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December 22 A Momentous ChristmasYea! Christmas is almost here! Steve took one day off this week and I took one day off and we finished our Christmas shopping. The wrapping isn't done, but the pressure is off. I love having an excuse to spend money on loved ones! This is soooo fun!
We had 3 rehearsals for Christmas Eve services this week and they went really well. I was able to work less this week since we are getting caught up
 and I've had time to spend with my family, clean house, and shop! Now I am really excited for Christmas and getting home to PA. It will be nice to get out of town for a week...and I'm really looking forward to getting aquainted with my parents' new hot tub!  Today was kind of a momentous day...my husband had a vasectomy. I was in the room with him and it was a surprisingly simple procedure (yes, Steve would say the same thing!). He had a great doctor, it went quickly and perfectly, and now he is resting comfortably with his gamecube. I was there, but didn't want to watch. I didn't need those memories. It was really hard for me to see him being operated on; he's always been so healthy and I decided he can never ever get really sick. I don't know what I'd do. I felt a little woozy and the doctor said I was looking a little pale. In all his years of doing this he said he only had one spouse who fainted. I can totally see how that could happen.
He is to take it easy today, but tomorrow has no restrictions. We are hoping for a quick recovery as he is scheduled to sing at our 4 Christmas Eve services this weekend...the first being tomorrow night! It looks like he will be fine. He is mostly pain-free...when his pants are packed with ice!
One funny sidenote...as we were waiting for the doctor to come in they were playing Christmas music over speakers. When the doctor came Steve asked him to turn off the music. When I asked him why he said he doesn't want to associate any music with this experience. I guess he doesn't want to remember this with every Christmas carol he ever hears! Good thinking!
 December 15 Growing KidsMy babes had their yearly check up this week. At age 5 Hannah is 44.5 pounds and 45 inches. At age 2 Emily is 27pounds and 33 3/4 in. Emily has caught up Hannah at the same age. She is half a pound lighter and a quarter of an inch shorter than Hannah was at age 2. Last year at her first birthday she was a full 2 inches shorter than Hannah was. They are both healthy and doing well.
We are keeping busy with Christmas activites. Tonight we are going to a staff party for church and I'm really looking forward to a nice evening. Sunday we are having an adult Christmas dinner here and I went to Walmart and filled my shopping cart today! I can't wait to cook this meal and bless our friends. It is an"in appreciation of your friendship" evening that Steve and I wanted to give to our close friends. We are busy, but excited.
Haven't done much shopping...doesn't look like we will have time to at all! We'll have to squeeze it in on the way home from work or something. This weekend and next week are packed full of rehearsals and get togethers and I can see myself having to work extra hours. The biggest problem is that I get so tired when I'm that busy that I can't get anything else done like shopping or cleaning. I'm praying for extra energy from now until Christmas...aren't we all?!?!?!
We are counting our blessings, though. Loving life with our kids, ministries, and friends. God is blessing us and we are grateful. Hope you all are also feeling the joy of the season. Merry Christmas! December 09 DutiesI have been so busy this week, and I'm not even in the production. I have been working tons of overtime trying to keep up with printing the programs for the performances and preparing music for Christmas Eve services. We just decided on the line up Thursday and plan to start rehearsals on Tuesday. Several of the songs need parts written or arranged and it will be all I can do to get to all of that in time for rehearsals. Whew!
Meanwhile I've been very overwhelmed at home too. Thank you notes from the girls' birthday party, online ordering for Christmas, a scrapbook I've been asked to do for someone, and cleaning have been piling up! Thank the Lord for this weekend and the fact that my husband doesn't have any events. He let me go to work until 11 PM last night and helped me around the house all day today. I feel much more in control...but I still haven't touched the music I need to get done for Christmas Eve. Now, before you think Steve is some saint I have to tell you that in a very pitiful, whining voice he said to me this morning, "if I do everything you tell me to do today and get lots of stuff done, will you PLEAAASE play Settlers with me tonight?" He's setting up the game right now as I write this!
One other mention...Steve was getting ready to run some errands with Em this morning and we told her she was going to go bye bye. We were in the kitchen talking and the next thing we hear is our car horn honking. Emily had gone downstairs, gotten her coat on (upside down), opened the garage door and car door, and was honking at us!! I couldn't believe it! At least she is too small to reach the garage door openers. December 03 I love my church!I led worship again this morning for Vaughn. His back is getting better, but you'd never know he was injured the way he has been working this week. I hope he is not overdoing it. He has been working full days in the office and at production every night this week...including all day yeaterday (Saturday), went to Sparkle, and we had the longest morning ever at church! Keep him in your prayers.
We had our regular three services (our day starting before 7:00 AM) and we practiced for next week because of the production coming this week. We didn't leave church until almost 2:00. In addition, today was Emily's first day in real Sunday School! Of course I had to go down and look in on her at every service and take pictures of her first day. She did really well. I'm so proud!!
 Needless to say we were all very hungry and very tired when we left church this morning, I can only imagine how poor Vaughn felt.I mentioned yesterday that I enjoyed helping with the production, but it goes so much more beyond that. Our church is our family...and that's not just a cliche. All of the people we love (exceot our friends and fam back home in PA) are from our church. Sundays are like family reunions. We'd never miss going even if we didn't have to be there. We have a hard time leaving every Sunday because there are so many people we love to talk to.
And as for my job as Vaughn's right hand woman (you know what they say about behind every great man...tee hee!
 ) I have learned so much about worship leading and church musicianship. I truly feel like I've gotten a second degree at Victory U! Vaughn is a mentor to me, teaching me the things experience has taught him, giving me the opportunity to minister, and evaluating me just a coop teacher would. But unlike student teaching, I really feel like I excel at this; all of what I do at Victory...worship planning, worship leading, secretarial stuff, theater stuff, choir directing. I believe this is what God had planned for me all along, it feels too right to be coincidence. I feel so useful and fulfilled. I have passion. I can pour every ounce of energy I have into it and ask for more. It's maybe the only thing in my life, past or present, that I've done that I know I'm genuinely good at. Not in an egotisical sort of way, but I have a confidence that I don't have ANYWHERE in any other area of my life. If that's not the enabling of God Himself, then I am useless to Him...and I KNOW that's not true!So when I say I love my job and I love my church, you'll know that is an understatement. I love serving here and God is blessing me and my family. December 02 Christmas Time Is HereI love being in the Christmas season full-swing. I love the music, festivites, and decorations. We've had our tree and decorations up for over a week already and I love the soft glow of the lights at night!!! And driving home at night see the lights through our window when I pull into the driveway.
I've been helping with the vocals for the Christmas Production at church the past several rehearsals and I love it. I've missed not doing it this year, but I am sooo glad we are not crazy with our schedule right now. But as a matter of fact I worked an extra like 10 hours this week alone just because it is production time. It affects me whether I'm in it or not!
So anyway, at rehearsal today there was a woman helping to babysit the kids of cast members so I left Emily with her while Hannah wanted to watch the show. This woman didn't know Em at all so I can understand how this happened...The cast brought packed lunches today. She said she turned around and Emily went straight for a lunch bag, opened it, and ate half of a sandwich. The woman assumed Em recognized the bag as ours and that I had packed it for her...I didn't. So at lunchtime I had to make a public apology for the sandwich my daughter ate...still don't know who's it was, but I felt terrible!!
 That's my cute story of the day. I'm sure I will want to remember that one when she gets older! |
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