WORLD WATER DAY! !

Tomorrow is WORLD WATER DAY!!!

Just today I took a long hot shower in the middle of the day.

I had several extra kiddos today.

Jason came home for lunch and I said, "While you are here I'm going to take a shower."

I stood in the shower extra long.

I let the hot water warm me up. 

Then I turned it to cooler water. 

When it got to cool I switched it to hot.

Back and forth; enjoying the hot and cool water.

Taking a moment to wake up and feel refreshed for the rest of the day.

What a luxury.

On World Water Day tomorrow I am lending my voice to the The Adventure Project, to help raise funds for clean water in India. 

If you are in blog world I know you've seen this.

You maybe have already given - YEAH!

The Adventure Project is doing something extraordinary that I'm thrilled to be a part of. They are providing tools and training for people to start well mechanics businesses, so they can fix and maintain broken wells, ensuring sustainable access to clean water for 5,000 people in surrounding communities. Sadly, 1/3 of all wells are currently broken, and local communities do not have the resources to fix them. This is an empowering solution and I love that they are creating jobs that serve the communities to clean water and we can help. 

The goal is to help The Adventure Project hire 186 mechanics in poor, rural regions of India. Once hired, the mechanics will help 930,000 people to clean water! That's almost a million people! 

The Adventure Project has a foundation that is going to match all the money donated on World Water day up to $25K - that means their is a potential to raise $50,000 for the well mechanics in India. 

All you have to do to help raise money is click on this link and donate! 
DONATE HERE
You can donate a little or a lot.
Whatever.
Get your kids involved.
Maybe they want to give a dollar or two.
Face book it - spread the word. You can donate under anyone. 
There are many other organizations that you can give to the world water crisis.
Whatever organizations you are connected with - give to.

I've invited my preschool families to engage their children in World Water Day by doing a simple activity. 
Put a sticky note or note pad by each sink.
All day long, or for several days, have everyone put a tally mark on the paper each time you turn the water on, take a bath, flush a toilet etc.
Just take notice and become aware of how much we depend on water.
Use tomorrow as a teaching day.
If you want a real visual for your kids have them put a sticky note on the mirror or on a chart each time. You could have a house full of sticky notes by the end of the weekend!!


You can go to the link now and donate early if you want or you can donate tomorrow! 
Celebrate Water and give some to those in need.
 DONATE HERE

Is it to late?

Is it to late to post about Green Day?

I had a date.
Went to hear Matt Nathenson.
I've had his songs on the blog lately - loving his stuff.
So very good.

The Venue (Slow Down) was really neat too. Smaller. Clean. Nice. If we go there again I'm going extra early for one of the little table for twos just at the edge of the pit.
We stood all night.

So we grabbed pizza at a little place and stood in line to get in.
While in line Jason kept raggin on us saying we were the only ones not in green.
It wasn't entirely true - I saw at least three other people.

He was gonna wear a green shirt but I talked him out of it b/c I couldn't figure out anything green for me.
Male wardrobes vs Female wardrobes --- don't even get me started.
So while in line I had to run back to to the car to get something so I ran into a little boutique and wa-la came out with these.

I think his face said something like, "Are you serious?"
Oh yes.
We wore them all. night. long.
We're dorks I know.

We laughed so hard at this picture.
Check out the lady in the back.
I'm not sure she was enjoying herself???

Jas always feels bad when someone can't see around him, he thought that was her issue.
Me on the other hand was like, um she chose to stand behind you. You were there long before her.
Not sure why people rag on tall people.
I've watched the guy deal with airplanes and all sorts of places that don't suit him. He never glares at the short people on the flight.
Tallness is in his favor  at a concert!

Here's a glimpse at the music. My favorite song by him is - Faster (it's the first one on the blog right now). It's just fun feel good music.
Good stuff.

Thanks mom for hanging with the kids.
Makes the night so much more fun when we know they are having a good time.

Long Overdue Post -- Community Women's Retreat

To blog has been on my "list" for weeks.
Somehow it just kept getting moved.
I have so many things I wanted to blog out.
Still have pics to show from our awesome trip to Austin.
Here's just one.

I hope to come back and post some more pics of Texas goodness.

Since the last time I've blogged the Community Women's Retreat has come and gone.
It was an amazing weekend.
It touched me on so many layers.
It was beautiful.
This is my favorite photo of the weekend.

This photo brings tears to my eyes.
It sums up the weekend - women's hearts touched by a message that calls us to action.
Can you see the tear?
Beautiful!

We had an amazing weekend -- We had 160 women attend (and one lone man that was seriously needed to make it all sound good - Thanks Craig!) .  There were chair massages, great food, beautiful lodging, trails to walk, prizes to win, time to hang out, and activities to join in on but the highlight of the event, according to evaluations and the people that came to share with members of our team was Jen Hatmaker, our speaker. She brought us all to tears with her jokes and stories and then spoke with such biblical depth bringing something new and fresh to everyone.

Her challenge was to live as a disciple of Jesus, to love our neighbors, and to love those hurting and in great need in the world. It was challenging, emotional and a call to action. Calling all of us to "get in the game".  

A huge highlight for me was getting time to spend with Jen on our way from the airport.

The girls at the retreat are lucky I didn't just keep on driving past the lodge ! ha.

Her and her husbands journey in church planting has touched our lives deeply.

I picked up a book by her over 2 years ago and said to Jason, "I wish I could sit and chat with this girl."

She's authentic and is living out what she's teaching.

What a treat to get to know her a little bit personally.

For all my Oklahoma friends she is coming to Enid the last weekend of March.

Get tickets - you won't regret it ! ! !

Our worship team bonded so well and was amazing.  They met for the first time Friday morning and by Friday evening you would have thought they had been together forever. It was a collision of two worlds for me. The two girls that joined my amazing sister in law were friends from Utah. It was surreal to have them there. 

We had invited everyone to bring a new pair of children's shoes to that would be sent over seas to children that live shoeless lives. We filled  "wells" that we had with shoes. It was a beautiful picture. Without having counted them yet I'm  estimating over 200 children's shoes. Yeah!! 

We had a 31 Bits table. This is all jewelry that was made in Uganda and the proceeds when directly back to these women helping them in an education and beyond. The women enjoyed shopping with a purpose. 

 By noon on Saturday our book table was empty . . . every book Jen brought was sold by noon.  Crazy! 

I am so excited to see how the messages we heard will take root in our communities.
I dream of a community where we all look around and view ourselves on mission, right here at our ball games, our pool, our school events and more.  The challenge to love our neighbor affects us all.  I also get excited to see how God taps each of us differently to engage in the world of pain beyond our neighborhood. 

The options are endless when it comes to joining in the fight against suffering in the world.

This planning team of women is an amazing picture of how God brings things together. Many of us didn't know each other until planning the first event last year. We added a few faces this year. The gifts and talents are all over the place and all I can say is it's a joy to serve and lead along side of these ladies!! (Next time we are taking this picture BEFORE the event starts . . . I look exhausted.)


I can not believe I don't have a picture of me with Yvonne --- this girl was a jewel this year! She co-lead with me and saved me time and time again in the planning process. Here's a picture of us "discussing" some detail in the mist of the retreat.

She rocks! I love you Von!

(Me and my sister in law and friend!)

These two made it all look at sound good on stage !!  

Everyones gotta love this girl!! I sure do!!

(We sure are stripy stripy here.)

A sweet time of communion ended our time.

Lots of laughing all weekend!

Nothing is better than that!

 

There's Yvonne and I on the front row side by side!!
It was awesome to serve by your side Yvonne!

What a beautiful weekend!

(The majority of the pictures on this post were taken by Jess Siebert! Thanks Jess! )

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to the man I'm crazy about !!

He's nine this year.
So cool to be born on such a unique day.
He's the same age as Ian is now.
They'll be the same age for 3 months - funny.
Check out this pic.

Jason's mom blew this picture of him up at age nine.
The resemblance is scary.
Ian even tucked his shirt in and tried to give the same smile and look.
Hilarious to me.

Our friends had a baby today !! Isn't that cool?! That kid will forever have a very special day - every four years! :)) Congrats Phil and Melissa!

We've had a great day getting our brains rocked by so many speakers at the Verge conference.

Ate some amazing good food.
Now we are at the coolest coffee bar I've ever seen.

It's a coffee/wine bar.

Jason has tons of seminary work so we are camping out here while he works.

It's beautiful and so relaxing.

Great place to wrap up a day.

It's a nice place to end his birthday -- (even if he has to study).

Heading Out

"I'm leaving on a jet plane; don't know when I'll be back again."

 (I have no idea who sang this song but it's an oldie and my boys all know the words to this line -- we'd sing it when Grammy would fly out to visit us.)

Actually I do know when I'll be back and I've already left on one jet plane and am waiting on another
one.

Heading to the great state of Texas.
My mouth is already watering for some amazing Tex Mex.
Weather will be warm.
Company will be nice.
Ready for a great week at the Verge Conference - thanks again for all of you who voted for us.

Right now I'm people watching sitting next to a guy that is cute . . . he's reading.
I'm decompressing from the whirl wind that goes on for a momma to get out the door.
I really want to sleep - at midnight I was still trying to pack my clothes - but I can't ever sleep in these places.
I need a pillow and a blanket to curl up with.

Looking forward to good times this week.

Reliving the Past

As if I have nothing better to do I clicked onto my blog and at the bottom of each post where it shows a picture of an older post I clicked on one.
That click lead to another click and another click.
I started seeing posts where my big kids were babies.
Yes the tears came.

I found this old post and just have to repost it.
Their are two little videos at the end.
Grammy you have to watch them; one is of Coleson talking to you on the phone.
Were my kids really that little once?

I do have to laugh at how I made some words so big; was I yelling at my readers or what?
It's such a random post but that's how my days were when the kids were so little -- random.

So if you are lovers of my kids or you just want a glimpse at what life used to be like for us then click on this old post.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hearts of all sorts.
Some were bought.
Some were personally made.
Some were given.
Some were made by others.
That was Valentine's Day.

Valentines Morning you could have observed "crazy love" at our house.

That's my definition of lots of love but chaos . . . that's sort of how love is often shown in big families.

It was good.

Lots of love, but crazy.

Not really a good place for the "one thing happening at a time" type person.

Last week in art the twins made Valentines.
They are in different classes.
They could pick anyone they know to make their project for.
They chose each other.
Be.
Still.
My.
Heart.

Wrapped up the day with heart pizza and more craziness with girlfriends and kids. 

Again . . . "crazy love".

Good stuff.

Hope you had a chance to show love and receive love this week.
Valentines isn't the only day for love . . .
Hope you know you are loved daily and you give love daily!

(My guy and I saw "The Vow" this weekend.  I highly recommend it. Very good flick. My friend told me she saw a quote somewhere that said, "When Tatum Channing shows up at the hospital saying he's your husband, just go with it." Hilarious.)