Tempers + Tantrums+ Time = SUMMER!

Trying to wean myself from my blogging addiction so I have intentionally resisted the urge for three days! And to think I was worried about not keeping up!

I've been dreaming again. Yes, Reach Them to Teach Them has grabbed me firmly by the heart, and it's about all I can think about most of the time. The trouble is, my family got so tired of hearing about it all the time, I've had to find other people to talk to about it. Sometimes, I just can't hold it in, and I'll talk to Chelcie or Tom about it. They'll be patient and listen attentitvely for the first twenty or thirty minutes, then they kinda tune it out. I'm grateful to the two of them though, and to Drew too, because if it weren't for their help with Addie and Sam, I would not have the time to meet with folks and build this dream to the extent that I have. I must be mindful not to underestimate the sacrifices my family makes in order to me to follow this dream.

Most often, I talk to God about and I KNOW that's why He has continued to bless us is ways I would have never dreamed possible! If I have to talk to someone with skin on, I'll usually choose anyone who doesn't run from me when I bring it up. My parents are patient victims of my rants, as are two of the most supportive friends I've ever had-Ed and Anderson. They understand that I go off on tangents occassionally. They know I need a place to "talk it out" sometimes. I think they've probably learned to take what I say with a grain of salt until I finish processing. But the best thing about all of them is that they support this dream. They see the need and are willing to take time out of their lives to help make the dream a reality. I couldn't ask for more than that!

Thursday's highlight was walking to Weigles with Sam. We took the dangerous route down the railroad tracks because Nick Bowles told us that he could get to Gettysvue in seven minutes! Let's just say it took us a little longer than that, but we had a good time even though it was oh, so very hot! So hot in fact, that once we finally made it to Weigles, we purchased our Icee reward and called Chelcie to come pick us up. I had to pay her for her trouble in cherry icee, but it was worth it!

Also, Thursday was our June meeting for RT4 at Citadel. I was discouraged before the meeting because I kept getting emails and phone calls from our team members telling me that they were unable to make it-all for very legitimate reasons. God had the people at the table He needed there though because we managed to get quite a bit accomplished. For the first 15 minutes, it was just me, Dad, Phil, and Martha. Then Dave, Jo, Anderson, Laurie, and Emmette (the executive director of the Mission of Hope), showed up. I was thrilled to see Emmette at the table. My heart goes out to the teachers who serve in the impoverished areas served by the Mission of Hope. We're going to make an effort to bring those teachers to the event in October and even give them a few surprises for themselves and their classrooms. Jo Bruce and I talked for quite a while in the parking lot about God's ability to take tragedy and turn it into triumph, and how vitally important it is to reach the kids God places before us. Jo shared her beautiful heart with me and I remain in awe of her courage, strength, grace, poise, and immense faith. Turned out to be a very productive meeting. Laurie called me and left me the sweetest voicemail message. I think God has been speaking to her heart through Reach Them to Teach Them. It's a good thing.

My sweet boys got their hair cut today. Tom's #1 buzzcut is preparation for his trip to Nicaragua on Friday. Sam's hair is so beautiful that people stop us on the street just to comment on it. Drew is the most adorable teenage boy I've ever seen, but I wouldn't dare tell him that-he'd change his "look" immediately! One more piece of Crawford News-our window estimate of $285 seems a bit high. We're going to keep trying! We have a hole-y house!

Friday passed quickly even though I was up at 6:00 preparing to meet my "buds" at Panera Bread. I thought about walking there, but changed my mind. Chelcie was not happy about having to get up and join Sam in my bed this morning. Of course, I hoped they would be able to go back to sleep, but it did not happen. Angel, Sherry, Lisa, and I enjoyed our bagels and sunrise before Angel and Sherry had to head out to an inservice meeting. Lisa and I stayed around and chatted about our crazy families and our strategies for fixing everything that's wrong with the world. I SO hope we are able to keep her at West Valley! She is such an asset to our school. Nancy stopped by just long enough to swap howdies before heading out to a meeting of some sort. Then, our token male, Phil, made it for a few minutes before he and his kids headed to the mountains for a father-child(ren) camping weekend with his church. So, it was a great start to my Friday!

I spent my time at home trying to sort through the piles of "stuff" that have accumulated over the past nine months. It's mind-blowing how many papers can be piled up over a school year! I'm also tackling my Reach Them files and trying to get them in order so we can easily find what we need. I talked to Dean today and he is totally commited to seeing our team succeed, and he's willing to use his name, money, contacts, etc. to make it happen. He's a good friend to me. I hope I can be the same to him. Today was another hot, hot, day! We paid an unannounced visit to the Alford's pool and enjoyed some time with Garland, Stephanie, Michael, and Esmelsa. Jennifer was in Nicaragua, so we missed catching up with her. Once we got home, Tom headed out to Wal-mart for some mission trip supplies, the kids heard the ice cream truck and ran for their quarters! Ed and Olivia met us in the driveway with the same goal in mind. We tried to track down the ice cream truck, but we were unsuccessful. Ed has been gone to Las Vegas on business for about two weeks, so we chatted about the progress we've made with Reach Them while he's been gone. The kids kicked an inflatible soccer ball around in the front yard until the mosquitoes got to be too much. Olivia enjoys being with Addie and Sam so much, she asked if they could join us for dinner. Addie decided on Moe's (go figure), and Ed and Oliva met us there. We saw Alan Fethe dining alone, so we invited him to join us and it was great catching up with him. I also saw two former students, Joey Patton and Brandon Knorr, and enjoyed chatting with them for a few minutes. It's always good to hear that the kids I taught are moving on to bigger and better things! Mom left me a voicemail while we were at Moe's. Apparently, she had just finished listening to Dr. Don Bartlette's "Macaroni at Midnight" message. She affirmed my pick for our speaker, but saying that he is not "telling a story, he has a story to tell." I loved that! I had been saying that we are not about the messenger, we're about the message, but I like her way of saying it better! She was full of ideas last night when we stopped by the house to pick up the CD. I was encouraged by her enthusiasm. I could tell that it came from God's prompting of her heart after hearing the message and that is exactly what I'd like to see happen at the October event! Who knows? Mom might even be MVP of the Dream Team this year!

Sam had Lincoln's 4th birthday party to attend at 11 on Saturday, so we headed out early to pick out a gift for him. We ended up at the dollar store and racked up $10 worth of super-cool toys for him to enjoy (I hope Scotty and Joy don't kill me)! I dropped off Sam and headed home to pick up Tom. We were going to use our two hours to enjoy lunch on the porch at Lakeside Tavern. We saw Amanda Barton working at a hostess there. Another student doing well and enjoying life. After lunch, we headed over to Charlie's Pawn Shop to meet Chelcie, Addie, and Abby who were there searching for a guitar to donate to the mission house. They found one for $48 that needed new strings, but looked to be in pretty good shape. We picked up Addie and headed back to Lincoln's to reclaim Sam. At the ripe, old age of six, Sam was the oldest kid at the party and enjoyed showing those "babies" how the "big kids" to it! Scotty told us a tale about a black snake that tried to crash the party, but was caught in a trashcan and redeposited down the street. Once back at home, we were all exhausted from the heat. Tom took a nap, I read magazines outside and refereed fights between Addie and Sam. Finally, Addie fell asleep on the couch, and Sam played with his Army men. Then Tom headed out to Clinton to do "what do you THINK I'm going to do" and I caught this blog up to date while chowing down on my second box of cinnamon wheat thins in two days! Of course, I'm still battling my Sonic (R) ice addiction.

Aw, summer. Tempers, tantrums, and time to enjoy them. This too shall pass...right, Mom?