - I use everything in there on a regular basis. I'm a mom, for crying out loud, I HAVE to be prepared.

The P.A. wasn't haven't it! She told me to go home and empty the purse out and get rid of all the things I didn't ABSOLUTELY NEED! In fact, she even made Trevor carry it out of the doctors office!

So - - it's a day later and my purse is still not cleaned out.

I'm having a hard time defining "NECESSITY".

Here's a peek inside my bag...

















Help! What do I get rid of? Here's just some of the items I'm having a hard time letting go of (because, you never know, right?)...

2 pair of sunglasses
Tylenol Bottle
Excedrin Migraine Bottle
Bayer Bottle
Camera
iPhone
Scrunchies
Checkbook
Writing Tablet
Pocket Planner
Pens
Chap stick
Rolaids
Tide to Go Pen
Mini Lysol Can
Mini Container of wipes
Tissues
Cold Sore Treatment
Prescription Meds for Migraines
Keys
Ankle Brace
Wallet

HELLO?? What could I possibly get rid of?

What about you... what's in your purse?

Vacation Recap Days 4-7

Wednesday morning we awoke to this really weird sound coming from what appeared to be next door to us. It wasn't next door - it actually turned out to be outside. It was hail! FORTUNATLY it only lasted about 20 minutes with a little bit of rain and then gorgeous again by about 10. That was, literally, the only rain we saw all week!

So - we decided to head out around lunchtime from the hotel towards the U.P. It was long drive - but one I didn't mind too much - because the sites were incredible! Saw much of Lake Michigan on the trip to Escanaba. Beautiful weather, easy traffic and country tunes crankin'! :) Doesn't get much better! (Did I mention that the ONLY 3 channels we got for 3 days were country stations. I learned how to appreciate country music all over again!)

We ended up in Escanaba at around 5. Nice little town. Checked into our hotel room and then headed to the lake for some pictures. Got some really cool lighthouse pics and scenery shots (all on Trev's camera of course). Nice, relaxing night.

Went to dinner at a place called Hudson's. Cool little burger joint - kind of like a greasy spoon-type place. After dinner, visited their Wal-Mart (guess this is just a must on vacation) and got some things we needed and then it was back to the hotel for the night.

End - Day 4.

Thursday morning we woke up early and headed toward Mackinaw City. It was a gorgeous day! We stopped a couple different times along the water to stop and look and of course, take pictures. Trevor loves the water and HAS to be as close to it as he can be when he can be. :)

Arrived in Mackinaw City in the mid afternoon of day 5. Weather was PERFECT - about 70 degrees! I'm just gonna say right now that it could never get a degree past 75 and I would be ONE HAPPY person! :)

Ate lunch in Mackinaw City and then did some shopping. Played putt-putt in the early evening. Trevor won. Of course he did! But only by one stroke! It was funny - Chloe had forgotten that the LOWEST score wins and so was happy each time I told her daddy got a 2 and she got a 5. Needless to say, at the end hearing she got a 60 and daddy got a 42 and that daddy one, it did not make her very happy. She did get 2 hole-in-one's, though, so I was very proud of her! :)

Walked through downtown, Mackinaw Crossing, in the evening. Got Ice Cream and then watched a pretty cool laser show before heading back to the hotel for the night.

End - Day 5.

Friday morning, Trevor and Chloe headed to the hotel's continental breakfast while I stayed back and took my shower and got ready. Pretty crazy - while they were gone I set-off the fire alarm with my hair dryer! (Now maybe Trevor will believe me the next time I tell him that I literally SWEAT getting ready in the morning because that darn dryer is so hot!) It did finally go off by itself, but it was a little scary there for a moment!

Took the Ferry to Mackinac Island on Friday. Another BEAUTIFUL day! Literally - not a cloud in the sky! The Ferry Boat to the Island was very fun. Windy - but fun. Here's a picture of Chloe. She didn't much care for all the wind.



Got to the island and did lots of walking. Took a pretty cool Horse Carriage Tour that took us all around the Island - including a stop to Fort Mackniac a stop by the Butterfly Conservatory. Trevor got some AMAZING pictures at the Conservatory! I'm not kidding - some of these pictures need to be in magazines! (Insert: Bragging up my hubby here!)

Ya'll have to ask Trevor about the Haunted House that we toured while we were there, too. Talk about scary! I did learn that my family and I are all whimps! Big barks, with little bites! :)

Learned some really interesting facts about the Island. VERY imformative Tour Guides. Check this out for a a little more touristy stuff about Mackinac.

Got back to the main land about 6. I had a pretty intense migraine so I went back to the hotel to lay down while Trevor and Chloe went to the beach just outside of our hotel. They were able to get KILLER seats for the fireworks, too!

Decided on pizza for dinner. Pizza on the beach was pretty sweet! When I came back down from resting from my headache - this is what I saw...



Sweet set-up. My hubs rocks!

We did get yelled at by some guy who accused us of stealing "his chair" from his room (the one with the cooler on it). It was pretty interesting since all Trev had done was get it from the beach when he first arrived and no one was around. We told him he could have it - but he just said, "N0 - whatever!" Guess he was pretty mad. Oh well. We didn't let it ruin our evening.

Fireworks on Lake Michigan were incredible to say the least. They were literally setting them off just a piers-length away from us. It was pretty increible. They also lasted longer than any I've ever seen.

Here's some pics of Chloe's time splashing around in the lake...

















We even did some sparklers. Everyone loves sparklers, right?



Ended the day about midnight. Got to bed late, but it was good. Well worth it for all the fun we had! :) Great memories!

End - Day 6.

We took our time getting up on Saturday. The last day of vacation is never fun - so we just took it slow. Checked out of hotel and grabbed a bite to eat at a really cool family-style restaurant before getting on the road again.

Filled gas tank - $4.27! WOW!

We decided to stop at West Branch at the Outlet Malls. Now my husband is one heck of a guy. He only stops at these places for me. Isn't he the best? He even did some shopping with me in Bath and Body Works. Now that's love, right ladies?

Ended up texting my friends of ours who were staying in a cottage up in Hale, Michigan, near Tawas. Knew we were pretty close - so called to see if they wanted to come over and shop with us. They ended up inviting us over - so we decided to make a "pit stop" for a little bit to hang with them. Ended up eating dinner and before you knew it - it was late. We still had 4 hours of driving home to do. So... we did what any sane person would do - - we stayed the night - adding ONE MORE night/day to our vacation. It was unexpected - and very fun! We laughed with friends, watched a movie and was able to spend some extra down time relaxing before heading back the next morning at 8 a.m.

Overall - it was a wonderful vacation! Expensive - yes. Longer than we had planned - yes. Well worth it - ABSOLUTELY! I love getting time like that to unplug and connect with my family. They are THE BEST and I am one blessed wife and mother!

Days 4-7 Highlights
~ Singing country tunes in the car with Chloe.
~ Driving across the bridge in Mackinaw (SCARY!)
~ Laying on grass next to Lake Michigan on the Island.
~ Fireworks on the beach.
~ Sharing some unexpected time with great friends!

Vacation Recap Days 2 & 3

Got up early on Monday morning, June 30. Not sure why - - I'm guessing it was the time change (one hour behind us). Whatever the reason - we were up and at 'em by 7 a.m.

We took some time to contemplate whether or not we should stay in Chicago for a little while - but as soon as we got on the road, it was very clear that Chicago traffic is NOT for us! So - we started headed north.

Ended up eating lunch at a really cool little bakery called Corner Bakery. Pretty neat little place! Got a Baby Bundt Cake (chocolate on chocolate of course!). YUM-O!

Then it was off to Wisconsin Dells. Gotta be honest - I fell asleep as soon as we hit the road. Must have been that the chocolate put me in a coma. I honestly don't remember much of the trip. I do remember waking up to the GPS lady's voice saying, "You have reached your destination". Oops.

Got the the Dells and this place is unbelievable! There must be well over 20 water park resorts - not to mention all the other large pool hotels! It was one right after the other! We ended up here. The main reason was because it was the largest water park in the Dells. 125,000 square feet indoor park, not to mention a killer outdoor park complete with over 7 big water slides, a lazy river (gotta just love the name of that when you're on vacation!) and a family raft ride. I'll tell ya what's a blast to watch is the Flowrider Surfing! These kids (sometimes younger than Chloe) are amazing to watch! Definitely something I'll always pass at - but fun to watch none-the-less. :)



After checking in to our hotel, we decided to do have dinner and then go play in the water park. Did I mention Chloe had her swim goggles on practically the whole ride to the Dells from Chicago? She was ready!

Following water park fun, Chloe got some Dippin' Dots and we headed back to the room.

End - Day 1.

Tuesday morning - another GREAT, beautiful day! The weather in the Dells was PERFECT... between 70-75 the whole time we were there!

We decided to take a one of these tours on Tuesday morning. An Army Duck = An Amphibious Truck that can run on land and water. It's a truck and it's a boat! :) It was fun. The 1-hour tour took us through parts of the Wisconsin River and by some pretty cool rock formations along the river. Got some pretty cool pics (Trev's camera, not mine). Had an awesome Tour Guide named Zach. He was funny and gave us some pretty informative information about the Dells... like the city used to be called Kilbourn City until the late 40's when the name was changed to Wisconsin Dells and there are over 3 million visitors to the Dells annually. The Dells certainly is place to plan to get to if you've never been. Especially if you have children who enjoy water parks! :)

Following our Duck Tour and lunch, we headed to the outdoor water park at our hotel for the day. This was probably our favorite afternoon. Just swimming in the pool - getting some sun and sliding down some incredible slides. Great day spent with my 2 favorite people on the planet!



At around 7 we decided to leave the water park and head to the city to look around. Before heading into town, we caught a horse carriage ride from Kalahari that took us for a 20 minute tour around the resort. It was fun. Our horse's name was Jake. Chloe thought the ride was pretty cool!

After getting into town around 8, we decided to eat at a place called Crabby's Seafood. This place was pretty neat! All-you-can-eat seafood buffet including salad bar and dessert bar. They actually bring you plate after plate of crab legs - as many as you can eat. Well worth the money you spend and a little entertainment from the pirate crew while you're eating. It was fun!

Following dinner, we headed into town to see what was "happening". LOTS was happening! The town was bustling! People everywhere. Stores open late, even during the week, to accommodate all the tourists.

We went into a couple stores for some souvenirs. Fun stuff - mostly all the same things in each store. Went into a really neat candy store that had every kind of Pez Dispenser you could ever imagine!

Got back to the hotel late, but had an awesome time! GREAT day! Lots of memories! Definitely will want to return someday to the Dells!















Day 2 and 3 Highlights
~ Seeing Chloe overcome her fears of the water slides!
~ Hanging by the pool with Trevor watching Chloe have the time of her life!
~ Hearing Chloe say "Chula Vista Baby" (inside joke you'll have to ask me about!)

Vacation Recap Day 1

Oh vacation, vacation - where have you gone? :0 Seems like it passes just as quickly as it came. No - let's face it - we wait and we wait for it and then it's gone in a blink of an eye.

This year's summer vacation was a great time! There's something to be said about 3 people trapped inside of a car for over 1,300 miles! I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as we did on this trip!

The first day was the windy city... Chicago! This was actually an "added" stop in our trip around Lake Michigan. And I have to admit - it was an expensive add-on. But none-the-less, time well spent!

We arrived in Chicago on Sunday, June 29, at around 2. Even at 2 p.m. on a Sunday, traffic was pretty heavy. We later discovered that it was partly due to the fact that the Taste of Chicago was going on right on the water. We contemplated going, but decided that it looked way too chaotic. (Yeah - duh! Everything is chaotic in Chicago!)

First we checked into our hotel - The Hard Rock Hotel. It was nice. It was TALL! Chloe loved being on the 23rd floor! I have to tell you - the most impressive thing about our stay was the bell boy service and the concierge! It was amazing! These men were amazing! Talk about customer service! These guys have been well trained - and they get it!

Following our check-in at the hotel, we decided to make the trip to this place. Chloe would say - this visit made it all worth it!



I am not sure who liked this place better - her or me! I'm not kidding! I was like a little girl all over again! "Get this one, Chloe! Get this one!" I kept saying. It was pretty sad when one time she commented back to me, "Mom, if you want one, you should get one!" :) Sad, I know! But these dolls were amazing (oh, and the prices were amazing too! NOT!) Here's Chloe by some dolls that I wanted.. (:))



(oh my - look at the blue tongue!)

And these ones were cool too!



We ended up with Kit. As in Kit Kittridge... the new movie that's out. Haven't seen it - but I suppose that the doll will be in tow when we do! :)

All-in-all, The American Girl Doll Place was a great experience! And I'm pretty sure we will make regular trips back there in years to come!

Next, following our doll place experience, was the Shedd Aquarium. Pretty neat place! If you haven't been - I suggest a trip out there! Well worth the money you pay for tickets! Unfortunately, the 4-D show was down when we were there - but I hear that's pretty cool, too! We spent about 3 hours at the Aquarium. Saw some amazing fish and turtles and sharks and lizards! My favorite, by FAR, were the Sea Otters and the Penguins (those little guys are amazing!)

Some of the most "curious" experiences about our trip to Chicago were the taxi rides. Unique to say the least. Chloe thought they were pretty "weird" as she later admitted following her inability to breathe due to an "unusual odor" in one of the cabbies! These were experiences.

At about 6:30 p.m. it was off to Fogo De Chao. WOW! For those who follow my on Twitter, I promised an entire post dedicated to my experience here. It's coming! All I will say is that I was certain following dinner here that I would never eat again. I've since re-evaluated this comment, but have decided that if I'm ever blessed to go again, I will fast for 2 days first. :)

At the end of the day, we were exhausted! It was raining and we had a nice night of sleep. GREAT first day!

Day 1 Highlights:
~ Getting off at an exit that advertised a store that no longer existed. :)
~ Hearing Trevor give the GPS lady "the business" when she was improperly directing us!
~ Eating lunch at an old-fashioned drive-up restaurant where they serve you your food on the trays that they attach to your car window.
~ Singing along to the radio with Chloe!
~ The Chubby Trout (gonna have to ask Trevor about that one!)
~ Taxi rides in downtown Chicago!
~ Eating at a Brazilian Steakhouse.

Turning Eight!

My BABY turned eight years old on June 27! It is down right crazy to think of her as that old! It doesn't seem possible! I swear to you that it was JUST yesterday that we loaded her up in the car to come home with us for the first time and I wouldn't even let Trevor drive on the highway because "What if we get hit or something?" Now here we are celebrating one more year closer to double digits!!!

For the theme this year, Chloe picked out "Under Water Sea Adventure". How cute was that? We had sea shells and sand, blue and green cupcakes, fish table skirting and some neat birthday gifts for her friends in plastic blue fish cups. :)



We invited 3 friends to join her for a celebration! We started off the evening with a trip to see Wall-E. What a cute movie! If you haven't seen it - I highly recommend it! Then it was off for pizza at Basil Boys in Tecumseh. This was her choice - she loves the bread sticks (so much like her mom). Then it was back home where she opened presents from her friends, ate cupcakes and watched Air Buddies. All was pretty quiet when I went in to check on them at 1 A.M.!! :)

Happy Birthday Chloe Jean! :) We love you so much!

Home -- at last!

One week ago today we embarked upon a vacation journey that took us through 5 states, 1,350 miles and today, it's all over. I have to admit - I'm a always a bit sad coming back to reality - but we are all glad to be home. Happy to have had the opportunity to have seen so many different things (and tasted some terrific food!). We are blessed.

I'll be blogging my vacation highlights soon. Pics coming soon too!

Got Me Thinking...

Been seeing this advertisement a lot lately...



I like it.

I get it... I'm a mom.

And it got me thinking a bit.

Our kids are on loan to us by God. They're really not ours. They don't belong to us - they belong to Him. We have them only for a little while.

As a believer, what if God told you to do something that felt "uncomfortable"? Would your response be, "Anything you want from me, Lord." Even when it concerns your child.

Do you really mean that?

I think about this sometimes when I'm riding the fence. You know... you've been there. Thinking about your life and asking God what it is He wants from you. Asking Him where He wants you to go. I do this all the time... "God - what do You want from me? Where would You have me to go? Send me! I'm ready."

Do I really mean that?

I better mean it and I'd better be ready to go where He wants me to go and do what He wants me to do. It may be hard. It may not feel good at the time - but I must trust Him.

After all - He's in control, not me!

My Daughter Rocks!

I had one of those VERY proud mom moments today on my way home from picking Chloe up from summer camp.

Her Eighth Birthday is Friday, June 27. We leave on vacation Sunday, June 29, so we didn't have a whole lot of time between to do a big birthday party as I have in the past (yeah... I'm one of those moms and we're one of those families that REALLY do-up birthdays!) So - I told her she could have 3 girls over for sleepover. The plan is - we are going to do Wall-E at the movie theatre and then going for pizza. The girls will then sleepover and go home by 11 a.m. the next morning. She invited three of her BEST friends in the world - Hannah, Samantha and Maya (who is actually her friend AND cousin). Hannah is her VERY best friend! She's been her bestest bud since they were only a year and a half old - and so she was the FIRST invitation that went out. Until today - we had received an RSVP from everyone but Hannah. Today, we got the news that Hannah wasn't going to be able to make it - she will be out of town on vacation with her family. BUMMER! I was NOT looking forward to relaying the information to her... I knew she would devastated!

I was right. She was. She cried. I wanted to cry for her. Hannah doesn't attend school with Chloe and we have only rare opportunities to see her - so this was total sadness.

After some tears and a bit of silence (I could tell she was really thinking), she finally said something to me, I don't think I will ever forget. She said to me,

"Mom, even though I'm really sad that Hannah can't come to my party, it's probably a good thing ... because I would just want to play with her the most and then the other girls would feel badly and I wouldn't want them to be sad."

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. I knew that she was sad, but through her pain, she was able to find the GOOD in a bad situation.

God taught me a lesson through my child today. To find the good... the blessing... in each painful experience.

I love you Chloe!

Posts

Here are some blog posts I've read recently that I felt were worthy of passing along! There's some good stuff here - - worth the read...

This Post about McDonald's is a must read! "Little things don't mean a lot, they mean everything!"

This Post has to be one of my favorite posts followed up by this one.

This Post will get you thinking. GREAT stuff! By far one of the best posts I've read!

If you didn't know that I host another blog - well, now you do. This Post was meant to honor and motivate those who serve week in and week out at Crossroads Community Church! Just a reminder for all of us... check it out.

This Picking People Post is good stuff. Same can be said about picking volunteers for the right roles!

Been reading a lot on this blog lately. If you want to read posts that will touch your heart - read this! Warning: Get your tissues!

This is an older post - but good. One of my fav's in the archives! Makes you think, doesn't it?

That's it for now... Happy reading!

Wedding Songs

Just a fun post today... did you know:

Top Wedding Songs For The First Dance (Per Yahoo)

Unforgettable (Nat King Cole)

Can't Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley)

Can I Have This Dance? (Ann Murray)

The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)

It Had To Be You (Harry Connick, Jr.)

What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)

Endless Love (Diana Ross and Lionel Richie)

I Cross My Heart (George Strait)

I Swear (John M. Montgomery or All 4 One)

A Whole New World (Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle)

As Time Goes By (A Kiss Is Just A Kiss) (Michael Feinstein)

When You Say Nothing At All (Allison Krauss)

Faithfully (Journey)

No Ordinary Love (Sade)

Here And Now (Luther Vandross)

I Can Love you Like That (John M. Montgomery)

Power Of Love (Celine Dion)

Tonight I Celebrate My Love (Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson)

Everything I Do {I Do For You} (Bryan Adams)

When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge or Michael Bolton)

All My Life (Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville)

I'll Be There (Mariah Carey)

On Bended Knee (Boyz II Men)

At Last (Etta James)

Don't Know Much (Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville)

From This Moment On (Shania Twain)

Our Love Is Here To Stay (Harry Connick, Jr.)

Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers)

And mine and Trevor's first dance song made it on this list! "I Can Love You Like That" (John Michael Montgomery).

We're so cool!

Wow...

Heard someone say this yesterday and it got me thinking about things...

"When you're screwing up and nobody's saying anything to you anymore... that means they gave up."

Ponder on that for a bit.

I pray that the people who truly love and care about me will always speak truth into my life. I'm counting on you to tell me when I blow it... because that means you haven't given up!

Gal 6:9
"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Paying it Forward... Part 1

So...there I was in the drive-thru of our local Wendy's restaurant a week ago and God was speaking to me. Yeah - he was probably saying I didn't need the breaded chicken sandwich I was getting ready to order, but that's not what I'm talking about. I felt like God was telling me to "Pay it forward." I know, in theory, what this means, but I wasn't feeling much like doing it on this particular afternoon. I wasn't even sure what God was SPECIFICALLY trying to tell me. See - I'm one of THOSE kind of people. Don't beat around the bush with me - SPELL IT OUT. So... I guess I pretty much shrugged it off and went on with my day. (I'm so stubborn.)

Fast forward to today.

My niece calls me and I didn't get to the phone right away. She called back 2 more times within 3 minutes and I missed every call. (Yeah - darn iPhone sucks lately!) This is how our conversation went...

Tiffany (my niece): "Aunt Wendy - you know a LOT of people, right? And you practically know EVERYONE in your church, right? And your church is really big, too, right?"

Me: "Um.. yeah, I guess. WHY?"

Tiff: "Well - do you know a guy named Rob? He's between 40-50 years old, stocky with a black mustache."

Me: "Tiffany, honey, I'm good, but not THAT good. What else you got?"

Tiff: "That's it. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

Me: "Um, not really. I don't think. Give me a minute."

So our conversation went on just like this for a couple minutes. It was quite amusing. I love Tiff. She's like my first daughter. That kid makes me smile!

In short, here's what happened...

Tiffany has been struggling to make ends meet for the past week or so. Her boyfriend doesn't have steady work, she is a FULL-TIME student on top of working almost a FULL-TIME job and she's a new mom to 7-month-old, Jayvian. She has big bills now that she's never had to deal with before and she's trying REALLY hard to make ends meet. Did I mention, she's a GREAT kid with a GREAT head on her shoulders? Just down to pocket change until her next paycheck comes in at the END of this week.

She attends school in Toledo and knew she would need gas money for the week, so she asked to borrow $25 from her grandma, of which she would pay back as soon as she got paid. Note: she is very true to her word, so grandma obliged!

Well, we all know how far $25 will take you - and these days, it's not very far. It wasn't. She ran out of gas 1/2 way through the week.

She remembered that she had $8 left on a Wal*Mart card and decided to head there to spend what she KNEW was remaining on her card. As she attempted to swipe her card - it was clear that there was nothing on it by the loud voice telling her to "PLEASE PAY INSIDE."

She stood in the heat, baby in the car and cried. She didn't know what to do.

That's when her angel came up from behind her. We'll call him Angel Rob. He told her that he wanted to pay for her gas and proceeded to pump $25 worth of gas into her tank.

She cried harder and told him that he didn't need to do that. In fact, she even asked "Why are you helping me?"

His response was priceless... "Because we're all down on our luck once in a while and it's my way of PAYING IT FORWARD." (OK God, there it is!)

When the gas was pumped and paid for, Tiffany turned to him and asked what his name was. He told her it was Rob. She said, "How can I ever repay you, Rob?"

Another priceless answer...

"I just want you to pay it forward to someone else the next time you see someone in need."

WOW!

Tiffany - thank you for sharing this story with me.
God - thank you for using my niece to show me what you want from me.

Rob didn't want anything from Tiff other than to pay it forward. No reward is greater than knowing you are making a difference in someone else's life!

It's time to PAY IT FORWARD.

Part 2 coming...

Down Time?

Sometimes we all need a break. I guess today was my turn for one.

Last weekend was a very busy weekend. Heck - all of last week was a very hectic week and I think my body has finally crashed.

Was supposed to go to the zoo with Chloe's class today... I didn't make it.

Had a migraine all night long. That led to some sort of stomach thing.

Spent the morning throwing up. Spent the afternoon (ALL afternoon) sleeping!

Continued prayers would be appreciated. Another big weekend ahead of me. No time for sickness!

Thank you, Lord, for this reminder...

Matthew 11:28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

The Secret

I'm currently in the middle of a GREAT read. I can't hardly put this book down.

Now I know I complain a lot about customer service - but I read something this morning that could be the secret. So many times we look to the employee as the one who has the problem. After all, shouldn't they be HAPPY to at least HAVE a job? One would think so, but maybe it's more than that. Maybe it's all in the way they're treated by their employer.

Years ago my father owned his own insurance agency. I used to tell him ALL the time that he was the best boss in the world. I didn't work there, but I saw the way he treated the people who worked for him and I was impressed. Very early on in my life, I learned that if you treat the people who work for you well, you have NOTHING to worry about. Translation: if you trust them and give them opportunities that challenge them and encourage them, you will have an employee for life and it will automatically make them a better employee! I know, it's simple thinking, but I believe SO MANY companies don't get this concept!

I'd like to share with you what I read this morning that, if more businesses put into practice, would improve overall customer service...

"...the most important people in this business are our employees! Some people will say customers are most important, but if we create the right atmosphere where our employees enjoy their jobs and have opportunities for growth, they will get a kick out of their work! Then that feeling will spill right over to the customer!... We remind them that they're not just working for a quick-serve chicken restaurant. They're working to create an atmosphere. "

That's my favorite line.. "They're working to create an atmosphere."

It's true, isn't it? How many times have we said, "I'm not going back there" simply based on the atmosphere or the experience. Here's what I know I'm checking out when I visit a restaurant...

• Friendliness
• Cleanliness
• Timeliness

In that order.

I want friendly service first. If I don't get it - I'm probably not returning.

I want a clean environment second. If I don't get it - I'm probably not returning.

I want my food served in a timely fashion. If I don't get it - I will think about coming back - but only if 1 and 2 are present.

So - this caused me to take a moment to think about the church. Without our volunteers, the church would not, could not, operate! Period. Our volunteers are the heartbeat to everything we do and they better know how much they matter. They better know that they're making the difference. Not just A difference - but THE difference! We're not selling chicken sandwiches - we're selling Jesus Christ. What do you think the list my look like for those checking out church for the first time? I would bet it looks very similar to my list above.

Are we working to create an atmosphere? You bet! Do our volunteers know how important their role is? I sure hope so! And I pray that it spills over to the guest on Sunday morning.

Summer is Here!

Had a BLAST this weekend. Went here and played in the water Sunday and Monday. If you haven't been before, here are some of my suggestions based on my experience...

• When they tell you that you can check in as early as noon, don't believe them. They don't actually "guarantee" your room until 4. We weren't in until 5:20 p.m.! The good news was, they granted us a late check-out the next day because of our delay.
• Book a room for 2 nights. Honestly... it's worth the extra night. We didn't see a quarter of what we COULD have seen had we been able to stay one extra night.
• Bring your own food. They don't allow coolers in the actual water park, but you can bring them in the rooms. Food prices are very high.
  
• Visit the candy shop before you leave. KILLA chocolate! Oh - and caramel apples the size of a human head!
• Be prepared to WALK a lot! It's a lot of walking and a lot of climbing up to the slides.
• Even though I'm sure it's a great experience in the winter months - if you can, try to visit in the summer so you can use the outdoor swimming facilities. It makes it so much more worth the money you pay for a ticket!
• Wait until you get inside the park to get towels. You can get as many extra towels as you need from the towel stations set up around the park... but if you ask for them at the entrance of the pool - they limit one per person (so I couldn't get them for my entire family unless they were actually WITH me).
• Wear sunscreen even if you intend to stay inside the entire time. I have but 2 words to say about this... Skylights. Sunburn.
• Bring extra money for the arcade! You can't even get INTO the water park without going THROUGH the arcade. Smart design!
• Make sure to cancel the automatic $45 they charge your credit card to open a "line of credit" so that items can be automatically debited from your water park wristband. NOT a good idea, especially if the card you booked the room on is NOT the card you plan to pay the room with. (Note.. true story - this happened to my niece. She booked the room on her debit card and only had enough to pay for the room. Everything else was going to go on her boyfriends card. They proceeded to bill her $540 for a line of credit for $45 for the 12 people in her party WITHOUT her knowing anything about it!) Be careful.

Overall - it was a good time and I would go back! :) FUN WEEKEND!

Is It Me?

Okay - so I'm beginning to think it's me. That's it - there must be something wrong with me! My husband told me NOT to blog about this - but I'm going to anyway. I'm sorry - I love you, honey, but I have to get this one out.

So - - last night my family and I took a trip to a local retail store to do a little shopping for some summer clothing. You know - bathing suits, shorts, t-shirts... that sort of thing. One of the things I LOVE about this particular store is their jewelery! They are known for always having quite a variety of colorful, low-cost jewelery, and when I'm visiting the store - I always make it a point to do a pit-stop at the jewelery kiosks first thing!

Last night was no exception.

I found this really cool bracelet. It was made of chocolate and silver beads with pretty shells dangling from all sides. Even better - it was 50% off! I was pretty excited.

I know I get excited by the simplest things.

So - we finish up our shopping and head for the check-out line. It was a long line. I was tired and ready to be done shopping. (Yeah - must have been something wrong with me!) Oh - and I was grouchy because I was hungry too.

Finally it's our turn to check-out and I lay my stuff up on the counter - delicately placing the bracelet up on top of the other items I was purchasing. The guy behind the counter takes the clothes and flips them up and the bracelet goes flying... landing on the cement floor and breaking in half. Not only that - all of the shells went fling and THEY broke in half as well.

Okay - so it's not that the bracelet broke. That's not the point. It was a mistake. Mistakes happen. What I was unhappy about was the way I was treated by the cashier. He simply looked down on the floor and said, "Yep - it broke!" to which I replied, "Yeah it did! All over too! Bummer - I really liked that bracelet!" So what does he do - he takes the pieces from me and tosses them up on his counter, continuing to ring me up while talking to another co-worker about how he "can't wait to get out of here!"

So I ask - shouldn't the sales clerk have said to me "Ma'am, can I have someone get you a replacement bracelet?" or at the very least, "I'm sorry about that."

I received nothing. AND at the end of transaction - not even a thank you, but instead a "Here's you receipt.. you're all set."

Can I just ask - am I the only one who gets poor customer service - or am I just too picky about the way I feel customers ought to be treated during a sales transaction?

GREAT weekend!

I LOVE long weekends. This past one was a GREAT one!

It all started on Friday night. The fam and I went shoe shopping! (You know the weekend's gonna be good when you start off with a trip to the shoe store!) It was BOGO and we took full advantage! I got a pair of sneakers and sandals. Chloe got a pair of Sketcher tennis shoes and sandals. We also ate at this place which was delicious! (It doesn't quite compare to this place, but it'll do!!)

Saturday was cleaning day. All day. We got a lot done and did not crash until 8:30 p.m. when we finally ate dinner! Good day!

Sunday morning was church. Sunday night we had our really good friends, Tom and Michele, over for dinner. FUN night hanging and laughing with friends! Killa time! :)

(I have to add something here. Chloe was invited to go camping with my nephew for the weekend - so for Sunday and Monday Trevor and I were actually like newlyweds again! I love my child - but I have to say, spending some down time alone with my hubby was pretty neat!)

Stayed up late Sunday night. Slept in late on Monday morning. NICE!

Went to breakfast with my man on Monday morning and then took a long ride in the country. Sun roof open. Windows down. It was SO relaxing! (We used to take long rides in the country when we were first married - - and it's been a while, so it was nice!)

Monday night we had another cookout - this time with most of Trevor's side of the family. Brats, burgers, beans... yeah - we had it all!

Great relaxing weekend! Was really tired this morning!

Is it Friday yet?

So You Think You Can Dance?

So now that Season 7 of American Idol is over (Yes - and David A. lost although I still say he should have won) this is my new favorite show...

Asking Questions

Lately I can't get enough of podcasts, blogs and video stream from other churches and pastors who are on fire for Christ and for reaching people who are far from Him.

I ran into a blog post the other day where Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, was being interviewed. He was being asked the question... "Taking a look at the Evangelical, Capital C Church... what would be the one thing you'd like to see happen?" Here is how is responded (simple. brilliant!):

"To me it's all about one thing... 'Is it all about Jesus?'... at the end of the day, are people learning about who Jesus is and what he's done... every church has to ask themselves that - 'Are we talking about Him... Are we making much of Him or are we trying to give people principles without power'... meaning 'follow His example, but don't live in relationship with Him'."

Customer Service?!?

Anyone who knows me knows that I place a HUGE emphasis on Customer Service. Whether I'm shopping, eating at a restaurant or attending a recreational park/event, I'm making mental notes on how I am treated and I'm making a determination on whether or not I will return based on my overall experience.


Yesterday was no exception.


I was in one of my favorite local stores. I'm going to avoid telling you where I was at - but just know it's a BIG name store and a place I frequent quite often.


So - I have this coupon for $40.89 that's only good through 5/24. I realize it on Sunday and decide that THIS week I will try to redeem my coupon in full. I'm excited. I mentioned already that it's one of my favorite places to shop, right?


So I get my things and I head to the checkout lane (the ONLY ONE they have opened. At lunchtime when it's pretty busy.)


I finally arrive to the counter and the young girl rings me up. She gives me my total - $45.13. Hmm.. I thought I was being careful to not spend above the coupon. I must have given a puzzled look because to this the employee says, "What?"


"Well - I thought my total would be less than that." "NOPE! $45.13" she says.


Okay... here's where my frustration sets in.


I hand her my coupon. She scans it in and then gives me my new total - $4.24. I give her the money and she takes it, completes the sale and hands me my receipt.


After taking a look at the receipt, I notice that 2 of the items were rung up incorrectly. I ask her about it and sure enough she says, "You're right. I guess I'll have to give you back your change!"


Umm - you think?


She struggles a bit with the cash register, but cannot get it to give me back my change so she now calls over a manager.


For what seems like forever, they mull over the receipt. The whole time, the employee is complaining about the new system. In fact, one time she even goes as far as to say, "This new system sucks!" What does the manager do - she says, "YES it is!"


Oh my word. I'm not happy at all at this point.


To top it off, now the manager is mad and verbalizing her anger at the "system" quite loudly.


Manager: "This computer is CRAP!"


Yes - you read that right - the manager actually said the word "CRAP" in front of me - the customer. The guest.


Long story short - I get my change (finally) and I'm on my way.


It really got me thinking, though, about how businesses treat their customers. Their guests. If I were in charge of this store, I can tell you that these two individuals would be talked to about what is appropriate to say in front of the customer and what clearly - is not!

It got me pondering some questions... Where have our values gone to? Who is in charge of making sure that these two employees KNOW and UNDERSTAND the value and vision of the company? Why is behavior like this so common and even more so - tolerated... accepted? Where do we as consumers draw the line and decide that we don't have to be treated poorly when we can get the same product down the street with better customer service - even if it means paying the few cents or dollars even more for it!

That is why I am so passionate about guest services at Crossroads! If employees for Disney can get PUMPED UP about a mouse - shouldn't we be even MORE PUMPED UP about serving up Jesus every Sunday morning? Guests who drive onto our campus every Sunday deserve to have an experience that EXCEEDS their expectations. I tell my teams every Sunday - we need to BLOW THEM AWAY. We need to give God our best every single week... because anything less is unacceptable!

I know I've promoted this book time and again on this blog - but I'm gonna do it again today. Be Our Guest is a GREAT book about perfecting the art of customer service. It's a great read! I have encouraged those who are on my team to read this book and am challenging my leadership team right now to go through it. We will be spending the summer combing over the book from cover to cover and will begin implementing changes this fall. If you have a heart for customer/guest services - pick up the book! You won't be disappointed!

I'd like to pick one up for the two employees at the store I visited yesterday...

Magnoliaisms

My favorite movie of ALL times is Steel Magnolias. It's a classic! If you haven't seen it and you're into the whole chick-flick thing - this is a MUST!

I was in Target the other day and they had it on DVD for $5. I picked it up... since my only copy is a very old VHS tape.

I watched it last night. Don't know why - nothing special - it was Monday night - but I just felt like watching it is all. What I realized is - there's a lot of really cool one-liners in this movie - several of which I have used pretty frequently since I first saw the film more than 18 years ago. Here are some of my favorite lines from the movie...

• "Drum - you are the boil on the butt of humanity!"
• "Looks like the entire church has been hosed down with Pepto Bismol!"
• (referring to shoe size)... "In a good shoe, I wear a size 6, but a seven feels so good, I buy a size 8." "These are size 9" "Perfect!"
• "I don't trust anyone who does their own hair - it isn't normal!"
• "Relax! You can't screw up her hair. Just tease it and make it look like a brown football helmet."
• "You know I'd rather walk on my lips than to criticize anyone!"
• "Pink is my signature color!"
• "THIS is going in the hairdo Hall-of-Fame!"
• "The nicest thing I can say about her is all her tattoos are spelled correctly!"
• "This is football - all people want to hear about is touchdowns and injuries!"
• "I never worry, mama, cause I know you're worried enough for both of us!"
• "There's so much static electricity in this room, I pick up everything but boys and money."
• "Time marches on and eventually it marches right over your face."
• "Don't try to get on my good side, Truvy. I no longer have one!"
• "The only reason people are nice to me is I have more money than God."
• "Oh, Sammy's so confused he don't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his butt."
• "If you don't have anything nice to say, come sit by me."
• "I have a strict policy - nobody cries alone in my presence!"
• "Wow - I'm gonna paint my front door red and call myself Elizabeth Arden!"
• "I'm not crazy, I've just been a very bad mood for the last 40 years!"
• "Why are you in such a good mood - did you run over a small child or something?"
• "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."
• "The sooner my body wears out, the better off I'll be. I can't get enough grease in my diet!"
• "I don't see plays because I can nap for free at home."
• "Smile! It increases your face value!" (boy - I say this one a lot!)
• "You are evil and must be destroyed!"
• "You know I love you more than my luggage!"
• "You're too twisted for color T.V."
• "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion!"
• "She could never stay mad at me - she worships the quicksand I walk in."

Rain...

"Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory.

And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You

... Jesus, bring the rain!"

-MercyMe

Empty Me

I picked up a new CD last week - Chris Sligh. You might remember him from Season 6 of American Idol. He was voted off pretty early in the competition, but he had (has) a wonderful voice and went on to produce records. He is now a recording for a Christian label and has a top hit out right now entitled, "Empty Me". Its lyrics really resonated with me as I was listening to it this morning on my way to work. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did...

I've had just enough of the spotlight when it burns bright
To see how it gets in the blood.
And I've tasted my share of the sweet life and the wild ride
And found a little is not quite enough.

I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

I've seen just enough of the quick buys of the best lies
To know how prodigals can be drawn away.

I know how I can stray
And how fast my heart could change.

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.

Cause everything is a lesser thing Compared to you, compared to you.
Cause everything is a lesser thing Compared to you.

So, I surrender all!

Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
Empty me of the selfishness inside
Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride
And any foolish thing my heart holds to
Lord empty me of me so I can be
Lord empty me of me so I can be filled with you.
Oh, filled with you.

Empty me.

Humility

One of the greatest characteristics that I admire above all others is Humility. I totally admire men and women of God who are humble.

Now, I'm a BIG American Idol fan. I don't watch a lot of T.V. - but for me, on American Idol night - leave mama alone - I'm watching! For those of you who are fans of Idol, you'll know what I mean when I say it's down to the David's! David Archuleta and David Cook will be the two finalists who will go head-to-head next week, dukin' it out for the crown of victory! I've watched the show since the very beginning and I have to say, it's quite a toss-up on who's going to come out on top this time. These are both extremely talented guys! Both bring a unique flavor to the competition and I can't decide which way it's gonna go! Either way - I'm confident that both will have record deals before the end of summer and we will be seeing lots more of the David's in upcoming years.

Last night as they recapped each Idol's journey - I was blown away by how HUMBLE David Archuleta is. For him, it does NOT appear to be about the fame and glory. For him, it's about his love of music and, in his own words David says, "I just want to make people happy with my music." You can see one of the Fox News interviews he did here. I have to tell ya - you can't help but smile when you watch this! He's great!

I wish more people could be like David. I wish I could be more like David. Being humble and just loving what you do for the love of doing what you do... that trait is so admirable!

The life of Jesus is the perfect example of humility. He was not pompous and arrogant. He humbled himself before those who would later persecute him. Just one example was the washing of his disciples feet. Read John 13:12-14. Jesus humbled Himself on numerous occasions so that others would believe He is the Savior! And of course there was the greatest example of humility - His death on the cross. Jesus humbled Himself greatly before God for our Salvation.

I pray that I can learn to be more humble. More like Jesus...

Matt.18:4
"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."

James 4:6,10
"God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."

FLUBBER!

Chloe and I made FLUBBER today! How fun! It's easy - and can I just say - pretty fun to play with. We made Green and Purple! This is a GREAT project for the kids to help with! Here's the recipe:

In a Large Bowl, add:

• 2 cups of Elmer's All White Glue (one 16 oz bottle is just right)
• 1 1/2 cups of very warm water
• Food Coloring of your choice (This is where Chloe had the most fun!)

Mix the above ingredients thoroughly and set aside.

In a Small Bowl, add:

• 1 1/2 cups of very warm water
• 3 tablespoons of Borax
  

Dissolve the Borax completely in the water.

Now, pour the contents of the small bowl slowly into the large bowl. Stir the mixture until it starts to "flubberize". Let is sit for about a minute and then remove the flubber. (Note: there WILL be extra water - you can just squeeze the flubber to drain the water.)

Store in an airtight container.

I actually bought these really cool containers at K-Mart by American Fare ($2.79 for 2) that are quart size with a lid and they work great and the flubber fits perfectly!

Have Fun!

Pantry Items

I'm never one who's good at making dinner on the fly. I mean, I really need preparation and time to process through what we're going to eat... but here's a list of pantry items (and fridge items) I typically am never without:

• Spaghetti Noodles and PREGO Spaghetti Sauce. It's gotta be Prego!
• Goober Grape (you know - the peanut butter that's mixed with grape jelly in the jar!) :)
• Wheat Thins or Triskets
• Cans of Mushrooms
• Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It's gotta be Kraft!
  
• Cans of Tuna Fish
• Cans of All White Meat Chicken
• Rice
• We almost always have a container of Goldfish crackers on hand!
• Shredded Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Mayo AND Miracle Whip Light
• Penne Pasta Noodles (Trevor's favorite noodle!)
• Cans of Corn (I almost always have 2 cans, especially in the winter months)
• Cans of Green Beans (the Whole Beans)
• Taco Seasoning
• Pink Lemonade container
• Bread Crumbs
• Hate to admit it - but we usually have a bag of Doritos on hand - - it's a family fav!
• Milk
• Lots of bottles of Nestle Water
• Granola Bars
• Some kind of Salsa
• Cream of Mushroom Soup (you can make anything with that stuff!)
• Tomato Soup - it's a must have!
• Baked Beans (especially in the summer months for cookouts!)
• Vanilla Extract
  
• Garlic of any kind (it's gotta have garlic in it to be any good, right?)
• White Onion
• Chocolate Chips

I guess I should be thinking about what I'm gonna make with this stuff! I'm on it!

Serving with Friends

Got to hang out with some incredible people yesterday and last night! The CLASS team at Crossroads is packed with some amazing people who really have a heart and passion to serve the people of our church! I LOVE hanging out with these people - because there are some things you can just count on spending the day with these folks. You can always count on:

• Laughing your head off! Seriously - my stomach muscles were KILLING me last night!
• The team just getting the job done. I tell ya - these folks just KNOW what needs to be done and they do it! No questions asked!

Thank you to the following people for Making the Difference in the lives of those taking their next step at CCC:

• Faythe Emens - for being my right hand WOman!
  
• Larry and Cindy Fry - for traveling ALL the way and staying late even with the long drive!
  
• Chuck and Debbie Beck - for getting to church early to stuff bulletins and still being willing to stay late into the evening. AND for the delicious treats!
  
• Scott Bennett - for going to Wal-Mart for the extra 24-pack of water we needed!
  
• Joe Bennett - for making sure the supplies were purchased and ready for Sunday!
  
• Marvin Howard - for your servants heart! We have a lot to learn from you, Marvin! God is working on you and it was a pleasure having you do a first serve with the team!
• Shaun Plato and his tear-down team - for coming back to help with tear-down of all the tables, chairs etc. You guys are amazing!

Thank you, team! Thank you for demonstrating Christ's love. Thanks for serving. Thanks for YOU!

I look forward to August when we get to do it again!
(hey - and if you want to serve on this amazing team - let me know... we can hook you up!) :)

Random Thoughts In My Head!

I know I've been really bad at posting lately... and it's not because I don't have anything to say. Just too busy, I guess. Here are some thoughts that have been going through my mind lately - and I guess they just have to come out...

• This weather is INCREDIBLE! Seriously. If it could just be like this for the next 5 months, I would be sincerely satisfied!
• Got my hair done yesterday. I cannot tell you how dissatisfied I was! 3 hours at the salon. 3 hours of sitting until my rear end was soar and my back was killing me. 3 long hours and $162 later and I have absolutely nothing to show for it except for non-existent highlights and a bad cut. I won't get in to details... let's just say the salon I've been going to for the past 10 years will NOT see me again. Truthfully, it's quite sad. We build relationships in those salons. But I just can't see spending that kind of money and still leaving with undesired results.
• My great-nephew, Craigon, turned a year old today! Man do I feel old!
• I just finished adding some events to our family calendar for April and May. WOW - just stepping back and looking at April - it is seriously packed! No wonder I'm exhausted!
• For the past several weeks, Trevor and I have been protecting our Saturday's. It was a little difficult for us in the beginning - but we realized that we needed a family day that could NOT be interrupted or filled with anything that the family didn't decide on as a family. It's now a day we just KNOW belongs to us. We sleep in late, clean house, read, play outside, shop or get out for a bite to eat. It's awesome. Do you have a day that you protect that totally belongs to your family? If you don't - you need one!
• Getting a date night with my MAN on Friday night. Chloe will be away at a sleepover, so it's out on the town for us! I can't wait!
• I just realized that I'm crazy about hand sanitizer! I have one bottle in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, one in my car, two in my purse and one at work. A friend recently told me that she heard that in order to kill germs effectively, the alcohol content in the sanitizer should be 60% of higher. You'll be happy to know mine are good. I checked.
• The geese are back! We live on 11 acres with a pond in our back yard. Year after year two geese return to share the summer with us. We're weird... we named them. They are Mary and Larry. This year, they brought friends back with them. There is now an entire family who wakes us up long before we're ready to open our eyes... Mary Larry, Jerry, Perry, Barry and Carrie. I hope they don't bring more next year, we're running out of names!
• Tennis Rackets must be my gift of choice this year. Got one for my buddy, Diego, and then my hubby got one this week for his birthday! We were gonna play tonight - but we couldn't locate courts that weren't full. Went to the park instead. :)
  

That's it. I need sleep!