Ninja Bri

This morning we were back at Pak's Karate Mandarin...our home away from home it seems. =D

Pak's is an amazing school...they really work hard at making us one big family with lots of activities. This was the end of summer/back to school celebration complete with hot dogs, snowcones, and water slides...but we couldn't have a karate school fun day without some karate!

We saw demos done by the Little Ninjas and Team Hydra. Of course, OUR Little Ninja did a FABULOUS job! Watch out! She'll snap you like a twig! (scroll down and click the play arrow)

YES! That's a board she broke with HER FOOT!

Brianna has come so far since March 20th of this year when she took her first karate class...she will be taking her next (second) belt test in September, she is on the Little Ninjas demo team, she is making some really great friends, AND she teaches karate and demos to her family and friends any chance she gets.

David and I are SO proud of our girl! We can't wait to see how the Lord uses this passion to prepare her for all that He has in store for her...

Okay, I admit it...I WANT TO GO TO KARATE MYSELF! Lord, that would be an evidence of divine intervention if I ever heard of one! BUT, I am content to be a karate mom and cheer our girl on...

We love you Brianna!

Giggles and squeals of joy!

YES...we are girls! (Brianna and I, that is!) Today every time either of us walks in to the kitchen we either giggle or squeal with joy. Last night David put the cabinet doors back on! If you haven't been here yet, or you weren't paying close attention to the picture of Denise making coffee in our kitchen, you're probably wondering what I'm talking about.

Well...let me start by saying that I have an AMAZING mother-in-law! (Actually, I have 2, but I'm referring to the newest one.) She is SO creative and gifted! Her decorating style is right out of the latest country home magazine. AND, being the former occupant of our house, left some of her decorating style behind. One of the ways she decorated was to remove some of the cabinet doors from the cupboards.

BUT, me being a city girl and a disliker of clutter, prefer the doors on the cupboards. While I work at maintaining organization within the cupboards, there are still many things in there with lots of colors and shapes, and this overloads my photographic memory. SO, David put them back on last night, and I love it!

Now, lest you think I'm simply silly, let me tell you that the reason it took so long for them to go back up was because God was working on my heart...for many months in ONE particular area...discontentment. You can read more about it on "Colleen's Blog"...link to the right of this post...

Now, without further ado...Our kitchen cupboards with their doors!

My David, thank you for making it a priority to get this done...the way you lay down your life for me astounds me...you are a living example of a husband loving his wife as Christ loves the church. Thank you for setting the bar so high! I love you! - Your Colleen

Fay comes to visit...

Well, the phone calls and emails starting coming in yesterday asking how we were being impacted by Tropical Storm Fay...and at that time it was just slightly more than a rainy day. Here is our backyard during the 4pm hour:

At 9pm we lost power, and David declared it time to go to bed. We brought Brianna's mattress down and put it on the living room floor, with Maverick's bed next to hers. David and I setup camp in The Tracy Room. We opened the windows to get some relief from the lack of air conditioning, and all hunkered down by 9:30 or so.

We didn't get much sleep last night...here are some of the reasons why:

1. The very loud frogs we have
2. The next-door neighbor's very loud generator
3. The hard sleepnumber bed that couldn't be adjusted because we didn't have power
4. The humidity
5. Maverick having free reign of the place, and needing to bark at every new sound and smell

At 11:30 I still couldn't sleep, and was all of a sudden VERY hungry. So, by the light of my cell phone I went out to the living room where Brianna and Maverick were still awake. Bri and I sat and talked, and munched on pecans, while Maverick guarded us. =D

During that time I noticed Bri started a wet cough...something that happens to her when there are heavy rains. SO, I moved her mattress, and Maverick's, to the schoolroom so she could be in there and shut the door, keeping some of the moisture out.

Then, I went back to bed, about an hour after I had gotten up.

We woke this morning to David's cell phone ringing. His brother, Michael, was calling to say they weren't opening the shop today, so they were off work. Yippee!

Of course, this was call to go back to sleep! BUT not on that rock-solid bed! So, we went to the living room and did the best we could with the love seat, chair and ottoman. The next thing I knew, it was 10am. David was up, looking out the living room window, Brianna and Maverick had yet to emerge from the schoolroom.

We got the kids up and started to prepare to go to Michael and Angie's because they had power. BUT, before we could get up the stairs to get dressed, the power came back on! Yippee!!!

We've spent most of the day watching TV, flip flopping between the weather and sitcoms...and ate Dominos! At least until about 1pm when the announced a tornado WARNING. And that's where we are now, at 2:19...watching the weather to see if we will be impacted by the tornadoes that have been seen not all too far from our house...maybe 10-15 miles away.

Fun, huh?

Starting Jr. High!

EEEEKKK!!!!!

Yes, that's right, our baby is now in Jr. High! 6th grade! Lord, how did this happen?

Brianna has been homeschooled, one way or another, since Kindergarten. I am REALLY excited about this year because it's the first time since Kindergarten that I am not relying on DVDs, sending her out 2 days a week to a school, or someone else to instruct her for me...well, except her dad. =D David, engineer that he is, is taking great delight in being Brianna's math teacher...at least for now. AND, Brianna is taking great delight in her dad being her math teacher...she gets him all to herself for about an hour every night. SO, it seems to be working for us all as I have been working from home and I can use that time to finish up.

We are only starting with math and science initially, but will be adding in the other stuff in a couple of weeks...

When Brianna went to bed last night the door to the schoolroom was blank and open...I stayed up a little later than the family in order to get my ducks in a row for our first day, and just when I was headed to bed I realized I hadn't done anything "special" to the schoolroom...Which I try to do every year. SO, I prayed...And the Lord reminded me of the "theme" for our year..."God is awesome!" SO, I looked up Scriptures that talked about how He leaves us in awe of Him, typed them out, printed them in different colors, taped them to construction paper, and then taped the construction paper to the door. I did a few other things, but here is the picture of the door...which was closed when she came down in the morning so she had to wait for me to come into the room with her and take these cute pictures...

I had taken David into the schoolroom in the morning before Brianna came down and showed him what I had done, and told him that historically I have made a big deal about the first day of school...hooping and hollering...that kind of thing. Brianna usually gave me the "Oh Mother, please!" look...but I've done it every year anyway. I knew I could count on My David to play along...

We had fun, and Brianna gave us "the look", but she could not help herself...she SMILED and LAUGHED! What's that??? Evidence of God's grace!!!!

When Brianna saw the closed, and decorated, door I heard "I knew it!" She came running to the kitchen and said "I knew you would do SOMETHING! I was in bed last night thinking 'I guess mom isn't going to do anything special for the first day of school this year...' and then I thought 'Of course she is, she always does!'" I asked her "Would you have been disappointed if I hadn't done anything special?" and she said "VERY." It was in that moment that I was SO grateful for the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit, who I could easily have ignored and gone to bed that night. But I stayed up until 3:30am when it was all said and done...that's not to toot my own horn...that's what happens when you don't ask the Lord ahead of time what He wants you to do, and you have to do it in the 11th hour. Lord, thank You for knowing Brianna's heart and giving her the desires of it...and thank You that You did not disappoint her on the first day of Jr. High!

The picture above is the "I knew you would do something!" face...Here are some other pictures as well...

No, it wasn't really that late...the batteries in the clock died!

Maverick gets to go to school too!

Brianna thought it was funny to pretend she lounges around with her feet up all day...NOT! (Oh, side note...This desk was the desk David saved up for and bought when he was a child younger than Brianna. He even took it to college! And now his daughter is using it! Isn't that so cool? AND, that postcard tacked to the upper left corner? That's Andrew Jackson...and that postcard was sent from David to Brianna years ago when he was on a trip to Jackson's home. On it is written who it is, that he was our president, where the home is, and what the name of the home is...I guess I never realized just how long David has been "schooling" Brianna! Isn't God so good?)

The flag was given to us by the Navy at Brianna's father's funeral...we use it to say the Pledge of Allegiance...

She's so happy she can't contain herself...just look at that smile!

I'm still organizing my desk and our shelves...it's a work in progress!

Maverick is a highly stressed dog...here he is in his usual stressed out mode...

And YES, that is a Celebration t-shirt he is wearing!

Our first day was a huge success! We stood in awe of God and His kindness to us...and that is, after all, the point of it all!

Vacation, Day 8

Well, Day 8 was a blur!

We got up (late), packed up our stuff, checked out, and hit the road! We got home around noon, unloaded the car and the suitcases, and then got a call from David's mom that she could use some help loading her moving truck. SO, we had lunch and off we went! We stayed there a couple of hours, then had to leave to get our puppy!

Maverick seemed to have a FABULOUS time at the kennel...and looked like he grew several inches in height and in width...Our boy is growing up!

It was all we could do to get ourselves to the point of having our toiletries in their proper places and to verify we had clean clothes for church in the morning...other than that, after dinner we were wiped out!

Today I was thinking about what I came away from vacation with...I came home so refreshed! I have a completely new perspective on my daily life that has been such a blessing already. I came home with a plan and a purpose for schooling Brianna, for furthering the homemaking effort, for serving my husband, and for glorifying God in all I do...

What an amazing trip!

Thank You Lord for providing this getaway! Thank You for the wonderful friends You have given us, and for how they continually lay down their lives to love and serve us. I pray blessings for each one of them!

Vacation, Day 7

Well, Day 7 came...David and I got up and sat on the balcony watching the sunrise...with one earphone in each of our heads...Then SOMEONE went back to bed for a couple of hours...That's okay My Love, you were more than welcome to sleep in on your vacation...thanks for sharing the sunrise with me!

We made it to Cracker Barrel just about lunchtime, and then went to get our girl from the Gabriels...

Here I am with My Kate-a-la (only to be pronounced with a NY-Jew accent)...I LOVE this picture of us!

And here are Michael, Matthew and Brianna, all holding things that represented what they did for 24 hours...Yes, Xbox! Oh, and Brianna kept stealing Michael's sheep (Ernie)...who I had to make sure STAYED at the Gabriel's when we left...

Aren't they adorable???? Yeah, that Irish/Italian mix works well!

And then we had to say our goodbyes until next time...

We decided to go to Blockbuster and rent Clue...a game we have started playing as a family and a movie only I knew existed until recently when I told my family about it. Along the way we decided to stop at a local company who David works with to see Laura...but she had JUST left, so we missed her. Some of the other folks there were nice and gave us some pointers on where to go to minigolf and ice cream.

Here we are at the minigolf course...Pirate's Cove...

And this is me being silly...much to the mortification of my daughter...and much to the delight of my husband...

We all had fun despite the stickiness of the evening...My David was a gracious winner...

And then it was back to the room for the night!

Vacation, Day 6, Part 1

On Thursday our friends, the Flitters, came to visit! While we didn’t have a lot of time together, we tried to make the most of it…first it was off to the ocean with boogie board and skim board in hand!Here are Brianna with her very first boogie board, Spencer with his very first skim board...Britney and Dustin are playing in the wake...

The Flitters are a VERY special family to us...Buddy and Judy (the dad and mom) have a heart for adoption...they didn't just adopt 4 of their 5 kids, they also adopted us! Judy helped homeschool and care for Brianna when I had to go to work in an office which didn't afford me the opportunity to bring her to work with me. I'm thinking it was about a year and a half or so that Judy kept Brianna multiple days a week...Talk about servants!

SO, if you know us at all, you've heard of the Flitters. AND, if you haven't met them yet, here they are...

Spencer, age 10-3/4:

Markie, age 7-3/4 (he also has the same birthday as Mr. David - November 28th!)

Dustin, age 6-1/2

Britney, age almost 5

Cheyenne, age 4-1/2

And here's Judy, a.k.a. Brianna's "Other Mother", the woman with more grace than anyone can imagine! (YES JUDY, I know you're a big sinner who gets angry at your children sometimes...but God's grace is bigger!)

Fun was had by all in the ocean...And the good news…we all wore our sunblock and no one got sunburn! Yay!

Then it was back to the room for lunch! We did feed everyone, but here is the cutest picture of the Flitter girls eating ice cream...

And Brianna got her Little Flitter Girl fix! Here she is with Cheyenne...our brown-eyed girls!

And with Britney...our "B" girls! (Hey Nettie! Is this a Chrissie pose or WHAT???)

And then, off to the pool, where Brianna got her Dustin fix!

Markie stayed poolside...

And Spencer swam...

As much fun as we were having…it had to end…for now. The Flitters had to get back to Orlando…Brianna had to get to the Gabriels…and I had to get back to Jacksonville to get MY DAVID!!!!

David’s boss (and big brother) was SO kind and managed to work things out so David could have Friday off, so I went home to get him and bring him back to the BEACH! I giggled most of the way home because I was SO excited that I was going to see MY DAVID! Yes, we’re still newly weds!

Work took longer than expected, and David didn’t get home until after 7, but we had a nice dinner and drove back to Ormond Beach…with plans to get up and watch the sunrise from our balcony!

What an amazing day!

Vacation, Day 5

Another lazy day…movies, Monk, card games, Mommy/Daughter talks…A little while at the pool…being mesmerized by the glorious view from our room…

I was thinking about the reasons I REALLY like Brianna…I love her because she is my daughter, a gift from God, and was my faithful companion all the years I was a widow…
But there are also reasons why I LIKE Brianna…of course I can’t list all the reasons I like Brianna (there are too many), but here are some…

1. Brianna always has a fun plan…whether it’s cards, watching movies, playing in the ocean, Brianna can always think of a way to make things fun.

2. Brianna has a contagious laugh…her laugh is music to my ears! I can’t help but laugh when I hear Brianna laugh, even if I don’t know why she’s laughing.

3. Brianna likes things organized. YES, there is evidence that I am her mother! (We may not always GET things organized, but we LIKE things organized!)

4. Brianna definitely has creative gifting …designing clothes, home décor, writing stories, etc. She’s VERY creative!

Well, that’s my list for today…

Lord, I pray that You bless Brianna! I pray that You continue to cultivate her heart…that You continue to grow her in her walk with You…that You give David and I supernatural wisdom where she is concerned, that we would shepherd her in a way that will further Your purposes for her life. I pray that You would stir her heart, giving her a deeper hunger and thirst for You, that she would seek You all the days of her life!

Vacation, Day 4

Yay! The Gabriels came to visit!
Yeah, so, I forgot to take any pictures! What a dork!
Well, that’s what happens when Katie and I get together…we’re so busy talking and laughing that I lose track of almost everything! THANKFULLY I didn’t lose track of the kids! Lol
Brianna really enjoyed playing in the ocean with Michael and Matthew (Elizabeth mostly sat on the beach with Katie and me). Michael brought his new skim board with him, fresh from the store, and mastered it in NO time!
I was thinking about our history with the Gabriels while we were sitting there…and other times this week…I’ve known them since Elizabeth was 13 months old…Michael is 4 months older than Brianna, Brianna is just over a year older than Matthew…the three youngest children don’t remember life without each other…and while we haven’t “played” with the Gabriels in 5 years (WOW! How did that happen???) the 3 of them talked about their memories of years gone by…AND did that while creating new ones!

God is SO very kind!

I can’t help but think of eternity…if it is THIS sweet here on earth to cross paths over and over again with those we love, can you imagine what Heaven will be like??? We’ll never be in a rush, we’ll never have some place else to be…we’ll just be together all the time, before the throne, worshipping our God…the Holy One…talking about the memories of ALL He has done...recounting stories of His faithfulness…reveling in His amazing plan to glorify His own name through all of creation…AND even through the lives of sinners like me…

YOU ARE AMAZING GOD!

Vacation, Day 3

Monday came and it was time to take David to work…in Jacksonville...an hour and a half away from the timeshare...We were in the car at 6am. In case you didn’t know, I’m just a little attached to My David…I had a little bit of a hard time leaving Jacksonville to come back to the beach…Yes, I know, “Newlyweds!” BUT, I did it. Remember the picture from Day 1 when Brianna realized she missed Maverick? Yeah, that’s what I looked like…or at least felt like. =D

We came back to the room and I asked Brianna what she wanted to do and she said “Can we lay around and watch movies? We never get to do that at home.” SURE! So that’s what we did! Princess Diaries II, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: Two Towers. Well, that’s not ALL we did. I did cook dinner, and then some macaroni salad for Day 4 (Katie and the kids would be coming to spend some time with us at the beach and have lunch in our room). BUT, other than that, movies!

You’ve gotta love Brianna’s analytical mind. When I double checked to make sure she REALLY wanted to spend the day in front of the TV she said “Well Mom, we’re spending Tuesday on the beach with the Gabriels, and Thursday on the beach with the Flitters, so I’d like to stay in today so I don’t get tired of being on the beach.” She’s a girl who has a brain and knows how to use it!

Did I mention that Brianna is THE BEST daughter EVER???? She is such a servant, and has a great sense of humor. She is a joy and I am SO blessed to live life with her!

Vacation, Day 2, Part 2

We all got going, had breakfast, and went to church at our sister church in the Daytona area. I got to see several friends, but none so special as our friends, The Gabriels. I met Phill, Katie and Elizabeth the same day I decided I wanted Jesus to be my Lord…May 22, 1994. And we all moved to Atlanta (from NY) in 1995 where Michael, Brianna, and then Matthew later were born. These are special and faithful friends I am so grateful to be able to have spent time with while we were here. BUT, as much as I could have sat and talked to them until bedtime, it was David’s only day at the timeshare, so we went back to the Georgian Inn…and the OCEAN!

And, while it's amazing enough to be at the beach at all, this was a VERY special time for us all. Brianna got to play in the ocean WITH HER DAD, for the first time! She has always loved the beach, and being in the ocean, but I have some physical limitations that don't allow me to go in past my knees so I could never go with her to the deeper water. But now she gets to go a lot further out with David. They had a great time body surfing!

After David and Brianna had enough playing in the ocean we all went swimming in the pool for a little while, then headed for the hot tub. That was WONDERFUL! Then it was off to bed because we were TIRED!

While to most a little body surfing may not seem like a big deal...but I stood on the shore crying tears of gratitude over the kindness God has shown our family. David is the answer to a lifetime of prayers...he is the perfect husband for me, but he is also the perfect dad for Brianna. I never seem to lack awe for God, and His perfect plan for our family...He has been so kind to keep revealing little tidbits here and there of just how precise He has designed us all for each other. You are amazing God!

Vacation, Day 2, Part 1

One of my FAVORITE things to do at the beach is to get up and see the sunrise while worshipping the Lord…so on Day 2 I got up before the rest of my family…I didn’t quite get out there as early as I had wanted to, I like to see the light coming up before the sun breaks the horizon…BUT it was still BEAUTIFUL! Here was the view from our balcony…along with some lyrics of the songs I was singing (along with my IPod) as I was watching the glorious day unfold...

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea, creation is revealing Your Majesty. From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring, every creature unique in the song that it sings….All proclaiming…Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing God! All-powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim You are amazing God! Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go? Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow? Who imagined the sun and gave source to its light, yet conceals it to give us the coolness of night? None can fathom! Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name. You are amazing God! All-powerful, untamable, awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim “You are amazing God! You are amazing God!” Incomparable, unchangeable, You see the depths of my heart and You love me the same. You are amazing God!

We stand and lift up our hands, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. We bow down, and worship Him now, how great, how awesome is He? And together we sing…”Holy is the Lord God Almighty, the earth is filled with His glory.” And it’s rising up all around, it’s the anthem of the Lord’s renown. Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty!

Mountain maker, ocean tamer…glimpses of You burn in my eyes…the worship of Heaven fills up the skies. You made it all and said “Let there be” and there was all that we see. The sound of Your voice, the works of Your hands, You do all things well. You do all things well. You do all things well. Star creator, wind breather…the strokes of Your beauty rush through the clouds…light from Heaven touching the ground…And You made it all, said “Let there be” and there was all that we see. The sound of Your voice, the works of Your hand, You do all things well, You do all things well, You do all things well. Imagination runs wild, and breathes the breath of life across the fields, across the miles. You made it all, said “Let there be” and there was all that we see. The sound of Your voice, the works of Your hand, You do all things well…You made it all, said “Let there be” and there was all that we see. The sound of Your voice, the works of Your hand, You do all things well…You do all things well…You do all things well…

From the rising of the sun ‘til the sun goes down let the name of the Lord be praised. From the sky to the depths, from the east to the west, we give You praise!

All creation is a song, waiting to be sung. All of nature like a prayer, waiting for a tongue. But who will give it voice, make it’s anthem ring, rise to lead a choir of all created things. Lord hear Your people sing: Blessing honor, glory power, to creation’s king. Songs of earth and songs of heaven, join as one to bring. All the nations are a song, waiting to be sung. Every instrument and voice created for the One, the Maker of all things, the Majesty above, who bought us back from death. With such a cost love, what praise could be enough?

Needless to say, I felt like Moses coming down off the mountain - face aglow - when I finally went back into the room. It was AMAZING!

And, then God, who loves to make me laugh, greeted me with this:

A messy bed? No! It's My Brianna!

Isn't she SO cute???

Vacation, Day 1

Well, God has been VERY kind, and has used a dear, sweet couple to give us a timeshare at Ormond Beach…all we had to do was buy/bring our normal groceries, and our bathing suites! SO, we said goodbye to the Miller's, packed up our stuff, and we left home to head to the beach! Here are some pictures of our arrival:

Here's where we stayed...there's a "ship theme" to the place...

This was the view from our balcony...and the sun rose EXACTLY in front of it...but you'll see that on Day 2...

Of course, by the time we got there, and unloaded, it was dinner time…so the first order of business was EATING! We drove down the road a little ways, and came across the Starlite Diner. It wasn’t great food, but it had fun décor, and we were happy to talk about this being our very first family vacation and how amazing the view is and how thankful we are to God, and to David, for providing this for us. The server was a young lady from Russia who had been here in an internship and it was her last day…she is now back at home! Here are some pictures of us at dinner:

And here is Brianna just minutes later, when she remembered that she missed Maverick…

Ahhh, the preteen!

After dinner we went back to the Georgian and decided to go for a walk on the beach. (My David knows how I LOVE to walk on the beach at night!) BUT the sand was REALLY soft and it felt like walking in several feet of snow (because I kept sinking down into it) so we cut it short and went back to our room. Oh, and we watched The Spiderwyck Chronicles…