Who knows what the purpose a yellow curb is anyway?

Stephen left Thursday after work to head to NYC for the weekend. We are currently in the midst of planning a missions trip to the city in August. Right now the team consist of 16 people, including me & him (is that proper grammar?). Anyway, I was SUPPOSED to be in NYC with him but we had some drama come up with Liv (whole other blog... everything is OK though) and we decided the best thing for me to do was stay home with the girls. I am now (maybe not so much at first) totally fine with the fact that I didn't get to spend the weekend alone with my hubby (& the babe) in my (so far) favorite city in the world... riding the subway & staring up at skyscrapers, taking in the beauty of Time Square, hitting Broadway... (OK, can you tell I'm not REALLY over it yet?... ARGH!) I did however enjoy a very lovely day with my parents & my 2 youngest. We went to a few yard sales & then hit a huge flea market right outside of Richmond. (SO not China town... OK, seriously, I'm over it) I really enjoyed that time with them today. My dad is a nut (again... a whole other blog).

So back to NYC... he had a meeting Friday AM with the missions organization that we are parterning up with. It was a pre-trip to discuss the details of the actual trip. He has family that live right across the river in Jersey, so he decided to stay the weekend to hang with then. He planned on getting up early this morning & meeting his cousin for a Broadway show & a nice day in Manhatten. 

So, I get a text from him early this morning around 7:15. It goes something like this...

"I'm in Manhatten @ Starbucks reading my Bible & some crackheads just told me to stop reading my Bible & go check out the city. I guess it's obvious I'm a tourist." 

So I respond something like....

"That's hilarious... they must have heard your accent when you ordered your coffee... lol"  (for those of you who don't know... My hubs still has his Eastern KY accent... love it!) 

So I go about my merry way, totally trying to focus on my great day ahead & how it really is OK that I'm not up there with him... I'm about to hit my first yard sale when I get a 2nd text from my hubs...

"Can u get me the # to geico?" (this is our car insurance company) 

1st thought that goes through my mind is... "Oh my God, he has gotten into an accident". Before I can totally freak out I get a 3rd text from him...

"Parking in front of yellow lines is bad." 

I'm still a bit confused at this point.. & frantically begin dialing his number... NO ANSWER... are you kidding me?!? You crazy man, don't send me these kind of texts & then NOT answer your phone. Second try... he answers. 

me: "Babe, what in the heck is going on?"

hubs: "um, I got towed" 

(at this point I totally resist the urge to tell him... I TOLD YOU TO TAKE THE SUBWAY INTO MANHATTAN, but NOOOO what do I know?) 

Instead, I kinda freak... thinking about him alone in the city with no car. He proceeds to tell me that he has to go to the police precinct to pay the ticket & then take the receipt to the tow company to get the car back... etc etc etc. Then, of course, the mother in me comes out.. 

"babe, please make sure when you get the car back & find a new parking spot that you get out & ASK a local if you are breaking any laws in your new spot. (I could have totally continued & said something like... "better yet... get out of the daggon city & do what I suggested in the first place & take the subway back in so you don't have to worry about those crazy city laws that lil city folk like us don't know about"... but I didn't, b/c that would not have been nice, edifying OR encouraging... a very bad wife thing to say... SO instead I will pretend like it's not just as bad to say it through my blog... Ahem (yes, I totally stole that from JD & MckMama... Ahem)) 

I really did feel horrible for him though. I LOVE the city, and he SO doesn't. My ideal vaction spot is fast paced, big city, so much to see, so much to do. His ideal vacation is a cabin in the woods. (Our life story... really) So I just KNEW he was going to get up there & just fall in love with it & want to go back as a family every year :) One of the first things he says to me as he walks 6 blocks to the police presinct... "I hate New York now!" ARGH... daggon police. I mean seriously... who knew you couldn't park in front of a yellow curb. Come on people... where is the sign?!?!

So anyway, he totally cracked me up with his last text...

"getting towed in manhattan... $185. 2 tix to a broadway show... $50. Havin 2 nyc crackheads tell u 2 stop readin ur Bible & go see da f*** city... priceless." 

That, my friend, is hilarious!

I'm going on a blog break

Thank you to everyone who prayed... 30 Hours of Hunger was a HUGE success! We gave away a ton of blankets, jackets & lunches. It's snowed like crazy yesterday, so they were just in time... as God always is :) Most of the people we talked to were already saved. However there were a handful of people who gave their lives to the Lord, including a muslim man &  Jehovah witness! There's only 1 way to Heaven!... 

Jesus said... "I am the way, the truth and the life: no one can come to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) 

We were able to pray for & encourage a lot of people. What blessed me the most was how appreciative they were. A few of them got us in a circle before we loaded the bus to head back and said a sweet prayer for the group. That really blessed my heart.  

Anyway, as the subject line says... I'm going on a blog break. I've been back to work full time for a couple of weeks now & I'm remembering just how crazy life can get!!! Time is a precious commodity these days. I'm going to take a break so I can clean my house, spend some time with the kids... possibly even my hubs, maybe cook a meal and if things go really good... the kids may even get a bath or 2 this week :) 

I'm not sure how long the break will be. Ta ta for now though. I'm going to miss you my sweet blog buds! 

Love Story Part 3, 30 Hours of Hunger

My goodness... I really didn't think this love story would take so many parts. I'm pretty sure there is just one more to go after this one :) 

For now, here is Part 3. Click here & scroll down...

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Your prayers would be appreciated this weekend. Stephen & I will be engaged in a homeless outreach Friday night & most of Saturday.  My dear mom has agreed to take care of the kiddos for us (Maddy will be with her dad). I'm really excited about this opportunity. The congregation has been so generous with their donations of jackets, blanket, new socks etc. It's going to be a great event & I can't wait to see how God moves! 

Love Story Part 2, LOST, Prayer Requests

Ok, I just posted My Love Story Part 2. Click here & scroll down to Part 2. 

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Yay...  Amanda & Mandy. You guys knew it. The line from my favorite show is LOST.  I'm so glad to know I have fellow LOST fans as blog buds. I'm pretty sure it's the best show ever created. I must confess I've even attended LOST parties. Sick I know. I just love it. BTW... I must brag a bit... Time travel was one of my original theories! Beyond that I'm... LOST! (Ha, get it....) 

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Prayer requests: 

1. My pastor & a team from our congregation is headed to Suriname, a South American country. They are headed out today for a salvation/healing crusade. Suriname is a Hindu, Muslim, Christian nation. Please pray for many salvations & healings... as well as protection for our team. 
2. 30 hours of Hunger is this weekend. Please pray for us as we finalize the details... 

BTW... Gary, the man in the video got a job & a place to stay since that video was created. Thank you Jesus! 

30 Hours of Hunger

I'm so excited about an upcoming YAM event. We're calling it "30 Hours of Hunger". We are going to fast for 30 hours... start out w/ a prayer event Friday night & food prep, then Saturday head downtown w/ packed lunches, blankets, scarves, hats etc. (donated from the congregation) & then end with a praise service on Saturday night.  God gave me an idea for a video to help promote the event. The idea involved a homeless person interview. The hubby & I were going to head down to Monroe Park one day & offer to buy one of the homeless men coffee, we'd get to know him a bit & then ask if he wouldn't mind an interview on camera. With  kids, it's not so easy to just mosey on downtown w/o the little ones BUT the other day we were sitting in the work room at church & the receptionist came in and asked us what the 30 hours of Hunger was all about. We told her it was for the homeless & she said "well there is a homeless  guy up front if you want to interview him". My mouth dropped open. I thought it was so interesting that she used the word interview. Isn't it awesome how God works things out?!? This is going to be an awesome event! The video turned out GREAT. Good job babe!

30 hours of hunger promo

Holiday Headlines

Oh my goodness. It's been over a week since my last post & so much has happened (Christmas- to KY & back, YAM New Years Youth Bash, Baby Alejo has arrived). This very well may be the longest blog ever if I don't try to condense... how about some holiday headlines?... 

"Matching PJs Warms Mom's Heart" 

OR 

"Matching PJs torments Oldest Sibling" 

(haha.. it was OK until the middle babe turned to the oldest & said "Look sissy, now everyone can call us the puppy girls!) 

"3 Camera Operators & 10 Pictures Later a Perfect Shot is Captured" 

(The Hubby's Family)  

"Great Granny Meets Baby Girl for the First Time" 

(Granny is in the hospital, doing much better but would still appreciate prayer!) 

"Girl Hooked on Leapster" 

"The Sweetest Christmas Gift this Season" 

"Sisters Reunite after Several Years" 

(My step sister) 

"Siblings Ham it Up @ Christmas Time" 

"Stage is Set for Youth Bash"

"Couple Engaged @ NYE Youth Bash" 

(Congrats John & Mariel- our friends. They help us w/ YAM) 

"Excited Hubby Prepares for Worship Set" 

"Beautiful Mommy Shows Off Bundle of Joy" 

"Proud Aunty Meets New Baby" 

"Beautiful Baby Boy Born... Finally" 

OK... I thought I could be wittier than that... O'well :0)  

It was a great holiday season & I am looking forward to lots of change & great things in '09! 

PS- Here are some other holiday favorites that somehow have not been posted yet... 

Staff lunch.... 

Leadership Banquet...

Ewww, the middle babe's class party... 

Mom just couldn't help herself....

YAM

The hubby's latest creation is complete. The Young Adults Ministry (YAM) website is up & running! We head up the Young Adults Ministry at our church. I am super excited about some of the plans we have for '09. The most anticipated is a missions trip to NYC in August!!! This will be the ministries (Young Adults) first missions trip ever. I think it may also be one of the only, if not the only, missions trip in the states that the church has ever been on. We are also planning a huge New Years Eve Youth Bash in the new youth building of our church 12/31. The hubby's band will lead worship & we'll have tons of fun stuff to keep everyone busy as we kick off '09. I'm excited about 2009. '08 has been OK, but I feel like '09 is going to be a very purposeful year. I've made some major decisions & things are slowly but surely falling into place (more details to come soon  :0)...) No matter how things end up I really want to make sure that YAM stays top priority. I feel like I'm at a place now where I can make sure that happens.

Every month there is a different department within our church that gets highlighted (a blurp in the bulletin & a video in one of the services). It's a good way for the congregation to see all of the different things that actually go on in the church. Well YAM made it for December... which meant we had to get in front of the congregation & speak. ARGH. It didn't go so bad. Neither one of us passed out so that equals success in my book. The congregation also seemed pretty stoked about some of what we shared. So I'm excited that they are excited. I mentioned the missions trip from the pulpit that night & there is already big buzz about it so I expect all of the slots to be filled!!! I can't wait. We have an interest meeting in January... so we'll see. 

Here is the video Stephen created to show in the sanctuary. It was a hit. I love the tambourine line. It cracks me up every time I watch it.... 

So anyway, I say all that to say... when you're praying will you mention the ministry every now & then? I know God wants to do big things & I want to make sure we stay focused & on track in 2009!