Carry Your Name

Mr. Incredible and Rachel were so blessed to attend the Passion 2011 conference in Ft. Worth a few weeks ago.  One of the songs from the weekend was this one by Christy Nockles.  I love it so much!

If you are having one of those days, you know the ones, when life isn't making sense, when major decisions loom, when your heart is broken, and peace seems hard to find....or maybe life is good and you have been rejoicing all day in the love of your Saviour....this song is so fitting!

Because on days when life is hard and on days when life is good....we are called to Carry His Name.  Please, take a few minutes to listen to this song.  I think you will find your heart singing right along in no time.

Oh, there is no other name, mighty to save...Jesus!

The Girl Can Hurdle!

Yesterday was the district track meet.  School let out early for the meet, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, the temperatures were hovering around 70, and the wind was blowing gently.  It was the perfect day for a track meet.

Hannah was so excited.  Mr. Incredible left work early so that we wouldn't miss our baby girl running hurdles.  Hurdles!  The very thought of hurdles makes me pucker a little bit.  I am not very graceful, I would probably hang my toe on the hurdle and fall to my death...okay that was a bit dramatic...I would definitely do a swan dive over the hurdles and land in a not-so-graceful-manner.  Yes, throwing the discus was what I had to do in middle school, because running would mess up my hair!  Ha!  (I think my mom is smiling). 

Hannah throws the discus too.  In fact she placed 2nd yesterday!  Her buddies finished 1st and 3rd.  We swept the discus event.  Woo hoo!

But, Hannah likes to hurdle.  She has been practicing and practicing and she couldn't wait for us to see her in action.  She talked her coach into letting her run the 100M hurdles and the 300M hurdles.  Wow!

We arrived a few minutes before her first event.  It wasn't long before we heard the gun shot and watched our girl run and hurdle, run and hurdle, run and hurdle....and she finished the 100M hurdles in 4th place!

Just look at that smile!  She was so glad that we were there to watch her:

Hannah, you need to quit growing so fast...it hurts my heart a lot!  Weren't you trying to hurdle out of your baby bed just yesterday?

About an hour later it was time for the 300M hurdles.  The race is 3 times as long.  I may teach computer classes but I, on occasion, can do math too.  Duh!

We watched her line up in her lane and then the gun sounded. I think I held my breath the entire time she ran!
Grandpa, look at her form!  (Grandpa was a mega-hurdler).  I think she cleared the hurdle by a foot.  :-)

She rounded the curve where her daddy and I were waiting to cheer her on to victory.  She told me later that she could hear me in the stands cheering for her.

Hannah passed 2 girls on her way to the finish line:

And finished with a 3rd place medal!!! 

Hannah's daddy and I are so proud of her.  She faced her fear of the hurdles and conquered them too.  What a day!  She received 2nd in Discus, 3rd in 300M hurdles, and 4th in the 100M hurdles.

Way to go baby girl!!!!  You are the hurdler of my heart and I am so proud of you!!!!



It Whips My Hair Back and Forth

(Photo courtesy of the Star Telegram)

Oh, the wind, the wind.  I thought Oklahoma was the state, "Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain?"  Apparently our part of Texas feels the need for a little wind competition.  And I think we are winning.  Oh, ya'll, it is hot and dry, dry, dry.  The wind howls at night and whips our hair back and forth during the day. (Have ya'll heard that song, "I Whip My Hair back and forth?")

The girls and I got all fancied up and walked down the street the past Saturday morning to a wedding shower for Rebecca, who was the flower girl in our wedding nearly 21 years ago.  By the time the girls and I arrived, we were sporting new hair styles.  We probably just should have fixed our hair at the shower. Oiy!  The wind.  Oh, the wind!

And the wind is sparking wild fires all over our area.  Saturday night was awful.  Some of the dearest people in our church were told to evacuate their property because the fires were getting closer to their homestead.  They quickly left and then prayed and waited anxiously for news.  We all joined them in praying for God's protection over their house.  Firefighters and volunteer firefighters complete with helicopters spraying fields fought the fires all night long and into the early hours of the morning.  With 55mph plus wind the fires spread so quickly...and burned 16,000 acres and 40 homes and structures.

Hours later we learned that their home was spared but not their barns and Jack's beautiful garden and fruit trees.  Our hearts were so saddened for them.  They are some of the finest people you will ever be blessed to meet and they just overflow with contagious love for the Lord. 

Our back acreage has become overgrown and I worried that we might have a problem if we didn't get it mowed down.  Mr. Incredible worked on it this weekend and sparked 3 tiny fires in the process.  It is so dry!

Our Mayor has declared this next Sunday as a day our city joins together to pray for the rain we so desperately need.  It's days like these that I simply cannot imagine being an Israelite wandering in the dry, hot desert for 40 years. 

Will you please join us in praying for rain?

A Commercial that Makes Me Smile

Yesterday, my mom told Rachel about this fantastic Bridgestone commercial.  Rachel came home from work and we searched for it on youtube.  Now we really like it too.  Wanna see?



I think it is a definite keeper.  Ya'll have a blessed day.

A Day Without Shoes

Yesterday was the 4th annual "Day Without Shoes" to raise awareness of shoe-lessness and the difference a pair of shoes can have on the life of a child.  People from all over the country went shoe-less yesterday.  Going barefoot for a day to realize how difficult it would be to navigate through life without a pair of shoes and to sensitize our hearts to the needs of children who do not have shoes. 

Rachel felt God placing this need on her heart. After praying for direction, she approached her Student Council Sponsor who had been looking for an activity pertaining to shoes.  Awesome!  Yesterday, after careful planning, our high school had its first Day Without Shoes.  Students and staff donated shoes and money to be allowed to go without shoes for a day at school. It was fun to see so many bare feet or students in socks.  Rachel was over the top excited! 

Not only did she go barefoot at school, but she even filled up her truck with gasoline in bare feet....ouch!

I love that she has a precious, contagious heart for missions and that she listened to the Lord's leading in this.  The above picture is of Rachel's feet (on the left), her friend Meagan, and her friend Caleb taken from my Iphone (I don't take my bg camera to school). 

Ten on Tuesday

Happy Tuesday ya'll!  Since my mind is full of random things to share, I thought I would do a Ten on Tuesday post.  Okay?

 1.  I am love, love, loving these Arnold Palmer Half tea and Half lemonade drink packets. Click the pic above for the 411. They are zero calories and an absolute afternoon delight...especially during my "blessing" class. Ha!


2.  Speaking of my classes, I WAS BLESSED WITH A CONTRACT FOR NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!  Woo hoo!  Praise the Lord!!!!  I will still be teaching high school computers: Business Information Technology and Multi Media and one new class that I can't reveal just yet, but I am really excited about this new adventure too!

 3.  I am chi-less in Texas.  I loved my Chi but it was wreaking havoc on my hair.  So, I have a new straightening iron that is actually good for my hair.  I can already tell a huge difference.  This Kp reconstruxt adds protein to my hair as it straightens.  And it's pink and part of the money goes to support breast cancer research...it's a win-win in my book.

4.  My rattlesnake-killing-suburban is no more.  Mr. Incredible likes to spoil me...so I have a shiny new one.  I wonder if it will become my rattlesnake-killing-suburban-2.  Oh, I hope I never see one of those again, but living in west Texas, if I do see one, I hope I'm in my suburban and not while I'm walking through my garden. 

 5.  I am looking for class of 2012 senior models.  If you live in our area and know someone who will be a senior next year, send me an email.  The deadline to apply is April 30th.

6.  My Rachel graduates next month!  Oh, be still my heart.  That's all I can say about that.

7.  Hannah's last track meet is next week.  She is throwing the discus and doing the 100M and 300M hurdles.  And then it is on to tennis.

8.  I cannot believe our Baylor Lady Bears got beat by Texas A&M!  I never thought I would say this, but I'm supporting the Aggies and hoping they beat Notre Dame.

9.  Mr. Incredible and Rachel attended the Passion conference last weekend and loved every second of it.  We hope to have the blessing of attending next year's conference in Atlanta.  Do you know about Passion for college students?  It is AMAZING!.  Click here for the 411.

10.  Rachel changed her mind and will not be going to Baylor in the fall.  The Lord began stirring her heart about her decision while we were in Israel.  This weekend, out of 10,000 students at Passion, He caused Rachel to cross paths with a young lady who will be attending the same University as our Rachel. She too thought Baylor was where she was suppose to go but God changed her heart.  They both were going "pot luck" as far as room mates go...but not any more.  God is amazing! 

Whew!  I think that is all for now.  What's going on with you and your family?  Have a blessed day!

Joshua-Senior 2011 {A Sneak Peak}

I had the fun of taking Joshua's senior pics this past weekend.  Our family has known him since he was born.  He was a good sport taking senior pics for his momma.  Put a guy with his favorite car and smiles are guaranteed:

Joshua enjoys playing the guitar too:

I thought this shot was pretty urban cool...for a senior of course!

Joshua is an avid tennis player and hopes to make it to regionals and possibly state this year.

I think he is smiling so big in this picture because we were just about finished for the afternoon:

Joshua, thank you for taking time out of your busy senior year to take a few senior pics.  While my mind will always think of you and Rachel in preschool swim lessons, we are so excited for you and the young man that you have become.  We are praying big things for your life as you go off to Texas A&M.