Eight years ago tonight I became forever GROSZ! Mrs Robert Thomas Grosz to be exact. I just wrote the absolute sweetest post telling you how I met my husband and how lucky I am to be married to him. I even let you in on some Grosz family history, but alas, the blogger wart has zapped it away! I will try again in the morning!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEY!
Looking to the future ...
The Olympics are over so we can all get some sleep this week!
Here is one post-Olympic thought. How close to the original Greek performing in the nude games did we have to get? I understand the return to Greece, but the nudity.....
I noticed that the most "Yahooed" photos last week involved bikini clad beach volleyball players laying on top of each other in a victory fall down hug and a butt-slap picture also featuring two such players. For some reason I do not think these were most yahooed photos because we all love the Olmypics.
Last week beach volley ball was on when Rhett ran into the room. He saw the screen and started his little boy giggle (Naked is funny when you are two.).."Dey don't have deir cothes on Mommy!" Out of the mouths of babes.
This weekend we were watching mens diving and I found myself wondering if the speedos were too mature for Kolbys little eyes. About that time Kolby asks "Mom whats that thing sticking up in his panties?" TV off,'nuff said.
How bout those Aussies!
Some random "need to get them out" thoughts for this Monday.
Brandon Scott Thomas recently wrote in his blog....
Some days it's easier to blog about creamed corn than it is the harder issues that seem to cover me like a prickly blanket. I think that's ok. Creamed corn is just as much a part of the journey. It's mundane and wonderful. It's family, it's fellowship. Without the creamed corn type of blogs, I'd go insane.Creamed Corn. I have come to use those words to describe all things "lighter" in life. In blogging I have shared some personal things that are not "creamed corn". However many things that truly define who and where I am in life are not suitable subjects for blogging. This past few days my heart has been weighed down with such things. Last week was such an emotional roller coaster with all that was happening with Deby Evans, school starting, and the day to day drama of trying to get everything done for us and others.
Blogger-wart be gone! I have not been able to post since Tuesday but I think it is working now!
Deby Evans is going to go back on the breathing machine because her body is working to hard. She is still stable but sleeps most of the time. Please keep her in you prayers. She and her family have a long road ahead of them...Praise GOD! We were so worried that the road would be all too short! My next door neighbor, Carrie Driscoll, is going to take over as Mrs. Evans permanent Sub on Monday. She is the answer to many prayers! Carrie is wonderful and I would love to have her as my child's teacher. If anyone could handle this hard and delicate situation it is Carrie. Say a prayer for her Monday. God has been incredible in the unfolding of this story. We serve an awesome GOD!
This has been an emotional week. Busy! Fast paced! Exhausting! I am ready for the weekend. All in favor of a four day work/school week say Aye.......
Today would have been Megan Copes 20th birthday. I found myself wondering what life would have been like for the Copes if she wasn't gone and it was too painful to even think about. BUT THIS I KNOW... Megan was an incredible person! The flaws in her body and brain could not stop her from communicating and loving. I was one of the lucky ones who got to share a small part of her special life. I have many memories of her, most of which make me laugh, a few that make me cry.
Nine years ago today Diane had a birthday party for Megan even though Megan was celebrating her 11th birthday in Heaven. Many who knew and or worked with Megan gathered at the Copes to share stories and celebrate her life. I took a guy I was dating. Half way through the sharing time I looked at him and saw that he was crying harder than just about anyone in the room. He never even met Megan. I had suspected he might be "The One" but in that moment, I knew. Rob has never forgotten that night in the Copes living room and neither have I.
Megan's influence can not be charted. It is no exaggeration to say that her life touched 1000s of people. AMAZING! I never want to do or say anything to diminish the grief that was felt at her passing. It was horribly tragic and it rocked many, including me, to our very core. BUT a tragic death is not what I remember most about Megan. A crooked smile, an amazing and surprising sense of humor and a very gushy MMMmmmWWHA, these are my favorite memories of Megan. She was so expressive, though by the time I met her, she had few if any words. The excitement she showed every time Mike and Diane walked in the room, her satisfaction at getting that something she wasn't supposed to get, her curiosity, and on occasion her temper were very evident to all.
I could go on, but I think Mike and Diane could do a far better job of telling Megans story. I hope that someday a book about Megan will, like it's subject, come bursting out into the world touching all who know it and changing us all for the better.
Happy Birthday Megan! We miss you! I may have to go have a Butterfinger Blizzard in your honor today!
Dear God,
Thank you for the amazing people you have given me the honor to know. There are so many! You are an awesome God for sure. Please lay a tender hand on Mike and Diane today as they relive some bitter sweet memories. Please continue to shelter Deby Evans with your healing touch. Each day is so precious. Each life we come in contact with is so fleeting and precious. Lord help us all to say the words and the show the emotions that let the world know how awesome you are. Thank you for our lives and our time here to learn to love you more! In Jesus Holy name, Amen.
Would you like to see what a miracle looks like? Just look at this woman!(picture from last years yearbook)
I have wonderful news to share! This is the e-mail i got a few hours ago!
Deby is awake and considered fully conscious by her doctors!
She clapped and raised her hands up over her head in a victory pose for her
doctor this morning. They have her bed in a semi-sitting position, she was squeezing Wes’ hand on request, and she answered questions with a nod or shake of her head regarding being a school teacher and which grade she teaches. She smiled at her sister. She follows people around the room with her eyes. She can breathe without her breathing tube, but since it makes her body work so hard, they have her back on it so her strength can better be utilized. She can mouth the word yes but isn’t speaking yet, due to the breathing tube.
Just as a reminder, the Cardiologist did warn Wes as well as family and friends not to let our emotions run too high and to take things one day at a time.
PRAISE THE LORD AND KEEP THOSE PRAYERS COMING!!!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FATHER GOD!!!!!
Thank you for praying with us blog family! I must go and cry more HAPPY tears!
PS Even though I don't really qualify as a family, I'm afraid my emotions are running high despite the warnings! How can we not have "high emotions" after something like this happens? PRAISE GOD!!!
:)
Tomorrow is Rhett's first day of two a week preschool! Truth in blogging... I have had a knot in my stomach all day thinking about taking him in the morning. Last year there were tears and sobs at every drop off ~ his not mine. It is hard for me to leave Rhett. In fact last year when Kolby started Kindergarten and Rhett started Mothers Day Out the next week, I teared up at leaving Kolby but I literally threw-up in the parking lot after leaving Rhett. Leaving Rhett has never been easy.
Rhett came into the world scaring us. He had a "hard birth" they said because I went from a "finger tip" to a ten in less than an hour.(Twas no picnic for me either because Mr.Epidural did not have time to join us!) A team had assembled to greet him with oxygen and a warmer. I held him a mere 5 seconds before they whisked him away. Luckily, it was just on of those hiccups in life. No permanent problems. A few days in the special care nursery and we were good to go. I'm not sure if it was the three miscarriages before him, my "high-risk" pregnancy, his following scary birth or just me being protective of my baby boy, but I have a real soft spot for that Rhett! So tonight when he came into our room and whispered "Mommy lay down wit me." I trekked across the house and did.
He was quite chatty. He wanted to tell me all about his Thomas birthday party coming up and all the friends he wants to come over and jump. (We are getting a jumpy/bounce house this year.) He talked about throwing up in the van earlier. (car sick-we hope!) He talked about baby "Ba Kenna" coming to our house. Then he said "I not go to school in the morning." I felt my stomach turn as I said, "You will love school!" and named all the friends he would see there.
"Will you go wit me?"
Of course
"Will you stay wit me?"
" A big almost three year old wouldn't want his Mama with him."
He sat up and put his thumb in his chest "I'm a two year old an I want you to stay at school wit me"
Touched by the affection and troubled by the request, I managed a "No you don't..." and changed the subject.
Finally I asked him to close his eyes and say his prayers. This was more for the "close your eyes" value than the spiritual value because we prayed an hour or so earlier when I put him in bed the first time.
He put up his "praying" hands and said "Dear God, Thankyou for me and for Mama going to school wit me. Amen"
He turned over and went to sleep instantly.
Anyone want to take Rhett to school in the morning? All of a sudden, I'm not feeling up to it! I didn't want to leave him even after he went to sleep. There is nothing more beautiful to me than the sight of a healthy sleeping child! Yes dear God thank you for Rhett! Thank you so very much.
I am not sure how long I lay there. But I said a long prayer for my little boy. Emotional Mommy that I am, I was all teary and blubbery when I finally crept back across the house. I can't help think about Deby Evans and her son, her only child. Will he ever hear his Mom's voice or feel her hug again? Things like this make me want to freeze dry moments like I just had with Rhett and make them last forever! Will I remember how his little hands feel? Can't I capture one of his eskimo or butterfly kisses and keep it forever? And his little voice... be still my heart! I know a million Moms before me and a million Moms after me will share these feelings about their sons (and daughters, but I'm on Rhett tonight) but to me there is no other little boy in the world like Rhett. My mother used to tell me that she wouldn't trade me for anything... now I know what she meant. I couldn't trade him, I have a real hard time just dropping off for 5 hours! I love my little boy so much.
Dear Father
Thank you for Rhett. Please help him have fun at school, Please! Help me to be the best Mom I can be for him. Please protect my children from evil. How can I ever ask more than for my children to be blessed as you have blessed me! Thankyou for giving us your son. How horrible it must have been for you to see him on that cross! How can we ever doubtyour love for us? What more could you do to show us love? AND Please Lord, help Deby Evans return home to her son. Please let her wake up if for no other reason than to say goodbye. Please allow her to stay here longer. We just want her to wake up so badly! Thank you for your promises. Thank you for hearing our plea. Thank you for your perfect example of love, sacrifice and to letting go! In your sons name, AMEN
Yesterday in a Waco beauty salon, a petite 46 year old mom, wife, teacher and friend suddenly fell to the floor unconscious from her waiting chair. A nurses aid was in getting a haircut nearby and administered CPR. The ambulance Medics restarted her heart with paddles after barely detecting a pulse. As unbelievable as it sounds, they think she went without oxygen for at least 10 minutes! Later the doctors determined the incident was caused by a leaking heart valve. They can not believe she had never had any signs of trouble before. Deby Evans was the picture of health. She runs every morning. But not this morning.
This morning her church rallied around the family and a prayers flooded heaven asking for Deby Evans to come out of this OK. It does not look so good. Tonight Mrs. Evans lies in an ICU unit in a coma and on life support. The doctors are not sure the full extent of her injuries, but the term "low brain function" has been tossed around. They said the most positive sign would be for her to wake up in the first 48 hours following the incident. Deby Evans is a kindergarten teacher at Kolby's school and good friend of my good friend Alain. Mrs. Evans has a 7th grade son and a husband who teaches math at the High School.
Please pray for this family. Pray for a Math teacher who is now calculating the minutes since this happened, instead of teaching his kids to calculate. Pray for the brave 7th grader who has decided to make his teacher parents proud and attempt to go to school in the morning,even though his world has been turned upside down. Pray for Deby's parents who drove 16 hours straight from Colorado and her three sisters who are coming in from all around. Please pray for the two subs who will attempt to take Mrs. Evans place until a more permanent sub can be found. Please pray for the little kindergarteners who have yet to be in school a whole week and have had their Kindergarten teacher replaced. Pray for her co-teachers who have no idea how they will make it through the day without breaking down in front of the kids. Pray for the principal and staff as they try to carry on as usual although nothing seems as it should. BUT more than anything PRAY THAT DEBY EVANS WILL WAKE UP AND STABILIZE!
I will post about this more later. Life is so fleeting and precious and it can completely change in an instant!
Thank you God for my life and my family! Please, please, please Lord, please grant Deby Evans a miracle! AMEN
It is 1:38 am. I am blogging to stay awake as I wait for my Gymboree on-line coupon to go into affect so I can place my order. I thought I could place the order at 12:01am but I didn't read the little PST after the 12:01 which makes it 2:01 Texas time. Yes, I know it sounds crazy and I guess it is. I'm all a panic because I just realized Rhett's birthday is in two week and I have done nothing. To some of you that may seem like no big deal but for me...Well, lets just say birthdays are a huge deal around here. Ask any good friend and they will tell you I should have been some corporate three ring circus producer. It's always over the top but I LOVE TO HAVE PARTIES! Themed ones especially. I only have two kids and they will only let me do this until they are 8 or 9. So in my entire life that is only 16 or 18 great parties to plan! Do you see why not having a plan two weeks out bothers me? #_#
I have never been two weeks out from B-day without a major plan. I have things to order, decorations to make, a cake to plan... Yes, I make it, so I have to have a plan because I don't want it to look like I made it. These are the things that haunt my sick little Mommy brain and keep me up ordering discount at 2:00am! Tonight I was almost at the point of tears when I realized I hadn't done anything for Rhett's birthday. I did not cry but I had to ask myself if I was slipping. Kolbys parties are planned for months in advance and have become an event in our little circles. Rhett has talked about having a Thomas the Train party all summer, why am I not geared up for this? What is wrong with me?
Could it be that I have birthday burn-out? Have I lost my flair? Or has procrastination finally managed to soak through every fiber of my being polluting even my party planning genes? Or have I learned the kids have just as much fun with a jumpy and a cake? Has God finally convinced me that I don't have to have the best party to be the best Mom I can be to my kids? Have I realigned my priorities so that the party slipped my mind? NAH! Probably just a little planning hiccup! ;-)
In 9 minutes I will order clothes to finish out 3 outfits,get a 60% discount, free shipping and my Gymbucks. Then I am off to bed. That way, when I wake in the morning I do not have to take a 15 month old and an almost 3 year old to the mall. I will finish up my invitation orders for other people's kid's birthdays (In the past two days 3 orders have come in. I haven't started and all need to be out by Sunday at the latest.) Then finally, I will make calls and get to Rhett's party. It will be fine, I'm sure. I feel very rushed these days and out of sorts. Have I taken on too much? Do I expect too much? I'm not sure. But I am sure I want to give my son a great 3rd birthday party! We announced that I was 11 weeks preggers at Kolby's third birthday, although most people had guessed. I guess I just want Rhett's parties to be as special as Kolby's have been.
FOR ANYONE READING THIS WHO DOESN'T HAVE CHILDREN>>> Start the parties out small and build. When you set the bar low, it's easier to raise!
I am off to order some Zebra pants...only a few years left in Gymboree! Where does the time go? Tomorrow I will be all about invitations and birthdays. I know Rhett will love his "Thomas" party. Wish you all could come! Better run, just two more minutes! :)
Last night after watching the Olympics for way too long (How bout those 'mer-cans!). I stumbled across a show featuring Frank Pastore and stayed up even later! Before last night I had not heard of Frank Pastore and the line drive hit that knocked him out of baseball. I had never heard of his conversion and subsequent ministry. I have to say his story was very inspirational to me because it inadvertently addresses so many of the growing pains we in established 60 and 70- year old churchs feel. (I guess I could have used the post-modern term here but I am not all to sure it really fits.)
Here are some loose quotes as I remember them, that got me thinking.
"...People are not really rejecting Christ, they are rejecting religion and this culture of Christianity that to them does not seem real. When they really see Christ for who he is with out all the religious baggage, they may recognize His authenticity and readily accept him...."
"If someone is truly seeking what is real in life, they will find their way to Christ because HE IS REAL There is no way to deny him once you seek truth and reality."
"The guys who I played ball with who tried to "bring me to Jesus" could not do the one thing that 1Peter 3:15 says all of us need to do...Be prepared to answer for the reason of our hope. Hours after accepting Christ I got with them
and said..'guys I needed to hear your testimony and the reason for you faith'... Just hours after I accepted the idea and the belief in God and Christ I was teaching others what had led me to God. We need to listen to people who are led out of darkness more."
Today is Kolby's first day of school. We all went up to Spring Valley Elementary this morning, took pictures, socialized, and then made a quick exit. I cried in the van on the way home. Rob smiled and kidded me about crying a bit. Once home, there was no time for tears! I started keeping my friend Alain's 15 month old daughter, McKenna, this morning. Alain was Kolby's kindergarten teacher last year. She is the kind of teacher I would like to be. It is very very hard for her to leave her girls (4 years & 15 mo) . We have cried (she starts and I have to join her) about this day for weeks now. But it is here and it has been fine. Again the Moms are crying while the kids are doing great.... It's The First Day of School!
The First Day of School feels a little bit like Christmas day to me. As a teen I would never have thought those words would come from me! But, as I blogged about a week ago, the "first day of school" rush is a bit like the Christmas rush to me. The first day of school is not just a day, it is a season. When I see mounds of spiral notebooks, yellow pencils and crayons filling the store shelves I react much the same way I do to Christams ornaments and wrapping paper in the grocery store...."Is it time for that already?" That reaction usually births "the list." You know the "the list", don't you? That mental or physical line up of all the things that must be done, purchased, or cleaned before_____ (in this case) the first day of school.
As I said I blogged about that earlier. The part I love is on the actual First Day of School, the list expires. Times Up! For better or worse, can't do anymore to prepare because it is here! And this year, like in years past or other big days past, I have to say that there is joy and somehow comfort in knowing the day is here and nothing more can be done. There is a peace that creeps into my day just because I don't have to live by the list. Oddly enough, even if all my items are not checked off, I still enjoy putting the list to rest.
I wonder if the first day of school and death have any similarities?(My teenage self could more easily relate to this comparison.) I wonder if in that time between death and heaven we will feel relief because we don't have to live by the list anymore? Jesus did that for us. He died so that we wouldn't have to live by the list. God's grace and love keep us from the spiritual checklist. We just have to worry about the condition and capacity of our hearts. Just a thought. I stray...
Tonight we will have our traditional "First Day Of School" dinner of Ritz cracker chicken, steamed broccoli and funny fruit salad followed by an apple shaped and decorated strawberry cake with butter cream icing for dessert. It's a tradition we started when Kolby was in 2 year old pre-school. (We even did it after her first day of 3 year old preschool even though I was being induced the next morning at 6am to have Rhett!) It is an "everyone at the table, talk about our day" kind of meal. It's our way to give a big day a great ending and to start out the year eating and sharing as a family.
So go forth and join me in burning the "before school starts" list, throw a casserole in the oven and dine around the table with your whole family tonight ... HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL EVERYONE!
School days, School days!
My sister is a Kindergarten teacher! Not at Kolby's school but at another one near by. WOW! She found out last Friday around 3:00pm. School starts in the morning and Blast-Off is tonight. My Mom and I were dedicated to helping her get a good start after some hard teaching times in the past. The teachers and staff at her new school are so sweet and felt so sorry for her having to get a classroom/curriculum/ EVERYTHING ready over a weekend. They were all very helpful, Bless them! Despite the mountain of things that had to be done, last night when Sari and I left her room at 11:57pm, it was ready! If I were her principal, I would be VERY impressed!
Today I am going to Kolby's school for the Welcome Back Luncheon. I stole a few hours from Sari's classroom yesterday afternoon to go to Kolby's school to set up. It looks really cute. We are doing a bug and flower theme based on the poster I shared a few posts ago. Give me a theme and I go wild. The other mothers gave me the blankest looks when I pulled out my brand new sand box shovels to use to serve salad... The poster says "Dig In"! I think they think I have cracked under the pressure of the weekend. Hate to tell them but, this is how I always am! Needless to say, these have been some hard working days. Long days! I am ready for school to start now to give me a rest, HA HA HA!
ANYWAY all this time in elementary schools has made me think again about going back to teaching. I think I really do want to when Rhett is older. What a life change that will be! But I spend so much time around schools anyway. Teachers are one of my favorite brands of people! Teachers, Ministers, Stay-Home Moms, Mom & Pop business owners, Nurses and Interior Decorators are usually the people I gravitate towards. Hhhmmmm Is it any coincidence that when I grow up I would love to be any one of these! Oh yeah, I already am!
Must run. Day's a waistin'! Happy back to school everyone! I hope this year we all keep our hearts and minds open to the wonders and assignments our Father God sees fit to show us!
PS Kolby has had much better days since Friday and her bathroom is REALLY clean! :)
Truth in blogging. That's a goal of mine. So to that end I have to say this "happily married mom of two" had a bad night. I am not sure how much to tell or not tell but let me just say it involved Kolby, an entire bottle of Dawn soap, the rest of the bottle of the "fu-fu" foamy hand soap from the guest bathroom, an entire bottle of Spray-Way window cleaner, her bathroom cabinets and floor, and about two hours of clean up... for me. Let me also just say that yesterday when I thought she was playing quietly in her room during her brothers nap, SHE WASN'T!
This morning I had to call the Mom of a little dance class friend and un-RSVP for a birthday party tonight. Breaks my heart because I know how badly Kolby wanted to go...but it's the only consequence we haven't tried. You see this was not the first time this has happened. She really did know better.
Children are precious. I love mine with a capacity and an intensity that astounds even me. There are some hard times though. There are nights, like last night, when I worry that we are not doing the job we should be doing with our kids. Are we too lax? Do we not know how to teach our child to do what is right? Are we warping her for life? Being a parent is one of the most frightening things I have ever done. This is the not fun part of being a Mommy.
Today is a new day. When Kolby got up this morning I gave her the biggest hug and told her how much I love her. We have had a great morning so far, even though yesterdays consequences are still here. No party, no TV, and she has to pay me her allowance today for all the stuff she destroyed. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. Kolby is a wonderfully smart and fun little girl. I just pray her recent sneaky,deceptive streak fades away. Literally!
Please let her get it this time Lord. Please help us to be good parents and teach her the hard lessons now while she is young and at home. Help me not to break down and give in because you know how badly I want to! Thank you for this precious little girl. Please help me to be the Mommy she needs.
Truth in blogging. There you have it!
2:20 pm
Postscript Some stories end better than others. Again truth in blogging... Kolby just dumped out a whole thing of Commet cleaner I had accidentally left in her bath room after cleaning up last nights mess. Pray for me and her. This is the ugly side of parenthood. I wish I could ignore this but that would be irresponible parenting....right? Any suggestions?
Lord please help us get through this stage and to go on! Please!
By Kolby (We are wearing rainbow hats)
Kolby wanted to blog for me today. Since she can't type "too fast or anything" I interviewed her and put my fingers to the test. Fastest blog ever!
Me: What did you do this summer?
Kolby: We went to Dallas to the hospital to see Nick on level four. Then Kenzie wanted to eat lunch with us but she did not like seafood. So we to "Saghetti" Warehouse and then we got to eat and play the games but they were all 50 cents and we only had 50 cents and Gum balls were 25 cents. Then we got lost but you said we were not lost and we went back to the hospital and played in the family room. We wanted to sell cookies at a cookie stand but Bit would not let us. Then we went back home. It was a fun day to me but later it was a sad day.
Me:Didn't you do anything else this summer?
Kolby: We went to the zoo in our swimsuits. I did my recital in June and it was hot in that place,but I danced good in my swan but I messed up in my tap...
Me: You didn't mess up.
Kolby: Mom this is my blog. SO (very determined with her hand on her hips) We went to 6 Flags and a wedding and we went to Denison. And we went swimming and I spent the night with my Grandmother and then we only stayed for one night. and we got a new Wal-mart and a new HEB. ...(thinking)...And we went to the libraries on some Wednesdays but Rhett was scared of the magic show fire. And we did firecrackers on the forth of July with my cousins and we did pops. Rhett was scared so he stayed home with MamaK for the big night fireworks by the river and Daddy didn't want to get so close but you did. so we walked a lot and they were loud. (Starts to walk off)
ME: Was it a fun summer?
Kobly: (Comes back and gets in my face to say)It was a very very very very fun summer.
Me: Anything else you want to say?
Kolby: No (as she hums theme to "Stuck in the Suburbs" and starts pulling her school supplies out of her neatly packed back pack).
Hey she isn't supposed to be doing that! I better run!
Have a great day!
Gifted to serveI have not really checked this out. I do not know who wrote this or anything else about it's origin. I am not suggesting that you do this....Required warning labels aside....
My neighbor and I were talking about spiritual gifts. She had just taken a Spiritual Gifts Inventory on-line. We were talking about how our gifts can change by weakening and strengthening. She is the most Hospitable person I have ever met. She practices hospitality in a 100 ways daily. It was no surprise to me that the inventory rated hospitality far and away her strongest gift.
Rob and I both took the Inventory last night. It is interesting to look at what this test determined to be our gifts. Of course Rob and I both scored a big ZERO in Speaking tongues and Interetation of tongues.(Mae~What was that saying about running from a raisin?:) Rob had two tieing first place gifts, Healing and Service followed closely by Hospitality and in third place...Administration. I think this test did Rob an injustice in the Giving category. He is by far one of the most giving individuals I have ever met. Faith came in forth on his survey but I also think it is really one of his strongest gifts.
Q~ I am going to have to join your heretic club. My top score was a four way tie...Administration, Hospitality, Knowledge and Teaching. Followed closely by a three way tie for Shepherding, Intercession and "Helps". Prophecy came in a lone third. What that means I do not know. I think I should retest at a later date. I was feeling particularly sensitive in some areas based on an earlier discussion, so I may have biased the test. But as a whole I think my gifts are in more communicative and organizational areas.
Rob and I both learned a new word. "Ekballism". He scored a 1 and I scored a 3 on that one! We were suprised by the gifts where he scored high and I scored low and vice versa. Though we are still unsure what the implications of that are, we do have some shared gifts such as Administartion and Hospitality. As a couple we will try harder to pursue roles that utilize those gifts. As I said, I do not endorse this, but it did make for a lively discussion on spiritual gifts.
What are your spiritual gifts? Or what gifts do you most admire in others?
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SVE Theme
Well one week from today Kolby will be a first grader! Don't tell her, but I am having a hard time getting geared up for this! I would never let her hear or see me act anything but positve about school but, I am having a hard time getting mentally ready this year. I am excited about the new year and I know she will love it and do great, but I will miss her.
I will miss sleeping until 9am and being able to go to a movie whenever we want. I will miss laid back lunches and lazy days around the pool. I will miss seeing Rhett and Kolby play trains, babies, and splash in the pool. They have really bonded this summer. BUT I believe in school. I believe in public school. I believe it is good for us to get back on a schedule and in the swing of things. So ready or not, here it comes!
We had our first PTA meeting Saturday night. I am on the Teacher Appreciation team this year. That is something I really believe in so I am easily motivated to work on it. I came up with this little poster for this years PTA theme with the help of my friends at PcCrafter.com this morning. It was approved and all that by noon today, so this is it. We are all a bloom this year! (last year we were on a Reading Safari. Bugs and flowers will be a nice change from African and Zoo animals...Both are fun!)
My first assignment is the "Bug Out" for "Blast Off" luncheon for the teachers the day before school starts. ("Blast Off" is our version of "Meet the Teacher". We go up to school the evening before school starts to meet the teacher, see the classroom and put supplies in the new desk) We just started planning this luncheon Saturday night but, it has come together so quickly. We are done with the "planning, making, ordering" stage. All we have to do is pick everything up, decorate and set it all out. Not bad! I think I am going to like this team and gig!
Must run. I have a closet to get "school ready" and BIG RED ICE CREAM to make! We are going to squeeze all the summer we can into these last days! :-)
P.S. Please pray for my unemployed school teaching sister. There is a chance she could get a classroom at Kolby's school after all! We just need three more Kindergarteners to register!!! Come on little Kindergarteners REGISTER!
Election 2004 
It has taken all the restraint I could muster to keep politics off of this blog. Today I just have to break down.
I want it over! I am about to boycott all the grown-up TV channels until after next November. Really! It is so depressing! I want to stop hearing the barbs, the supposed issues, the jibes, the second guessing, the bolstering, the spinning, the meaningless rhetoric etc. Election years are always pesky but this one seems moore so than most. What is really bugging the heck out of me is that one party seems to be saying "Vote against ----" without giving us any real reason to "Vote for -----" except that he is not ----.
To that I say "Sometimes the Devil you know is better than you one you don't." But that is another type blog altogether.
When did the electoral process turn into a mud slinging contest? I love my country. I am glad we trade barbs instead of bullets when it comes time to elect our leaders. But somehow in the mountain of media and rhetoric that surround these elections, I feel things like truth, honor and fairness are completely obliviated...by both sides. I hope that somehow in all this mess, Americans find a way to make an informed vote, but we can't look to the media or either party for help with that!
There. I said it. I will again try to restrain myself from this point on...I just had to get that out. Thanks for letting me vent. Feel free to vent here too if you want!
Does it sorta bother anyone that the song "There She Stands" written by Michael W Smith about the American flag after 9/11 is on a CD titled "Worship Again"? I love this song. I think it is great, but is it worship? I love Old Glory as much as anyone! But to worship her...I think not. What do you guys think?
BTW The Worship Again CD is pretty good! I am not knocking it or MW Smith, just questioning the Song in this context. I try not to give Christian Artist any greif...I'm just glad they do what they do. You go Smitty!
The Road Home
Thursday the kids and I drove Susan and the boys to Dallas to catch a flight home. After lunch in West End at Joes Crab Shack (coco shrimp-yum) we jumped on (E)I-35 and zoomed on over to Love Field. After a quick and therefore not tearful (but I was really sad) goodbye, Susan and the boys faded into the airport masses and we were off.
It was 1:05pm. Kolby wanted a Disney lunch box and I wanted to go back the Fort Worth way (more familiar, less construction). At 1:40pm we were about to exit to The Parks Mall in Arlington when Kolby started screaming. I looked back just in time to see Rhett puke his popcorn shrimp! YYYUUUUUCCCCCKKKKK!(Like his Mom, he gets carsick easily) I calmly navigated through the nearest parking garage. It took a whole box of wipes to clean Rhett up enough to walk in and get some more clothes. We won't even talk about the smell and the 100 degree heat! I was without a stroller and Rhett was to pukey to carry. We took it really slow.
Amazingly as soon as I got his clothes changed, Rhett was good to go. We had a great mall trip afterwards. Much to my dismay, Kolby ditched all the Princesses and Kim Possible for a Lizzie Maguire lunch box. Not that there is anything wrong with Lizzie ...It's just more grown up than I want my 6 year old to be. But, I had said she could pick whatever she wanted...I'll be more careful saying that next time! Rhett picked out a cool Stitch twirly light toy! We escaped Disney for under$25. Finally, toys and school shoes in tow, we headed to the food court & Carousel for a snack and a spin or two before heading home. After two rides, splitting a Reeses Sonic Blast and getting 3 waters to go again, we were off!
At 4:10 we had made it to (W)I-35 and were headed back. By the time the kids finished the "Cat from Outer Space" video, Rhett was out and Kolby had to go to the restroom. Going to bed really late and waking early had caught up with me. The Hillsboro Starbucks sign lured me off the Highway. VENTE MOCHA FRAPPUCCINO LITE- NO WHIP. Ahhh! I then pulled into The Prime Outlets and was drawn to the Bible store. We purchased a "3-2-1 Penguins" video and a MW Smith "Worship" for $5 each. (My last "Worship" CD disappeared last October at the ladies retreat. I have been longing to hear "Breathe" ever since.) We swung by Subway to get the kids a little sandwich to split and some Sprites. 5:30PM. Kids reloaded, VCR playing, and "Worship" spinning, again- we were off! Home was just 45 minutes away!
WRONG! It seems there was an awful wreck and resulting fuel spill on I-35, 15 miles south of Hillsboro. The interstate was closed. We were just two miles out of Hillsboro when we hit stand still traffic. NO movement. Parking lot. OH MY! But I was jamming with Michael W and the kids were loving their new video. Turns out I bought "Worship Again" therefore...no "BREATHE". But it is impossible to get really upset about traffic with Michael W Smith singing his heart out with you. Somehow we made it with out any whining! We pulled into our garage around 7:30pm. I must confess I have not left the house since!
Lessons learned...
1. When you travel with kids always take the stroller, a change of clothes, and a full box of wipes.
2. Listen to that little voice inside that says pull over...I might have been in that awful wreck! It happened within minutes of when we would have been driving by had we not stopped. Besides Kolby could not have held it that long and our wait on the road would not have been as pleasant without the snacks and new entertainment.
3. Coming home is a gift. What a priviledge it is to be able to come and go and then to have a home to come home to! Thank you Father God for bringing us home safely! Thankyou for our little home! You know...The Gates of Heaven will look 1000 times better than my garage door looked, even that Thursday! Can you imagine how incredible it will feel when we are finally home? That is just the most amazing thought!
Thursday night our lights were out way before 10 pm...very unusual for the Grosz household! You know what song came to mind as I sang my kids to sleep?
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He's waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.
Come home (Come home), come home (come home),
Ye who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
Oh! for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me;
Tho' we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Come home (Come home), come home (come home),
Ye who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!
I do not drink coffee. I have never haunted Starbucks like the rest of the world. But in the midst of one of our hard and fast summer trips to Dallas, I was offered an ice cold, to the point of slightly frozen, Mocha Frappuccino. Thank you Mr. Starbuck ...I AM HOOKED! Was there ever so wonderful a drink? AND the best part is that noone in my house but me likes it! IT'S ALL MINE! (insert Leisel's exclamation after her rain soaked first kiss in "The Sound of Music") YIPPPEEEE! Just had to take a break to share that! What is your favorite drink?
Mocha Frappuccino
Our church home in Fort Worth was Southlake Church (formerly Southlake Church Of Christ). Like many churches do these days, we had "Life Groups" on Sunday nights. Call them what you may... life groups, small groups, cell families, BKU's ... The concept is basically that a small group of families meet in homes on Sunday nights for a devotional, or meal, or social time, or all three in place of a Sunday evening services.
The three churches that Rob and I have attended in our 8 years of marriage have had these groups. There are positives and negatives to the Life Group system. I personally have made arguments on both sides at times. Some years it goes way better than others. But our 1999/2000 group was pretty special!
We were co-leading with our good friends David & Diana Box. David and Rob met when we moved to Fort Worth in 1996 because they both managed Norwest Financial branches. They immediately hit it off and became friends. David grew up with a non-denominational church background. His wife Diana grew up Catholic. Rob (who had himself just been baptized 7 months earlier, not me the life long Church of Christ-er) asked the Boxes to go to church with us. They did.
We had a great Sunday School class for Young Families. There were 40 or so couples and 4/5's of them (including me) were pregnant. Diana was also expecting so they just fit right in. One of my most special memories ever is that of the chilly March Sunday morning when David and Diana (8 months pregnant) were both baptized. Diana even went to class and out-to-eat with her hair wet and little make-up...did I mention she was 8 months pregnant?! Brave, beautiful and baptized all in the same morning! AMAZING! But I stray...Back to our group.
There were 6 families in our group: the Boxes, Hensleys, Jenkins, Lees, Youngs and us. All six families had children the same age (within months). Our kid's baby books are filled with pictures of our times together. Five of us only had one child. Four of us did not have any family near by. Although we were all very close, the four families that did not have any family in the area, became really close. We adopted each other as extended family... Like a church should.
We relied on each other, celebrated together, went out together. We hosted showers together, visited each other in the hospital for births and miscarriages, took meals to one another, drove each other to the airport, to the mechanic, and to the mall. We helped each other build fences, pick paint colors and floor bathrooms. We stayed with each other when spouses were gone, when air conditioners went out or when we were moving. Yes, eventually the four families that did not have extended family near by, all moved to live near extended family. I guess that says something about our groups priorities! Family is so important.
But when we moved, our "Fort Worth Friends"(none of who still live in Ft Worth) vowed to stay in touch, and for the most part, we have. Each family has visited one another separately at some point. Heidi Hensley came back from Houston when I had Rhett to host my baby shower. The Boxes and Hensleys live on opposite sides of Houston but still get together. Susan Jenkins became my life support during my pregnancy with Rhett and the following three months of trying to sell the house when Rob was in Waco. The Jenkins made it to all our kids birthday parties until they moved to Arkansas a year ago. Rob and I were in Houston and visited the Boxes in the hospital just hours after the birth of their third...Just like we did with their other babies. Two summers ago all four families got together at the Boxes house for two nights. The Hensleys and Jenkins spent MLK day with us this year.
Just this week, all the Mommies and kids were here at our house. Next year we are talking about meeting at a hotel in our old stomping grounds of Fort Worth. I have no doubt that our commitment to our friendship was born out of our commitment to our church and our God. Each relationship is different but no less special. I look forward to many more "Fort Worth Friends" reunions, but right now I must get to cleaning up from this last one!;-}
Thank you Father for my Fort Worth Friends! Thank you for each families commitment to you and to their new church homes. Thank you for giving us to each other in our times of need. Thank you for allowing us to celebrate together in our times of joy. When you gave us this special life group, we had no idea we would be a group for life...but somehow I think that you did! Thank you.
OH YES, I don't want to forget to thank you for my new little group of blog friends too! May you bless us all as a group of individuals committed to living for you! AMEN!
The Fort Worth Kids ( Picture from Susan Jenkins Blog) Jonathan, Kolby, Trevor, Katherine (all 6) Jackson. Justin, Emily (all 4) Rhett (almost 3) and Christopher (almost 1)
Sippy cups and Lemonade for 9 = $25
Children's Museum tickets for 4 Mommies & 9 kids = $ 75
Groceries for a two day reunion = $200
Spending three days & two nights with best friends = PRICELESS!
My house is a disaster. The frig is empty. The laundry baskets are full. BUT these days have been so special! It was hurried and crazy at times, but in the great milk bucket of life, these days are the cream! I want to share much more about these special friends and our times together in coming days but, right now I have a house to clean, towels to wash, and a nap to take! ;-) My hope is that in your last few days of summer you will be able to make some "cream"! Connect with someone and take time to really talk. Our late night, or should I say early morning, talks were exhausting but renewing all at the same time!
Dear Lord,
Thank you for swim diapers, cell phones and dear friends! Thank you for relationships that bring us closer to you. Thank you for Christian friends who build up and always love despite differences in income, personality, backgrounds and discipline theories. Thank you for your perfect example of love and friendship. Please watch over Heidi, Diana and Susan as they travel home. Please bless our friendships and help us to grow closer to you as we grow closer to each other! Thankyou for my friends!
In a few short hours three of my best girl friends are coming to see me for a few days...and bringing their 8 kids! I can not wait! My kids can not wait! We have some big and not so big plans. ( Of coarse anything you do with 10 kids seems big!) SJ and I may post together this week or I may wait and post on Thursday and tell you how it went. Everyone have a great week!
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