Rocket Reunion

Usually my life is pretty mundane and I have to search for things to post about.  The last few weeks however have been unusually busy for me and my family, and I haven't been able to keep up with my posts.  So even though Brad and I are getting home from a trip to Atlanta for Operation Christmas Child, I will post about something that happened last weekend first. 

Twenty years ago, I was a sophomore in high school.  Permed hair and cutoff bluejean shorts rolled up just like Baby wore them in Dirty Dancing.  Oh yeah, times were good, and to make things even better, the high school basketball team I was on went to and won the Girls 4A State Championship. 

Twenty years later, I received an invitation in the mail.  It asked for all the team members of the championship team to return home to be recognized at halftime of a basketball game.  Wow!  Had it really been 20 years?  In some ways it seems like yesterday, but in other ways, it seems like that wasn't even really me.  I am a different person now, back to my naturally straight hair and all.  

So I dug out my old letter jacket, went through old newspaper clippings, and put on my championship ring.  It was a walk down memory lane for sure!  Here I am posing (I'm trying to imitate a senior portrait pose here people) for a picture before we left for the game: 

The current players and cheerleaders made a victory line for us as we were introduced one by one: 

Afterwards, we were honored to a reception and I brought in the family and snapped a picture with our Championship Trophy: 

Here's a group photo of our championship team plus the team from the year before who went to the Championship Game as well and came up only 2 points short!

There's a nice article in The Neshoba Democrat about our little reunion. I had a great time even though it did make me feel a little old! 

A Packing Party I'll Never Forget

Last Friday I was honored to be invited to The Mustard Seed to assist the Seedsters in packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. 

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect being this was my first time to visit The Mustard Seed, but I was greeted with smiling faces and hugs all around. 

These mentally challenged adults were eager to pack shoeboxes, and in fact, I did very little assisting and a whole lotta admiring.  The staff was great, and the entire packing party was very organized. 

I had to leave before the group photo was taken, but here's a picture that was e-mailed to me of all the Seedsters and their shoeboxes. 

Thank you Elizabeth, all the staff members that helped, and especially the Seedsters for participating in Operation Christmas Child!  May you be greatly blessed!

Unexpected Reunion

The other night after returning from volunteering at our church's relay center for OCC, the kids and I drove home to find a minivan in our driveway.  In the few seconds between seeing the van and opening the door to our house, we were frantically trying to guess who was here visiting with Brad.  I didn't recognize the van...at first I thought maybe my sister had stopped by but upon a second glance I knew that wasn't my sister's van so I was completely stumped. 

I opened the door to the best surprise we've had in a long, long while.  Our good college friend had stopped by with his family in tow.  They had come to town for an appointment and had looked us up.  Wow!  What a great surprise! 

We had a nice visit with the four of them.  Poptart enjoyed playing with their almost-2-year-old, and I enjoyed holding their 2-month-old! 

You know, that's the great thing about friends.  No matter how long it's been since you've last heard from them or seen them, when you get back together, it's like you've never been apart. 

Thanks guys for looking us up, and we promise, promise, pinky promise to not let that much time go by between next visits! 

The Most Used Words or Phrases in My House

A few nights ago, I believe we were on the way home from church, a random conversation started, the kind of conversation that can only happen with the people that live with you day in/day out and know (almost) your every thought. 

If we made a list of the most used words or phrases in our home, what would it be?  Funny, serious, sad, happy, and sometimes maybe embarrassing, here's what we came up with in that oh-so-random conversation. 

In no particular order, mind you: 

• What?  Sometimes said with sarcasm, but mostly just said when you weren't really paying attention to the conversation until you hear something that piqued your interest.  Sometimes the person talking answers the question, but mostly we say something like "I'm not repeating myself." 
• I'm hungry.  If I ranked this list, this would probably be on top.  And will someone tell my children that repeating this phrase over and over does not magically make food appear in our cabinet or refrigerator or a wonderfully prepared meal appear on the table?  Gogurt's favorite time to repeat this phrase is first thing in the morning, especially Saturday and Sunday morning when he comes to cuddle in the bed with us but ends up repeating this phrase numerous times and ends up angering his mother. 
• I'm thirsty.  See above. 
• Stop.  Well, this is used lots and lots between siblings and parent-to-child. 
• Be still.  Unfortunately, this is not used in the context of one of my favorite Bible verses, but rather in the context of my son who is possibly the most fidgety human being on the planet. 
• I love you.  We do say this a bunch to our kids.  Brad and I probably should say it more, or at least I know I should, but my kids hear it several times a day.  Hopefully, this is the phrase they will remember from their childhood and not one of the others. 
• Are these clean or dirty?  Dishwasher, clothes in the floor, etc.  It always amazes me how my family members will walk across the length of the house to come find me and ask me if the dishes in the dishwasher or clean or dirty.  Why can't they just open the door and look?  Hmmm......
• This room is a mess.  Self-explanatory.
• Is it hot or cold today?  'Cuz we have to know what to wear to school. 
• When are we going to Disneyworld?  We've brought this one on ourselves because we've been discussing the possibility, so now our kids, especially Poptart, asks this question at least a few times a week. 
• Have a good day!  I yell this every morning as I watch my kids walk to the bus. 
• Do you have any homework?  Sometimes this question works, sometimes it doesn't, like the other night when Gogurt only remembered he did in fact have homework after he had already gone to bed. 
• No/not right now.  Used to answer questions about whether we will buy them something at the store, whether or not we want to play Candyland for the 80th millionth time, whether their brother/sister will let them have a certain toy, etc.  I don't like using the word no too much, brings upon too much guilt for me to handle, but I have gotten better at it as my kids have gotten older.  For instance, if one of my children asked me this question today, "Momma, will it traumatize me if you do not stop what you are doing (i.e. working to put food in your ever-hungry little mouths) and watch me jump off the couch?"  I could answer guilt-free, "NO".  Now, in my mind, there has to be a balance in your house between your yes' and your no's.  I don't say yes all the time, but I certainly don't say no all the time either.  It's that balance I've been searching for for the past 10 (almost 11!) years of being a mother.  Too many yes' and you have a spoiled child who thinks they get and deserve a parent's attention more than anything else.  Too many no's and you have a child who thinks they are not important to their parents at all.  Yikes.  I don't know if I've found the perfect balance, but for the purposes of this list, I'm just sayin' I finally know how to say No to my kids without worrying about it for the next 10 seconds minutes.  And may I just add that I've never worried about saying no to material things - I really could care less about what they have...it's the emotional things I worry about.  Saying no when what they want is me and my t-i-m-e.  That's the tough one. 
• Someone say the blessing.  Fortunately, my family is all home in the evenings to eat dinner together around the table.  Unfortunately, this is a time that usually falls apart with Brad irritated at Gogurt's smacking or messiness or Poptart's pickiness as to what is on her plate.  I'm usually tired by this time of the day and have no patience for any irritability.  Can't we all just get along?!?!?!
• Go get in the tub.  What ages are children when they self-initiate their bathing?  I would be curious to know how long my kids would go before they themselves said, "Whew, I think I need a bath."  I'd probably be embarrassed to find out...
• Can I play the Wii/the computer/Daddy's iPhone?    I wish, wish, wish I had a dime, a nickel, even a penny for every time I've heard this! 

Okay, so there it is.  A list of the most used phrases or words in my home.  Is it just me or is it a little sad?  I think I should try to say more uplifting things in my home, go around quoting scriptures, speak in a British accent or something so my next list will look and sound a little more "perfect."  Yeah, right. 

Think about what you say in your home.  Are there phrases you repeat every day almost without fail?  It's an interesting thing to think about, a very convicting thing to think about actually. 

Happy Monday - have a good week!