Family trip to Arkansas

Not a vacation. A trip. Because Brian and I are firm believers that a vacation involves just he and I. Don't get me wrong, we dearly love our kids and love going on family trips with them but our definition of vacation includes not listening to kid movies in the car, not wiping bottoms and not hearing "How much longer till we get there?":)

Our first destination on our trip was to The Crater of Diamonds State Park. Sigh. Hmmmm, where to start...Well somewhere along in our 10 year marriage I learned it's not all about me but still have to come back to that realization.

Really??? I could have sworn I remembered reading in our vows, "For better for worse, for richer for poorer, it's all about Lisa and she gets decide where to go on all the family trips."

Anyhow, you get the picture. Brian really wanted to take the kids there and go digging for diamonds so I put on my old shoes and a smile and got my hands dirty. Caleb, not surprisingly, loved it. Christopher and Caitlin pretty much sat in a wagon and ate snacks the whole time. The funnest part for me was going into the gift shop with Christopher and purchasing a 99cent crystal that looked like a diamond....which we then played a joke on Brian with it. He swears he didn't believe it when he saw it. But I saw him eyein' that sucker close up. :)

None of us got to experience the bell ringing in our honor of finding a diamond but, I'll admit, I did have some fun searching through the mud and imagining myself finding a 40carat diamond. Yes, someone actually found one that size believe or not!

We then went to Lake Catherine State Park where we spent the rest of our time there in a cabin. I felt like I was living in The Little House On the Prarie, so quaint and charming. There was a beautiful dock that was designated just for our cabin where we spent most of our time when we were at the cabin. The boys had a ball fishing. Caleb caught about 15 and Christopher; well, he caught 2, but he can boast that he caught the biggest fish.

An unforgettable moment happened on that dock. I was inside taking a nap with Caitlin and Caleb while Christopher and Brian were out there fishing. When I woke up and went outside Christopher came charging up the steps saying, "I have two things to tell you mom. First, I caught a fish. And second, I stepped on Jesus."

"What? You stepped on Jesus??"

"Yes, I stepped on Jesus."

Then Brian chimed in and said, "He accepted Jesus." Oooohhhhh! Brian shared with me that Christopher, out of the blue, asked him what they do when they go to heaven. Their conversation continued which ended with Brian leading him to Christ.

Really, could it get any better than that? Surrounded by God's beauty on a lake with your daddy and having your daddy talk to you about who God is and shepherding your heart to His. I don't think so. We found a rock for him to keep and paint to remember his spiritual birthday.

We finished off our trip with a hike to a beautiful waterfall, a fun boat ride, a visit to Hot Springs and more than one stop at Cracker Barrel. It was a great family vacation. I mean trip.

Made my day

Today the kids and I went to eat lunch with Dajia, our mentee, at her school. There is a little boy in her class that is on my heart. Dajia has told me about Jahkeevian who gets picked on a lot and gets in trouble a lot. She said, "He always looks mad." I turned around in the lunchroom today and glanced at him and sure enough he was sitting at the "you've been bad table" with a mad look on his face. It makes me sad to think about what the possible reasons are that he's acting the way he's acting.
So I said to Dajia, "Will you do me a big favor?" She said yes. I said, "When lunch is over will you take this blow pop over to him and tell him it's from your mentor and will you also tell him that I think he's a real special boy?" I thought she might be a little hesitant about it but as I was cleaning up I saw her talking to him and he looked up at me, flashed a big smile and mouthed the words "thank you" twice.
That made my day.
I don't know if there is anyone telling him at home what a special kid he is and how much God loves him but I hope that my small act reminded him of that Truth.

Where shoud I start?

I'm standing in my kitchen trying to figure out if I should start with the dirty dishes, put the groceries away, empty the trash, unload the dishwasher or transfer the the wet clothes into the dryer when I hear the boys yelling for me to come outside.....

Caitlin has stepped in dog poop. Well I guess my decision was made for me...start with the dog poop.

Service Day

Today our church, Watermark, participated with 30-40 other churches in the DFW area to go out and 'be the church'. There were loads and loads of school buses taking folks all over town to pick up trash, paint, clean up, etc...

Our bus went to Charles Rice elementary in southeast Dallas where we cleaned bathrooms, lockers, classrooms and whatever else we could find. The kids did such a great job working hard with happy hearts. I was told their favorite part was riding to and from the church in the schoolbus with all their friends.:)

At the end, we left notes in each classroom for the teachers. I hope the staff and kids at Charles Rice elementary were blessed by our efforts!

Priceless Peace

I love this quote by John Ortberg, "What God does in us while we wait, is just as important as what it is we're waiting for." I might even venture to say that it is more important than what it is we're waiting for because life is always about the journey and not the destination.
We are still not sure whether we are moving to West Dallas or not but what Brian and I are learning in the midst of waiting has been priceless.
I am learning to take God at His Word(Psalm 119:42) and to trust in His holy name(Psalm 33:21). Who am I to think that I know what is best when all I can see is the here and now but He can see my past, my innermost thoughts, my fears, my struggles and my future?
I am learning to not only accept Brian's authority(1 Peter 3:5) in our marriage but to find peace in it. Our past has been characterized mainly by me wanting something and manipulating Brian to get what I want. But by taking God at His Word it feels like I have unlocked this magical door that, when I open it, a wave sweeps me off my feet and washes me with peace...and it makes me giddy.
Though I like John Ortberg's quote a lot, my all time favorite is by Staci Eldredge..."As a woman I don't need to strive, I don't need to arrange, I don't need to make things happen. All I need to do is respond."
That's been my journey. Embracing, even more, the God given role that He has given me and embracing the God given role He has given Brian.
We'll see what shore that wave washes us up on.......

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in Him!" Psalm 35:8

Oh My Gosh Bubbles!

breaks my heart

Today Brian came with us to eat lunch with Dajia at her school. We also brought along Treveon's (Dajis's little brother) birthday present to give to him. We saw him in the cafeteria and he ran up to us; and what surprised me was that Caleb gave him a big bear hug and lifted him off the ground.:) Treveon was so thrilled to get a gift but not long afterwards his spirit was shot when a teacher yelled at him, "Come here boy! What makes you think you deserve a gift after the way you've been acting?!"

Breaks my heart.

What breaks my heart more was that I did not stand up for him. I did nothing. I didn't explain to the teacher that we were the ones who pulled him aside. I didn't explain to her that it was a birthday gift. I was a coward. I was a coward because it has happened once before where a teacher yelled at Dajia and Caleb for goofing around. But that time I did stand up for them and apologized on their behalf but she continued on with her shaming.
I stood up for these kids last time and it did nothing so I didn't stand up this time. I am ashamed because I should've said something not only to help the teacher understand the situation but because it was the right thing to do.

I wonder if that teacher knows about a Man who died for her; and not because of anything she deserved but only because she is so dearly loved. I am thankful that I do; but am heartbroken that my fear outweighed the Truth and Love that I know.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."-Edmund Burke
I hope and pray that next time I will do something.