Spreading Holiday Cheer

Christmas is here, and this year the house looks especially pretty. Kristin finally talked me into putting the lights up outside and getting down her boxes of decorations. (yes, that does include stockings for the dogs).

Today, a new addition was added: a BEAUTIFUL centerpiece arrangement from the Farmers (my Mom's youngest brother and his family).




Last weekend, we went with the high schoolers we work with at our church to a nearby retirement home to brighten some of the residents' holiday season. No surprise that only one of my guys showed up to wrap doors (they don't get real excited about decorating), but that also left Chase surrounded by older girls, so maybe he's just wiser than his buddies.

Anyway, there were some real wrapping paper artists, my wife definitely among them. You can see some of their handiwork here:


I was really impressed with the way the kids handled themselves. They understood right off that they were there first to show some love to the seniors, and to decorate second. This meant we didn't decorate all the doors we had hoped to do, but watching them as they listened to stories about family members, ask questions about photographs, and genuinely love on some total strangers was really cool to watch. It was neat because that's how Jesus did it - He was never too "task-oriented" to stop and listen for a little bit.




Merry Christmas to you all! (next up on the to-do list: write that elusive family Christmas letter!)

Frank

Friday Night Lights

Have you ever watched those football movies where the setting is in a small town, football is a way of life, everyone knows everyone, and the quarterback is king? I live there. Seriously. What's crazier is that I didn't find this out until tonight - a year after we moved here. We went to our first Melissa Cardinal's home football game tonight, and after seeing half of one game we are officially hooked. I had never even seen the stadium, but you dont need directions - just follow the light. We could see the lights the minute we left the house. We didnt get there until right before half-time and we couldnt find seats in the sea of red shirts. The beachers were packed with students, band members, and proud parents. All that I expected. What I didn't expect was to know someone in every section of the bleachers! We found about 15 of our high school kids, some of their parents, and THE REST OF THE CHURCH! I'm not kidding. The pastor, associate pastor, youth minister, all the youth workers (us included), the worship leader, the audio/video technition, Sunday school leaders, choir members - you name it! Our neighbors from across the street were there too! We do so much work with the HS kids that we rarely get an opportunity to socialize with the rest of the church. We had the best time between watching some great football, seeing our kids, talking to the adults, and cheering for the band. We even bought our very own Melissa Cardinal t-shirts for the next game.
I just cant tell you how blessed I feel to live somewhere so unique - at least to me. We moved to Melissa from Dallas (yes, an actual Dallas zip code) and life is SO different here. I've often heard that we are very "country" - and while we do have some of those qualities - I think that "community" describes us so much better. I really do know my neighbors - and not just their names. I KNOW my neighbors. They come over often. I trust them and I feel safe here. This place just keeps getting better with time. First we fell in love with the house, then the neighborhood, then the neighbors, then the church, then the youth group, then the youth leaders, then the kids, now the community. I LOVE living here. It's hard to care so much about wanting the town to grow and focusing on rising property value when you see how much this type of community is really worth. I wouldnt change it.
Here is the MHS Band playing at half time. I was told that they do have formal uniforms, but they dont wear them while it's so hot. Four of our kids are in the band.
David and Frank after the halftime show. Dave plays trumpet in the band and he is also a great drummer. We have so many talented kids.
Cambria and I at the game. I totally just plopped myself down in the middle of the student section to take this picture with her. I heard alot of "who's that??" from the kids around me. haha. I love being older now and truly not being worried about what people think. If only I could have attained this power in highschool! Oh well - Cambria handled it great. In fact, she introduced me to the mascot. She must be way more confident than I was at her age. Love her.
I can't wait to do this again, but unfortunately next week is not a home game. However, when those home-games roll around, just know in advance that we have plans. :)

Day-O-Church

We spent most of our day at church yesterday, which is always fun. On top of the normal morning and evening services, we attended the "back to school bash" for the kids. We played some dodgeball and basketball while Frank resurrected the "Frank's Franks" restaurant and cooked hot dogs for everyone. All of the leaders were sporting the new Xtreme Student Ministry t-shirts that Tricia designed. They turned out so well that we decided Target would probably sell them. haha. We really do have all of the talent tucked away in the youth department!

I'm sure there is some kind of joke here about chuch, angels, fighting for the kingdom, etc, but it escapes me. From L2R: Elisha, Wes, Donna, Marcus, Tricia, Me and Frank.
Miss Kate and Miss Ashley.
Krissy, Cambria, Trisha, and Ashley.
Here is a fabulous picture of Brett Billings rocking the Coach handbag.
***KATE: I fully expect you to post this on your myspace page and promote it!***

Chigger Bites

Ok, I'm sure no one cares, but I'm writing this out anyway. Since the service project with our church for Impact Week I have noticed little red bumps on my feet. Turns out they are chigger bites. Gross. I counted the bites on each foot. I have upwards of fifty - yes, 5-0, on my left foot and between 40-50 on my right!! I look diseased.

Update on the porch: The only thing we are missing at this point is the brick work. First we were told the brick guy would be coming out Saturday. No show. We assume he is coming Monday. No show. Tuesday we figure he has SURELY come by now. When I get home there is a stack of bricks by my house that is completely the wrong color. Not even close. So today the contractor spends all day tracking down the right color only to find out that it has been discontinued. A few hours of research reveals a stack of the right color left at an Acme company in Garland. So now we are being promised it will be done by Saturday. *sigh* After that we have to wait for the inspector to come on Monday. After THAT we can finally hang our ceiling fans and enjoy our new patio furniture that is in boxes in my garage.

-k

Youth Videos

Part of the reason I've been so busy lately is because the youth group that Frank and I work with has been so busy. I am responsible for all of the highlight videos for the major events in the group, so I have been producing them back to back. So far this month I've made the video for Youth Camp and the mission trip, and I still have two to go. Take a look at what I spend a lot of my time doing, and let me know what you think!

(sorry for the quality - YouTube really strips it down)

Camp


Mission Trip

Splashes of Summer

I enjoyed a much better Friday this week - and still managed to squeeze in a nap! Frank and I were invited to a pool party hosted by another couple that works with us in the youth group at church. We already had plans to have dinner with "Ermie" (nickname for Eric + Amy), but we were still able to make a brief appearance. I'm pretty sure that all of the youth were invited, but only the HS girls showed up, which is fabulous since those are my favorites anyway. I was asked a few time why I wasnt swimming and I was relieved to be able to tell them that I had dinner plans, and therefore can not go to the restaurant soaking wet. I also shared that I will only wear a swimsuit around people I dont know, and even then I must be out of the country. Neither of those qualifications were met last night. I had a hilarious conversation earlier this week with a co-worker about swim wear. She said her motto is: "If it moves, lock it down!" So there you go. I'm on lock down. I only got a couple of pictures with the girls since the ones who were in the pool wouldnt get out, and then when we tried to pose beside the pool we got wet - thanks to Trisha and Ashley! I should have seen that coming. Here are the two trouble-makers that were throwing the water. They dont look guilty at all do they??
Water is still being splashed in our direction at this point. However, the A&M t-shirt demanded a photo! I'm so proud of the girls that choose to take the RIGHT path to Aggie Land. WHOOP!
Here is Oreo - Marcus and Tricia's puppy. I'm a sucker for puppies. Notice how I have to hold her face. That tounge was working over time and kept ending up on my face! Too cute, though.

Amy and I waiting on outside of Jalapeno Tree for a table. They have the best beef fajitas there. Everyone also got a margarita to celebrate the weekend. We discussed getting a late night movie, but none of us would have lasted.