And Boy am I not kidding! As a pastor’s wife Things are crazy As a wife things are crazy But as a mommy things are ALWAYS crazy! That is my life…Always has been always will be! Hubby and I live our lives in a way that is moment by moment you never know how or when it’s going to change. Our kids are a constant source of spontaneity. So when a lot of people have heard about our up coming weeks of seemingly endless travel they feel the need to rain on our parade so to speak. The talk about how awful the kids will be by the end! I am not a naive mother. So many people seem to think that I am that they consistently feel the need to point out life’s little trials. What they fail to realize is that i live with these three little bundles of joy and energy day in and day out! I know their strengths and weaknesses. We know their breaking points better than any other! More than the people who desire to point out the impending “doom” So here’s my proposal: Those who have felt the need to be negative about our life in general…Pray for us! Don’t be negative and don’t take away the joy we have as we endeavor on one of the most exciting times together as a family. yes we will be tired and yes there will be struggles and tantrums….maybe even from the adults, but negative thoughts and comments NEVER help anyone…we are a positive family..we don’t live a life of second guessing, depression, self-pity, weak, fearful, dreaded experiences. We take the bull by the horns and live life to the fullest…Our life can’t get any more full than it already has. Check this out: Apr 18 6 Pm-youth event at our house Apr 19 Phone interview 1 pm with a church in Port St Lucie Fl Apr 20 filling in for pastor who will be away (about 35 minutes away) Apr 21 7 30 Pm Phone interview with church from Illinois Apr 22 i I go to Michigan w/ hubby and after his classes we travel to FL (Apr23) (kids in Tow) for the week. April 27-28 drive back to Michigan for hubby’s classes Apr 30 head home May 4-11th travel to Illinois for canidating at church (Hubby’s going to attempt to go to class that week in Michigan) May 12th head home May 13-14 finals FOR Hubby mAY 17 AND 18TH Hubby’s b-DAY and we will be meeting with one church on Sat and canidating at a church on Sunday in Long Island May 19th come home May 25 Brown St Baptist church In Akron Oh May 26 at my parents for Memorial day–travel home! May31 Tim’s B-day party with grandma and pappy June 1st our last day of church here. It will be closing! It will be a sad day. That is why Tim’s party is on Saturday June 8th Ron is speaking in Skineatles church here in NY a semi local church Yep Life is crazy and yep it’s all worth it. we are a team. We work things out together. That’s one thing that hubby and I are committed too. No matter what else our lives hold…our family is most important to us. After all as a pastor if our family is not under control in working as a team we are not eligible for ministry. So that being said…if you can’t say anything nice ..Pray and tell your feelings to the Lord. He is our source of wisdom and strength. (Thanks Nora for being a great encouragement..anytime you want to “kidnap” our kids..hubby and I would love to take you up on the offer! And it sounds like the two of you could get some practice!) And all that being said….Pray for us..OFTEN!!!!! We will need it..in every way imaginable! 
Category: daily life
A sad day!
Last night was our last youth group outing ! We had it here at our house. We ate Pizza and played games! It was a very bittersweet time for me. Our church will be having it’s last service on June 1st…Tornado’s B-day. Coincidently that is the only Sunday we are scheduled to be here for over the next month and a half. Our schedule is crazy and it all starts today. We have been working with this youth group for three years now and there are only three girls but we have become a close group. It would be one thing if we were just handing off the youth group to someone else but since the whole church is closing it makes one wonder what is going to happen t o the girls who aren’t church kids. I hope and pray with all of my heart that God brings other Christians into their lives that continue to bring them along into the next step of their faith! It’s so hard to know if two of them are saved! And I hope and pray that someday I will meet them again in heaven. I hope they know that they are missed so very much. The same goes for our church family on a whole. Yes we are moving on but they have all impacted our lives so much. Our life holds so much change for us right now. With closing our church. Traveling to so many new places and new churches. And we now have to get rid of our dog too! We just can’t keep him anymore. He has been a great dog and a great companion but we can’t take him to a parsonage and we can’t leave him alone while we travel so much. we have often said that if we would have known that we would have been leaving so soon after we got him we probably never would have gotten him! Our kids will be so sad but at this age I think they will recover and not hate the ministry because we had to get rid of the dog!. We have made some great friends….dog included! If you are a friend we have met while we have lived where we live. you will be missed so VERY VERY much!
Sadly Mistaken
Frustrated with Life at the time, I made a very bad and horrible mistake….the worst thing you could ever do. hurt your friends….you say but wouldn’t that be your family first..well sometimes but they still love you…you friends can just seem to melt away and you don’t realize they are gone until too late to do anything. that has happened a lot over the last few year but I have been on the receiving end. NEVER EVER did I intend to be the one causing the pain. And in a moment of frustration I posted something that I never intended on posting and the family read it. And to them I am so deeply sorry. I have read a book by Elizabeth George called Loving God with all Your Mind. It truly is a wonderful book. And so many times we get so me centered and so used to being hurt in a certain way that when something else happens you automatically assume that it was personal when it really was nothing at all. So how do you get to the point where that doesn’t happen. Well I will Tell you how Mrs. George handled it when she was struggling through life’s bumps. She said to ask yourself one simple question…is this true? What she is referring to is scripture based in Philippians 4:8 Where Paul instructs the Philippian people to think on whatever is true…you get the picture. Guess what trap I had fallen into? I really think that God is working on me to iron out even more flaws. It seems as though one goes through these refining times in their life where God brings a lot of unrealized thought and struggles into view. If you handle them well the result will turn out beautiful in God’s eyes but if handled poorly and with a “stiff Neck” (meaning resistance against God) the result is a bitter person . I really don’t want to be a bitter person. I know too many bitter people and I see the kind of unsatisfied life they lead. So now is my refining time. My deepest prayer is that i stay willing to learn..from my mistakes and from others mistakes and from others in general! Thank you JB and KF for your forgiveness. It means so much to me to have friends who truly care to see a Christian grow despite the mistakes they have made!
Time
Life has been good. Perhaps my dream of going to Tennessee will soon be a reality…how exciting..more details to come! As I sit this morning with little Tornado watching a movie behind me on my bed I stir with impatience. Impatience for what you might ask..well hubby and I feel as though we are in limbo…so to speak. He is finishing up his last semester of normal classes. By the time he finishes this semester he will have spent the last 5 years in school…that encompasses our whole marriage. I am looking forward to a break. It’s hard raising three kids so close in age. It’s funny that I refer to going into full time ministry a break. Right now my husband works a full time job, goes to school full time, has a full time family and puts in a part time position at a church that is struggling so very very much. Sadness over the church situation is ever lurking in the back of our minds. Our patience for God’s timing of going into full time ministry is driving us crazy. We are so used to God working so quickly in our lives..our kids are a prime example…and I haven’t even asked for patience this time ( I stopped asking for that soon after Tornado turned 1—hence his name) It’s funny how you seem to antsy all at once for lots of things…for instance..it will be nine years since I have been to china and felt ever so drawn to the stories of thousands or maybe even millions of parent less little girls, for Pete’s sake I haven’t even finished having my own kids yet…then there is wanting so desperately to have one church out of the 10 or 15 that have contacted us to be a pastor. The funny thing is that I am satisfied with where I am. I love my house, I love the area we live in. Our neighbors are great! We have a very happy life. We both really want to be serving God full time in a place where all of our time goes to serving a church. We have done a lot of that here but it’s this nagging call. It is hard to wait. By no means am I complaining. Confused yes……There is so much more to the church situation but I cannot go down that road….to protect the names of the innocent of course 
here are some pics to help you have a great day! 
How True
POSITION : Mom, Mommy, Mama, Mum, Ma Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
JOB DESCRIPTION : Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organ- izational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.
RESPONSIBILITIES : For the rest of your life you must: Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.
POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION : None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE : None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.
WAGES AND COMPENSATION : Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.
BENEFITS : While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love,and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right. PARENTS in appreciation for everything you do on a daily basis, please know that you are appreciated for the fabulous job you do.
**THERE IS NO RETIREMENT — EVER!!!