I'm Back!!!

It feels like forever and not like 8 days since I last posted. Here are some quick catch-ups.

* I'm thirty now...that's crazy!!

* I LOVE working full-time with Master's Commission

* My boys are growing up way too fast

* Our WAR Week, D-Day, and Commission Service were outta sight

* I'm looking forward to Kansas City

* I miss my family very much and hope to see them soon

* My 10th wedding anniversary is in 14 days

* God is always right on time when He answers prayers

* I want a new cell-phone, preferably an iPhone

* This year's MCC class is awesome (note the picture)

I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy. Last Thursday officially kicked off the 0809 class of MC Clarksville. Thursday and Friday were full of information overload. We went over the handbook, the church campus, academic guidelines, and lots more. We chilled Thursday night at this awesome arcade in town and Friday we were able to chill at the Lerman's house. We roasted wienies over a fire (that got started thanks to me, Jamie, & Laura). Saturday we went to Ft. Donelson to take pics and then headed to Paris Landing just to chill out before the Next Level service.

Yesterday started our WAR week phase of orientation. We've styled it after Navy Seal HELL Week, and it's been great so far. Lots of surprises, exercises, and training. Yesterday we spent time all over town learning about practical ministry. Today we spent about 90 min at the best gym in Clarksville, Clarksville Mixed Martial Arts Academy. John Rankin, the owner, operator, and pastor of the church based out of the Academy is great. He worked us hard, but it was so good. I've got that great feel good burn in my legs that lets me know I had a good work out. I can't believe that tomorrow is Wed. and after that will be D-DAY. If the last 2 days are any indication of D-DAY, it's going to rock!!

It all starts tomorrow

2 students should be in Clarksville as I type this, and our last one arrives tomorrow morning.  1:30 tomorrow afternoon officially kicks off the 0809 year of Master's Commission Clarksville.  I am super excited about it, but I'm sweating my pants off as well.  This is technically my first year with Master's as I worked a full-time job last year.  I know and love two of our 2nd years, but I'm starting fresh and new with our 2 first years and 1 new to the program 2nd year.  I'm going to be learning our program and how my husband ticks in the Master's environment.  Lord help me learn what I need from you and from the students.  Let my pride fall in the face of humility, and help ME to BE what YOU want ME to BE!!!

I Need a Nap

My mind is whirl right now. For whatever reason, my girl Camille was up late and decided to throw something at me on Facebook. I got the text at 2:51 am! Now, I've got my mobile updates set to run from 10 am to 10 pm. What happened?? I've decided to start working out with my husband in the mornings, so being woken up at 2:51 and then again at 6 was not cool.

We're moving fast and furiously towards Zero Day for Master's Commission Clarksville. We've still got some of the small details to work out for our Orientation Week, but I'm realizing that time is running down, and we've got to "get 'er done!" With students straggling in over the next 8 days with Aaron arriving Thursday right before we kick off, I'll be focused on getting everything finished and prepared before we get started. Lord help me stay focused on what needs to be done and trust you for all the small things.

A Day Off

For the first time in a LONG time Carlo and I are off on a Friday. His day off is always Friday, but when I was teaching, I was at work and he was home, or during the summer we had the boys. Well, today we are both off, and the boys are at school. So what did my husband decide to do? He decided to take me on a date! Isn't that great? It's been a long time since we've been able to just go me and him. I think the last time we picked up and went without any thoughts to kids was the summer of 2004. Tony spent the summer with my folks in South Carolina and I was pregnant with David. No responsibilities as far as kids go and the ability to just go grab a meal or catch a movie or whatever. I have no idea what Carlo has planned for today, but I'm excited about it. Maybe I can get some awesome pictures of us today, we have so few of those.

Life

My sister, Danielle, just welcomed a baby girl into the world. I'm stoked, for one reason, this is a miracle child. My sister had cancer back in 2002. She lost a baby right before she was diagnosed, and the possibility of having kids was very slim. Every week of this pregnancy has been a blessing and the culmination has arrived. My niece, Aubree Alaina, is here and is welcomed by parents who love her greatly, grandparents on both sides who are going to spoil her rotten, 2 aunts who probably will as well, uncles who won't know what to do with her, and 7 cousins who will be fascinated by another little one when they get to see her. It has occurred to me that my mom is OLD!! Not really, she's just over the half-century mark, but she does have 8 grand-kids & there's only 5 of us kids. You do the math. We'll have to get everybody home from their parts of the world to have a reunion, not everybody's met everyone else's significant other and their kids. Isn't that something??

Wow!!

That's pretty much all I can say right now. Things are moving at a pretty good pace right now. The boys are in school, I'm working alongside Carlo daily, my sister is having her baby sometime today (get er done Dani!!), and I won a $500 scholarship that is going to pay off my first level of classes with Berean!!

Life has been great and God has been greater. One of the highlights of this week for me has been that I killed a spider on Sunday morning. For those of you who don't know me, I am terrified of spiders. If I see one, my world stops. I'm like the mouse who is mesmerized by the snake that's about to eat it. Carlo knows my "there's a spider voice," and usually comes running when he hears it. My problem Sunday? Carlo was in the shower, the spider was chillin' on the kitchen curtain, and Carlo had just preached a sermon on Wed. about being "faithfully fearless." What kind of wife or Christian for that matter would I be if I completely ignored the Word of God and let my fears rule me. It doesn't help that I've been reading Mark Batterson's In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, and am challenged repeatedly to unlearn fears and fight that lion.

Well, I fought and won on Sunday. What's awesome is that I wasn't afraid to kill the spider. You see, that's my problem. It's not the spider itself I'm afraid of, it's the spider getting on me when I try to kill it, that's my problem. On this particular occasion I was more afraid of breaking the stained glass leaf Tony made for me that was sitting perfectly aligned behind the spider in the window sill. Well, spider dead, leaf okay...Rock on Jaemi!! I did it!