Small Church Within a Large Church...

Our church has approximately 4000 members from various areas surrounding it. (We live in Mesa, but our church is in Gilbert.) So our Elder board developed a way for us to have "small churches" within our large church. We meet together for corporate worship and Sunday school. We have women's activities, men's activities and children's activities as a body, as well as quarterly gatherings for our entire church body. (We have 4 services, so we don't always see the people from the 4:00 service, but we unite with them at other events.) On top of that our church is organized into 5 different "area groups". Each area has its own pastor and its own small groups, bible studies, playgroups, etc. So, if I was hospitalized and we needed help with childcare or meals we would contact our area pastor who has his own team of people who are not only available to meet our needs, but already in our area. Chris's weekly bible study is with men in our area and we have playgroups with the same families. We can make a greater impact on our neighbors by forming fellowships within our area. It would be harder for me to invite a non-christian friend to drive 20 minutes for a play date than it is to meet at the park up by our house with other Christians who live in this area. It makes a lot of sense to us, but the thing that makes me happiest about it is that our head pastor is still available to us. He has his own email that only he reads and he responds to each one. But on the other hand, our area pastor knows us and our needs and is paid simply to minister to them. I really feel like it is a win-win situation for everyone. I hope this makes sense. I really love our church and the way it is run, so I really want to do it justice:)

That Explains Everything...

"We all get heavier as we get older because there's a lot more information in our heads. So, I'm not fat I'm just really intelligent and my head couldn't hold anymore so it started filling up the rest of me."

-Garfield

Hair Stuff...

Men were polled about female hair color and this is what the results showed.

*Blondes are viewed as friendly, carefree and youthful.
*Brunettes are viewed as stable and self-sufficient.
*Redheads are viewed as fiery and independent.
*Women with gray hair are viewed as formal and sophisticated.
*Most men prefer brunettes.
*79% of men think redheads are "intelligent".
*76% of those polled believe that our first female president will be a brunette.

Dove Wrappers Are Scary...

My dove wrapper said, "Wow! You look great in red." and I was wearing a red shirt! Scary...

Childbirth...

One of the people we teach Sunday school with, who I will be calling Tex, mentioned that his cousin is the lead singer of Mercy Me. Do you know the first thing I asked him when he told me this??? Seriously, what I was thinking I just don't know, but I asked him if his cousins wife had actually given birth on her kitchen floor. She did.

Children's Choir...

I heard talk that they were starting a children's choir at our church. I called the woman who is in charge and offered to help. She called today and said that all her other helpers backed out, so it is just her and I, which means that I will have to be available every Thursday night for the next three months. I am excited about the choir, but less excited about cramming one more thing into my schedule. Oh well, should still be fun, right? :)

Birthday Parties...

M has been invited to 4 different birthday parties in the last two months. I'm glad he has a lot of friends, but this is getting expensive! (Not only the gift part, but the fact that two of them were about 45 minutes away!) I hope no one else he knows is turning 7 anytime soon.

Okay, Let's Hear It...

Yesterday after drama M said something super funny happened. He said it made everyone laugh, even the teacher. When I asked him to tell me about it he said, "Oh, you wouldn't think it was funny because it has to do with underpants." I didn't press the issue.

Chris's Appointment...

Today was Chris's appointment with the urologist. Their is good news and bad news. (Mostly just frustrating news.) The cancer marker he scored high on is the most dangerous of all the markers, however that does not necessarily mean that the cancer is back. The doctor said the x-ray was clear and he felt no tumors, but their could still be cancerous cells. So they re-ran the blood work today and did a CT scan. He has a follow-up appointment on October 5th. If the CT scan is clear and the blood work is normal he will see the doctor again in 6 months. However, if the blood work is still elevated then they will begin chemotherapy. Preventative chemo sounds drastic, but the way I understood it if we wait until we can "see" something it might be too late to treat it before it spreads. Chris has seminoma and unless it has a tumor (which he had last time) it is hard to see it before it is too late. The decision will be made on October 5th, but I think we have pretty much decided that if the marker is high we will do the chemo "just in case". Thank you for your prayers. Please pray for patience as we begin another waiting game.

Lifesavers...

I used to love lifesavers commercials. My two favorites:

Little boy proposes to little girl using a lifesaver as an engagement ring. The commercial ends with the little boy telling his "fiance", "Don't worry. We'll live with my mother."

Daddy and little girl are sitting watching a beautiful sunset with the dad saying, "Going. Going. Gone." as the sun sets. Then the little girl stages whispers, "Do it again, daddy!"

So cute. I would probably buy more lifesavers if they would just put those kind of commercials back on TV.

Best 50 Cents I Ever Spent...

I found a Bangles Greatest Hits tape at Goodwill. Great investment, really. But then we got in the car yesterday and M said in an undertone to Z, "I bet mom makes us listen to the Bangles again. Sigh." So I, being such a thoughtful and wonderful mother, did indeed make them listen to the Bangles. Walk Like An Egyptian...

One Of My Favorite Quotes...

"Truly you have a dizzying intellect."

-Wesley, The Princess Bride

My Stripper Name...

Fantasia Glitterjugs. I love name generators:)

Would You Rather...

This post contains some minor spoilers concerning Jurassic Park 3, but I doubt anyone will really care that much.

Okay, we watched Jurassic Park 3 the other night (on TV, so it was edited). Now I have decided that I would rather be eaten by the spiny dinosaur than pecked to death by the pterodactyls. However, as I informed my husband, if I ever disappear over the island do not bother to come looking for me. I will have already drowned myself in a noble attempt to spare the searchers lives. (That and I think it would be a nicer death than being eaten by a dinosaur.)

Telephone Tales...

One time "the stallion" was installing an additional phone line in our home and I didn't know and I called him from work and every time the phone rang he got zapped with electricity. True story.

Birthday Wishes...

According to my calendar it is Hobbitsister's birthday today, however to be perfectly honest I had it written in on the incorrect day for like 3 years. So it is either today (I'm pretty sure) or tomorrow (when I won't have time to post anyway). Happy Birthday, dear friend. I hope you like your gift (which is still sitting on my dresser, but will be put in the mail this morning *blush*). Have a wonderful, relaxing and fun-filled celebration of you! :D

My Son, the Thief...

Today M informed us that the milk he bought at school was "free". When I asked him why he replied, "Well, their wasn't anyone at the table to pay, so I figured out it was free." I told him that next time he should let his teacher know he needs to pay for his milk, but I didn't have the heart to tell him that he sorta stole it. He just would've taken it so hard. :( I should probably let the school know that we owe them 35 cents, though.

We Saw Scout Today...

Today at the play land, Z was playing with a little girl who looked EXACTLY like Scout did during her "Mister Chris Loves Me" year. We ("The Stallion" and I) were both wiping away tears and laughing as we fondly recalled those days. Much love to you both, Erma and Scout. And thank you, hobbitsister and Enrique, for sharing your beautiful children with us!

Wii Fun...

Last night I babysat for HR'sMom and they let me try out their Wii. Now we are planning a Wii Sleepover where we will be putting our children to bed so that us grown-ups can play Wii all night long. I am almost as excited as "The Stallion" and his boys are:D

I Have Decided...

that I will now be referring to Chris as "The Stallion" in all my posts for no other reason than it will make him laugh.

Words No Mom Likes To Hear...

"MOM! The toilet won't flush!"

Nothin' Says Lovin'...

like revealing your unfaithfulness to your spouse on the Maury Povich show.

To Enrique...

I am very sorry I did not have more faith in you. You were very nice to take hobbitsister to such a nice restaurant. I hope she shaved her legs for you. Keep up the good work!