Helloooo? Anyone out there?

Well, I guess I'm back. Its been a busy summer around here so far. First my brother came to stay with us for a couple of weeks. He usually finishes school before everyone else and has made it a sort of tradition to come spend a week with us and also go to our Vacation Bible School at church. Speaking of VBS, it went very well. We used Group's Crocodile Dock. It was really cute and everyone seemed to enjoy it. About a week later, Hubby took the youth group on a mission trip in south Texas and used the same VBS materials there as well. They also did construction work and they were able to go floating on the river at the end of the trip. I finished my summer semester on July 2nd. Had a fun 4th. I finally drove the motorcycle by myself. After finally driving around the huge front yard at our friend's house (outside city limits) I then proceeded to end my first ride by gunning the gas as I was trying to brake, wobbling from side to side, going "Ohh.....ooooh.....augkk!" and laying it over. Fortunately all I had to show for that adventure was a scratch on the back of my knee and a misaligned motorcycle (oops!).

Anyways.... we just got back from church camp. We had a really good time together. This was our first time to go to church camp together and my first time as a staff member. I was able to help with the registration lists, serve food, help w/hubby's class, and with the annual banquet. Hubby preached (and did an EXCELLENT job!), taught 2 classes a day, and led our cell group of freshmen. We had a our own room and bathroom in a cabin we shared with other staff members. I had a really great time meeting all of Hub's friends and we loved the beautiful nature and weather.

We just got back from camp this weekend, had a little house guest for a few hours (the neighbor's dog), heard about the great work EEM is doing, and getting ready to go to another VBS tonight where Hubby will lead the singing for the kids. I guess that's about all there is to update right now. The dogs are good and are tomatoes are growing! We've already picked four and have two more to pick today. Also we have some smaller green ones already growing so we know we will have some more. I really didn't think that any would grow, much less turn red and be edible. :)

Anyways, I will post some photos when I get home this evening.

- Linz -

Don't Mess w/the Band

One more reason why marching band girls rock.

Leadership Training for Christ

Our church recently participated for the first time in Leadership Training for Christ. The Great Plains Leadership Training for Christ convention is one of 10 conventions, with 12 convention sites total. This year's theme was "Light - Life - Word" and the Bible Bowl/Quiz book we studied was John.

We had 10 teenagers participate in our group and we brought home 40 medals, half of which were gold! :) That is really great, especially for a group that started studying late in the game and didn't know what to really expect! Our puppet, banner, and bulletin board teams received gold. Our bible quiz teams received silver and bronze. Our 2 girls received a gold and silver in songleading and one also received a silver in sign language. Our youngest participate received a gold for bible reading. Our 3 oldest teens received gold in the leadership challenge and 4 of our teens received gold in the service challenge. We also had 3 guys participate in photography and drawing in which they brought home 2 golds and a silver. I will post a picture of an LTC plaque with medals attached later. The participants were in grades 3 - 12.

I started attending the Great Plains convention when it started in 1997 in Tulsa, OK. (Recently it has been moved to Rogers, AR.) I had such a great experience with LTC and Bible Bowl all through my junior high and high school years that it has always been a desire of mine to have the kids at our church participate in these too. Now that our big first year (theirs to participate, mine to coordinate) is behind our belts, I am so excited about this next convention in 2010 and can't wait to start working on it. The theme for 2010 is "The Rock" and the book of the Bible is 2 Samuel. I am especially excited about this year because 2 Samuel was theme for my second LTC convention in 1998. :)

I am so grateful for the founding of this important program and feel very blessed to have been able to participate as long as I have. Here are a couple of photos from LTC.

above: A lot of teens getting ready for the Bible Quiz competition. Probably Round 1. This picture does not do the room justice at all. I was somewhere in the middle of the room.

above: The banner our Banner Team made earlier this year. The picture is not great quality but a lot of hard work and detail went into this banner. The judges recognized that and rewarded the kids with a gold!
(by the way, "year" refers to "April - April." From the previous convention till the next.)

You can read more about the Bible Bowl aspect of LTC at MaddieLynn's blog

Poster Print Giveaway

MyfriendConnie over at Smockity Frocks is hosting another giveaway by Digital Room. Digital Room has offered to give away a 16 x 20 poster print to one of her readers. If you comment over at her site she will enter your name in the drawing and if you blog about it (like I am doing) she will enter your name into the drawing a second time. So head on over there and enter for this neat giveaway.

I posted on her comments section that I would probably have either a recent family photo made into a poster print and give it to my parents or I would have a poster print of my hubby, me and the dogs. Since the dogs are our "kids" and we actually don't have a photo of the four of us yet, I thought it would be cool. Or I thought the picture of my hubby to the right would make a neat poster print.

Red Envelope Day

Earlier this week my hubby and I participated in the Red Envelope Project. Many of our friends and our church participated as well. According to a recent update I saw via Smockityville over 2,000,000 red envelopes are on their way to the White House and hopefully to the President himself. This website gives a brief explanation of the Red Envelope Project now that the website is closing soon. Smockityville also has some posts on this project as well. My friend Maddielynn also wrote a post about Red Envelope Day on her personal blog.

I was really excited to participate in this project even though I was not able to send out very many envelopes. This was also my first "letter" to send to a president and I'm glad this cause was the reason. This past year or so I have really wanted to become more active in issues like this. Its so important that we stand up for our beliefs and rights.

christmas break

I just finished my (technically) 4th round of classes since going back to school last spring. I went back to school in Jan 2008 and took a full load through the summer and then this past semester. I finished the fall semester with three A's and one B so far. I'm still waiting on one other class to see what my gpa for the semester will be. So far its a 3.75 and I'm hoping it will stay around there. It's been a long year to say the least. I feel like I've been driving back and forth to school for forever now. Its approximately an hour and half each way and on average I go to school four days a week. Tired? definitely. :|

I enjoyed a day of vacation last Friday after finals, and then started a new class for winter intersession yesterday. Other than the driving and getting up early (which I've never ever been fond of during my life) I really like the class. Great teacher - who I know and have already had once before - and a good group to work with on our project - good blessings.


Stinky made her debut this past December in our town's Christmas parade. Her and I were signed up to ride on the local animal shelter's float (she's a rescue dog from OK) but at the last minute we rode on a church member's float with the hubby. My profile picture was taken at the parade. Notice the lopsided reindeer ears. The following picture was taken at home.


Stinky has also been subjected to numerous holiday photograph sessions. She does not like to sit still. At least not where I try to put her. When she's not hiding from the camera she will walk up to me and sit down right in front of my knees and stick her nose into the camera. I scoot back, she moves forward, and that continues until she gets fed up and walks away with reindeer ears and Christmas bandannas falling off her head. The following photograph is one of my favorites, although sadly it did not make the Christmas card (our very first photo card!)


*Christmas song of the week: Drummer Boy*
Hubby doesn't care for this one but I seem to always hear it in the car lately and I really like the newer versions I've heard this year.

Well Hello Again...

So to catch up on the past year month of our lives here I go... Hubby's been super-busy at work and I've been super-de-duper busy with school. That's about it. Oh yea, I can't think of anything to blog about unless I'm no where near my laptop and then I forget later what I was going to blog about. So yea...

I guess there is some picture blogging to do though so this is a very small "scrapbook of the past month or so.

Stinky dressed up as a lobster, or as we liked to call her, "our pet crawfish." We were cajun hillbillies but I'd rather not post those pictures at the moment. ;)
Stinky didn't know what to think of hubby's "Sponge Bob pumpkin."
Hubby and I went with the young families group to the corn maize and pumpkin patch.

Without needing to be responsible for anyone we really didn't know what to do. Finally we relaxed a bit and acted like ourselves.

Hubby went away for the weekend and left me in charge one Sunday evening game night.
We've also had two recent baptisms. I only have a picture of one right now that I can upload.Praise God!
And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 3:21