I LOVE the band Addison Road. If you have never heard of them look them up. If you have only heard of them from me look them up. If you have heard of them but never listened to anything by them (that you know of) look them up. If you have heard of them and listened to them and hate them I DON'T want to hear about it. BUT, if you have heard of them, listened to them and LOVE them like I do you will understand my excitement when I say...
THEY ARE COMING TO ARVADA ON OCTOBER 28TH AND I WILL BE THERE!!!!! (I bought my ticket this morning!)
I have been reading Jenny's blog for over a year now and have listened to their music (and LOVED it) for the last two and a half years. Their songs are so honest and simple. And Jenny's voice is amazing-it is off the chart awesome in some songs and in others it is just another voice singing (a really amazing thing that allows so many people to sing along when one of their songs comes on the radio, I LOVE it!).
If you have never read Jenny's blog you should, she is so open and honest there. She is real. She is not afraid to share what is REALLY on her heart. She is a Wife and a Mother as well as a singer, blogger, and "white soul sister!" I am so incredibly excited to FINALLY meet her. Especially after my surprise voicemail from her in July!
http://www.jennysimmons.com/
As of right now I am going by myself, but if someone wants to join me I would love that too.
Just thought I would share my excitement.
My Hubbin and I
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Mom
Her numbers are going back up again already... It's just not fair!
Why do some people do such evil things and never have anything bad happen to them when those who don't do those evil things get cancer and have to endure chemo?!?
Yes, Mom, I know, "Life isn't fair, get over it." But that still doesn't explain the "why." And it is so frustrating sometimes to not know the "why" of things.
Please pray for my Momma. I love her and know she can get through this.
Why do some people do such evil things and never have anything bad happen to them when those who don't do those evil things get cancer and have to endure chemo?!?
Yes, Mom, I know, "Life isn't fair, get over it." But that still doesn't explain the "why." And it is so frustrating sometimes to not know the "why" of things.
Please pray for my Momma. I love her and know she can get through this.
Monday, September 20, 2010
And the Maize begins
The Fritzler Maize opened this weekend. A new, crazy maize season is upon us now... A season for pumpkins and leaves. Smiling faces, screaming children, and grumpy customers. Old attractions and a new one. A new design for the cornfield that most people don't enter during the day.
I'm excited for the time at the Maize, but I also feel like I'm just rolling into it and will roll out of it at then end of October. I'm more excited about the new season and getting back to remodeling our house... A new bathroom and flooring on the stairs. Maybe new windows and siding. Finishing baseboard and fixing the whole house fan. It never ends, but it is never boring either.
A new season is upon us and as we walk through it we will discover new challenges.
I'm excited for the time at the Maize, but I also feel like I'm just rolling into it and will roll out of it at then end of October. I'm more excited about the new season and getting back to remodeling our house... A new bathroom and flooring on the stairs. Maybe new windows and siding. Finishing baseboard and fixing the whole house fan. It never ends, but it is never boring either.
A new season is upon us and as we walk through it we will discover new challenges.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Church
Only a few know our (Joel and I's) struggle with going to "church" every Sunday in a building with people you don't walk through life with....
A little over two years ago we stopped attending a weekly service at any "church." This was a difficult transition for me because I have LOVED several "churches" I have attended throughout my life. I felt guilty for not going every week for a good three months before I was ok with it. In Wal-Mart one day before we stopped going to "church" every Sunday I saw a book titled "So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore." Because of how discouraged we were at the time I was sold and bought the book.
SIDE NOTE: I want you to know this book does NOT tell you to stop going to "church" every Sunday (or Saturday or Wednesday for that matter!), and if you immediately judge the book as one for "those people who think they are Christians but who don't attend 'church' regularly so they can't possibly be real Christians" CHECK YOUR HEART! And while you're at it maybe check out the book.
Joel and I read through that book faster than we have ever read through any book before. We talked about it and it resonated with us. We don't hate "church." We don't hate the people who go to "church." We just want something MORE than going to a meeting every week, singing songs with people we don't really know and listening to one man's interpretation of the WORD. That same WORD that we ourselves are capable of reading and learning from.
We don't want the political and monetary agendas that come with big "churches" and we don't want the gossip and back biting that come with small "churches."
We want COMMUNITY. We want people who WALK THROUGH LIFE with us. We want people we can sit down with and SHARE OUR FAITH with. People not afraid to QUESTION our faith and our motives and who are not offended when we do the same for them. We want FELLOWSHIP. We want ENCOURAGEMENT.
Hebrews 10:25 (New International Reader's Version)
"Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return."
The word "meeting in this verse is translated different ways in different English Versions of the Bible (Gathering, Meeting, Worshiping, Assembling), but in NONE of the versions is this the WHY. The WHY we should get together with other believers is to ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER (Hebrews 10:25 -New International Version- "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.").
This is the ONLY verse in the New Testament (and as far as I know the only verse in the whole Bible) that addresses meeting together on a regular basis. And the point of this verse is to get Christians to ENCOURAGE one another, not meet every Sunday to sing songs and listen to some guy speak.
If you have found this encouragement in the "church" you are attending then GREAT! Good for you! But some people will NEVER find that in a traditional "church" setting. There are several reasons for this, but one of them is NOT because they don't TRY to make friends and walk through life with people attending a traditional "church" today. It is NOT because their hearts are not open to the things of God. It is NOT because they are not listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And it is NOT because they have lost their faith.
The CHURCH is made up of the BODY OF BELIEVERS. It is not the building you walk in to, the service you attend, the songs you sing or the preacher speaking to the crowd. TRUE CHURCH is the PEOPLE. If the PEOPLE in the "church" you attend are not following HARD after the Lord and walking THROUGH LIFE with you, do you have true fellowship? Are you really being encouraged? Have YOU "given up meeting together" by not taking the time to walk through life with other fellow Christians?
Matthew 18:18-20 (The Message) "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 (New American Standard Bible) "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." It doesn't matter if you meet in a "church" building with 2,000 other people or in your living room with a friend. If you are there in HIS name you are with the Church, for you are part of the Church if you are a believer.
"What about worhip and hearing the word spoken?" you ask. Well, our lives are to lived in worship. Worship is not singing songs, it is living a life for the Lord. Not that singing songs to the Lord is a bad thing, read Psalms and you will see it happened all the time! God gave us gifts to use them, to worship Him when we use them, so we need to do so. But WORSHIP is not singing songs in a building every week. Whenever the believers in the New Testament got together and heard preaching it was in a public place. They were preaching the Gospel around those who needed to hear it, not speaking to other believers about the Bible or how to live a good Christian life. Believers need ENCOURAGEMENT to fight the good fight and finish the race to the end, but this is found in relationships and walking through life with other believers.
There will be more on this subject, but for now. Are you enjoying the true fellowship of walking through life with other believers who encourage you? And are you encouraging others?
A little over two years ago we stopped attending a weekly service at any "church." This was a difficult transition for me because I have LOVED several "churches" I have attended throughout my life. I felt guilty for not going every week for a good three months before I was ok with it. In Wal-Mart one day before we stopped going to "church" every Sunday I saw a book titled "So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore." Because of how discouraged we were at the time I was sold and bought the book.
SIDE NOTE: I want you to know this book does NOT tell you to stop going to "church" every Sunday (or Saturday or Wednesday for that matter!), and if you immediately judge the book as one for "those people who think they are Christians but who don't attend 'church' regularly so they can't possibly be real Christians" CHECK YOUR HEART! And while you're at it maybe check out the book.
Joel and I read through that book faster than we have ever read through any book before. We talked about it and it resonated with us. We don't hate "church." We don't hate the people who go to "church." We just want something MORE than going to a meeting every week, singing songs with people we don't really know and listening to one man's interpretation of the WORD. That same WORD that we ourselves are capable of reading and learning from.
We don't want the political and monetary agendas that come with big "churches" and we don't want the gossip and back biting that come with small "churches."
We want COMMUNITY. We want people who WALK THROUGH LIFE with us. We want people we can sit down with and SHARE OUR FAITH with. People not afraid to QUESTION our faith and our motives and who are not offended when we do the same for them. We want FELLOWSHIP. We want ENCOURAGEMENT.
Hebrews 10:25 (New International Reader's Version)
"Let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us cheer each other up with words of hope. Let us do it all the more as you see the day coming when Christ will return."
The word "meeting in this verse is translated different ways in different English Versions of the Bible (Gathering, Meeting, Worshiping, Assembling), but in NONE of the versions is this the WHY. The WHY we should get together with other believers is to ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER (Hebrews 10:25 -New International Version- "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.").
This is the ONLY verse in the New Testament (and as far as I know the only verse in the whole Bible) that addresses meeting together on a regular basis. And the point of this verse is to get Christians to ENCOURAGE one another, not meet every Sunday to sing songs and listen to some guy speak.
If you have found this encouragement in the "church" you are attending then GREAT! Good for you! But some people will NEVER find that in a traditional "church" setting. There are several reasons for this, but one of them is NOT because they don't TRY to make friends and walk through life with people attending a traditional "church" today. It is NOT because their hearts are not open to the things of God. It is NOT because they are not listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And it is NOT because they have lost their faith.
The CHURCH is made up of the BODY OF BELIEVERS. It is not the building you walk in to, the service you attend, the songs you sing or the preacher speaking to the crowd. TRUE CHURCH is the PEOPLE. If the PEOPLE in the "church" you attend are not following HARD after the Lord and walking THROUGH LIFE with you, do you have true fellowship? Are you really being encouraged? Have YOU "given up meeting together" by not taking the time to walk through life with other fellow Christians?
Matthew 18:18-20 (The Message) "Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." Jesus said in Matthew 18:20 (New American Standard Bible) "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." It doesn't matter if you meet in a "church" building with 2,000 other people or in your living room with a friend. If you are there in HIS name you are with the Church, for you are part of the Church if you are a believer.
"What about worhip and hearing the word spoken?" you ask. Well, our lives are to lived in worship. Worship is not singing songs, it is living a life for the Lord. Not that singing songs to the Lord is a bad thing, read Psalms and you will see it happened all the time! God gave us gifts to use them, to worship Him when we use them, so we need to do so. But WORSHIP is not singing songs in a building every week. Whenever the believers in the New Testament got together and heard preaching it was in a public place. They were preaching the Gospel around those who needed to hear it, not speaking to other believers about the Bible or how to live a good Christian life. Believers need ENCOURAGEMENT to fight the good fight and finish the race to the end, but this is found in relationships and walking through life with other believers.
There will be more on this subject, but for now. Are you enjoying the true fellowship of walking through life with other believers who encourage you? And are you encouraging others?
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Home Sweet Home
We are back home and to work after a wonderful weekend of good food and even better family!
After much debate we decided to fly to Omaha, NE and drive the remaining 4 1/2 hours in a rental car. This was the best decision we have ever made (ok, fine, I'm sure we have made better decisions at some point, but this one is near the top of the list!)! We arrived, rented the car, and drove to dinner with Theresa and her BF!
We had a blast catching up and getting to know Johnathan (T's BF). We tried to catch them on the way back, but there just wasn't enough time. :( It is always good to see my old Roomer. She is such a blast!
Friday we hung out and I watched E-man while Heather frosted his bday cakes and cupcakes (she did an awesome job didn't she?).
Joel and Nate moved rock and installed a baby gate at the top of the stairs. Then Glen and Linda got there and we had Iowa chops for dinner and spent some quality time together.
Saturday was the big party day. It did NOT start off well. Friday night we (I say "we" here VERY loosely, i.e. I did nothing lol) put the massive chunks of pork in the crockpots to slowcook overnight. I did not sleep well because I could smell the meat cooking and it bothers me (while I am trying to sleep) for some reason. Heather got up to take care of E-man at 4:00 in the morning and threw out her back putting him back into his crib. He wouldn't go back to sleep after this, so he was SUPER-crabby all morning and super-tired all through the party. Then our early morning chefs (or first shift chefs) BOTH burned themselves pretty well on their arms.
BUT the party went extremely well. Everyone got along and had a good time. And little E-man LOVES him some cake!
He is VERY protective of it too! LOL
Heather gave him cake on his real birthday (Monday) morning as well and I kid you not, the munchkin shoved the entire piece into his mouth at one time! Good thing a massive chunk of it broke off before arriving at its destination, lol!
It was definitely a different trip this year. Even last year was more "normal" Labor Day weekend with Nate and Heather despite Heather going into labor and giving birth to little E-man! We just didn't have a lot of quality time with them this year, and that's ok I guess. There will be other years and other times (prayerfully anyway!). This was E-man's FIRST birthday for crying out loud! lol.
The little guy toddles around with his hands up in front of him, so Nate & Heather call it the "drunken zombie walk" and it is too cute!
E-man also ADORES his cousin Travis (at least until he went to leave, and then he tried to pull out all of his hair!). They played and played and E-man hugged and snuggled with Travis. Good thing Travis has a soft spot for him! :)
After much debate we decided to fly to Omaha, NE and drive the remaining 4 1/2 hours in a rental car. This was the best decision we have ever made (ok, fine, I'm sure we have made better decisions at some point, but this one is near the top of the list!)! We arrived, rented the car, and drove to dinner with Theresa and her BF!
We had a blast catching up and getting to know Johnathan (T's BF). We tried to catch them on the way back, but there just wasn't enough time. :( It is always good to see my old Roomer. She is such a blast!
Friday we hung out and I watched E-man while Heather frosted his bday cakes and cupcakes (she did an awesome job didn't she?).
Joel and Nate moved rock and installed a baby gate at the top of the stairs. Then Glen and Linda got there and we had Iowa chops for dinner and spent some quality time together.
Saturday was the big party day. It did NOT start off well. Friday night we (I say "we" here VERY loosely, i.e. I did nothing lol) put the massive chunks of pork in the crockpots to slowcook overnight. I did not sleep well because I could smell the meat cooking and it bothers me (while I am trying to sleep) for some reason. Heather got up to take care of E-man at 4:00 in the morning and threw out her back putting him back into his crib. He wouldn't go back to sleep after this, so he was SUPER-crabby all morning and super-tired all through the party. Then our early morning chefs (or first shift chefs) BOTH burned themselves pretty well on their arms.
BUT the party went extremely well. Everyone got along and had a good time. And little E-man LOVES him some cake!
He is VERY protective of it too! LOL
Heather gave him cake on his real birthday (Monday) morning as well and I kid you not, the munchkin shoved the entire piece into his mouth at one time! Good thing a massive chunk of it broke off before arriving at its destination, lol!
It was definitely a different trip this year. Even last year was more "normal" Labor Day weekend with Nate and Heather despite Heather going into labor and giving birth to little E-man! We just didn't have a lot of quality time with them this year, and that's ok I guess. There will be other years and other times (prayerfully anyway!). This was E-man's FIRST birthday for crying out loud! lol.
The little guy toddles around with his hands up in front of him, so Nate & Heather call it the "drunken zombie walk" and it is too cute!
E-man also ADORES his cousin Travis (at least until he went to leave, and then he tried to pull out all of his hair!). They played and played and E-man hugged and snuggled with Travis. Good thing Travis has a soft spot for him! :)
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