I wish I could download my pictures!
We are having a wonderful time here in Daytona.
Last night mom watched Izzie for me and Emma and I headed out to the beach to build sandcastles. The beach was empty, the sun was setting and I'm down in the sand with my daughter creating castles. The waves are crashing the wind is slightly blowing. God's beautiful creation...water, earth, birds, mother, daughter. I could not help bu think we were experiencing Eden the way it was originally created to be.
We are at camp this week with Dave in Daytona Beach. We are with FBC Tifton and a group of other churches with about 400 kids. We were here last year for this camp and we are back this year. It's good to see faces from lat year. It's always nice going back to a camp you have been at because it feels and I assume that we can have greater ministry impact since we have been on this continuing journey with them. I think Dave will be back next year too.
The other great thing about this camp is that they let Dave bring his family. That is huge for us and the girls when daddy is gone all of June and July. We really appreciate churches and groups that say bring the family along. The girls or should I say Izzie has had a much better week this week. I do have a secret weapon with me. My mom came down to camp with us to help with the girls. Emma wants to be at the beach and pool all day and Izzie can only tolerate spurts. So it has been great having another person here to help with their schedules. I've also been able to attend all the evening sessions with Dave. I love that. It really makes me feel a part of what God is doing this week.
The weather has been great and we are having a blast. More to come later
So I did not post last week while we were in Key Largo. Maybe because I had absolutely no time! It was our first vacation with two kids. I'm still not sure if I personally would call it a vacation. Izzie gave us a run for our money and were not sure if we'll take her out of the house again for a while! Probably driving 12 hrs to vacate was not the smartest move on our part but we made it and had some fun times with Dave's parents. Here is a quick run down.
12 hr trip, thank the Lord for baby einstein, beautiful home given to us by the Clark family, two lunches out at the local hang out, feeding the tarpons, two trips to the public pool which had waterslides and a pirate ship full of fun for the kids, a cancelled trip to Key West for Dave and I... too long to drive with the littl one, swimming in the ocean 7 miles off the shore, Emma and I looking at a baracooda three feet away from our feet, Emma learning to swim, snorkling at two reefs, a fun game of Uno, Key Lime margarita's, Club Libby Lou at the Dolphin Mall in Miami, taking out kids back to the place where Dave and I first met, PBA University.
We have arrived. After driving through the night on Monday and then what turned into another 8 hr drive on Tuesday due to traffic, we have arrived.
Izzie up screaming last night because I think she has ear infections...
The place we are at is beautiful and hopefully we will get much needed rest. I'll post later on our day to day journey's along with pictures. I forgot the cord to my camera at home so I can't download anything.
Here is just one way that you can be a part of something that is making a big difference in the lives of kids. So plan on grabbing your dad and taking them for a frosty on Sunday to celebrate him and be an agent of change in this world!
Father's Day Frosty Weekend at Wendy's to Support Adoption
Looking for a fun, yummy way to celebrate Father's Day and help foster children find adoptive families?
On June 16 and 17, participating Wendy's restaurants across the country will donate a minimum of 50 cents from every Frosty product sold to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption , which funds and supports full-time foster adoption recruiters in all 50 states.
Jon Bellinger, publicist for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, says, "The goal is to raise $1 million in one weekend to support the work of the DTFA's signature program, Wendy’s Wonderful Kids. It's an easy way to get involved, and a great way to help foster children find placements in loving families."
Is that not a delicious idea? I'm taking my family out for Frostys on Father's Day!
Emma and I had the best day together today. She went with me to work. She was so good and did her own thing while I worked away. Then we went to lunch together at the mall, got Dave a fathers day gift and made a big 1.50 purchase of stick on earrings that she just loves. She had VBS tonight and has been coming home wild. Tonight was no different. She was running around crazy while I was trying to listen to Dave live tonight. SL was broadcasting his talk live from Shocco Springs. After a lot of frustration she finally made it to bed where she started crying. I asked her what was wrong and she said.. "I've ruined the perfect day... I've ruined the perfect day!" As I comforted her and we said our prayers and tucked her in, I walked away internally laughing. These are moments I want to write down and not forget and that is what I just did. Kids... life would be so so so so boring without them!
It's Wednesday morning, my heartburn is gone and I'm working away.
Check out update from Dave this morning. Sorry if I am boring all of you.
Shocco Springs Conference Center June 11th to 15th : Student Life Camp Experience 2007
Why else would someone be up at 3am in the morning? This time it's not my kids. I woke up with heartburn if that is what you want to call it. I swear... after my surgery from having Izzie things have never been normal again. I am wondering if they placed everything back the way it was? What can you do? I am just annoyed.
Decided to catch up on camp from Dave so I can sit in an upright position and not be in pain....
Tuesday night:
Camp Pastor Dave Rhodes gave the students an opportunity to continue in Worship by asking anyone who wanted to read any scripture that had grabbed a hold of them in the last week or month. Like popcorn students stood and began to read scripture. After a few minutes, Dave expressed how cool it is to hear the passages read because they are not just random words but words that God had spoken to through the students. “God still speaks in the Here and Now,” Dave said.
Dave opened with an illustration of a little boy who wanted to play with his dad, yet his dad tried to buy a little time to unwind by giving his son a torn picture of the world. He told his son to tape the world back together and then it will be time to play. The little boy amazed his dad by coming back in 5 minutes with the world all put together. When asked how he new how to tape the world back the boy explained that on the back of the pieces their was a man, and once he got the man together the world came together too.
Dave challenged that illustration by expressing to the students that often people are better at getting their world together then the man. The more we know the person of Christ; he not only brings our world together, but flips our world upside down. “Normal becomes abnormal just to be normal again,” Dave said.
Dave took the students to John 1:35-42: Jesus calls His first disciples, in particular, Andrew. After Jesus telling Andrew to follow Him, Andrew immediately finds his brother, Peter, to share the news. Andrew sees God for who He is, and wants in on the conversation. The presence of God isn’t just something you find or see but engage in. We are waiting on God, yet maybe He is waiting on us.
“When’s the last time you stayed in conversation long enough to hear God’s heart?” Dave asked. Often when our life falls apart or a crisis is at hand, we beg God to pull our life together. “Instead of going to God with an agenda, go to God for an agenda,” Dave said. Dave emphasized how a lot of people have watched God put there life back together, yet don’t stay long enough to hear God’s heart for freedom in the world. “Are you just coming to God and asking Him to get your world together or have you stayed long enough to let Him flip your world up-side down?” Dave asked.
Andrew hears God’s message and the first thing he does is find Peter so he can experience what he just witnessed. “Peter gets a lot of credit for changing the world, but it was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus,” Dave said. We all have different gifts and abilities. Dave urged the students to use their unique personality, in the Here and Now, to breathe out what God has breathed into them. God wants people to stay long enough to have the courage to expand His conversation in their world.
“Tonight we’re asking you to join a conversation,” Dave said. Dave introduced Camp Event Coordinator Laurabeth Emory to share her experience of staying in a conversation long enough to hear God’s heart. This last September, Laurabeth felt God calling her to become apart of an organization called Compassion International by sponsoring a little girl named Susan.
Tuesday morning:
Camp Pastor Dave Rhodes reiterated that last night the students focused on the two truths: God is present and when we see Him it changes our identity. This morning Dave focused on the truth that when God is speaking, we find our purpose. “Where are you going?” Dave asked. Is the road we’re walking down a road to life or death?
Dave took the students to Hebrews 11:23-29; the Hebrews our forging their identity because to be a Christian meant to be persecuted. In this passage the Hebrews are hearing stories of people who had chosen the way before them like Moses. By faith, Moses “persevered because he saw Him who is invisible” (verse 27). Life is a choice. “The lives we live tomorrow are determined by the choices we make today,” Dave said.
Robert Frost wrote about coming across two roads one day, and by taking the one less traveled that has made all the difference. Dave emphasized that life is determined not by what you can do but the choices that we make today determine the lives we live tomorrow. “God did not just speak, but is speaking,” Dave asked the students if they would join the conversation. “Will you walk down the road less traveled and allow Him to flip you life upside down?”
Emma had her first night of Vacation Bible School tonight. She loved it. She's still up since they gave her coke for a snack. I don't know what they were thinking! Anyway it should be a great time for her this week.
Dave started his camp tonight. Still waiting to hear from him. He's at a Student Life camp. They run the best camps out there. If I get on their site I can look up information on his camp and get a synopisis of the sessions he does. He did an opening at orientation today. Since I have nothing better to do in the evenings I'll post what is going on with him. It's great for me since it makes me feel like I am there with him. I am praying that he will have a fantastic week and that lives will be changed.
So from this afternoon:
Camp Pastor Dave Rhodes opened by asking the students if they have baggage? Baggage can equip us for the future or try to hinder us from life. Philippians 1:20-26: while in prison, Paul writes to Philippi about being torn between living and dieing but something inside of him makes it necessary for him to live.
“What is it about your life that it is necessary?” Dave asked. Often we get caught up in the future or paralyzed by the past, but what God wants to have you now. Dave informed the students tonight they would focus on two truths. One: “God is present.” Two: God changes identity. Dave told the students how he’s looking forward to being with them and watching these two truths collide. Dave prayed that throughout this week God will show us what is necessary for us to live in the Here and Now.
Well our family had it's normal Friday Family Fun night this past Friday and it extended through the entire weekend. We all had a blast. Great family time. On Friday we went to Dicks to find a putter for Emma. She loves playing putt putt and Dave wanted to get her a club of her own. Of course they did not have one. Instead I left with a 9.99 purchase of these things called Jibbitz. Dave rolled his eyes when he found out how much they cost. They are decorations that go on your crocks. Emma got some for her purple crocks that she basically lives in. I can't believe I spent that much money of them. However, the person who discovered jibbitz and created them just sold the company last year for 22 million dollars. Wish I would have come up with that idea. It was just one of those things I wanted to buy so I did. We then ate at Panera and went to Frankies fun park to play a game of putt putt. Emma had 6 hole in ones! With Dave's help but still I thought that was impressive even with the help.
Saturday we woke up and did yard work and then went off to the pool for the afternoon. Emma learned to kind of swim on her own and Izzie even got in the pool too. She then took a nap in the shade while we continued swimming. Thanks Izzie for the break! :)
And today... we skipped church and met some friends from Birmingham that were driving through. I have not seen them since last August. It does not seem like it has been that long but is has. I hate having good friends that live so far away. With kids and work, we hardly get to hang out anymore. But it is always good when we do.
So a very busy weekend but fun. Dave heads out tomorrow to Alabama and we get back to our normal routine. I think I'm sending Emma to a Vacation Bible School that is just around the corner from our house at this country Presbyterian church. I'm sure she'll love it.
And me... I've got a week left before our two week trip to Florida. We are heading to the Keys with Dave's family and then to Daytona Beach for a beach camp Dave is doing. I am looking forward to the trip but dreading it as well. It's just very hard right now to travel, sleep all of us in one room, travel, did I say travel with a 6 month old who is not a very good traveler. I am cherishing this stage of her life because it is my favorite stage but I will look forward to next summer when she is older and things won't be so stressful or hard for us to pick up and go.
Again it was so great to have such a wonderful weekend home with Dave here. We had a blast!
Dave just finished up his second camp this summer. From talking to him it was a great week. God did some amazing things in the lives of the students that were there. It's always encouraging and energizing to me when he has a good week. Most of the weeks are always good but you get some camps that the students just are not there and it's hard on those weeks. He's now home for a few days and then back out on Monday.
Which leads me to ask for you all to continue to pray for our family. It's amazing how the adversary really attacks us during the summer months. It never seems to fail. Pretty cowardly I might say as a good friend of mine puts it. But really, if there are any cracks that he can come in it's during the summer and it normally is generated in methods of fear with me being home a lone a lot. So that is all I have to say without going into any more detail and giving any credit where absolutely none is due. I know it's because our family is really a part of many life changing experiences and collisions in the lives of young people during these months. I say our family because even though it's not me out on the road, I know my importance in the role I play holding down the fort and supporting Dave. We will not back down. We truly believe the importance of our life mission of creating beauty where only brokenness is found. And we understand and comprehend the tremendous responsibility that is and we don't take it lightly.
With that said, I am still a very disturbed person as it seems things flash in and out of our lives in moments. I was thinking in the car this evening as I saw a Virginia Tech sticker on the car ahead of me. How quickly I forget tragedy that has happened all around me. The media covers something and then it's like it never happened. And then I was hearing some stats on the news tonight about how many orphans there are in the world.. USAID.GOV: The total number of orphans worldwide is projected to reach 44 million by 2010. 44 million. Can you grasp your mind around that. As I was putting Izzie to sleep tonight she had a hard time going down. She was crying a bit here and there and as I opened her door to go and check on her I was thinking.. who is checking on all those millions of children who are crying? No one is. It makes me think that my vision of adopting one child down the road is just way too small. I need a bigger vision. Oh and then another thought... Interesting that American Idol can raise 70 million dollars for charity but what are the Christians and our churches doing? Just thoughts that again constantly disturb me.
It's 10PM and Dave is on his way home for the night just to leave again in the morning at 7AM. He is at a camp about an hour away so he decided to come home for the night. Emma took a long nap today so she could stay up late and be with him. She is really missing him not being here. I hate that as they get older they are so much more aware that daddy is gone and when he goes it seems like a really long time until he returns.
Izzie just broke a 2 day nursing strike this evening. I have no clue what that was all about but she refused to nurse for 2 days. Then all of a sudden she was back to normal. Kids... never a dull moment.
Still waiting on Dave. Can't wait to see him!
I always think it's interesting the response I get to Izzie's name and the conversations it takes me to. Last week we were at mom's pool and a father was there with his two daughters. Emma began to play with them and he was asking her what her sisters name was. Emma said "Izzie". He said, oh is her name Isabella? "no said Emma" Is it Izararua? Emma was flustered. She said no, she is a girl. I chuckled. It's funny how no one thinks Izzie is her first real name. They always think it is short for something. They are always surprised when I say that it is not.
We were at the Salty Dog in Hilton Head on Friday and I was chatting with the mother of the youth minister from the church Dave was doing the camp for. We were having to wait a long time for food so we had a lot of time for conversation. Izzie's name came up and she also asked what her name was short for. I went on to explain the meaning behind her name and how we named her that after she became our miracle girl. Well this Lady had such an interesting miracle herself. She had just had her first child when she found out that she had a mass in her spinal area. The dr's first thougth it would be inoperable since the area was delicate. They decided to go ahead and operate telling her that there was 100% chance she would never walk again. The mass was not cancerous but to take it out they had to sever most of her spinal cords. The first week she was paralyzed but then she started having movement and then began to walk. When they took the x-rays there was nothing there that showed that there was any connection to her lower extremities. The dr's were so baffled that the Dr who did the surgery did not charge her for it because he said he did not do that surgery. To this day he keeps her z-ray in his office to always tell patients that when they get the most devastating news he always says but as you can see, this lady is walking and there is no reason that she should be so you see there is always hope. Don't you just love that? I love hearing about miracles in other peoples lives. We have an amazing God who does things when we can't explain them. I keep the x-ray of my ovaries 2 weeks before I got pregnant showing that there was nothing there no eggs and thus no medical explanation of how Izzie was ever possible. When I have days when I see into other peoples lives and the struggles they are facing I always want to offer people hope that God can still work in their lives. He does not always intervene in every situation but we can always rely on the fact that we can trust him and that he is good. I was just so encouraged to hear about her story and to know God has worked and is working in the lives of so many who dare to believe that by only Him our situations can have hope. You see there is always hope.
We woke up this morning to a monsoon. So weird how one day can be an incredible beach day and the next day you can't see your hand in front of your face because the rain is not only just pouring down it is pouring sideways. Well it rained all day today. Emma was so sad and disappointed that she could not go to the beach. We found a children's Museum and went to it this morning and then later this evening mom and I took the kids to the mall just to get out and walk around a bit. So the day worked for us even though we had to be creative in what we did. We are hoping the rain will let up just a little bit in the morning so Emma can go say goodbye to the beach.
Tonight was a good ending session with the kids this week. I've been able to sit in on all the evening times since my mom is here. It's been great to hear some great teaching. I know it's my husband and all but I always learn so much from him as he communicates Gods word. He challenged the students tonight to do something with their lives. That so many of us are afraid to take chances on our God given dreams that often we do nothing for the fear that we may fail. So we stay in neutral and end up doing nothing for the Kingdom. I find myself in that boat a lot of time personally. It's kind of like I have two lives... the life I partner in with Dave. As a team we do live on the edge. Take big risks for hopes of big Kingdom rewards. I feel that we take what God has given us and we don't hide it but we dare to believe that God can use us to do great things. The other life I have is the personal life of Kim who as an individual tends not to take big risks and often holds back for fear of failure or the fear of getting hurt. I was really challenged tonight to dive into my own life and find those places where I know I have more to give if I could only be brave enough to give it. Still processing all of that stuff and I always feel like I have a really hard time explaining myself so I think I will stop there. But good stuff for sure.
Sleep is calling... My alarm clock (Izzie) will be going off at about 7....
Sweet dreams to all
That is what the past few days have been. Crazy. We are in Hilton Head at a Beach Camp and I've got the whole family here in a hotel room. I am realizing that I am a creature of habit and when my normal routine gets thrown off I don't recover very fast. We've had a great time but this Mom is tired. I woke up at 7am this morning, my normal wake up time and Izzie is calling for me and we are all in the same room. I was trying to be quite not to wake everyone else but no such luck. And the rest of the day from there has been very unplanned and crazy.
Thank the Lord in heaven above that I brought my mother along. If not I would have packed the girls up and headed home. Again, a 6 month old in a hotel room at the beach and pool is a little hard to manage. At least my 6 month old.
BUT we are together as family and that is what is most special. Yesterday we had some time to head to the north part of the Island to check out where we will be truly vacationing at the end of the summer. It looks like a great place. I will look forward to that time especially since we are leaving the kids at home. A must for every couple with kids. The best thing we have ever done is take a trip each year without the kids. It adds so much to my relationship with Dave. It's always a blast having one on one time with him.
Oh... almost forgot.... Guess who we saw on the beach today who parked their family right behind us??? Kirk Herbstreit Dave was dying to talk to him but it was very obvious that he was trying to have family time. I thought it would be rude of us to approach him... By the end of the day he finally went over and shook his hand and told him something like... You are the reason I have reason to live 5 months out of the year" He was being sarcastic but I thought it was funny....
