1 thing

Wed night the adult youth team chose 1 thing that they would want to say to the students if they knew they would NEVER see them again. It was really hard to come up with a sentence but here is what we came up with. 

//Tomorrow is promised to no one, so what choice are you going to make today

//Find out who it is that God says you are, then believe it - live it out!

//God allows us to struggle in order to learn lessons we couldn't experience any other way

//Acknowledge Him in all your ways & he will direct your path (pr 3:5-6)

//Stay REAL! Dont imitate, ...Duplicate. BE yourself and LOVE yourself, and know that the only one that can JUDGE you is Jesus Christ, himself.

//Don't lose heart! Trials are temporary, focus on eternity (2 cor 4:16-18)

//You are not an accident. God has a very special purpose and plan for your life. He loves you unconditionally and wants to help you live out His purpose for your life.

//Life is full of choices, choose wisely. 

//You WILL stand before God and give an account for the way you live this life


My point: you never know when the last time you see someone is the last time you will see them. We challenged them to make every encounter one that they would be ok being remembered that way.

After we presented our "1 thing" we had some of the students share the 1 thing they would say to someone if they knew they would never see them again and I was BLOWN AWAY.

These students are incredible and we as a team, are honored and humbled to be part of such amazing people.

What is the 1 thing you would say...

check your pulse

Each Wed at youth we have a time set aside to share "check your pulse" moments.

The youth name is Pulse and we have decided to help students focus on the time between opportunity and decision. In that brief moment of time we are trying to give them so many questions that they can ask themselves before they make a decision. We want them to pause long enough to "check their pulse" and run the decision thru a few questions then make a wise decision.

A lot of times when we talk to someone after making a bad decision, we ask them "what were you thinking?" and they typically respond with "I have no idea". So we just want them to pause, check their pulse and then hopefully make a good choice.

Anyway, last night we had a student stand up and tell how he was at a party and he was being encouraged to smoke marijuana. The guy he went to the party with decided he didn't want to be around that stuff and was leaving. Now he was left with only the people who wanted him to smoke it but he said he had a "check your pulse" moment and decided that this is not the best thing for him to do. Instead of smoking, he found his friend and they left together.

I am so proud of these guys. I am equally proud of the environment this team has created to allow students to feel comfortable enough to stand up and share personal stories without fear of being judged.

My point: we all go thru junk & hard times. I think it is sad that we don't feel comfortable enough to ask for help or choose not to open up in fear of being judged instead of helped.

I am so encouraged to see the LifeChange that is taking place in these students & adult leaders - well done team!

is this the part...

I was part of a group of dads who participated in a dance routine during Hannah's recital (the dad video is on my facebook). When I was on my way to the first rehearsal I told Shayna that I was just going to keep interrupting the instructor and asking "is this the part where I rip my shirt off?"

I made the mistake of telling Konan the same story. One of the owners of Passe (the place Hannah takes dance) goes to C3 and Konan decided to share my comment with her. At practice the next week, she and her husband asked me about it - is this the part where you rip your shirt off...

You know how sometimes you do things at home that you should only do at home. Things that are funny to us at the dinner table aren't necessarily funny to do at someone elses house or in a public restaurant? You know how you have to have those conversations with your kids and explain it to them that all the conversations we have at home don't need to be repeated - THIS WAS ONE OF THEM!!!

My point: We all do or say things that everyone isn't supposed to hear. Even if we don't want them to be repeated, we should be prepared if they are.

No harm was done with this one (I actually thought it was hilarious & so did they) but how many times do we wish we wouldn't have said something or hit "send" before we thought about it.

Side humor: yesterday we were having lunch at the same place some of our friends were eating and I had Hannah (5) and Raegan (3) go to their tables and ask "is this the part where I rip my shirt off"- it was pretty funny. I guess if we can do it at home, we can do it in a restaurant...

what I am reading

Here are just a few of the resources I am into these days. 

catalyst offers some free resources (audio, ebooks) that are worth getting and taking a look at.

you can sign up to get these emailed to you each day:
seth godin has a blog worth reading. it will definitely challenge your thinking.
leadership freak is always a good read.
minute with maxwell  is a good 1 minute video clip of John Maxwell talking about a word. good to have going in the background while you are getting set up in the morning.

my point: I am always trying to learn and here are a few of the free resources I use to grow.

Let me know if you have some you like. 

oh crap!

Next Wed @ Pulse we will be talking about crap.

We all have those moments in life when we can't say anything other than "oh crap!"

We will be sharing stories about our "oh crap" moments and we will talk about how to avoid them.

We are going to talk about the ultimate opportunity for the worst "oh crap" moment ever & how to make sure you don't have it. I am sure there will be a lot of funny stories, some sad stories but the goal is to learn from those stories.

My point: when you are prepared and warned, you have no excuse. Share your "oh crap" stories so others can learn from them and learn from the stories you hear. There is no reason to repeat those moments.

I would love to hear your "oh crap" story. You can leave a comment or post on my FB wall

perfect timing

Last night @ Pulse (C3's student ministry), Jacey talked about perfect timing. It was a great message that made me ask this question. How would I live my life different if I TRULY believed that God's timing was perfect.

We can say we believe it, we may even want to believe it but if we truly believe it, why do we worry, why do we question, why do we get mad, why do we pout, why do we rush things or stall.

What if God's timing was really perfect and we lived our lives as if we believed it.

My point: We may not always get what we want when we want it and we may act like spoiled rotten kids when we don't but if we really really believed God's timing was perfect all the time - I believe our lives would be different.

How would your life be different if you really believed God's timing was perfect...

fill in the gap

In 1 Cor 13 Paul tells us what Love is. There is a part toward the end that says Love always Trusts...

When we expect something from someone and what they deliver is less than we expected, we have a gap. We choose to fill that gap with suspicion or trust. Today many C3ers made the decision to give the benefit of the doubt when there is a gap between expectations and experience.

Trust is something we choose to give or withhold. When we choose suspicion over trust we are communicating rejection. No one functions well in a relationship where they feel rejected.

My point: it feels a lot better to trust than to go thru life being suspicious and not trusting anyone. When you don't trust anyone, you are a lonely person. When you fear being hurt so bad that you won't trust anyone, you will never have meaningful fulfilling healthy relationships.

Trust is a choice: what's the downside?

Hannah

Today was the day all the hard work was on display. Weeks and weeks of practice, outfits, hair, drama and laughs came to a close today after Hannah's recital.

It was absolutely amazing putting all this work into a 3 min presentation and it was well worth it. I cried watching my 5 year old little red headed princess show her ballet moves. It wasn't a perfect performance but it was perfect to me.

I was blown away at all the work behind the scenes and all the people it takes to pull off a dance recital. They did a great job. Passe did a great job and we are very pleased with them as a dance studio and as people. We got to know them a little on a personal level as well as business.

My point: the older my kids get, the more precious time seems to become. I don't ever want to miss out because I am too busy doing something that won't matter in the future. I want to give them the greatest present I have - my presence.

It was great getting to know some of the other dads too. We got to dance a little too (if that is what you want to call it...)

kayaking

Today my oldest baby girl turned 15. I am so proud of her and wanted to do something different so I had planned a hike and along the way I was going to share 15 things I want her to always remember.

Somehow when I got on the websites to see some good trails, I came across a kayak trip. I tucked that option in my pocket and figured I would give her the choice. While we were driving I asked if she wanted to go for a hike or a kayak ride and she chose the kayak option.

Once we got in the boat, I thought of a lot of life lessons I could teach on this 1.5 hour trip. The coolest one we shared was how I am now allowing her to make more decisions for her life. A coach helps someone get where they want to go. I believe she knows what God wants her to do so it is my job to help her get there. I don't want to accomplish my will for her life, I want her to tell me what she feels God's will is for her life and I will help steer and guide thru rough waters.

We encountered some obstacles along the way, she got tired of paddling, we worked together, we communicated differently but we made it. It was a great growing experience for both of us.

My point: I want the best for my daughter and I have to begin to trust her and help her get where she feels called to be.

I will always be her daddy, I will always be there for her and I will always love her. I am sad she isn't a little girl but I am excited that she is growing into a young lady.

Happy birthday Shayna. I love you little girl... 3

guard your heart

We have an amazing team of adult leaders to help Pulse student ministry. These guys (& gals) just get it. They not only make my job easy, they make it fun.

We are seeing incredible LifeChange in so many of the students & that is contagious. We need to experience LifeChange ourselves & model it for the students.

The other day one of the team was strugglin with something & called me. She let me know that she prayed thru it & determined that there was no way she was going to let this go to her heart. She understands that what is in ur heart comes out. It was more important to her to guard her heart so when she poured out to the students, poison wouldn't come out. That is called LifeChange!

As a result of her choice to guard her heart, she was able to pour love out to the youth that night.

My point: what goes in - comes out. If u have bitterness & unforgiveness in ur heart, poison will come out.

Someone said when u choose not to forgive someone, its like drinking poison & expecting it to hurt the other person.

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ridiculous

I am sure you will have to look closer at this pic to make out what it is. Once you get past the awesome Mexican background you may notice it somewhat resembles a wallet.

This is one of the most ridiculous wallets I have ever seen. It reminded me of the wallet that George Costanza carried. It was so thick he had to see a chiropractor for back pain or shove a wadded bunch of napkins under the other butt cheek to balance his posture.

I will not mention the name of the person that carried this overstuffed wallet in a giant sized purse but we did have a good laugh at it. As crazy as it may seem, the wallet is probably very organized. I just thought it was blogworthy.

My point: You can learn a lot about people by their daily habits. The way they act when they don't think anyone is around, the way they talk to their spouse, the way they drive... What do your life habits say about you?

I am still trying to figure out what message this overstuffed wallet sends - it would've been a lot better if it were overstuffed with money, maybe my lunch would've been paid for...

Mudrun

Well for some reason a group of us thot it sounded like fun to run a 10k thru a bunch of obstacles & mud. We were right - It was a blast.

It was a beautiful day, we got to get some exercise & act like kids
again - play in mud. It was definitely a challenge but the fun and the memories we created far outweigh the aches & pains we came away with.

I am sure we will probably do it again next year but there is only the first mudrun once & I am glad we could experience it together.

My point: I love trying new things and I love creating memories. These memories just happen to include mud in places that mud should NEVER be - some memories may leave a rash...

forgot my wallet

Everyone knows how this works. You go to lunch and when it is time to pay you tell the other person that you forgot your wallet.

The problem is that if you ALWAYS forget your wallet, we begin to question if you even own a wallet.

The other day this dude we will call him "Brad" forgot his wallet - AGAIN. I was going to get a polar pop and he said I will come with you. I knew his game so I asked if he had his wallet. Guess what, he didn't. I said dude just ask me to get you one, you don't have to keep playing that old game. We had a little giggle and went to get a polar pop.

As I was getting ready to go, I saw he was filling up 2. I asked what he was doing and he said he wanted to get Konan on too. I asked how he was planning on getting Konan one when he wasn't even getting himself one. He stood there and let it sink in that he wasn't even paying for his own so how did he plan on paying for Konan's. I said "Brad if you can figure this one out, you have totally beat the system. The whole economy will be rewritten by you if you can make this work."

Once it sunk in, he just stared at me. I said, get it, I will pay for his too...

My point: don't be that guy. Don't keep making the same excuses and think people are dumb enough to believe you.

I may be dumb enough to buy it, but I don't even think you own a wallet. If you do, it definitely doesn't have any money in it. Maybe you should say "I forgot to get a job to make money to put in my wallet". At least that's believable...

whats in a name

Hannah is taking ballet & somehow I got roped into being part of the recital. I am 1 of about 30 dads who will be putting on a dance clinic.

We are kicking off the recital to a "Rocky" theme. I am learning that this white man can't dance & ain't got much rhthym BUT I will do just about anything for my girls. I figure it will be more embarrassing to them than to me so what's the downside.

I am gonna make sure I wear a C3 shirt so I can represent.

My point: who cares! Its all for fun. If I gotta watch a bunch of kids dance, they should have to watch a bunch of old guys attempt to get their groove on.

I kept interrupting the dance teacher asking "is this the part where I rip my shirt off". She didn't answer me yet, she is probably waiting on the perfect most opportune time for this public display...

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it's all about timing

Another little concept I have been trying to teach my children is timing.

As soon as Hannah gets in the car she immediately starts with "can I have..." That list goes from a snack to her book, a piece of gummy on the floor, a drink, a sleepover... you name it and she is asking for it.

I got pretty tired of answering all these so I decided to lecture a 5 year old. I told her it's all about timing. You are more likely to get what you are asking for if you pick the right time to ask. After we are all buckled up and situated is a better time to ask for a snack. When mommy is already at the refrigerator is a better time to ask for a drink. When you are being good is a better time to ask for ice cream.

I figured this went in her little red head and back out the other side just like most lectures do but to my surprise I was wrong. The other day, my 3yr old asked for something as soon as the van door shut. We didn't even have our seat belts on or van started yet and Raegan asked for a snack and a drink. I didn't even get to turn around and Hannah was saying "shhhh RaeRae, it's all about timing..."

I gave Hannah a high five and gave them both a snack.

My point: it's all about timing.

The other day Raegan asked for a little sister - too late Rae, it's all about timing...

dirty laundry

The craziest thing happens every week. I throw dirty, wet nasty clothes in this basket in my closet and out of no where a pile of folded clean laundry appears.

I throw the dirty clothes in a closet and the clean ones appear in plain view. I think it's funny that we try to hide the dirty laundry of our lives but it is much better to go thru a process to become clean so we aren't ashamed to talk about it in public.

My point: think about the things in your life that you are hiding or ashamed of and find a coach to help you identify where you are and where you want to be, then help you get there.
 
I thought about looking into this mystery but I decided to just enjoy it instead. I am so thankful that my wife does laundry but I am learning that not every stain comes out...

race for the cure

Today was the Susan G Komen race for the cure. Although it is hard to "race" with 50k people, it was a great time.

C3 represented "team Brandy" - a true hero. It was an honor to support this great cause represented by so many brave survivors.

I can't wait for the day that the mention of cancer isn't met with such uncertainty. I pray we see the day that it is treated with a shot or prescription. Until that day, we will just keep trying to raise awareness and support.

My point: I am honored to participate in such a great cause. I am humbled by the strength of so many who are affected by cancer.

It was awesome running with my wife. The best part of the course was the stretch of motorcycles revving their engines in support. It was quite an adrenaline rush.

easily offended

I saw a little girl the other day and I found myself trying to guess how old she was. I thought about my kids and decided that this little girl was about 3 yrs old.

I realized I stink at guessing people's ages. I would be horrible at the carnival game to guess ages. Then I started thinking about people's spiritual age. Wouldn't it be cool to be able to determine someone's spiritual maturity.

If we could do that, we could partner the mature ones with the less mature believers. Then I heard a statement that said "you can determine your spiritual maturity by how easily offended you are".
Uh oh...

If we can determine how spiritually mature someone is by how easily offended they are, there are a lot of immatture so-called believers up in the house!

If you find yourself being offended I would challenge you to take a long hard look at your relationship with Jesus.

My point: If you are easily offended, you are immature. If that statement just offended you - you proved my point.

yo momma

Well it had to be done - a shout out to all the mom's.

Without you, none of us would be here.

I am so thankful for my mom. She is an amazing woman and I continue to learn lessons from years of being around her. I see the selflessness, sacrifice, wisdom, heart, kindness... I could go on but you would just agree. (Hopefully you can say the same about yo momma)

My mom is amazing and there is nothing in this world I can do to thank her enough for all she has done and continues to do. I am so grateful that my children get to be around her and absorb some of the qualities she has to offer.

My point: I love my mom - period!

Now if you didn't already do it, go tell yo momma Happy Mother's Day!

be a miracle

I remember when I was wondering why God doesn't seem to "do" miracles anymore. I know that I was focusing on what I defined as a miracle and then I realized that He does still do miracles and sometimes He will allow us to be part of them.

I got to witness this the other night. There is a couple that needed a financial miracle and God came thru in an "anonymous" way.

I had the priviledge of being right in the middle of it. "Anonymous" contacted me and said to let the couple know that God took care of the need.

I got to see first hand the reaction and even tho some may not consider it a "miracle" because an anonymous person took care of it, there were no arguments from the couple that needed it.

My point: God still does miracles and sometimes we get to be part of them.

Go be a miracle to someone...

partnership

I absolutely love C3 church. Last night we made a covenant with 8 incredible people to partner with the vision of "loving people to LifeChange".

These people join many others who have already vowed to "connect, grow, serve and give". They agreed that they will lock arms with other partners of C3 church to show the love of Christ.

I am so humbled to be part of a church with a Pastor who has a God sized vision and a group of people that will do whatever it takes to see more people experience God's love.

My point: we are family and I love seeing people excited about their lives changing and helping other lives change too.

My book cover

If I were to ever write a book this would be my cover.

This is a pic my wife took & obviously edited. I think it is amazing how u can take a pic of something and make it look different. That got me thinking, if a software program can make me look different, what can the one who created me do.

The edited pic is only external but the LifeChange that Jesus brings is internal which leads to outward acts.

My point: we can all appear to be something & with enough work we can fool a lot of people but real change happens on the inside & that is harder to fake (longterm).

I have a friend who says she will never buy a book if the authors face is the cover, maybe I should reconsider my cover because she may be one of the 6 people who would actually buy it...

You can check out some more awesome pics by clicking here

axiom

I try to reinforce behaviors by repeating little bullet statements. Bill Hybels wrote a book called axiom & uses these statements to help him filter decisions.

One that I have seen working is "smiles & hugs". Hannah & Rae dont always wake up the most cheerful little princesses but now we made a rule that when u get up u have to smile & gives hugs. That helps get over the grumpy butt attitude.

It doesnt always work but it gets them thinking about their attitude. They now remind each other (& us) to smile & give hugs - thats how I know its working.

My point: I am not always going to be around but if I can leave some axioms to help my kids be better people & make better decisions, I am ok with that.

A shout out to my dad who without realizing it helped me see how effective repitition is. He used to always say "do it right the first time so u dont have to do it again" (among others). I dont always do it right the first time but I always hear him telling me to.

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inspirational socks

To the untrained eye this may just look like a very patriotic sock.

Upon further review this is the actual sock (yes I wore both of them) that I wore to run a marathon. That is not what makes this pair of socks significant tho...

These socks were given to me as I was training for the marathon and they came with encouragement and a belief that I could do it.

My friend Konan gave me these socks. He gave them to me and told me that he belived I could do it even tho I have never run distance before. I remember deciding that these would be the socks I would actually wear to run the marathon. Not because of the really cool colors but because of the message and inspiration (not to mention the absorbtion of perspiration).

I remember when I "hit the wall" while running and thinking that there are people who believe in me. Having someone believe in you is one of the most motivating things there is.

I pictured my family at the finish line, remembered all the training and replayed the words of encouragement that people poured into my life. That is what helped me finish strong.

My point: people become what you encourage them to be, not what you nag them to be...

Thanks for the socks and encouragement. (I am not sure if he let me have them or just borrow them but either way, he ain't gettin them back...)

who dresses these kids

Does anyone else see what I see?

I have a Rockin' MOM

Mommy's little angel

I think if I try hard enough I could go thru old boxes in the basement and find an old bib or something with a statement about daddy but what the heck...

I was giving my wife a hard time the other day when I came home to see my two littlest princess' dressed in "mommy" shirts. I made them stand together and forced my wife to read them out loud just to make sure she saw what I saw. We had a good laugh (I only laughed on the outside, inside I was bawling like a baby) and went about our day. 

My point: I agree with both statements on these shirts. My wife is "Rockin" and Raegan is a little angel. I love that my wife takes great care of them and it is her right to buy them clothes that make positive "mommy" statements. 

I know my girls love me. I gotta go, I am going shopping to find them some clothes - if they happen to have a "daddy" statement, it will be a total coincidence...

warranty

I got a haircut the other day. She did the best she could with what she had to work with.

When I was finished she handed me my reciept and explained my warranty. Yep, I got a warranty with my haircut.

I thought - how many people actually use the haircut warranty. What would be a reason you would use a haircut warranty. Is this warranty like most other warranties where you go in and they just tell you that all "other" problems would be covered but not the one you came in with.

Why in the name of all that is pure and good do we need a haircut warranty? I can't think of a situation where I would march in and show them my warranty and demand that my haircut be fixed. How do you fix a bad haircut? If you screwed it up the first time, why would I want you to do it again. My hair is short - how do you fix short - bald?

This haircut warranty cracked me up.

My point: I can think of a lot of things that need a warranty but a haircut - come on - really? I would shave my head and eyebrows before I tried to redeem a haircut warranty.

I will definitely be going back to the haircut warranty place. If I can pay the same price for a haircut or a haircut WITH A WARRANTY - I will go with the warranty (even tho I will NEVER use it...)

GIVE ME A BREAK!

angry birds

My wife told me something was wrong with the dryer so when I went to investigate I pulled it away from the wall and pulled the vent hose thingy off and a few little sticks fell out. I took the whole thing off and began to shake it and out poured what used to be a nest. I then reached my hand into the back of the dryer and pulled out more nest looking stuff and a cute little blue egg.

Apparently our outside vent doesn't have a screen on it. It does have a flapper but the bird was smart enough to raise it up and get in without much effort.

After I cleaned it up I thought about the surprise the bird was gonna have when it returned to see it's house was destroyed and the egg was gone. It was gonna be one angry bird. I thought what a stupid place to build a nest but then after I thought about it more, it was the perfect place to nest an egg. Our dryer was incubating the egg in the momma birds absence. We kept her egg warm so she could go out and attend all the birdy parties.

My point: put a screen on your vent because there is a homeless angry bird looking for a new place of residence.

I love the angry bird app

a hero comes along...

Every week Hannah goes to ballet and if I take her I usually sit out in the room with Raegan and play angry birds or read Rae a book.  The other parents crowd around a small window to watch the kids fall all over each other.

Tonight the teachers said we can come in and watch so I figured - this oughta be good & got out the droid to video it. I didn't really know what to expect from a bunch of 5 year olds but I absolutely loved it.

They did a dance to the song "hero" and I couldn't stop myself from getting all teary eyed! I thought - this moment is not gonna last very long. This beautiful little red headed ballerina princess is gonna be graduating college before I know it and I hope to be seen as her hero.

Hannah hero video

My point: I can only hope that my kids love me half as much as I love and respect my parents. These moments won't last forever so I need to cherish them and live a life worthy to be her hero.

Being a dad is the best!

clearance

shirt vest

I can't believe that this little number was on the clearance rack.

I find it kinda comical when I see the sweater vest. I am not sure I found anyone sport them quite like Tressel.

I am at a meeting today in Polaris and it is quite common to see multiple sweater vests make an appearance. I decided to conform to the pattern of the people - I went vest!

I never thougth I would buy a sweater vest (I still haven't - its not a sweater), but when I saw this gem hanging on the rack, I decided it was a must buy. There is no downside to having this baby in your closet. It is a very versatile. You can dress it up or down. It was a great purchase.

My point: I saw an amazing opportunity to grab it and the price was right so I pulled the trigger and made it mine.

I can't believe that it was so cheap and there were a ton of them - go figure!

Prove it

I have brean praying for a friend and I made the comment to call me if he needs to talk. I said I would "make" time for him if he needed me.

Last night I had my bag packed for the gym, it was loaded in my car, I had all my clothes ready, alarm was set and MY plans were set. Then I got a text...

My friend asked if I had time to talk @ 6:30a tomorrow morning. I didn't have to think about it, I just had to do what I said I would do - prove it.

After I said yes, I started rearranging my plans. I had to reset the alarm (now getting less sleep), repack or unpack the gym bag & rearrange my schedule. SO WHAT!

I meet with people all the time but this is a FRIEND who took me up on my offer to be there day or night. I was honored that he trusted me enough to share.

I didn't feel the need to tell him all the things that I would now have to change and what make it look like it is some huge sacrifice - I did what a friend would do, I did what he would've done, I did what I SAID I would do - my friend just asked me to prove it with my actions.

My point: lots of people say things like "I am here if you need anything" but then they aren't. Or they throw out the right thing to say but not everyone proves it. Anyone can make an excuse - don't be that guy...

the value of a penny

The value of a penny doesn't seem to be much anymore. Usually when I see one laying on the ground I walk right by it - until now...

Now I pick up every penny I see because there is a "penny horse" named Sandy at our local grocery store. The penny has incredible value now because it makes 2 little girls happy.

That penny may not be able to buy much but it can get me about 1 min of nothing but smiles & creates some great memories.

My point: value is determined by you. If you are looking for the big purchase, a penny isn't gonna get it. If you are looking for smiles and memories - the penny is gonna do the trick (for now...)

embrace the chaos

My wife and 2 youngest daughters went out of town for a few days. Of course I knew I would miss them but I figured I make the most of the peace & quiet.

Before they left, Hannah was playing and hanging on my leg. I asked her to stop because I couldn't walk, then Raegan wanted "up daddy, up" and I told her to wait a minute while I finished what I was doing.

I looked at Deni and said, you know as soon as they are gone I am gonna wish Hannah was hanging on my leg while Rae is wanting me to hold her...

They aren't gonna be gone long but I really miss the chaos. I miss hearing the noise of the scooters riding thru the kitchen, I want to hear "mommy, Raegan isn't helping me clean up" or "mommy, Hannah took that from me". I want to have to tell them to "stop playing and eat your dinner".

Then it's the bedtime routine - bath is always interesting followed by the reasons they are not ready for bed yet. They need the story - a drink of water - you forgot to turn on my light - I can't find my stuffed bear I sleep with... Then and only then can you try to squeeze in some down time. Maybe catch a TV show but then you gotta get ready for tomorrow.

I look at my 2 youngest girls (ages 5 & 3) then look Shayna (age 14) and think - I LOVE my life. I enjoy  the ages and all the drama & chaos that comes with it.

My point: could I use some more peace & quiet - we all could, but I would rather have the chaos with my girls then the quiet without them. The quiet will come way too soon, so I will embrace the chaos and create some lasting memories.

it has been thrown...

So once again I enter the blogosphere. 

gauntlet

No, I didn't just randomly check back in - I was challenged to enter!

The king of cliche, Brent Salyers has started blogging again and has "thrown down the gauntlet" (look at me using a cliche...). 

The challenge is to blog at least 3 times a week. If either of us fail to meet the criteria, we have to take the other out to lunch. 

Now, I see this as a no lose situation on my part. 

//I get to read his blogs 3x a week - win. 

//If I don't do my part, I get to go to lunch with him - win. 

Not a bad deal.  

Since I knew I was going to use the cliche "throwing down the gauntlet" I figured I would look into it. What I found was pretty interesting. Back in the day, the "gauntlet" was actually a glove looking thing they wore on their hand. When an challenge was issued, the maker of the challenge would take it off and throw it on the ground. If the person being challenged accepted - they picked it up. 

I guess I would rather have the gauntlet thrown than to have to run the gauntlet (you can look that one up...)

My point: I love a challenge, especially one that I win either way. 

Be sure to see if he is doing his part by checking out his blog