Sprung

Spring has sprung.  Plants are growing.  Kids are growing.  I'm counting down the days to the end of school with everyone else.  8 more Mondays left to teach!  Not much has happened this week that I can share.  Ok, really, lots has happened, but somethings should not be posted publicly.  Here is what I can post publicly!

The tire swing gets more action than the swing set! 

Onions that were planted last October.  

My sweetie and the neighbor keeping a watchful eye on the bbq pit.  Do you see the smoke?  

Book Talk

Poor Sierra has been swept up by the local house wives and all of their daytime drama.  Her husband is still not connecting with her.  Meanwhile she is reading a journal from a relative dated in the 1800's I think.  I am interested to see how the lessons her relative learned will help Sierra today.  Nothing is new under the sun.

Forty and Fabulous

Confession time: I'm still going jogging two or three times a week, but it seems to be harder.  The first few times I went, it seemed like I had so much energy.  I'm not sure what the deal is!  I have a meeting every Monday afternoon; so on Tuesday, Model T and I will hit the pavement again.  The 5k is Easter weekend.

Lent Reflections from my pastor

At the beginning of Lent, my pastor started a series titled, "Giving It Up."  Each week he has discussed something that we need to eliminate from our lives.  One sermon was about prejudice.  The sermon text was John 4: 4 - 42 The Samaritan Woman.  The thing that really stuck with me was his comment that we should give up our prejudice about theological differences.  This hits really close to home for me because I was raised as a Baptist, married a Lutheran, and now worship in a Methodist church.  Our Sunday School class is made up of former Lutherans, former Baptists, former Catholics, and life long Methodists.  What do we have in common?  We love Jesus!  We want a relationship with Him.  And we study His Word.  That is enough.  Do we disagree on some things?  Absolutely.  Two Baptists have three opinions.

One last note . . . 

Here is a piece of a blog I read this week:

You can have a right relationship, but if you embrace this relationship in the wrong season, it will bring frustration and self-destruct. Friendships change yet as women we often struggle with letting go of friendships that are no longer fruitful. Not letting go is rooted in fear and fear always leads to torment. Letting go allows us to trust God with our friendships, and when we are willing to let go and let God, He will either bring the friendship around in due time or bring in new friendships that will propel us forward into our destiny.

Here is what God has shown me:
A right association in a right season = right results
A wrong association in any season = wrong results
And a right association in a wrong season = wrong results

You can read more at Tracy Hurst's blog.

K.I.S.S.

Keep
It
Simple
Sweetie

This seems to ring so true this week.  We've had just a normal week.  No extras.  Finally!  However, drama still seems to creep in.  Therefore, in an effort to simplify life and stress, I've deactivated my facebook account.  I can go back and reactivate it later, I suppose; but for now I'm enjoying being out of the loop.

Here is the simple life this week . . .

Book Talk

Yes, I'm still reading The Scarlet Thread.  I'm only reading it ten minutes a day during SSR on my campus.  I got super irritated at some of the characters this week.  Sierra and Alex moved to a new town for Alex's job.  The couple that they are hanging out with do not have the same values that Sierra has.  Apparently this new couple is really influencing Alex to change some core values and thus driving Alex and Sierra apart.  I figured that this might be part of the conflict that drives the plot of the book.  I'm incredibly irritated and mad at Alex right now.  Good literature evokes an emotional response in the reader.  I'm holding out hope for their relationship that they will work things out.  Stay continued . . . Or click on the picture and order yourself a copy so you can follow along with me.

Spring Break

What happened to Spring Break?  I didn't get nearly enough done!  The week really served as a teaser for summer vacation.

Book Talk
I'm still reading The Scarlet Thread.  I haven't gotten very far because I've been watching too much Hallmark.  I admitted it.  Shame on me.  I still want to read it and finish.  So far, it has been really good.  A student asked me how I could read several books at a time.  I told her it was like following several tv programs.  On Sunday, I watch Once Upon A Time.  On Monday, I watch Castle.  On Thursday, I watch Once Upon A Time in Wonderland.  And on Saturday, I watch When Calls the Heart.  Now, the question is, "Which day do I read The Scarlet Thread so I can finish?"  I guess I could read it for an hour on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Now that I have processed this idea right here before your eyes, let's see if I can do it.


Forty and Fabulous!
I have been challenged to a 5k race the weekend of Easter, but I am totally out of shape.  Walkers are encouraged to join the event to support a local organization, but I would hate to embarrass myself.  Therefore I have hired a trainer.  She is young, energetic, thin, cute, and bubbly.  She pushes me, encourages me, and tells me things I want to hear that keep me moving.  She also reminds me why I'm doing this.  Model T has found a great way to earn money!  Yes, that's right.  My daughter is my new trainer.  She wants to run the 5k with me instead of the kids' 1k.  We did a 5k several years ago and I chased her the entire time and thought I was going to die!  This training will absolutely help me on my way to forty and fabulous.

Before the Women's Adventure Race 2012

After the race with our neighbors.
Can you see the dirt on my leg?
It was a chilly race because of recent rain.
The rain added mud as an obstacle.

Spring Break
We stayed local and cheap.  Here are the highlights.

Hanging with the cousins
on a dreary and wet day at the farm.  

Local park for a nature hike with friends.  
Melissa, Amy and her two sons came along.

Melissa and I don't always get to see each other,
so this kind of face time was long over due. 

The kids couldn't resist getting their feet wet!

Qualifications for Death

A few weeks ago, I told a cousin, "I hope I don't know any more old people about to die.  I'm tired of funerals this month."  One week ago, I got a message that my friend David had only a few days because his liver was failing.  David had been struggling with cancer for five years.  Late Tuesday night, his struggle ended.  Many of us were shocked and angry that someone so young would be taken.  David was not 95.  He was only 43.  

The adjective that was repeated over and over at the funeral was "amazing."  David was an amazing son, brother, husband, dad, and friend.  His wife and children are amazing.  I was moved by the people who spoke about him.  The Austin Fire Chief read "The Dash" by Linda Ellis and said that David's Dash was well spent.  (http://www.linda-ellis.com/the-dash-the-dash-poem-by-linda-ellis-.html)  The dash is the mark between the birth year and death year on the tomb stone.  It is the thing that really matters.  She said that David was a living example of all the things a firefighter should be.  Each person who spoke mentioned David's faith, integrity, humbleness, and self-sacrifice.  David's nephew, Daniel Morgan, said, "I don't know why we only had him for a short time, but I can't see what God sees."  The words are so pointed to reveal that we are all sad to not have David, but we cannot be mad at God because we know He has a bigger plan.  A firefighter nicknamed Spanky spoke about how David not only saved lives by his occupation but also saved souls by being a living testimony of a relationship with God.  Spanky said that David didn't beat you down with Bible verses because it was all about a relationship.  The only beating that David did was on the basketball court when he would win one-on-one against his friend.  "The cancer chipped away at his body," Spanky explained, "but never scratched his faith.  His cancer died, but he lives on in Heaven."  The AFD stood at attention on overpasses and along the road as the APD blocked a major highway on the way to the cemetery.  The show of respect and love was amazing.  David's children will remember their dad as an amazing man.  

What then qualifies us for death?  Who is eligible to die? Are you alive?  Then you are eligible for death.  Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Romans 6:23 continues to say, "The wages of sin is death."  Thank God that it also says, "But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  John 10:10 tells us that He came to give us abundant life.  David knew how to live for Christ.  His life verse was Romans 5: 3 - 5 which says, "3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient. 4 And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady. 5 Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel this warm love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

The fantastic thing about Christ is that he came to give us real life, and we don't have to wait until we are dead to start really living.  My prayer, and David's desire too, is that you know how to have real life now by knowing Jesus.  

Here is a song by Switchfoot that a student shared with me last week.
"Afterlife"

I've tasted fire I'm ready to come alive
I can't just shut it up and fake that I'm alright
I'm ready now
I'm not waiting for the afterlife

I'll let it burn the way the sunlight burns my skin
The way I feel inside, the way the day begins
I'm ready now
I'm not waiting for the other side
I'm ready now, I'm ready now

Cause everyday the world is made
A chance to change But I feel the same
And I wonder
Why would I wait till I die to come alive?
I'm ready now
I'm not waiting for the afterlife

I still believe we could live forever
You and I we begin forever now
Forever now
Forever

I still believe in us together
You and I we're here together now
Forever now
Forever now
Or never now

Cause everyday the world is made
A chance to change But I feel the same
And I wonder
Why would I wait till I die to come alive?
I'm ready now
I'm not waiting for the afterlife

Everyday
A choice is made
Everyday
I choose my fate

And I wonder
Why would I wait till I die to come alive?

Everyday I still feel the same
And I wonder why would I wait till I die to come alive?
I'm ready now
I'm not waiting for the afterlife

I'm ready now
I'm not waiting till the afterlife

Doug and David horsing around at a church retreat.  

David was trying to help Doug break ribbons on a package at Doug's wedding shower.
The number of ribbons broken should equal the number of kids the couple will have.  

My friend David probably being silly in the hall at church during a banquet. 

David's sweet family.  Please keep them in your prayers.  

Small Town Week!

News from the Week:

This was a crazy busy week!  I mean I felt like I was running all week and didn't finish the race.  Maybe it was just the weekend.  Can I have another one to recover now?  Probably not, but Spring Break is on its way!  Thank the Lord for a coming rest.  Seriously, can I get an Amen?

Friday started with Model T's stock show.  She is still too young to do the big animals, so she did a short term project.  Next year will be another story.  We'll have to decide between all the options of projects and animals that she could do.  She took Mr. Fuzzy to show off.  Apparently, he was a big hit because there were not very many Lion Head Rabbits at the show.

Model T and Mr. Fuzzy

Saturday, my husband had a big day at work.  The Luling Foundation hosted a massive cattle sale.  I had never been to an auction of any kind and completely enjoyed the speed of the entire day.  This is not big city speed; this is small town speed.  There were multiple organizations selling bulls, heifers, pairs, registered, and commercial cattle.  Before I knew it, four hours had flown by.  Auctioneers are amazing!  I was exhausted just listening to him!  

The cattle waiting to be auctioned.  

This is a parking lot that I can handle. 

Cousins entertaining each other. 

Model T completely mesmerized by the auction!

Commercial cattle auctioned five at a time.  

On the way to and from Luling, I had to navigate our town because there was more traffic than normal.  It took me an entire two minutes to get through town because the square was blocked off for the Lone Star Grand Prix.  Someone said those little cars got up to 80 or 90 miles an hour on the straight sections.  There were people in town from all over the country!  I've never seen so many different licence plates in our community.  

Finally, we rounded out the day with some amazing pizza at Whizzerville!  I'm not sure if you will find that on a map.  There is no Whizzerville proper, so you have to look in McMahan.  It is a hole in the wall kind of place, and it was completely packed last night.  By the way, there isn't even a stop light in McMahan, but everyone was stopping to get pizza.  Our Sunday School class made it a social event last night.  12 adults and a bunch of kids made a fun time!  We took pictures, but we couldn't share last night because there was no cell service, and we loved it!  Disconnected digitally so we connected in person.  

Model C loves her daddy and uncle!

Pucker up!  

Cousins playing together

And this is the pizza joint of choice for her birthday!  

Did you notice that all the kids had amazing things to do that did not involved electronics?