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!

Random Useless Facts

I love useless facts. Don't ask me why. I don't know why. I just do.

Here are some to share with you today. Did you know...

• The 'Zip' in Zip Code actually means Zoning Improvement Plan.
• 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sale of Happy Meals.
  
• There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
• Baskin Robbins once made ketchup ice cream.
• Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button.
• An egg, when placed in water with sugar will float.
• Chewing gum while cutting onions will actually help so you don't produce tears.
• Diet Pepsi was originally called Patio Diet Cola.
• Americans this year will spend more money on cat food that baby food.
• 40% of Americans have never visited the dentist.
• Each year there are 40,000 toilet related injuries in the United States.
• During his or her lifetime, the average human will grow 590 miles of hair!
• More people are killed by donkeys annually then in plane crashes!
• The ball on top of a flagpole is called a 'truck'.
• More than 10 people a year are killed by vending machines.
• Frogs cannot swallow without blinking.
• Banana's aren't fruit - they are a type of herb.
• In Florida it is illegal to sing in a public place while attired in a swimsuit.

Maybe I'll have to continue this one later... this stuff is interesting! :0

Enjoy ~!

Loving this weather!

Seriously - if it never got any warmer than how it was today - I would be one happy camper! Honestly - it doesn't get much better than that! Our bedroom windows are still open... :)

Got to hang out in the park with Chloe tonight. Had a blast watching her jump from one thing to the next in total excitement. "Mom - watch me!" "Mom - look at me do this!" "Mom, isn't this cool?"

The greatest part of the whole night... having Chloe grab my hand as we walked away and telling me, "Mom - I love you so much! You're the greatest!"

MELT!

Looking forward to more spring evenings at the park!

I had this friend...

... and she passed away this past December. I didn't have many connections to her family - I had meant her through work about 10 years ago. She was a really neat lady with a real spunky spirit. I always looked forward to her calls. She would start out asking me a "work" related question, and it always ended at least 20 minutes later with us talking about our kids, spouses and late night T.V. We had developed a friendship through our working relationship and I counted it an honor to call her my friend.

When I read the obituary in the newspaper shortly before Christmas, I remember thinking what a tragedy it was - for her husband she left behind, for her kids, for her grandchildren and for the friends whose lives she'd touched. What was the bigger tragedy was not knowing where my friend was spending eternity. I started thinking about all of the "missed" opportunities I had to tell this friend about Jesus. Did she know how much He loved her? Did she know what kind of sacrifice He made for her? Did she know about the gift of salvation and did she have a relationship with Him?

My prayer today is that I don't miss the opportunties to share Christ with those I love. Because it's a matter of LIFE and DEATH. Because Jesus commands it (Mark 16:15 "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.")

I love the words to this Casting Crowns song, "Here I Go Again"...

Father, hear my prayer
I need the perfect words
Words that he will hear
And know they're straight from you
I don't know what to say
I only know it hurts To see my only friend slowly fade away

So maybe this time I'll speak the words of life
With your fire in my eyes
But that old familiar fear is tearing at my words
What am I so afraid of? 'Cause here I go again

Talkin' 'bout the rain
And mulling over things that won't live past today
And as I dance around the truth
Time is not his friend
This might be my last chance to tell him that you love him
But here I go again, here I go again

Lord, you love him so, you gave your only son
If he will just believe; he will never die
But how then will he know what he has never heard
Lord he has never seen mirrored in my life

This might be my last chance to tell him that you love him
This might be my last chance to tell him that you love him
You love him, you love him
What am I so afraid
What am I so afraid
What am I so afraid of?
How then will he know
What he has never heard