Celebrating 15 Years

Being a Calligrapher, I deal with someone's wedding on a regular basis.   I have lots of Wedding Vendor friends and I follow them on Facebook as well as different wedding blogs.  Don't even get me started on Pinterest - the bottomless pit of ideas that sucks you in for hours and hours as you browse through all these amazing photos of what other people have done.

Weddings today, in a lot of ways, have become fancy productions.  Gone are the days of simple church weddings with the reception in the church Fellowship Hall.  Well, at least with the vendors and clients that are among my circle.

Sometimes it is hard to look at all the "stuff" and not compare what we did at our wedding.  I came across our wedding video the other day and stuck it in the VCR - yes, we still have one of those.  I knew I hadn't watched it in several years and I was excited.  My excitement soon turned to rolling of eyes, some regret and then ultimately laughter.  After all, you can't go back and change anything so you might as well just laugh.

Hiring a videographer was kind of new when we got married.  We did focus on a photographer and I  LOVE my pictures.  My album still sits on my coffee table and it gets looked through often.  But the video, well, we left that to a friend.

Today the videos are done in HD and they are put on DVD and they are edited to look like your own Hollywood feature.  I watch "Trailers" made from my videographer friends and am amazed.  The bride and groom become stars for the day as bits and pieces are set to dramatic music.  So obviously when I put mine in the other day, I was disappointed.

It can be so easy to get caught up in the new and the flashy.  To think about things you would do differently if you could do it all over again.  But you know - at the time - I really did have the wedding of my dreams.  We only spent about $5000 for a wedding with over 400 people in attendance.  We cut things here and there because we didn't want to cut people.  We paid for the wedding ourselves and God provided "exceedingly abundantly above all we could have imagined" (Eph. 3:20) over and over again.  So many times He just blew us away.  So many friends and family helped me that day. They worked hard.  It was truly a celebration of what God had done in our lives and all the glory went to Him.
 
But most importantly, I married my best friend that day.  No matter what kind of decorations were up, whether or not we remembered to blow out the unity candle, how the video ultimately captured everything or the other quirky stuff that went wrong, I walked down that aisle to the man that God had made specifically for me and committed to a life of loving, serving and honoring him.  And he, in turn, committed to me.  And in those few moments, we committed ourselves, our future family and our marriage to God and we asked Him to use us.


That was 15 years ago - tomorrow.

15 years of Laughter.  Tears.  Struggles.  Joy.  Decisions.  Children.  Death.  Moving.  New jobs.  Ministry.  Financial difficulty.  Passion.  Disagreements.  Forgiveness.  Service.  Sacrifice.  Growth.  Change.  Learning.  Love.

15 years of  Life. 

So - would I really do it all over again?  Absolutely.  Would I change anything.  Probably not.

It was perfect for us at the time and the memories are priceless.  God used that time to show us HIS provision.  To make the seemingly impossible happen because our funds were low.  Because of that journey, on that day, I placed Russell's ring on his finger and on the inside I had inscribed "Eph. 3:20" so we would always remember all that God had done to bring us to that place and how He would continue to take care of us in the years to come.  Oh how He has.

I am truly honored and blessed by my Lord to have the husband - to have the marriage - that I have.  I know that in today's age - it is rare.  I do not take that for granted one second.  We surrendered our lives to the Lord from the beginning and He has blessed it "exceedingly abundantly above ALL that we could imagine."  It hasn't always been easy as there have been very difficult times.  But we learned early on that if we press through them, instead of giving up, God has great things to do with it on the other side. Each difficulty has only made us stronger and closer.

God has proven to us that HIS plan for marriage is perfect.  We are reaping the blessings and the benefits of following Him.  I am so very thankful.

Tomorrow we take off for our "Anniversary Getaway".  We return to Jekyll Island, GA, where Russ proposed nearly 16 years ago.  We treasure these times - away from our responsibilities with no distractions but each other.  At some point, we will chat about where we've been and how far we've come and we will dream of what lies ahead.  We will question our parenting and our rolls as husband and wife.  We will talk of ministry and our great God that has truly blessed us with the gift of each other. 

Tomorrow just can't come fast enough.

The Journey of a Cereal Box

Today has been an ApParent Project day!  It started with a meeting at 7:30 at the Elementary School.  I was able to meet with the Principal and introduce her to AP and to the Fund Raiser Bracelets.  Before I left, she had purchased jewelry and set up 3 different dates for me to sell between now and December.  Exciting stuff!

I then met Russell at the house and we headed to the church to take care of a few things.  But first we decided to stop in to a local Artisan Shop in Green Cove that had been advertising Haitian art.  After a long chat with the owner, I left several pieces with her to see how they will do in her shop.  VERY excited about the possibilities!!!!  People are always asking me if they can get jewelry anywhere except from me.  I point them to the online store, but now there may be a local shop where they can run in a pick up a few items if needed.  How cool is that?

Finally we drove over to the church to pick up the 17 boxes of cereal boxes that were ready for shipment.  Russ loaded them into the van and off we went!  I don't know about Russ (he's always a bit out of breath from lifting 500 + pounds of boxes) but I always feel a great sense of accomplishment when we walk out of the Post Office.  Like a big task is finished.  For now.  Fortunately the boxes just keep on coming.  And each Wednesday night you will find me in the Ministry Room at church packing more boxes.

I thought I would give you a photographic journey of our cereal boxes........


















Often, I have helpers.  We sort the boxes, picking out the ones that are the right size and thickness, and organize them into shipping boxes.

After only 4 - 6 weeks, I wind up with a stack that looks like this!  17 boxes of boxes ready to go!  525 POUNDS of cardboard.  I get so excited!!!!









After I follow all of my own instructions here, Russ helps me load them up to take them to the Post Office.  I am still looking for a cheaper and easier way to get them to Rays of Hope, but right now the Post Office is it.

Loading up my van.

This is so exciting!!!!!

Arriving at the Post Office

We do call before we come so as to not overwhelm these poor people too much!

Next week - they will arrive in Grand Rapids, MI at Rays of Hope to be loaded on a Sea Container.

And after about a month, they arrive in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

 I took this photo from the plane when I was landing in Haiti back in February.

When they FINALLY arrive at ApParent Project, it's like Christmas!


  They are in constant need of cereal boxes.  They go through them about as fast as they come in.

Cereal boxes mean jobs for these artisans.  They have every right to be thrilled.
















They spend time sorting everything by size and color.  They wind up with just as much of a mess as I have in the beginning!  Ha!

On Wednesdays, artisans come in and select their boxes.  

Then they find a paper cutter and a place to cut!

Once the triangular strips are cut, they begin rolling the cereal boxes into beads, covering them in a glue that will dry clear.

After the first coat of glue dries, they go outside and put a layer of varnish to seal them and give them a nice shine.

How Beautiful!?!

 Once dried and separated, they are ready to be made into jewelry.

This is Rose and one of her 7 children.  She is receiving instructions from Shelley.

An Artisan that works at ApParent Project makes at least three times the minimum wage in Haiti.

Enough to feed, clothe, shelter,educate and most importantly, KEEP their children.  There are now about 250 Haitians on Payroll - now that's progress.

 They work hard each and every day to make beautiful pieces of art for us to wear. And each time we wear it, it's beauty draws attention and we can tell their story.  What a privilege.

Someone asked me recently if I ever get tired of sorting and packing cereal boxes.  The answer was immediate.  NO.  Each time I sit and pack a box, measure everything out, get it ready to go - I don't just see a stack of cardboard.  I see the faces of these beautiful people, their children, their houses.  I see the gorgeous piece of jewelry that each one will become and the jobs that they are creating. 

Each time I leave the Post Office, I see the journey they will take and the lives they will change.

I am once again humbled and honored to be a part of it all.

Until next time.......

Here's How You Can Send Your Own Cereal Boxes 

Rock the Universe!

When September hits, it's down hill for me.  Life only grows increasingly busy as Christmas quickly approaches.  Jarod's birthday is always that mile marker for me.

I realized yesterday that I had not updated my blog in two weeks!  What's up with that?  Well, school is in full swing, BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) has started up again and I've had lots of Calligraphy and Apparent Project stuff keeping me busy on top of that.  Plus just the normal "mom" stuff.  Sitting down to blog just hasn't been on the top of my list.  Until today.

Last weekend (on Jarod's ACTUAL birthday) his youth group went to Universal Studios for the Rock the Universe event.  Now, as you know, I am a complete Disney fan so I had not been to Universal in 15 years.  But Jarod asked me to go along and I wasn't going to pass up a weekend riding roller coasters and listening to our favorite Christian bands perform.

 Visiting Sponge Bob with Dariel, Chase, Cliff and Joe

I love this pic of Jarod enjoying Newsboys.  We were on the front row - could see the guy spit.  That's cool, ya know.

It's funny - when I was Jarod's age, I loved concerts!  My first concert ever was Farrell & Farrell and DeGarmo & Key. Ya - Google that one!

I was about Jarod's age.  I remember it being soooo cool to see these bands Live!  I spent the rest of my teenaged and early adult years going to concerts.  You could get in to see Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and even Petra for less than $10 a ticket.

Now when someone comes in town, I think - ya - no.  I can think of so many other things to spend that money on.  Okay - so Russ and I did see Michael W. Smith with the Jacksonville Symphony this past Christmas but that was a special treat and only the two of us went!  I could have bought groceries for the cost - or filled my van with gas, TWICE or......!?

I digress.... I say all of this to say that Russ has taken Jarod to concerts before, but I have not been with them.  It was such a joy watching Jarod get excited, sing, fist pump, clap and worship along with both Newsboys and Tobymac (his favorites).  I think it was one of the highlights of my weekend.  That and the fact that he wanted me right there next to him!  

I LOVE that he loves Christian music.  Songs that worship our Lord with band members that don't glorify themselves and the things of this world, but point their fans to Christ.  There is already so much stuff out there for him to fight against, it's great to know that positive music is blaring through those ear buds on his iPod.

On Saturday, the group got him a special birthday cake and we all had lunch together before heading over the park again.  I'm so excited about the youth group at our church.  It's a great group of teens who love to have fun and learn more about Christ together.  For so long, Jarod has been our little guy who hangs out with the youth trying to fit in.  Now he does.  He is one of them and it was so neat to watch that dynamic all weekend.

 

Joe, Cliff and Chase with Jarod

These guys are great.  I hung with them all weekend.

The whole group.

 Jarod is a way cooler surfer than me!!!!  

The rides were absolutely awesome!  I think we rode The Mummy over and over!  But we finished the weekend off with this:

Absolutely worth the two hour wait!  167 ft drop!

It doesn't get much better than this kind of craziness -

Whoo hoo!!!!

What an awesome way to finish off your birthday!  13 will definitely be one for the memory books!

Until next time.....

Thirteen

Wow - the word "teen" can now be officially used in our home.  Well, almost.  Jarod's birthday isn't until this Saturday but we celebrated a little early this year.  The next few weekends are full of activities like Universal Studios and camp outs so I had to bump it up a bit.

I have had a few emotional roller coaster moments in the last few weeks.  In case you missed the latest emotional uproar, you can read that here.

God is so good. Since that post, I have stepped back and watched Jarod handle his new journey with great maturity.  I think he was ready for the challenge.  He has done so well getting himself up in the morning, keeping himself organized and handling the challenge of a new school, new friends, new teachers, etc.  He is really enjoying school and is excited about going each day.

He has joined FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) and has signed up for the leadership track.  He will be trained so he can lead the different Bible Study discussions and be able to answer questions that other students have about Christ. We were thrilled that he volunteered for this and are excited to watch him step out and take a stand at school.  He's already making some great, Christian friends which is a huge answer to my prayers. 

It was time for the change - time for the challenge.  Even though I was nervous about all of it, Jarod has stepped up to the task and is proving that he is capable.   I am so proud of the young man he is becoming.

I am enjoying the change in our family dynamic as well.  Anne is up first in the morning.  We have her alone for about an hour.  Then Jarod gets up after she leaves and we have him alone for about an hour as well.  Then I have Anne alone  again for two hours in the afternoon before Jarod gets home from school.  Having them one on one has made for some great bonding time, good conversations and less competition between the two of them.  Things have calmed down and and settled into a nice routine.

So, this weekend, we celebrated Jarod.  You only turn 13 once and he is quite excited!  13 has a few "rights of passage" around here and our family came over to help us honor him.  Here is our evening in photos -

He asked for a guitar cake this year - he always challenges me.

Jarod had a Birthday helper this year!  He is so patient with Chloe and she adores him.

Nana & Papa looking on 

Brothers!!!!  Uncle Ray and Russ

Uncle Marc & Aunt Sam

They bought him is first bottle of cologne - he was quite excited!  Now to convince him he only needs ONE spray! 

Jarod with Nana & Papa

Uncle Ray

Uncle Marc, Aunt Sam & Chloe

Family shot

Happy Birthday to You!!!

Jarod received his first cell phone for his birthday.  He was thrilled.  He's waited a while as we are the odd parents who wouldn't let him have one until we NEEDED him to have one.  

His other big birthday gift is that he is going to Rock the Universe at Universal Studios in Orlando this weekend with his Youth Group.  He will be there on his actual birthday (Sept. 8) and is so excited!  He invited me to come along and chaperone so I'm excited as well.

He has a few Scout Camp Outs this month also.  One being for the induction into the Order of the Arrow.  He was selected for this back in the spring and it is quite an honor.  He has officially made Star Scout, which means he is only two ranks away from Eagle.  How crazy is that???  

I am so thankful for these glimpses that the Lord gives me.  In many ways, he is still my little boy.  But as I step back, let go and allow God to work in his life, I do see pieces of the man he is becoming.  I know that all those pieces will eventually come together like a puzzle and he will stand before me as a grown man.  It's humbling and overwhelming to know that it won't be long.  Time does go so fast.  I know there will be mistakes - bumps and road blocks along the way.  But the Lord continues to answer my prayers.  So far, on the things that really count - Jarod is moving in the right direction.  And on those days we he doesn't, we will be there to help him up and encourage him on. 

Happy Birthday Jarod!  God has great plans for you and I am truly humbled and honored to be your mom.  I am so proud of the young man you are becoming - of the choices that you are making.  You have adjusted to the challenges well and you are showing great courage and responsibility.  I love who you are becoming - I love that you are a leader and an example to others.  I love that you are sensitive and kind.  Most of all, I am thankful that you are mine.  Continue to trust God - knowing that His plan is best and know that your Dad and I are here for you along the way.  I look forward to the years ahead and all that He will do to make you into His man. 

I love you.

 Until next time.....