I had to put this video online because it was so funny. It was staged, but it's still funny. For those of you who haven't met Sara's fiancé yet, here he is, live and in action.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Cara the Moderator
Okay, just so you know, I put the post that Laura made in a comment out for everyone to see ;)
And I grabbed Tara's post off of the old site so for everyone to see as well.
It's so good to know what's going on in your lives. Love ya!
-Cara
And I grabbed Tara's post off of the old site so for everyone to see as well.
It's so good to know what's going on in your lives. Love ya!
-Cara
Where has Tara been???
So the fact of the matter is that you all have gotten together a whole lot of times, and as I can remember I haven’t made it to one. No, I’m not avoiding you, I haven’t committed some heinous crime that I’m now on the run for under a new identity (although I flee across the border for 10 days…), and I’m not dead yet. But I AM a YOUTH PASTOR, aaaaahhhhhhh! Which, in my specific postion, has meant usually 3 evenings per week set aside for regular youth meetings of each age group, and many Saturdays and Sundays reserved for things like retreats, special events, service projects, special services for morning worship, and on and on. So the odds have just been that everytime ya’ll have something planned, you can bet I already have some staff meeting, or youth campout, or children’s ministry event that I”m already committed to. But I gave Tiff the tentative go-ahead that I pretty much have most September weekends looking clear right now, and she promised that you all would be trying to come up with a date that would work for others to have a get-together while you were out having Mongolian BBQ without me….so I’m still waiting on the results of that! :o)
So an overview update for now, because I have no idea how far behind I actually am in catching some of you up: In the picture I posted is my husband Denver, with whom I will be celebrating 2 years anniversary in about a month! (and actually, that was probably the last time I saw some of you, at my wedding!). And then Emily, my sister, who is now 11 years old. My portion of the adoption was finished last October after a VERY long process…if any of you are ever interested in adopting, whew, you can ask questions and vent frustrations to me, there are a LOT of hoops to jump through! Then this spring Denver completed his requirements for a Step-parent adoption, so now both of us have complete full rights as parents. (Actually, it’s really weird, because the way adoption works, you get a completely new birth certificate, with your names inserted as the actual birth parent. So her birth certificate now lists me as the mother at age 15, and Denver as the father at age 16!).
The vacation to Cancun was planned as a celebration of the finalization of all the adoption stuff, sort of a reward to Em for getting through it all. Denver’s sister and brother-in-law came with us, and we all had a great time together—and we just really needed to get away from “life” and work, at least I did!
Last summer we purchased a sort of mini Amish farm, 3.6 acres, between Kidron and Orrville where we live now. The house was Swartzentruber Amish (the most conservative level), so completley bare, no wiring or plumbing (but a very nice 2-seater outhouse), very small and plain. Our plans are to use that house as a start and do some pretty heavy addition and remodeling, so we have a builder who is working on our plans and hopefully they will be finalized this week and we can apply for our loan and get things moving. It’s been a long drawn-out process. But there are some nice perks to the place we’ve been enjoying already, like a nice grapevine I’ve canned juice and jelly from, raspberry and black raspberry bushes that produced enough this year to also make jam from, and we started a garden that has given us lots of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers so far, and we planted a strawberry patch that will start producing next summer. So yeah, call me Farmer Tara, I really enjoy the feeling of being able to produce some of our own food for our family! Oh, and there’s a big barn and fenced-in pasture that will be horse-worthy once we move in, that’s a big plus!
So that covers some of the biggest things that some of you might have missed out on since it’s been so long. And I might have other things that I should save so there’s still something to talk about if we do get together in the next month (just to keep the carrot out there so you still have a reason to want to set a date that works for me!). So yeah, that’s life :o) Love ya’ll, even if I’ve been absent!
-Tara
So an overview update for now, because I have no idea how far behind I actually am in catching some of you up: In the picture I posted is my husband Denver, with whom I will be celebrating 2 years anniversary in about a month! (and actually, that was probably the last time I saw some of you, at my wedding!). And then Emily, my sister, who is now 11 years old. My portion of the adoption was finished last October after a VERY long process…if any of you are ever interested in adopting, whew, you can ask questions and vent frustrations to me, there are a LOT of hoops to jump through! Then this spring Denver completed his requirements for a Step-parent adoption, so now both of us have complete full rights as parents. (Actually, it’s really weird, because the way adoption works, you get a completely new birth certificate, with your names inserted as the actual birth parent. So her birth certificate now lists me as the mother at age 15, and Denver as the father at age 16!).
The vacation to Cancun was planned as a celebration of the finalization of all the adoption stuff, sort of a reward to Em for getting through it all. Denver’s sister and brother-in-law came with us, and we all had a great time together—and we just really needed to get away from “life” and work, at least I did!
Last summer we purchased a sort of mini Amish farm, 3.6 acres, between Kidron and Orrville where we live now. The house was Swartzentruber Amish (the most conservative level), so completley bare, no wiring or plumbing (but a very nice 2-seater outhouse), very small and plain. Our plans are to use that house as a start and do some pretty heavy addition and remodeling, so we have a builder who is working on our plans and hopefully they will be finalized this week and we can apply for our loan and get things moving. It’s been a long drawn-out process. But there are some nice perks to the place we’ve been enjoying already, like a nice grapevine I’ve canned juice and jelly from, raspberry and black raspberry bushes that produced enough this year to also make jam from, and we started a garden that has given us lots of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers so far, and we planted a strawberry patch that will start producing next summer. So yeah, call me Farmer Tara, I really enjoy the feeling of being able to produce some of our own food for our family! Oh, and there’s a big barn and fenced-in pasture that will be horse-worthy once we move in, that’s a big plus!
So that covers some of the biggest things that some of you might have missed out on since it’s been so long. And I might have other things that I should save so there’s still something to talk about if we do get together in the next month (just to keep the carrot out there so you still have a reason to want to set a date that works for me!). So yeah, that’s life :o) Love ya’ll, even if I’ve been absent!
My little family, on a dock at Sunset during our Easter Break vacation to Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Chichen Itza, and Tulum, Mexico.
-Tara
THe major thing that is on my mind is "the Shack." Have any of you read it? I enjoyed the book because it helped me get out of the box that I crammed God into. I got it in Feb after 3 different People that I know are good Catholics mentioned it. Recently, however, I have read/listened to a few articles that have brought out disagreements with Christianity doctrine,etc. I am ashamed for a number of reasons: 1 that I didnt listen to the red flags that went up a few times. 2 that I encouraged others to read it and potentially be misled. 3 that no one else who read it had a problem with it until now (or at least voiced it to me) My grandma mentioned that there was some questions and she wondered what the Church's teaching on it was. i kinda blow it off thinking "well she's old fashioned and doesn't want to think of God as a Big, Black woman." But that wasn't it at all. Anyway thanks to ALex Robbins, I did some recearch and would ask that if any of you are reading it (or planning to) to do so with open mind on some things but not to compromise what you know is true. That is what I mentioned to those that I know read it. The fact that I read it with a strong Catholic CHristian perspective.FInally and totally not related- I saw no big bird doing figure eights, but I am going to a mini-family reunion today. My grandma from FL (who's husband dies in May) is up visiting and her cousin, brother, sons and nephews and granddaughter (me) will be there to celebrate together. Celebrate what you may ask- LIFE, LOVE, Faith (PRAY) because we can and it's so rewarding to understand different people.
LOve, Laura
LOve, Laura
Update on Becca
Hi Girls! I just wanted to let you guys know that I am moving to Kent this weekend to start my graduate program in rehabilitation counseling. So if you guys could pray for all the transitions that I have going on in my life right now-moving into a new apartment, starting a different grad program, but most of all pray that I will find good Christian friends as I feel that I am starting my support system again from scratch. Also pray for me as I find a new church home for when I can't make it to Canton to go to Cornerstone Chapel (also where Alex goes). My prayer is that same that it was when I was looking for a new church after deciding to leave First Friends which is that God leads me to a church that is where HE wants me to be, and not because it's convenient because I have a ride there. I want a church that is on FIRE for God and is not stuck in the traditional ways of worship that it has become routine.
FYI: As I said in my response to Tiff's e-mail about a Sept. get together. I am having a Mary Kay party on Friday Sept. 11 at 6 PM at my new apartment in Kent. It's going to a combo House-warming party and an opportunity to meet new friends. But all my OLD (lol) friends are invited as well! E-mail me for directions!
FYI: As I said in my response to Tiff's e-mail about a Sept. get together. I am having a Mary Kay party on Friday Sept. 11 at 6 PM at my new apartment in Kent. It's going to a combo House-warming party and an opportunity to meet new friends. But all my OLD (lol) friends are invited as well! E-mail me for directions!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Hooray!
No, Cara, you will not be disowned. AND, this was very easy to figure out! Thanks, friend!!!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Live. Love. Pray. But why?
Hello friends!
I thought it would be great to keep in contact through a communal blog where we can talk about what’s going on in our lives, share pictures, video clips (laura, I thought of the videos you took of a few of us) and whatever.
I titled this blog Live.Love.Pray because I thought it would be a good way to share with each other about our lives, to encourage each other in any way we choose…with a joke, or funny story, with kind words, or even with just talking about what God is doing in our lives, and finally to pray for each other.
I really want everyone involved to post whatever is on their minds, whenever you want. Even if it seems completely random and crazy. Maybe you saw a bird do a figure eight in the air today and wanted to tell someone. Maybe you wanted to take a picture of the Eifel Tower because you happened to wake up in France one day. Whatev. It’s all good. I love you girls and thank God for you everyday. Blessings!
-Cara
I thought it would be great to keep in contact through a communal blog where we can talk about what’s going on in our lives, share pictures, video clips (laura, I thought of the videos you took of a few of us) and whatever.
I titled this blog Live.Love.Pray because I thought it would be a good way to share with each other about our lives, to encourage each other in any way we choose…with a joke, or funny story, with kind words, or even with just talking about what God is doing in our lives, and finally to pray for each other.
I really want everyone involved to post whatever is on their minds, whenever you want. Even if it seems completely random and crazy. Maybe you saw a bird do a figure eight in the air today and wanted to tell someone. Maybe you wanted to take a picture of the Eifel Tower because you happened to wake up in France one day. Whatev. It’s all good. I love you girls and thank God for you everyday. Blessings!
-Cara
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