First Day of Kindergarten

I thought the first day of kindergarten was hard. Boy, was I wrong! Today Lydia started her dual enrollment classes at Trident Tech. I realize this is only her senior year, and I have a little bit of time til she's off to college, but gone are the days of homeschooling her. I had so many dreams about it last night, and I've bitten off every single fingernail. You would think it was my first day of school. We left early this morning because we didn't know what the traffic would be like. (Another joy of homeschooling!) And yes, I drove her today, but she will drive herself soon. As she got out of the car, I reminded her that I was just a phone call away and that I would stay in the parking lot for a few more minutes in case she needed anything. It took all I had not to walk her in, help her find her class, and meet her professors. My mom says this never gets any easier whether our children are 5, 17, or even 44!

Birth Story

About a week ago I was reminded of one of Christopher's "birth" stories, and I shared it with Christopher once again. It starts like most stories. About 3 in the morning I wasn't feeling well. I wasn't sure if it was contractions, but after a call to the doctor and a call to Nana to come stay with Lydia, we were on our way to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital around 5, and yes I was in labor. We then made one more phone call. You can't call just anybody at that time, but we called Jeff and Prisca. I still remember it so clearly. They told us they were getting out of bed right then, and they were praying for us. WOW! I remember telling my doctor and nurse that I was doing so well because I had people praying for me at that very minute. Now about 7 that morning things got a little more intense, and I decided that Jeff had to get ready for work and maybe the prayers had ceased for now; however, Christopher was born a short time later with little difficulty (enough said). Around 10, Jeff showed up at the hospital with 3 milkshakes (I craved milkshakes with Christopher).

Now jump ahead almost 13 years. We had the band over for dinner, and if you didn't know already, Christopher got a new guitar and should start lessons soon. Well, not only Jeff, but Jr. Tristan, Mike, George, and Harvey, all oooohhhed and aaaahhhhed over Christopher's guitar. They showed him a few chords, tuned it, and played it a little. Some had even brought their guitars and they had a short jam session. Christopher was thrilled! I was overwhelmed! These men took their time to encourage Christopher.

Over the years there have been countless examples of love and support for our family, but as Christopher becomes a teenager, I am more and more grateful for the growing family he has at Coastal, and it all began with a 5 a.m. prayer!

It Just Keeps Getting Better!

This past Sunday in Promiseland continued to be a day of excitement, creativity, and growth. Our Coastal Kidz kicked off a new series, Heroes of Megacity, which focuses on a few of the heroes of the Bible. A special thanks to Coastal’s Behind the Scenes ministry (Nancy Rankin & Linda Evans) for helping to create a fun, learning environment for our children. If you are interested in decorating for our next series, please contact Nancy or me.
Coastal Kidz also welcomed Ashley Tyson to its team. Ashley set out to observe Coastal Kidz; however, by the end of the class she was interacting with the kids because she was so motivated by what she saw. Ashley is a great asset to an already awesome team not only because of her teaching experience, but mainly because of her love for children and her desire to serve. Speaking of an awesome team, I have to brag on Ashley and Brooke Miller. Ashley’s husband and Brooke’s dad, Bryan, came home from Afghanistan early Saturday morning for a short visit, but Ashley and Brooke were still at church Sunday morning ready to serve!
We also had more people volunteer for our Cactus Canyon VBS! This year is going to be our best VBS yet! (Only 55 days away.) I’ll post more on that later.
I encourage all of you to observe in any of our Promiseland classes just to check out what our kids experience every week1

Now Entering the Promiseland!

After much peer pressure from my family, I’ve finally decided to blog. I’ve hesitated to do this for quite sometime. I felt that I had to have some words of wisdom that would make an impact, and I had none. However, I realized that in Promiseland, it’s not my words that make an impact, but the volunteers of Promiseland living out the Word of God! It’s a loving nursery volunteer rocking a sleepy baby, changing a diaper, or playing with dinosaurs and blocks on the floor. It’s a Splash Zone teacher comforting a 3 year old with separation anxiety, playing with play-doh, or telling the story of David and Goliath to a small group off wide-eyed preschoolers. It’s a Coastal Kidz teacher singing a worship song, playing a relay race, or passionately sharing how Christ has changed his/her life. Every week I am awed by the loving, servant’s hearts of the Promiseland team who serve only because they love the Lord and our children. They make the IMPACT. I love you all, and I am honored and humbled that I get to serve with you.

Through this blog, I hope share with you the exciting world of Promiseland and, if you’ll indulge me, from time to time, maybe a peek into my world.