Fireworks on Lake Carlyle

We just got back from the fireworks. We went to Carlyle lake which is about 20 minutes away on a long country road. It was a beautiful day- clear blue sky and rows of green corn on either side. We packed up the cooler and a blanket and made a day of it. Carlyle lake is much like Deer Creek but much prettier. It had several picnic areas, a dam, 2 playgrounds, a sandy beach and a million boats everywhere. Judah had a blast swimming in the lake. He didnt have his goggles so he would pinch his nose with one hand and cover his eyes with the other each time he "dove" into the water. very silly but cute. I had fun sitting on the beach and watching him play as well as observing the "locals". Apparently the new rule for swimwear is if your bikini bottom stops right under your enormous gut, then you are good to go. There were a number of live bands playing in a pavillion behind us -- covers of Pearl Jam and Radiohead to name a few. We bought sno cones and hotdogs before returning to our spot. Judah made friends everywhere and there was even a kid from his daycare. He had fun "sharing" his nintendo ds as we waited for it to get dark enough for the fireworks. As it was just about time, the band playing started rocking out to a very cool version of the Star Spangled Banner. The fireworks lit up the sky mirrored across the lake. All the boats lined up and they sounded their horns as it all started. Judah sat on my lap with his arm around my neck as we Ooo'ed and Aaah'ed. We had fun guessing what the next one would be and Judah was amazed at my skillz as I guessed which one would be a "big" one. About 15min in the fireworks stopped. The crowd around us was unsure if it was over and so did we... After about 5 min they started up again--either a dramatic pause, or someone lost a hand and they had to rotate.--not sure, but glad it wasnt over. The finale was awesome and the boats started sounding their horns as the machine gun like display exploded to an end. The crowd cheered and applauded. We made it back to our car and got out of the jammed lot in record time. I decided that on a night like tonight, i needed to blast country music as we traveled back home. I came upon a song that I thought was kind of funny... it started out with a gospel feel-- read the words:

Havent been in church

since I dont remember when

Things were going great

til they fell apart again

So listened to the preacher

as he told me what to do

Said you cant go hating others

who done wrong to you

Sometimes we get angry

But we must not condemn

Let the good Lord do his job

and you just pray for them

(pretty good right? I was like, well that is very smart... but then the chorus started in..)

I pray your brakes go out

running down a hill

a pray a flower pot falls

from a window sill

and knocks you in the head like I'd like to

I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls

I pray your flying high when your engine stalls

I pray all your dreams never come true

Just know where ever you are,

Honey, Im praying for you

(Praying for you by Jaron and the Long Road to love)

Hahah, i know it is wrong but it made me laugh and know why country music is such a special genre.. haha

Anyways, I will leave you with these pictures. Good night!

on the open road

lake!

this is what sharing looks like at 6 years old.

Love my mama!

semi- creepy grape face.

Yep- this is an air mattress used as a raft in a lake. Where else would you keep your baby when you wanna swim?!?

Not sure where he got the pink noodle... but he is having fun.


OOOOOOOOoooooooooAAAAAAAAAAAahhhhhhh

watching the fireworks (moment, captured.)

I almost forgot to mention-- Jesse, where ever you are, I saw your doppleganger here in Carlyle, Illinois. This guy comes up with long blond hair, a black bandanna tied around his head, and big baggy black clothes. It was pretty weird, but he was a little creepier looking than you (not that you look creepy, but he definitely did). I should have tried to get a picture!!

Another side note--- in the blurb above i originally put "goppledanger" instead of "doppleganger" and i spellchecked it and google's only advice for a fix was "copulating"

maybe its because its almost midnight but that is pretty funny...haha

Also at midnight--- my heart is pounding because I am hearing some really freaky "tapping" from the back window and now the garage... Lord please help that to be a raccoon and not my death. Yours truly.

Movie Night

I took my hot date with me to see the newest installment of the twilight saga: Eclipse. It was incredible! Aside from having to sit in a packed theater right underneath what I can only describe as a hurricane fan ---side story: the fan was blowing such continuous cold air and we had nothing to cover ourselves, that Judah was using my small cotton purse as a blanket over his little legs and I was using the warmth of my tree like arm to drape across his chest to give him warmth...

The movie followed the book and was a festival for the eyes (team edward!). There were some sappy parts, but then my mind was escape to the book and I could overlook the "moments" lost from page to cinematic glory.

Judah started to get a little restless during these scenes and then was brought back once werewolves and vampires started fighting. It was really annoying watching it with a hundred stupid teens (especially the team jacob ones) they kept ruining the movie by screaming when he took his shirt off, or talking during Edwards awesome moments because they think Bella should be Jacob. This is why I am closer to 30 then 13 and want to hurt them.

After the movie, I was about to head back on our 45 min highway journey (thats right, the closest movie theatre that shows more than one movie, that isnt blurry, is in Edwardsville - 40 miles from Greenville) --- as I was saying, I was about to get back on the highway to head home when I decided I might need a little caffiene to help me along my journey. I went past the exit and kept going down the road until we hit "Maryville". A small town again that looked mostly asleep until we saw these beams of bright light filling the right side of the road. All my brain could process in between the flashes was "FROZEN CUSTARD". What a perfect night for some ice cream!

It was this cool joint -- just perfect for a summer night with bright lights and fifties music playing. There were tables to the side and all of the employees wore button down white shirts and bright pink bowties and chucks. the custard was creamy and yummy and there were a million different ways to try it. Judah had vanilla custard with strawberries and I had vanilla custard with chocolate shell (magic shell).

Overall a great night! Judah was really sweet and as we walked to the car, he grabbed my hand and said, I love you, thanks for taking me to the movie. So sweet!

Tomorrow we are going to see where all of the 4th of July action is. I think we are going to Carlyle Lake today (saturday) and watch the fireworks over the lake and then tomorrow we may venture to the Big City of St. Louis for their Fair on the River display. I love fireworks!! I just wish we had some of you to share it with. Last year was awesome with the tour of the umbrellas as we walked in the sprinkling rain to the GC fireworks.

Also- shout out to the incredible new parents, Jeremy and Kristin Bowman!!!! They had a japanese girl named Aeris Noel at 1am today!! (ok, so she doesnt look japanese, but she was born in JAPAN, how cool is that??) Baby and mama are perfect. Praise the Lord! I will be praying for the Bowman family as they have to love on this new addition to their family from so far away.

Church (a slight ramble)

We went to the Greenville Free Methodist Church today for their contemporary service. Got there late, of course, but was pleasantly surprised by the music as they sang "your grace is enough..." Judah joined the Kindergarten Sunday school class in the "harvest kids" area that had a barn theme with bright colors, animal pictures, and even a pretend barn to play in at the center of the room. I returned to the open area multi use room that was their sanctuary, as they started into "His love endures forever....Sing praise...Forever God is faithful!" Toward the end of the song, the music leader started to read the Psalm that inspired the song with the congregation chiming in at "His love endures forever". I filled out the obligatory visitor card and put it in the offering plate as they started to sing my newest favorite worship song I have been rocking out to in my car from the 2010 Passion cd, Awakening:

"Healing is in Your hands"

No mountain, no valley, no gain or loss we know
could keep us from Your love
No sickness, no secret, no chain is strong enough
to keep us from Your love
to keep us from Your love

How high, how wide
No matter where I am, healing is in Your hands
How deep, How strong,
And now by Your grace I stand, healing is in Your hands

Our present, our future, our past is in Your hands
We're covered by Your blood
We're covered by Your blood

How high, How wide
no matter where I am, healing is in Your hands
How deep, How strong
And now by Your grace I stand, healing is in Your hands

Very powerful song and so fun to sing!!

The pastor was a kind looking man with a slightly hard to overlook "lisp" as he started his sermon. It was about remembering... and how hard it is even for the important stuff-- like God's word. He then went into the difference between a contract and a covenant. How a contract is an agreement for something in return for something else and that a covenant is a promise from one to another... and that even if the other is not holding up their end of the bargain, that it is still our duty to continue to carry out that covenant. He illustrated it by using marriage vows as a common covenant. A covenant that many people bail on because one person doesn't hold up their end of the deal. He explained how this wasn't Christ-like as God could say over and over different ways we have not held up our end of the deal like many of those broken marriages --- "He has fallen away from me." "She doesn't respect me." "He makes fun of me in front of his friends." "She left me."
God could say all those things about us, his beloved, and still he doesn't see any of those things, any of the millions of things we do that hurt him, as reasons to break his covenant with us. I thought that was a compelling point and how that applies even outside of marriage, but with any relationship. As Christians, as those seeking to be Christ-like, we have a responsibility to uphold our covenant to each other, to those less fortunate, to those that despise us, to those that fall in and out of favor with us--- we have a responsibility to continue to love them and be Christ to them. And those in marriages, when you and your partner are at odds more than not, you have an obligation to uphold the promise you made to each other(even when they are not). just like how we fall in and out of favor with God yet he continues to keep his promise to us... we must do the same with our partner that has wronged us.

He continues on to go through a few verses that I have read before, but don't think they struck quite as strongly as they did today.

Matthew 6:14-15

¹⁴"^S)">(S)For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

¹⁵"But ^T)">(T)if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Matthew 7:2

For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and ^B)">(B)by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

Yeah, have you ever not forgiven someone??? have you ever judged someone? I am pretty sure I have.... at least once or a million times.... I mean that is packing a pretty hard punch that if I don't forgive, than God wont forgive me? Or that God will judge me by the somewhat fickle and ridiculous way I have judged others??

I feel like I never was aware of this part of the deal I have with Christ. Like somewhere in that salvation and my sins are wiped clean I kinda tricked myself in to thinking that I really didn't have any accountability once I accepted Christ into my life. Like you know, I am a lowly sinner, a stupid human that will make mistake after mistake and so yeah, Christ died for all that and that is the end, but its not. I mean not entirely. He did die for me, and I am going to make mistakes, but there IS some accountability.... its not all roses and frolicking when we get to heaven. We will be judged by how we lived. Yeah if we have received Christ's salvation than we are ultimately in the door to heaven, but we all will be judged. We all will need to stand before God and I am kinda thinking that I should take the time now to re-evaluate how I forgive and NOT judge others.... might make for a more pleasant entry... not to mention that if I can learn to really forgive others, NOT judge them (as is one of my most favorite human past times i must admit), and actually treat people as though there isn't a thing they can do to make me stop loving them and sharing Jesus with them... well, I am pretty sure that is what it is all about-- our purpose in this broken and dying world.

Micah 6: 8

⁸ He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

There IS a requirement. There is a higher calling than just "phew- I'm saved and going to heaven!" And he says it pretty clearly here in Micah. To act justly (no judging!), to love mercy (yeah that stuff God so willingly gives us which we don't deserve), and to walk humbly with OUR GOD.

Sno Cones!!!!!!

I have been dying to get a sno cone machine for a few weeks. Last night after wandering around walmart for a while, I decided to just do it! WOOHOO!

This is what Judah and I had for breakfast : )

I am either the coolest or worst mom ever.... a line like to walk frequently hehe

It is so fun and simple. You just pop the ice cubes in the top and push down on the button and shushsushsushshsh ice shavings just start shooting out. Then add the cherry or blue raspberry flavor syrup and mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm perfect summer treat!

After photos

this is the "side yard" gorgeous!

Back porch

fun mirror in the bathroom!

bathroom

my bedroom

I love my new bedspread. The sheets are an organic steel gray from Target!

Judah's toys

Judah loves his room especially his couch

the lovely Jeanette made me some awesome magnets to make sure I dont forget home!

Isnt she beautiful!?

View of kitchen and dining room from back door

kitchen - good size with a TON of cabinets

Living room bay windows.

front door. I love my key hook!

Living room

view from front door

home away from home : )

I thought I would share how the house looks now after all the hard work of Mom, Kari, Josiah, Tommy, and Anna.

Moving In

Here are a few tips for your next move-
1) HIRE MOVERS! - seriously one of my best decisions. 2 men for 2 hours saves you probably 2 years of back pain and trouble. I had a team in Columbus to load me and one in Greenville to unload.
2) DO NOT DRIVE THE U-HAUL all by yourself - yeah so i drove the big uHaul truck from Cbus to Greenville and found that a) its a big truck therefore very awkward to maneuver. and b) driving big trucks with limited choice of other entertainment or music can drive one a little looney (i found myself praying aloud in panic when we couldnt find a gas station such as "Do Lord or DO Lord oh DO you know where a gas station is?" when I was on "e" and then when in snail moving traffic, found that I feel liberated enough to rap and throw gang symbols because im so far off the ground that no one would be looking at me.
3) FAMILY IS AWESOME- yeah my WHOLE family chipped in from cleaning my apartment in Columbus (Thank you Aunt Judy, Uncle Rich, Jeanette, Jesse, Kari, Dad, Mom, Tommy, Anna, Tania, Kevin, and Josiah!) --- Tommy, Anna, and Kari followed me to Greenville to help me move in and get settled, and Mom and Josiah arrived today to help me unpack some more!!!! I dont know why it is that you all love us so much, but your help is above and beyond and I am truly, truly grateful.


So we did make it to Greenville with little to no problem aside from that noted above. Tommy really was helpful in getting things put together (bunk bed) and figuring out that we needed things like 3 prong plug connectors (aka the orange things) and smoke detectors. When we arrived at the house, we met the property manager and she showed us in the house. It was pretty good except that the shower had recently been gutted and was totally operational. Yikes! So here it is Monday --- and I havent had a shower since I left Columbus on Saturday. I finally broke down and washed my hair in the sink with ice cold water (yeah the hot water wasnt working either!) and a little sponge bath with paper towels (as everything is still packed and hard to find).... God bless the contractor that is working on the house because he showed up Sunday morning (Father's day and all) to continue working on the shower. As he has worked on the different things on this very old house he seems to find more and more problems -- ie. the gas water heater not lighting because it was rusted close. He has been a trooper and come to the house at 7:30 am every morning and worked until night to get everything done. I am so excited to shower it is not even funny!!!!!! I am sure anyone around me feels the same.

Well that is all for now... I have more to tell but am sleepy. I will leave you with some "before" pictures. Hopefully will have some "after" ones tomorrow!

****** no pictures.... apparently tethering with my blackberry doesnt allow me enough juice to upload pictures.... anyone know how to fix this!?!?! annoyed!

Love- Kat and Judah


PICTURES!!!! through some major practice in patience i was able to get these uploaded. enjoy!

my room. it was poop brown and now it is seductive silver

Judah LOVES his room and his bunk bed!

My faithful workers bedding down for the night in the servant quarters

Painting!

oh wow, what a mess

bird cage!

Living room

painting makes people crazy... here is the proof

Overwhelming Love

My Church family put on a surprise ice cream social last Sunday evening. They made me believe it was a typical praise night and I started off the service in the sanctuary singing "Lay it down" by Jaci Valesquez. After that Pastor Gary announced that he had something important to discuss with the church but felt that we needed to go to the fellowship hall so we would be closer together. I dont know why my mind instantly goes to the extreme negative but I started to get nervous and brief but vivid pictures of the church closing came to mind as we all made our way to the fellowship hall.

Once in there Pastor then announced that we were here to talk about Katrina. Still a bit slow I looked up in shock, and then realized that they had all been up to something. Pastor started by saying that the church would really miss my "moves" as I guess I get a little into the worship and have been known to dance a bit in service. I was afraid that instead of a goodbye party, this was going to be more of a roast as a few chimed in with different anecdotes depicting my "crazy antics". Instead it turned into a ball and bugger fest as one after another each one of my (church) family members spoke up with words of kindness, encouragement, and things that they will miss or have enjoyed about Judah and I. Not many dry eyes. I still am sitting here a week later totally amazed and overwhelmed at how many people love and support us.

Each one of you means so much to me. I really have grown so much under the care and support of my Cornerstone Christian Church family. You all have given me an opportunity to serve the Lord in new ways such as singing in the worship group (CCC TRIO!!!), allowing me to unleash my goofy side as one of the crazier VBS teachers, and most of all just loving me --- scars, antics, and all! Judah has also grown in learning more about our powerful and awesome God through Sunday school (Ms. Heidi rocks!) and Junior church.

Tomorrow will be my "last" Sunday before I move to Illinois. I will take lots of pictures and post a few of these beautiful faces that make up my lovely Cornerstone Christian Church family. My first objective once the boxes are unloaded is to find a "temporary replacement" church family in Greenville. Although, they will never compare to my CCC peeps back home.