Perfection

Sheridan mastered wii bowling and scored a PERFECT game, 12 strikes. I'm quite sure no one else in our family has even come close.

Family

A family that prays together, stays together. I'm so thankful for my family that has completely stepped up and helped me with VBS this week. They have done more than any volunteers, Richard even being the funny guy in a skit we did every day. I could not be more grateful for their support and love for me.

VBS WEEK

Overwhelmed with the peace that I have this week. I didn't expect it, not with over 250 kids and 130 volunteers at VBS! Everyone is just stepping up and doing exactly what we're asking them to do: loving on kids, counting kids, feeding kids, teaching kids...it's a beautiful thing.

Passion Flower

According to Wikipedia: The "Passion" in "passion flower" refers to the passion of Jesus in Christian theology. In the 15th and 16th centuries, Spanish Christian missionaries adopted the unique physical structures of this plant, particularly the numbers of its various flower parts, as symbols of the last days of Jesus and especially his crucifixion:

• The pointed tips of the leaves were taken to represent the Holy Lance.
• The tendrils represent the whips used in the flagellation of Christ.
• The ten petals and sepals represent the ten faithful apostles (excluding St. Peter the denier and Judas Iscariot the betrayer).
• The flower's radial filaments, which can number more than a hundred and vary from flower to flower, represent the crown of thorns.
• The chalice-shaped ovary with its receptacle represents a hammer or the Holy Grail
• The 3 stigmas represent the 3 nails and the 5 anthers below them the 5 wounds (four by the nails and one by the lance).
• The blue and white colors of many species' flowers represent Heaven and Purity.

Camp Week

This week all the girls are at camp. So thankful for FB  and friends who are sending me pics. Sheridan is having a GREAT TIME during her first week away from home. I couldn't be more thankful for Becky who took her and our kids from church. On the first night she called me and told me they were sharing a cabin with kids from Gentry, they were all 12 years old, but still very nice. This afternoon she called and asked if it was ok if she spray painted her hair blue. Ha!

 

 

The big girls are at a camp with 5000 others...our church group has theme nights and dresses up for every night. The other 4950 don't. I've heard it's hilarious. Here are pics from razorback night and super hero night. AND, a pic of Lauren from the camp 5K! I'm SO VERY THANKFUL for these opportunities for my kids to be there!

 

 

 

Father's Day

Richard has wanted this tool box for a long time. He almost didn't want to leave town this week so he could organize all his tools! He's a happy Father.

I heart VBS

I love VBS for many reasons, one being that I believe it's the best week in the life of the church family. More people get out of their comfort zone and have the BEST time doing it than at any other time of the year. I volunteered this year to be the director for our church. It looks like this will be the last year we don't have someone on staff who will be leading.  Last year we organized it by committee but I've had my hand out of service in a big way for a few years and I knew that it was something I needed to do this year.

It's been hard. Not because of the work, because I've been working on it little by little since March. It's been hard because it's so easy to be disappointed with church members who don't "get" that they will be hugely blessed by giving up time and energy for God's work. VBS is just one of the many many ways people can serve, I know that. However, it's one of the easiest. Even if you don't want to work directly with children (which is just crazy talk). There's just too much to do...cutting 300 hands, painting a cardboard castle, helping buy the snacks to feed over 300 each day, inviting neighbors, making thousands of copies of all kinds of paperwork, acting out the part of Esther on Tuesday, leading the music, collecting the offering.... I often have to stop in the middle of working on things and pray that no one will bail out without telling me and that we will have the right amount of people to handle the typical 300 kids we have for the week. I will also continue to pray for 4 more adult leaders to help with sweet preschool children and for those who are volunteering to be blessed beyond what they can handle.

Next week...an unheard of 5 DAYS alone! Richard is going to his annual company meeting, Lauren and Erin are going to Falls Creek Camp, and Sheridan is going to her first week at Camp Siloam! Ryan is in the Dominican Republic until June 28. Monday-Friday...by myself, working on VBS of course.

Signs of Summer

It's beautiful outside! Beach towels are drying over lawn chairs...the garden is growing...the grass (the new stuff) needs watered, and Sheridan hit a HIGH in Wii bowling today! Right after we took this picture...she bowled 11 strikes and one spare and hit 279! SUMMER FUN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 

Lauren is 18! We had a huge lunch with a full table on Sunday and celebrated. We planned a canoe trip for Wednesday and that will be her present from us. It seems like we're gone a lot in June, we've spent her birthday at ball fields, on the beach, in Branson, at amusement parks...but this year at home. She started a new job on Monday but we've planned a canoe trip (her first) on Wednesday to celebrate family style! LOVE this girl...can't wait to see what kind of fun she's going to have in school next year and what big plans God has for her future!  

Conference Time

 

5th Annual Rhea Lana's Owner's Conference: Little Rock Crown Plaza. It's been a strange year with my business. I had huge sales and more volunteers than ever. I had very successful events but I'm more removed from the corporate side of the business than I've ever been, and I wasn't sure what to expect at the conference. However, it was just a few minutes into the first gathering when I remembered why I really love spending time with the other owners. I really love knowing that I helped some of them accomplish things in their businesses. I really like encouraging them or sharing something I've already learned. It's a great feeling to be valuable, even in a room full of people with high IQs and professional job titles. I'm always humbled by their wisdom and ingenuity.

 

This year my sale won some big awards. We've had record-breaking sales this year in lots of areas and it was very rewarding to be recognized for the hard work of my managers, leaders and volunteers and the success of my 10 year old sale.  I'm thankful for a job where I can use my talents and also where I can make a difference in our community.

 

 

 

Outtakes

You'd think we were asking everyone to work in the yard all day...in their nice clothes, in the rain...lots of sarcasm/tension during the impromptu photo session. I got frustrated before we started because there were so many questions about clothing (we eventually chose tshirts and 'other')...and then...where we were deciding where to sit... It reminded me of stressful Sunday mornings when the kids were little telling them "We're going to church to worship Jesus and we're going to be happy about it!" Today:  "We're taking a family picture to record our fabulous family and you better put smiles on your faces!"

TOGETHER - TODAY

All 6 of us...in the same place, at the same time. June 1st, 2013.

Monday: Ryan heads to the Dominican Republic for one month, (note: must get him to LR by 6:30am)
Monday: Erin begins Summer Swim Practice (8am-9am) and Driver's Ed (9am-3pm)
Monday: Lauren starts her new job
Monday: First VBS meeting, countdown 24 days...
Monday: Richard is out of town until Wednesday