Weekend of Awesome

Happy Monday, all! I can only hope your weekend was as full of awesome as ours was! Friday night, Mr. Man and Da Boy got crazy doing laundry, and I couldn't resist grabbing the camera. Most of the pictures that we took (Da Boy snagged the camera from me and snapped several) didn't turn out too well, seems like my camera doesn't do 'action' very well! :)

This is how it all started! 

Yes, that's Da Boy as Mr. Man dumps all the clean laundry on him

Then came the "sock fight"

I only wish I had thought to do a video instead of photos. 

Would have been epic!

Saturday, Mr. Man, Da Boy and I hopped in the car and drove over to the Nevada State Railroad Museum for our first family train ride.

As they blew the train whistle and I snapped this pic,  I realized how awesome it is to be Da Boy's Mom.

After the train ride, we gave Day Boy the first installment of his allowance - Three whole dollars per week, for doing his chore list. Which, by the way, is no simple task! It includes helping with dishes, taking out his trash and helping with the laundry (hence the sock fight above!). He's been doing great, so he got his allowance.  We took him to Target and he picked out some Hot Wheels cars and paid for them himself. I've never seen him prouder. Wish I'd had the camera with me for that! 

Later that afternoon we hooked up with my "adopted" parents, Alice and Lou, for church. Service and worship were amazing, as usual, and Pastor Bill really hit the nail on the head with some points about staying with God's plan, even when it seems like it's changing. It really made me think about this new blog design business I'm opening (tomorrow, hint-hint). But, we'll talk about that later...

After church, the whole famn-damily went to the chinese restaurant for dinner and then we headed out to see the Comstock Cowboys perform at the Carson City Rendezvous.  It was a lot of fun (except the part where Da Boy ran away, off into the grass all the way to the cars before I finally caught up with him and just about whacked him one in public!) The music was great and all the ladies and gentlemen in their costumes were wonderful.

Sunday we took it easy, and enjoyed a yummy dinner out in our front yard. It was pretty laid-back for the most part, and today it's "catch up" time. The grand opening for iSparkle Designs is tomorrow, and needless to say - I'm not ready. But - it'll work for now, and I think as long as I can get some more followers on that blog, it'll turn out just fine. Time for me to go, however, Da Boy is chanting "I unnnnry" at me and begging for lunch.

Good News and Better News

The good news is... Mr. Man and I started a new class at church last night called "Church History". I've been looking forward to this class for months now, ever since they first started talking about offering it. So, we grabbed our bibles and headed to class, after dropping Da Boy off at the church child care room. Besides the teacher, our class totaled 11 people. We were given the book "The Church in History" by B.K. Kuiper and with that and a Power Point, we got to work. This class is exactly what I've been praying for; an in-depth study of the Christian church, from Jesus to modern time, including a study in the denominations.

I'm so happy that we signed up for this class, it's going to be difficult; we are already in a growth group, plus regular church and our own daily devotionals, also Mr. Man is in a men's group studying the Book of Mark. I spent 2 hours last night, transcribing my notes and the power point to a notebook, and that was just for the first class! But, I think it'll be good for us, and I'm happy to see that Mr. Man is also excited about it.


The better news is.... the test results are in and I don't have to have surgery on my back! Can I get a woot woot?!  If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go read the post in which I explain whats wrong. I was pretty worried to have this test done, alone, but it turned out that it was no big deal and I'm just a wussy. Go me. I took Da Boy over to a friend's house for a bit, and he had a blast. The doctor that did the test was wonderful, very kind and gentle. Yes, he gave me the "if you don't quit smoking you are going to die" lecture, but I don't mind that, especially since Mr. Man and I are trying to quit. This test was really uber important because basically it would tell us if there was any nerve damage in my back or legs, and if so,  I would need surgery. But... there's not any! Just irritation, which I can alleviate with physical therapy, anti-inflammatory meds and quitting smoking. I really believe that God heard all of our prayers, and also the prayers of our friends. Some might call it luck, or even Fate... but I know the truth. I have been so blessed in this life, and I know that God wouldn't let me down this time.

4 Days of Awesome

(back-dated from 5/12/2010)

Mr. Man and I went on the most amazing trip this last weekend! He took Friday and Monday off, and we packed our bags and headed to Roseville, CA! The setting was perfect... 80 degree weather, Mr. Man in shorts, me in a purple tank top and flip flops (and pants, gettchur head outta the gutter!!) The plans were exciting... The Larkspur Landing Hotel, Bayside Church (including Ray Johnston and Lincoln Brewster)  The Dead Sea Scrolls, and Chick-Fil-A! 

P.S. the links I've set up for you here - consider them a total RECOMMEND!

 All this.... and I was sick. Hardly said 10 words the whole trip, simply because of the fact that I had no voice with which to speak. Snot, however, I had in abundance. Oh, and a plugged-up ear. Oh yeah. Thanks. It was great. No really, I mean - even with the being sick and dizzy part (especially through the DSS exhibit) it was awesome. Bayside is massive! Lincoln Brewster was incredible, it was like being in the 3rd/center (yes I said THIRD) row at a concert that I didn't have to pay for. I would have taken pictures, but since it was during service, I didn't think it was appropriate. We ate Chick-Fil-A twice in one day... since we don't have one within 2 hours drive of here, we kinda go overboard when we can get it. The hotel was wonderful, I can't tell you to go there when you travel enough - it's worth it! Oh and if you DO go .. bring me back the body soaps and lotions, oh, and the shampoos & conditioners too - seriously. They are the best I've ever seen and I want more!

Sure, I can do that!

Ok, ok... so I'm here to brag a little. But it's my blog, so I'm allowed to. Two weeks ago, Princess and I were talking, and she asked me if I could do some graphics work for Children's Ministry at our church. Lately, I haven't had any graphics work to do but my own, like my blog template. So I was really excited when this chance came up! Yeah no problem, said I.  We emailed back and forth about it and I finally came up with 3 different designs.

They picked the second design, and I'm actually really happy with it. This morning when I showed the designs to Josh, that's the one he picked as well. Regardless, I'm proud as a peacock to have even been asked to do the job, and prouder still that they chose one of my designs.

So, I feel like I'm getting back into the swing of things, graphically speaking, and I've offered my designing skills to a friend for her new blog. I've also been thinking of having a little contest on here, with the prize being a graphic "something". Don't know if I want to do a blog template, or what... but once I decide, I'll set up a contest on the Reader's Choice page. Let me know if y'all have any ideas for this, or what you think of the idea.
~Miranda

Catch up!

The last 4 days have been filled with adventure and excitement, so I thought I'd share a little of it with you!

Thursday evening Mr. Man, Da Boy and I visited some friends in the Valley for dinner and growth group discussion. We had a lot of fun, both families are blended, so we spent a lot of time talking about our kids, our families, and our exs. It was actually really interesting to hear other people going through the same things we are in regards to "step-parents" and "birth-parents". Da Boy had fun too - he spent the evening playing with their two kids, and being read to by them. lol

Friday morning, Da Boy and I went to the church and helped the Princess paint one of the children's ministry rooms. We weren't able to stay long, but had a good time with her and two other friends, Alice and Jessica.

Saturday was a blast... we took da boy to the Nevada State Railroad Museum! We bought our tickets (his was free) and spent some time looking at all the trains and pictures of trains from our area. I totally forgot the camera (my bad) but I managed to find a dollar for Da Boy and he bought two teeny plastic train shaped beads and one of those flattened out pennies with a train imprint on it.

 

Then, after lunch, we went shopping to finish out our outfits for Sunday.  Mr. Man needed a belt and I needed a necklace, so we headed to JCP for it all. Didn't spend much, but managed to get just what we needed. Church service on Saturday was great - the Princess sang on stage for worship, and even though she doesn't think so she ROCKED! She has a beautiful voice, and she shines with God's love when she sings! 

Yesterday it snowed allllllll day but luckily none of it stuck and we spent the morning desperately trying to find something to do with my hair, and settled, finally, on a Bumpit. Shuddup. It worked and that's all that matters. After watching the Nascar race, we got ready for the Thanks To You event at the church. We got there and it was wonderful!! Elegant, glamorous and pretty, with everyone dressed up and smiling! 

 

Jessica, Princess, and Miranda

Mr. and Mrs. Man

 

Miranda and Chandra

Again, I forgot the camera. I think I'm gonna have to get me a new one, something small enough to fit in my purse, because mine is bulky and heavy so I never carry it around. Da Boy is now eating his cereal and playing with his "bloons!" that we got at the party last night. I can't believe it's already time for him to go back again... only a few more days and then he'll be gone. Time to get off the computer and spend some time with my boy!

Princesses, surgeons, & snowmen

It's 9 AM - do you know where your hand surgeon is? GUESS WHAT FOLKS?! It's consult day with my new hand doctor! Don't worry, I'm not late yet - my appointment is at 1:30pm. I think.. maybe 1:10pm? I guess I'd better call and make sure. lol

What an interesting, tear-filled, headache inducing last week/weekend I've had. Boy, I don't even know where to start. Guess I should start out by apologizing. So, I'm sorry I didn't post much this last week - and that which I did post, kinda sucked. It's not that I didn't have anything to post about (because really I did!!) I just wasn't feeling up to sharing. So, forgive me, and I'll fill you in about my last week and weekend.

Tuesday and Wednesday last week were great for the most part! Da Boy and I crafted, all three of us went to church (I do childcare and MrMan works in the tech booth) It was great. I even took pics of the things that Da Boy and I made... wanna see?

Da Boy, crafting! 

  

This was our sugar sprinkles heart we made for Daddy 

 I has a fishie!

Close up of fishie.

Snowmen! Mine has green buttons, Da Boy chose red buttons.

I made him a flower, and he spent half the day with it :)

On Thursday, I took Da Boy to daycare so his birth father could pick him up - it'll be 2 weeks before I see him again. February 10th, to be exact. Afterwards, I met Princess for coffee, which believe me - I needed that!! She is always so uplifting and real - I just love this gal! I don't know what I would do without these "coffee breaks" with my friend. Oh, and remember me telling you about the Pastor's wife whom I cried over last week? Well, she's gonna go to coffee with us next time!!  squee

I spent Friday cleaning the house - literally from top to bottom so that no one would be embarrassed when Princess and her hubz came over that night with our new table! Yay!! We weren't sure we were going to get said table, but in the end it was perfect for us and we love it! You would have a pic, but my camera battery is charging and I'm too lazy to go and check to see if it's ready. I have too many other things to tell you first!

Saturday was church, and it was fantabuloso! Sunday, however, was a bit different. Sunday, our church held a "members only" meeting, and we voted in our new Pastor. I was totally overwhelmed by the whole thing, and cried through most of it. Not because I was upset or disappointed, (I'm actually happy and excited about it) but because I just flat-out couldn't find a better way to express my emotions. My Mom used to tell me I "cry for everyone that can't" - in other words I cry all the damn time, and over some of the most ridiculous things.

Today I have my consult meeting with the hand surgeon (at 1:30, I just checked), although I'm having second thoughts about the surgery. Since my last doctor appt with Dr. Yamamoto, my cyst has shrunken so much that I can move it back and forth and mostly without pain. I can type, do dishes and laundry, and my own hair (thank you very much!) I know some of it has to do with the meds the doctor put me on, but I also know that most of it has to do with God, and the fact (that I didn't know) that I had several people praying for healing for me. Can I get an Amen?


So, until 1pm, I'm going to sit here and work on a new blog design - eventually I will have my own, custom design and not a pre-built template! At least, that's the plan. I wish I could draw... I know the art I want, I just don't know anyone who will do it for free. Cuz yeah, I'm broke. Well, I'm too broke to pay for art for a blog anyways.

I miss Da Boy like crazy, but I'm not gonna let that get me down right now. I have work tonight, and the little hellions will keep me too busy to think about him it'll be fun to hang out with all the little ones.

My weekend in review

This last weekend was a doozy - I'm still reeling from certain aspects of it, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon. A few months ago, we were notified that our senior Pastor would be leaving to start a new church in California, and needless to say, I found the news a bit... stressful. Last Tuesday we were notified that another of our Pastors would be moving on, and that the Saturday service would be a "send off" for him and his wife.So, sick though we've been, Mr. Man, Da Boy and I made it to church. The place was packed! The only time we have that many people on a Saturday is for Easter or Christmas services. After a stirring worship session and a powerful sermon, they brought up the Pastor and his wife. It was explained that they have heard the call of the Lord and will be moving to our newest affiliate church in North Lake Tahoe. Then, like 3/4 of the church stood up and walked to the stage! All of these extra people were from the other church - come to welcome their new Pastor. WOW! I was astonished! What a fantastic gesture! Then they said the name of the church. My eyes got big, my head snapped up, and all of a sudden I couldn't seem to breathe. It just happens to be the church I married my first husband in. It also just happens to be the church Mr. Man's ex-wife and husband go to. You have got to be kidding me. Then, as I looked into the face of our ex-Pastor's wife, I started crying. I don't know her well, we haven't become 'friends' or anything,  but I can't imagine her not being there anymore. She is the one that handed me the sponsor packet for our little girl in Africa. She called me by name when she handed it to me saying "Miranda, this one is for you." At the time, I didn't even know she knew my name. Since then, we've shared a couple of jokes (they are form Texas, I used to live there also) we've talked about Da Boy and potty training, and wished each other a Merry Christmas with a hug. So why was I blubbering like a baby? Because she had tears in her eyes? No ... it's because I'm so absolutely sick of losing people.  They just keep leaving, and it seems that when they do - they never come back. They either pass on to Glory, or move too far to visit, or whatever, but I never see them again and I'm totally fed up with it. There's a reason I like things the way they are. Seems to me when things change, it's not usually for the better. Hhmmmpp.


What? There's more, you ask? Oh, that's just the beginning of my weekend! After church, Chris (who also had tears in his eyes, thank you very much!) offers to take us to one of the casinos for dinner at their cafe. We get there, Da Boy has fallen asleep in the backseat, I carry him in and we sit down. We order our dinners - Chris got a sandwich with green chilies, Da Boy orders a hot dog, and I get a taco salad. We all color Da Boy's menu while we wait (I was going to scan it in for you, but I'm too friggin lazy. Just know that it was awesome) and begin to devour it when the food arrives.  Chris is done first (of course) and as I'm taking my 4th bite of salad his work phone rings. He answers it (because he's on call this week) and I hear "Yeah I'll be there as soon as I can". I look around the table - Chris is done, Da Boy is working on an onion ring and has half of his hot dog left, and I haven't even made a dent in my dinner yet. Ok. So I chase after the waitress and get two to-go boxes and the check. We hightail it out of there and race home. Chris jumps in his work truck and Da Boy and I sit down to finish our dinner. Da Boy asks when Daddy will be home and I say "soon honey, it won't take too long". HA! HA! Friggin HA! That was at 7pm. Da Boy and I played his little bingo game and two rounds of checkers. I gave him a bath and read him a story, I put him to bed at 9:15.  By midnight I was so tired I could barely stand and I'd cleaned everything short of the toilets and the floors. I'd read some of my book, I'd colored in my coloring book (shuddup, I like it) I'd checked my farm on facebook. Da Boy woke up at 12:30 and told me "I can't go to sleep" I put him back in bed where he promptly fell back to sleep. Chris finally made it home at 1:30 in the morning. Sigh.

Sunday (what, you think my weekend was only one day long?) was our "rest up" day. Da Boy woke up around 8am and I got up with him, trying to let Chris sleep a bit. I get Da Boy all settled with cereal and orange slices and Sesame Street, and I grab my coffee and head outside for a cigarette. I put my foot on the one step down to the garage, and fall. Seriously. Somehow as I am falling, I manage to spill all of the coffee in my cup, yet set the thing down softly and upright directly in front of me. I thought my ankle is broken. It's not, thankfully, but it certainly felt like it. I managed to get back up, hobble into the kitchen and call Da Boy to help me. He runs over, helps me out of my hazel-nut drenched sweater, and pulls up my pant leg to see if I am bleeding (I love my little doctor) Since I wasn't, I refill my coffee cup and head (slowly) back outside. By the time I get back in, Chris is up, and I am having trouble walking. My leg is fine, but my back is out. Grrrrr.

We spent the rest of the day, alternating between watching football, napping, and playing games - all with me on the heating pad.

You think Mondays suck? I'll trade you your Monday for my weekend anytime!

Changes

Why must things always change, right when I'm getting used to them? What IS that? Is it me? Seems like everytime I get into something, I start feeling comfortable and then WHAM! the whole thing gets turned upside down and inside out.

What am I talking about? I'm talking about my church. Which also happens to be my workplace. *sigh* Before Chris and I started going to CVC, we hadn't been going to church at all. Our previous church was out of the question; the people were rude, the church did nothing but ask for money, and it just wasn't working out - we weren't learning anything. We didn't 'feel' it.

The first time I went to CVC, I didn't really want to go. I didn't want to have to deal with the whole 'give God your money and you'll go to heaven' rigamorol. So, I took a deep breath and waited for it to come. It never did. I spent that hour and a half entranced by the music, the fellowship, the sermon. Mostly, I was entranced by the Pastor. Everything he said that day was designed specifically for me and about the things that were going on it my life. Right then and there I knew I'd found it. Finally, I'd found my "home church". I re-affirmed my pledge to Jesus and haven't looked back once. So many things in my life have changed since then. God has been working overtime in my life. Every Saturday, we go to church, and every Saturday I learn something, about God, about the bible, about myself.

Pastor John has changed my life. I am totally ok with that change. The change I'm having trouble with is this...

He's leaving. They've changed the name of the church from Carson Valley Christian Center to LifePoint Church. Why? I have no idea. I'm a little distressed about the name change, but I can live with it (Why on Earth would they chose 'Life Point' when there are 15 kazillion churches called that?) What I'm having trouble with is the fact that the one person who has EVER been able to lead me to Jesus and KEEP me there is going away. It may sound absurd but I feel a bit abandoned. Like a Dad who decides that he doesn't want to live with his wife and kids anymore, and says he's leaving. Maybe it's because I had just found God for the first time about a month before my Dad passed away. I don't know - and that's not something I'm inclined to get into right here right now. All I know is that all this is changing and I'm stressed about it. I can't stop thinking about this, and I don't know what to do. I can't change it, I know that. I need to change my reaction to it. But how? I've been praying about it everyday since I found out, and yet God doesn't seem to want to help me work it out. I don't even know where Pastor John is going, I just know he's leaving. Who is going to be our new Pastor? I have an idea, but I pray and hope that I'm wrong. If I'm not, I know for a fact that several families will not be attending church there any longer. Ours will be one of them, I'm afraid.  I don't want to leave CVC, uh, LifePoint, but we'll have to see what happens I guess. I'm not going to quit my new job, I can tell you that for sure!! But what if when the new Pastor starts up, the church loses that 'feel'? *sigh* I really don't know what to do, think, feel, etc... and I don't know who I can talk to about it, besides God, and he doesn't seem to want to chat about it.