Our vacation has begun. Thankful for rest.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Vacation.

2. Uninterrupted, fun time with my sweet little Judah. We have days of play awaiting us.

3. An escape from technology…at least the parts that I want to escape from.

4. I was able to finish all job related tasks and leave work today at 12:30.

5. After a 45 minute ordeal at the Post Office, I mailed 50 filtration straws to Rwanda, Africa. Our kids raised all the money for the straws. Super excited to get to play a part in giving Africa clean water.

6. Missionaries Gary and Shirley Bohanon will be so excited. Thankful for their work.

7. The lady who helped me at the Post Office, Martha was her name, was so sweet. She told me about her love of the piano and the organ.

8. Kind customer service.

9. Helpful people.

10. I got a HUGE discount on some brand new chairs for kidz ministry.

11. Brandon will be proud of me.

12. I didn’t have to beg, they just gave it to me. Thank God…I HATE working deals!

13. Creative Meeting finalized 10,000 reasons service on Sunday night. It will be awesome.

14. Dr. Shirley fixed my tooth today. My mouth is free of jagged cement. And, I may not have to replace my retainer after all.

15. I got a new haircut. April always knows how to make me look younger, fresher, and fun. She is amazing.

16. Gary got me lunch while I was getting my hair done. He is so sweet to me.

17. Ava and Lori both responded to a new family email today. It really helped me out since I will be gone on Sunday. They are so sweet and helpful. They are amazing leaders.

18. A new family is checking out Crossroads on Sunday and they are so excited to bring their kids!

19. Charlie shared his T-Rex Tries book with me. I laughed a lot. I have to get that book!

20. Laura made is safely through her surgery and I know the best is yet to come in her life.

21. Scout is back home with us. All night, Judah has referred to our dog as, “my brother, Scout.”

22. My brother and his family are enjoying a nice getaway in San Antonio.

23. My house is looking more and more like a home.

24. The Stimsons came over for dinner and decorating.

25. Holly looks at something and makes it beautiful. What I see as work, she sees as fun. I love watching her create beauty from a pile of stuff!

26. Spray paint can change the look of everything.

27. I have 8 days of plans with my two most favorite boys in the whole world.

28. Jesus loves me…this I know!

For some odd reason, I couldn’t connect to the internet in my home last night. Crazy, I know! Even more crazy is the fact that my blog is tied to it. But, I still thanked the Lord. Today has been a great day. It is Vacation Eve for me and my family today. I have felt as giddy as a girl on Christmas Eve. I am so excited about a restful break.

In my morning devotions, I re-read a passage out of 1 Samuel 10. I have meditated on this passage a lot lately. Samuel was about to present Saul to Israel as their new King and they couldn’t find Saul…Why? Where was he? Scripture tells us that he was hiding among the baggage. To insecure to accept the destiny God had for him, he ran and hid himself. More thoughts on this in the days ahead…

My 28 Thanks:

1. Divine Appointments.

2. Things that are worth the wait.

3. The woman at the well had a divine appointment with Jesus on a hot afternoon.

4. Powerful women in the Bible.

5. Morning Quiet Time.

6. Danielle Heart Attacked my office door. It was the first thing I experienced when I arrived at work. It made me smile all day.

7. Kind, Thoughtful, Insightful, Encouraging words.

8. Danielle and Rony shared their creativity with me.

9. Holly came to my house for 1 hour and made it look beautiful.

10. Cherryl Hodges is an amazing teenager who loves Jesus. She has been spending some time with us and we love her company.

11. Judah gave all of us check-ups today. Dr. Judah declared us all healthy.

12. Had an awesome lunch with Starla. She shared her story with me.

13. Everyone has a story to share.

14. JaQuisha really helped me out of a pinch today. She is always available to help out. Love her heart.

15. Brooklyn and Brittney helped me make 120 goodie bags today. They were awesome help and saved me about 2 hours of work.

16. Everytime my little friend Madison saw me today, she made me give her a hug and a kiss. She loves me.

17. I got to come home for lunch today.

18. I can almost park my car in the garage…almost.

19. Rock My World…it is a GREAT song and my kidmotion kids sing it with so much passion and energy everytime. They never get tired of it and I know it touches the heart of God.

20 Duck Dynasty helps relax my mind on a Wednesday night.

21. Deep, big bath tub.

22. My little friend, Peyton, wanted to stay the night with me tonight. The first time she stayed the night she was about 4…now she is turning 12 this year! Where does the time go?

23. Judah gets so excited when we have people over.

24. Judah now uses amazing hand gestures when he talks. His communication has become so expressive…he is like his momma!

25. Funny conversations in the car.

26. Rochelle made me laugh today. And, she made me blush. And, it was all through email.

27. I have an amazing team of friends and leaders who make vacation super easy to take. I know that my kids will not even know that Gary and I are gone because our team won’t miss a beat.

28. It’s Vacation Eve!!!!!

Tonight, I started reading the book Start, by Jon Acuff. It is a book that looks at two roads…the road of average and the road of awesome. I can already tell you that I want to travel on the road of awesome and I don’t want to waste a lot of years on the road of average. Unfortunately, average is the most popular because average is the most FAMILIAR!

Interesting enough, the older I get the more frustrated I think I become with familiar. I always choose the most familiar food on the menu item. I always choose the most familiar path on the map. I always choose the most familiar shopping stores. I always choose the most familiar people to hang out with…and the more I type tonight, the more I realize how boring I have become. And, that frustrates me! I am almost afraid to say this out loud because I might be held accountable to it, but I am hungry for change, adventure, out of the ordinary, unexpected, weird, out of the box, extraordinary, and not familiar… life. I don’t want to look back 10 years from now and realize that I could have had awesome, but I was so comfortable with average that I put it in cruise control and just coasted.

I have read the book The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson several times. When I taught high school English, I began the first day of the school year by reading chapter one of that book to each class. I challenged my kids to not be like the characters who made up the Land of Familiar, but rather be like the character Ordinary. You see, Ordinary dares to leave the Land of Familiar in order to search for a dream that he had been given by the Dream Giver.

Like Ordinary, we all have been given a dream by the Dream Giver and it is not a dream that keeps us on the path or average, but rather a dream that compels us to travel the path of Awesomeness. A dream that will lead us to a destiny of passion, purpose, and position to make a difference. I think it is time to…START.

My 28 Thanks:

1. I have a dream. (Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for that great line).

2. The Dream Giver gives everyone a dream.

3. Its an awesome, not average dream that He gives.

4. I don’t have to be ordinary. I can be extraordinary.

5. I read books.

6. I apply the knowledge that I read in books.

7. Jon Acuff’s whit.

8. Adventurous, out of the box, risk-taker people. I admire the risk they are willing to take to achieve awesome.

9. Freedom of Speech.

10. Read an awesome chapter in my Blessed Woman book. I have really enjoyed studying about the women in the Bible.

11. The life of Rebekkah.

12. People who take initiative.

13. I had a nice lunch with my friend, Laura.

14. Veggie spud and unsweet Tea at McAlisters.

15. Judah had a fun day.

16. Gary picked up our new table today.

17. Grant and Zach came over and helped Gary move a large piece of furniture.

18. Brandon and Leslie did my financial statement while I was away at kids camp…so helpful!

19. Men who speak honesty and encouragement to other men.

20. Gary received a text from a new friend last night and the words spoken really encouraged him and excited him.

21. Spent an hour on the back patio reading tonight.

22. Jetted tub.

23. I have an inside job. So thankful that I am not a brick layer, roofer, landscaper, construction worker, etc…I get to work in the A/C all day long.

24. Men and Women who do manual labor.

25. My brother and sister-in-law celebrate 7 years of marriage today.

26. On July 8, Mrs. Debbie was born. She is a great friend, an awesome kids leader, and has a most beautiful heart for the Lord. I am glad she is in my life.

27. Two new recruits to kidmin today!

28. The Lord is so good and so faithful and so loving and so true and so so so so the center of my life.

The last two weekends have been a blur. Time is truly precious and I am excited to slow down and enjoy it more.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Getting ready for church was super easy today.

2. Gary and my dad moved in our living room furniture this morning before church.

3. Judah woke up playing hide and seek.

4. Kidmin services went so smoothly today.

5. Shea did a great job on the Big Answer segment. It was her first time.

6. Today, I noticed a lot of growth in several kidmin leaders.

7. Growth.

8. Leadership with vision and purpose.

9. The kids loved the ice cream relay game.

10. You get to play games in kidz ministry.

11. We had a beautiful worship set this morning in KidMotion.

12. I stood next to two girls who had their hands lifted high the entire worship song. Everytime I see kids worship, I want to cry and sometimes I do.

13. Zach cleaned up the messy game and really helped Gary and I leave church sooner.

14.  Gary and I got a lot accomplished between church services.

15. We had our first home cooked meal at our house.

16. Crockpot.

17. We all set at the table together…even Judah. And, he ate 2 carrots.

18. Gary and I had a conversation about dreams.

19. The worship set for evening service was awesome.

20. The song “Take My Life” really ministered to me tonight.

21. I got to pray with my good friend, Danielle.

22. I received a sweet text from my friend, Janelle. She is such an encourager.

23. I got several compliments on my bright pink pants. They are a fun coral color. Even Grant liked them:)

24. Pastor Ted preached a lot of “tweetable” lines tonight. Good Word.

25. Super excited about the PM services in July. Love trying new things and thinking outside the box.

26. Change is becoming the new NORM!

27. Not really frustrated by the fact that my garage is covered in unpacked boxes. In the past, this would have really bothered me. The Lord has changed me greatly. Now, I know how to pace myself.

28. Sleep.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Judah slept in until 8: 30 this morning.

2. Judah and I had a nice morning at home.

3. We finally got to spend more than 4 hours straight (in addition to sleeping) at our home.

4. My parents helped me setup our outdoor furniture today.

5. Judah and I went swimming at my aunt’s house. We had fun.

6. I got to spend time with a lot of my family today.

7. My parents bought my meal at Saltgrass tonight.

8. Judah had a lot of fun with my nephews today.

9. The Lord is near.

10. Truth always defeats a lie.

11. The Lord fights for me. I need only to be still or silent:)

12. Sunshine.

13. I can cast my cares on Him because He cares for me.

14. Teaching tomorrow morning about two miracles in one day.

15. Jesus amazes me.

16. The woman with the issue of blood never lost hope.

17. The example of Faith from the woman with the issue of blood.

18. Even when life is unpredicatable, My God is constant.

19. He is stable.

20. He is my strong tower.

21. He is my Source.

22. He is more than enough.

23. I can run to Him and feel safe.

24. In Him, I am found.

25. He is my strength.

26. He is my peace.

27. He is my joy.

28. He will never fail me.

There is no place like home! Home is not just a place, but also togetherness. When I am with Gary and Judah, I am at home.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Camp Wow load up went really well.

2. We cleaned the cabins, packed the suitcases, and loaded in record time.

3. My leadership team took charge of the “barking orders” job for getting kids to clean.

4. We discovered a new route home that took about 45 minutes off of our drive time.

5. We all made it home safely.

6. We made it home really early.

7. Judah smiled the biggest smile when our eyes met today.

8. Judah has given me spontaneous hugs all day long.

9. I can tell that Asher had influence on Judah the last 3 days. And, I love it. Judah is talking so much more, dressing up as a cowboy, and singing his ABCs. I think he might have to go over to Camp Asher’s more often.

10. Gary and I worked on moving in more furniture into our home today. We know have a place to sit and eat.

11. All kids camp laundry is DONE and put away.

12. Clean Shower.

13. My leaders loved camp and I am so glad for the time I had with them.

14. Everyone gets to sleep in their own bed tonight.

15. Pastor Clayton, our guest camp speaker, taught us so many new games.

16. Pastor Clayton and family have told us multiple times how much they enjoyed camp. His kids talked about all the way home today.

17. Camp Wow asked us to join them for Community Camp again.

18. Crossroads Leaders got to minister to not only our kids, but also kids in rural communities.

19. Debbie, Autumn, Gary, and Stella did an amazing job leading kids worship.

20. Gary, Judah, and I had a fun night playing with sparklers.

21. We also played chase in the yard and played in the sand.

22. My mother-in-law made it home safely from a wonderful visit with her baby girl, Kelli.

23. When I walk through my house barefoot, I don’t have to be on the lookout for spiders, tarantulas, and scorpions.

24. I didn’t have to address one issue of drama or conflict this entire kids camp.

25. Quiet Time.

26. Gary stopped the car momentarily today in the car wash parking lot so we could finish cleaning a few inside items. Judah said, “Mommy, Daddy, let’s hold hands.” We said okay and then once we all had each other hands we asked Judah, “Now what?” Judah then replied and said, “I want to pray for Nonna!” My son loves to pray and he loves to pray for others. He also thinks you can’t pray unless you are holding hands…HE HAS MY HEART!

27. My bed.

28. My family is all under the same roof tonight.

Camp WOW day One was a huge success.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Camp registration took a total of 120 SECONDS!

2. We all arrived to camp safely.

3. The weather is out of this world wonderful.

4. Our camp speaker arrived safely.

5. The kids found a turantula right away. It provided great entertainment.

6. Mr. Bob ate a grasshopper. He always knows how to make the kids have a good time and usually at his expense.

7. Kymauni, Tashon, and Maxton rode in the car with Gary and me to camp. We had a great time getting to know those awesome young men.

8. I have the most amazing leadership team. Many took off a week of vacation, left families, found childcare, or sacrificed something else to invest in my kids this week. They are super heroes!

9. Debbie Thomas.

10. Stella Cox.

11. Angela Lewis.

12. Deborah Fulton.

13. Lorry Gail Cieri.

14. Jamie Crawford.

15. Rochelle Sims.

16. Bob Thomas.

17. Alex Eddens.

18. Zach Miller.

19. Valarie and Max Simmons.

20. Bryce Hatton.

21. Autumn Outon.

22. Sarah Kiper.

23. I am surrounded by people who make me laugh.

24. An amazing salad bar.

25. Camp Wow staff is incredible.

26. Late Night Snacks.

27. The Golf Cart.

28. Friendships.

The Psalmist writes in Psalm 69:30, “I will Praise God’s name in song and GLORIFY HIM with THANKSGIVING.” This scripture was written on a napkin I used to eat my toast from this morning. Wow…what a great Word from the Lord. We Glorify Him when we are thankful.

My 28 Thanks:

1. This blog is a part of my endeavor to glorify the Lord with Thanksgiving.

2. I can use my words to speak life.

3. Camp 2013, Off the Rails, starts in less than 24 hours.

4. The kids will have a blast.

5. Camp Wow staff is amazing to work with.

6. Our guest speaker is super pumped and will do a great job with our kids.

7. We got amazing dorm room assignments at Camp Wow.

8. Jamie is going to be our camp nurse.

9. I am packed.

10. Judah is packed.

11. We had fun tonight running through our new lawn sprinkling system. Judah thought is was so funny. We were soaked and then got really cold.

12. The weather will be perfect for camp.

13. Gary got a lot accomplished on the house tonight.

14. Zach saved me a lot of time at work today. He made a big project happen without much help from me.

15. Two great meetings took place with my Executive team.

16. Open minds and prayerful hearts.

17. Pastor Tami brought us amazing homemade banana muffins as a “Welcome to your Home” gift. They were amazing!

18. My mother-in-law let me borrow her swimsuit for camp. She is one of the most giving and self-less individuals I know.

19. My mother-in-law is getting to spend the week with her baby girl, Kelli, also known as the world traveler of the family. #militarywife.

20. Our closet is almost completely unpacked.

21. Gary got Judah’s tree house bed put together today. Judah played all day in and out of his tree house bed.

22. Danielle shared a children’s book with me today. She wrote it and it was fantastic. Beautifully written, super fun read, creative characters, fun illustration, and the storyline was superb. She should publish it!

23. Second Chances.

24. Technology.

25. Asher Hoover is so excited to spend time with my sweet Judah. I know he will take great care of him.

26. My 16 year old “permanent” retainer broke tonight. Thankfully, my tooth did not come off with it.

27. My perspective is changing.

28. My vacation is on the horizon.

My 28 Thanks:

1. My freedom as an American.

2. Patriotic Music.

3. Thousands came to Crossroads Freedom Celebration tonight. It was a huge success.

4. Best Fireworks show ever.

5. People had a wonderful time.

6. People gathered around on blankets and in lounge chairs enjoying one another.

7. The Weather was AMAZING.

8. I even got goose bumps on June 30.

9. Danielle taught me the medical term for goose bumps. Not going to share it here because it makes me blush. But, I am sure you are going to research it now!

10. The auxiliary ministries raised awesome support tonight.

11. Judah had a blast on the inflatables.

12. Kids church was awesome this morning.

13. The energy during the praise set was OFF THE RAILS!

14. Sundays are usually “intense” but today had a sweet peace to it.

15. My nephew, Kolt, spent the afternoon with Judah and I. He is a sweet boy.

16. I met some very sweet, new people tonight.

17. God does great things through His church.

18. The church can really help the community.

19. We were able to empty out our last storage unit today.

20. My father-in-law and my brother were amazing help.

21. A little girl tonight told me that she had three favorite things about the Freedom Celebration: 1.) Inflatables 2.) Snow Cones 3.) Seeing Me! How sweet.

22. Clean Sheets.

23. Judah had a chance tonight to learn how to stay in a line and wait for your turn.

24. Our clown did an amazing job!

25. My mom and sister made it back home safe.

26. I had a nice visit with my friend, Janelle, tonight. I am so glad to see her sweet face again. She has such a spirit of triumph.

27. I held Gary’s hand tonight during the fireworks show. So thankful that he is my husband.

28. I held Judah in my arms and watched fireworks tonight. He loved every orange firework because he is a boy.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Strength.

2. The ability to continue on even when your body is tired.

3. Muscles.

4. My mom’s help today.

5. My sister’s help today.

6. There are 15 less boxes in my garage.

7. My bed. I have missed it!

8. My pillow.

9. Comfortable clothes.

10. My kitchen is unpacked.

11. My closet is unpacked.

12. I found $20 in a box that I was unpacking.

13. My new neighbors are so talkative. Looking forward to getting to know them.

14. They left a giant sand pile in our backyard.

15. Judah loves playing in the sand pile.

16. A nearby grocery store.

17. A young man offered to help me load my groceries at the grocery store today.

18. Meg and the boys stopped by today. I love seeing family.

19. Bob, Kyle, Eric, and Pa-Pa were great helps moving.

20. Danielle and Rony stopped by to say hi. They are always a cheerful hello.

21. My friend, Lorry Gail, had great help moving today.

22. I can still feel my legs.

23. Judah got to spend lots of time with my mom and sister today.

24. They all had a big game of hide and seek. I loved hearing the laughter.

25. Life is never boring.

26. Air Conditioner.

27. Good smells.

28. The Lord is good and He is forever Faithful.