Tomorrow I'm headed out on a business trip. Ok, if you know me, then you know my job would really never require a business trip, but for the sake of this blog post, that's what I'm going to call it :)
I'll be gone for a good 36 hours on a camp out! Me and a few other leaders are basically taking the 3-5 graders from church who completed an AWANA book during the school year on a week-long session at camp condensed into 2 days! It should be a blast. There will be boating, swimming, biking, games, food, camp fires, devotions, praising Jesus and the like!
Again, if you know me, you know that this is RIGHT up my alley. VBS was two weeks ago and it energized me so much and now my "business trip" is less than 24 hours away and I'm SO excited!
My kids will be lovingly cared for by my dad on Wednesday, and will all be split up on Thursday to three different friend's houses.
I best be wrapping this up. I have some more things to prepare for my business trip... Like, I have to solidify the rules of the game "Mighty Mighty Scoop Noodle Challenge 2000 Duct Tape Ultimate Frisbee Style", I haven't played it since I was a youth director and need to brush up.
Toodles!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
it was only two months
It was January of 1999. I was sitting in the Orlando airport waiting for the family who I was to be nannying for while on their Disney vacation, to arrive (a few hours after I had arrived). I had already decided that taking the city bus around Orlando was not necessarily what I should be doing as a tourist that day. After a few young gentlemen yelled some very unkind words at me while walking by myself in a part of the city that wasn't so nice, I made my way back to the airport to sit and wait for a few hours in safety. While in the airport I picked up a book at a little shop there, entitled, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye." I bought it immediately. Now why I would buy this book is a little beyond me as I look back because I really hadn't dated all that much prior to this. Like pretty much only a tiny bit. But nonetheless I was boy crazy at this point in my life and decided I needed to get a handle on it and start really putting God first.
I read the entire book while I was nannying at Disney after the kids would go to bed and on my plane ride home the next week. The idea was definitely for me. Putting God first in your life, and persons of the opposite sex on the back burner. This way, God could continue to be number one until I was actually ready to open my eyes the way He wanted me to in hopes that I could see clearly who He wanted me to be with for the rest of my life. The idea was to not date, but be friends with guys first, prior to getting involved in a relationship in hopes of finding a potential spouse without having to go through the rigmaroles, ups, downs, and loopdeloops of emotions that many relationships can take a person through.
So by the end of January 1999, I was resigned to no dating for an indefinite time. I was excited to see what God was going to do in my life over the next long while (which, at the time, is what I was expecting and looking forward to). I knew that God had big plans for Him and I to be together without boys being on my mind.
That supposed "long while" wasn't so long after all.
Fast forward about two months. The day was April 10, 1999. I met the boy (my affectionate name for Jeremiah) while hanging out with my bff, Mandy.
Fast forward 2 1/2 years. The day was November 2, 2002. I married the boy in front of our family and closest friends.
Fast forward 2 more years. The day was November 14, 2004. I made the boy a dad as Jonah James Kruger came into the world at a whopping 5 lbs 4 oz!
Fast forward 6 1/2 years. The day is June 19, 2011. The day is Father's Day. The boy is Daddy to our three beautiful lovies. The boy is amazing as he fathers our children. The boy is devoted to raising his children to love Jesus and to love others. The boy looks into the eyes of his offspring and tells them he loves them. The boy grabs a hold of his children and draws them close when their knees are scraped, toes are stubbed, fingers are cut, heads are bonked, feelings are hurt, or hearts are broken. The boy raises his sons to be respectful and loving towards girls, so that they will love and cherish the future wives they will have. The boy raises his daughter in security so that she will be secure in her relationship with the future husband that she will have. The boy loves his children's mommy and holds her close so that they can see their love and know that all is well in their family. The boy... is a father. A father who makes it easy to picture God as Father.
On this Father's Day, I celebrate the boy whom God chose to be the father of my children.
God knows what He is doing. He knows that I don't like to wait long for most things. I told Jesus that He'd be my number one guy while I waited for Him to show me who would be my guy. He only made me wait 2 months.
Happy Father's Day Jeremiah John. You are an incredible Dad.
I read the entire book while I was nannying at Disney after the kids would go to bed and on my plane ride home the next week. The idea was definitely for me. Putting God first in your life, and persons of the opposite sex on the back burner. This way, God could continue to be number one until I was actually ready to open my eyes the way He wanted me to in hopes that I could see clearly who He wanted me to be with for the rest of my life. The idea was to not date, but be friends with guys first, prior to getting involved in a relationship in hopes of finding a potential spouse without having to go through the rigmaroles, ups, downs, and loopdeloops of emotions that many relationships can take a person through.
So by the end of January 1999, I was resigned to no dating for an indefinite time. I was excited to see what God was going to do in my life over the next long while (which, at the time, is what I was expecting and looking forward to). I knew that God had big plans for Him and I to be together without boys being on my mind.
That supposed "long while" wasn't so long after all.
Fast forward about two months. The day was April 10, 1999. I met the boy (my affectionate name for Jeremiah) while hanging out with my bff, Mandy.
Fast forward 2 1/2 years. The day was November 2, 2002. I married the boy in front of our family and closest friends.
Fast forward 2 more years. The day was November 14, 2004. I made the boy a dad as Jonah James Kruger came into the world at a whopping 5 lbs 4 oz!
Fast forward 6 1/2 years. The day is June 19, 2011. The day is Father's Day. The boy is Daddy to our three beautiful lovies. The boy is amazing as he fathers our children. The boy is devoted to raising his children to love Jesus and to love others. The boy looks into the eyes of his offspring and tells them he loves them. The boy grabs a hold of his children and draws them close when their knees are scraped, toes are stubbed, fingers are cut, heads are bonked, feelings are hurt, or hearts are broken. The boy raises his sons to be respectful and loving towards girls, so that they will love and cherish the future wives they will have. The boy raises his daughter in security so that she will be secure in her relationship with the future husband that she will have. The boy loves his children's mommy and holds her close so that they can see their love and know that all is well in their family. The boy... is a father. A father who makes it easy to picture God as Father.
On this Father's Day, I celebrate the boy whom God chose to be the father of my children.
God knows what He is doing. He knows that I don't like to wait long for most things. I told Jesus that He'd be my number one guy while I waited for Him to show me who would be my guy. He only made me wait 2 months.
Happy Father's Day Jeremiah John. You are an incredible Dad.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Here We Goooooooo!
Ahhhh, sweet summer... Here at last!
I always thought that it was only the kids who ever got excited that summer break was finally here, while all the moms dreaded the day with the look of agony in their eyes. However, as a mom, I think I was just as excited for Jonah to be done with school for the year and the days of summer to begin. I'm excited and pumped to have him home for three months!
And then there was this morning and I was about ready to ship him to summer camp for the entire summer. He was picking on his sister, whispering antagonizing, mean things to her, not listening to me, being extra roudy, the list could go on. I have a LOT of work to do between now and Monday when VBS starts and this was NOT helping the process. My to-do list was not going to be very happy with me today if this continued.
So I sat us all down to have morning devotions with a kid devotional I got for the summer. And wouldn't you know it, the devo. was all about throwing out the "plans." It was called, "Take a Break with Me" and how Jesus wants our soul to rest, let him take charge and let him be in the details. Hmmm, it was like he saw what was going on in our house this morning and just what I needed to hear. Funny how that works out when we actually sit and listen and are intentionally with the Lord. We had a little chat about inviting God into our day and how as a family we are a team. Teams work together and just as they do, our family needs to work together- loving, respecting, and listening to one another.
So we look forward to summer once again as the day has gone remarkably well since our morning rumble tumble. We spent some time at church so I could work. We came home and had lunch together. We played outside on our swingset, in the pool, on our bikes (while I mowed the lawn), inside playing Barbies and Uno and now enjoying an afternoon popsicle. THIS is how summer is supposed to be. THIS is how the Lord wants me to utilize the days he has given me with my children.
Both of the kids want to earn money this summer for different things (Jonah- a DSi and Aphia- a Barbie house) and so I've made a loooooong list of extra chores (outside of their regular ones) that they can do to earn money. They can choose to do them and make money or not do them and not make money. They are excited at the idea of being able to work and make money. We'll see if that lasts.
I feel like this summer will be so different from last summer when Isaiah was a babe and I was so very tied down with him. This year, he's just one of the fam! So watch out summer because here we goooooooo!
I always thought that it was only the kids who ever got excited that summer break was finally here, while all the moms dreaded the day with the look of agony in their eyes. However, as a mom, I think I was just as excited for Jonah to be done with school for the year and the days of summer to begin. I'm excited and pumped to have him home for three months!
And then there was this morning and I was about ready to ship him to summer camp for the entire summer. He was picking on his sister, whispering antagonizing, mean things to her, not listening to me, being extra roudy, the list could go on. I have a LOT of work to do between now and Monday when VBS starts and this was NOT helping the process. My to-do list was not going to be very happy with me today if this continued.
So I sat us all down to have morning devotions with a kid devotional I got for the summer. And wouldn't you know it, the devo. was all about throwing out the "plans." It was called, "Take a Break with Me" and how Jesus wants our soul to rest, let him take charge and let him be in the details. Hmmm, it was like he saw what was going on in our house this morning and just what I needed to hear. Funny how that works out when we actually sit and listen and are intentionally with the Lord. We had a little chat about inviting God into our day and how as a family we are a team. Teams work together and just as they do, our family needs to work together- loving, respecting, and listening to one another.
So we look forward to summer once again as the day has gone remarkably well since our morning rumble tumble. We spent some time at church so I could work. We came home and had lunch together. We played outside on our swingset, in the pool, on our bikes (while I mowed the lawn), inside playing Barbies and Uno and now enjoying an afternoon popsicle. THIS is how summer is supposed to be. THIS is how the Lord wants me to utilize the days he has given me with my children.
Both of the kids want to earn money this summer for different things (Jonah- a DSi and Aphia- a Barbie house) and so I've made a loooooong list of extra chores (outside of their regular ones) that they can do to earn money. They can choose to do them and make money or not do them and not make money. They are excited at the idea of being able to work and make money. We'll see if that lasts.
I feel like this summer will be so different from last summer when Isaiah was a babe and I was so very tied down with him. This year, he's just one of the fam! So watch out summer because here we goooooooo!
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