...let's review...

May has been terrifically calm...somewhat.

I forced myself to stay in town...I think this is my 3rd weekend in town in a row!! Considering my travel schedule in February, March & April, this is a HUGE feat!

I finished school...and got straight As this semester!

VBS madness is at its height...9 days and counting!

June is going to be terrifically crazy!!!

I fly out next Friday morning for Lillian's wedding weekend festivities. I'll be in Plano a total of 32 hours! Then fly back to Houston on Saturday night.

Sunday is VBS set up day!!! Always crazy and fun and exhausting...last minute details needing to come together. Oh, and did I mention my mom and 2 nephews will be arriving as well???? Good times.

Then of course, Monday - Friday (June 9-13) is VBS, with mom & nephews bunking at my apartment!

Then Friday (last day of VBS) my sister comes to pick up the boys and take them home. Mom stays til Saturday to help me get ready for Camp Tallowood!

Sunday I leave for Camp Tallowood (June 15-20)! I'm uber pumped about going...just hope I have some energy left after VBS!

Get back on Friday the 20th and my parents will be coming in town some time that weekend for us to celebrate Father's Day & my dad's birthday!

Then I have a few days in the office, and down time to get ready for (drum roll please.....) AUNT'S WEEKEND!!! I leave Wednesday night, June 25 for Temple. Then Thursday morning I load up the 2 boys, head to Waco, pick up Ashlyn, and head to Dallas with the 3 kids in my back seat! Yikes! I know, you're dying to know the theme this year - Aunt's Weekend: Where Kids Rule! We're doing a Prince & Princess theme, think Medieval Times, capes, crowns...oh, and the kids will get to decide on a lot of what we do, since kids rule!

So there you have it, June is gone in a flash! So far July looks calmer...just a few weekend trips, maybe Schlitterbaun, San Antonio with friends? Should be doable!

Hope you all have a great summer! I'll post as often as I can...but we'll see!

Super Duper: Dave & Jess Ray's CD release concert tonight. then all night middle school lock-in!
Super Pooper: not sleeping all night!

...lame flick...

You know when you go to rent a movie, and there are all those movies that you've never seen or heard of. Random titles, and you wonder how you never knew about it...

Well, I went to Blockbuster today and decided to be adventurous and rent a movie I had never heard of.

Allow me to enlighten you: THERE'S A REASON YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF IT!!!!

Most of you probably know this, and are laughing at me right now. I tried to give something a chance, branched out, and totally regret it! Of course, maybe I wasn't tooo smart in my choice, but still...its gonna be a loooooooong time before I give another noname movie a chance.

What movie was it that I rented you ask? I'm almost ashamed to admit it. It's called Two Weeks. It's about a woman who's dying...like I said, not sure what drew me to it, other than the fact that Sally Field is in it, and I think she's fabulous.

So there you have it, burned.

Super Duper: chill weekend
Super Pooper: still need a music teacher for 3 & 4 year olds for VBS...yeah, and we're only 2 weeks out, no sweat! ha!

...a good cry...

Maybe some of you know that I'm not a crier. I don't know why, I'm sure it relates back to something in my childhood or the way I was raised...but bottom line, tears do not readily flow from my eyes very often.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an "emotional" person. If you know me, you know this is true. You know I get excited, angry, sad, upset, etc. But for some reason, my ability to cry is limited to a few times a year, seriously, I'm not making this up. I do tend to choke up at certain times, like when the bride comes down the aisle, you know, basically I experience the emotion you would if you were going to cry...except without tears, at best, I may well up, but even that's doubtful.

I don't cry at movies, books, and only sometimes at funerals. I'm stone cold and hard hearted, I know.

No, I'm more of an angry crier, a phone crier, an alone crier. Usually it builds up, after several stressful or upsetting events pile up and my threshold just breaks, out of nowhere, boom! Sometimes its a dumb thing that can finally bring it on and everyone is confused about why I am crying, self included. There are 2 things that can usually be related to any time I cry: one, usually I'm on the phone, two, if there is anything wrong with my car and I get stressed having to get it fixed, call the insurance, etc, there's sure to be tears!

Well, tonight, the threshold broke! The last 2 days have been crazy, stressful, eventful, chaotic, and I've just wanted to run away from responsibility. Then I come home and I'm on the phone with my mom and she lectures me, then my sister and I get in a fight on the phone, then I read something upsetting online, I call a friend of mine to vent, and wouldn't you know...I'm gone, the tears begin to flow. Even after I got off the phone with her, I cried some more, just to get it all out.

To be honest, now that I'm done crying and done feeling so sorry for myself, I feel great. It was nice to get a good cry in.

Funny thing, I could be wrong, but I think this may be the first time I cried this year...seriously, I can't remember crying any time recently in 2008...it's been a while. I guess I was over due. And it's not surprising to me that it all built up right when the stress of VBS is at its height.

Super Duper: don't have to work on Monday, Memorial Day!
Super Pooper: don't have any exciting plans for Memorial Day!

...His will...

We (Christ-followers) say that we want to be in the center of God's will for our lives. I can genuinely say that I do...at least I think I do. As long as His will for me is comfortable or easy, or lines up with what I want His will for my life to be...messed up, I know. But its how I feel sometimes. Am I really willing to take that step of faith that my not be what I had in mind?

I mean, I sing songs like "I surrender all" or "Here am I, send me" but I wonder if I really mean "I surrender most" or "Here am I, don't send me too far."

I often tell myself that He has given me certain desires and passions, and surely those must line up with what He has in store for me. I really do think this may be true...hard to tell though. Because I don't think following Christ is meant to be easy, which is what makes it so hard to tell sometimes.

So here comes the tricky part. In my heart of hearts, I know that my prayer should be that if my desires and wants don't line up with His will for my life, that He would take those desires away. But to be 100% transparent, I don't want him to.

Maybe I'll get there some day, where I can pray for that, but for now, I'll just keep praying that I am sensitive to His hand in my life and willing to accept the call...whatever it may be.

Super Duper: no more Monday morning class!!!
Super Pooper: they still haven't posted my grades for this semester!

...The Calling...

I've always wished I were a bigger reader than I am. When I do get into a book I usually can't put it down and am worthless til I finish it.

Well that happened to me this week!

Allow me to recommend The Calling.

A personal friend of mine wrote it!!! She's amazing and the novel is nothing short of amazing! It's gripping, a page turner, with an intense story line and unexpected twists & turns! Seriously, you won't regret this read.

Elizabeth Hankins is an advocate for human rights and has a passion for the crisis in Sudan. Her novel sheds light on the past 30 years of injustice that has taken place over there. It is eye opening and riveting!

Aside - I realize I may be biased about this, due to the personal connection, but I really don't think so, it truly is that great and worth the read.

Also, ALL of the proceeds from the book go to organizations like AidSudan & Living Water International...so just by purchasing this book, you're pitching in...in a small way!

You can purchase it at Amazon or Barnes & Noble (online or they can order it in the store, but they don't keep it in stock, yet...but if enough people buy it, they will!!!)

Enjoy! Let me know if you get it, and what you think!

ps - there's a sequel, not sure when it'll be out!

Super Duper: I think my hair may be the longest it has ever been in my life! Maybe I'll post a pick later...

Super Pooper: Can't decide if I'm ready for a new look, chop it? go for the bob? It'd be fun and dramatic, but I may miss these long tresses!

...the past 5 days...

Man, life just doesn't seem to slow down. Things have been so busy lately, but I'm glad to say that things maaay be calming down, that is if you consider VBS, the busiest time of my work year, to be calm. But no, really, I don't have any plans to leave town until June 6!!! That's HUGE for me!

Anywho, many of you probably remember that I was on staff retreat last Thursday & Friday, then off to Waco for Lillian's lingerie shower, here's some pics from the long weekend!

Staff group photo after our recreational softball game! Yeah, that was commical!

The shower was Gilmore Girls themed!!! Yes, I got us matching shirts! (ignore the salsa in my Luke's Diner mug - haha)

Junk food for the shower...all GG themed of course! Yes, that's chinese food boxes in the background, and of course we had several pizzas as well!!!

All in all it was a great weekend...just exhausting!

Super Duper: DONE WITH SCHOOL TIL AUGUST! A much welcomed 3 month break!!!

Super Pooper: The paper I turned in today probably wasn't my best work :(