Youth ministry is… …a teen wanting to come early for piano lessons just to have more time together. …text invitations to a volleyball game. …laughing up a storm about last night’s dance party. …3 girls sipping tea in my living, sharing hearts. …Saturday morning pancakes, with couches full of kids. a few (of many) from […]
Stopping for Thanks
I love…. when your best friend has your thoughts exactly and stops over for a visit. snuggling with my cat on the couch. watching season 1 of Once Upon a Time on Netflix. I am currently addicted. making myself pancakes and eggs for lunch when husband is gone for the day. sharing frosted pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies […]
My First Half Marathon
I had been preparing for this day since the beginning of July–The Mighty Niagara Half Marathon (for hospice). Week after week I followed my training schedule, running something like 3 miles Monday, 5 miles Tuesdays, 4 miles Thursday, with a long run on Friday or Saturday. My long runs started at 6 miles (since that was my base prior […]
How We Manage Our Money
Friday is our day off–our Sabbath, if you will. (Full time ministry necessitates a different day to rest.) Oddly enough, I spent a large part of my morning spontaneously updating our budget based on our expenses from the past year. (You can laugh if you want.) In the midst of my number crunching (who am […]
My Favorite Relaxing, Productive Saturday
Ahhhhhhhh. The Saturday Morning I’ve been longing for, but hadn’t been able to grasp hold of in so many months. Sleeping in until my internal clock wakes me up. No alarms. (This meant 7:17am.) Lazily rolling out of bed, still deciding what the day might hold. Opening the curtains to let the dreary daylight shine […]
The One with our Full Year Here
I just can’t believe it, but it is most definitely true. Today marks our one year anniversary since moving to Western New York! With tears we said goodbye to our teens and our friends in Michigan, and with the help of those same people as well as our family we loaded a UHaul and drove 7 […]
The One with the 9 Hour Trip to Family Camp
I am so thankful that in the midst of a wonderfully hectic summer (can I get an “amen”?!), Kevin and I had the opportunity to head to Somerset Beach Campground. This camp has been our home-away-from-home for many years now (8 for me, 25+ for Kevin!). You know those places in your life that act […]
The One with the 10 Week Whirlwind
Wondering where I’ve been this summer? Me too. It’s been a busy one, but I’m hoping it’s going to… ….nope. Not even gonna say it. I don’t want to jinx myself. ;) It all started in May. the 17th-19th, we were in Michigan for my brother-in-law’s high school graduation party. the 24th-26th, Kevin and […]
The One with a Weakness, Revealed
Even a pastor and his wife have their moments of weakness, right? (oh please tell me I’m right.) Sometimes… we get lost on trips and tension runs high. we think I’ve lost my iPod and I start freaking out. we bicker. we disagree on the right course of action or discipline. we treat other with […]
The One with the Youth Ministry Moment
For months now, we’ve been building relationships with a new group of teenagers. It takes time to develop trust, respect, open communication, and a sense of unconditional love with a portion of the population who have been burned by friends and hurt by family and abandoned by leaders in the past–or at the very least are […]