Harry Potter and the Sleepover at Bristols

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Karl and Beth Bristol, Anthony and Kathie Zoellner, and Aimee and I enjoyed a sleepover at the Bristols' house. This was the weekend the sixth Harry Potter was due out in theaters, so we had planned to watch the other five Harry Potter movies and then go and see the sixth after that. However, it was announced in August that the sixth Harry Potter would not be out in theaters until July 17, 2009. Though this was a tragic turn of events, we still managed to pick up the pieces of our lives and enjoy the weekend regardless!

Karl surprised all of us with how much thought and preparation he had put into the evening. We all received invitations created by Karl to the Hogwarts Invitational All Night Event that were similar to the mail received in the movies. Karl also sewed together four banners with the emblems of the four Houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ironed on to each respectively (pictured above). He also baked and labeled a full spread of Harry Potter themed snacks and drinks that were all delicious (also pictured above). If you are ever thinking of throwing a party, please do not hesitate to call Karl as I do not believe his creativity has an end!

We played a fun new game that Anthony and Kathie brought over (of which I cannot remember the name) that has some similarities to Apples to Apples. We ended up watching only the first two movies and then decided to call it a night at around 2 a.m. I would like to state for the record that I was the only one who made it all of the way until 2 a.m. without falling asleep (Anthony and Karl were close). It was great to sleep next to Karl and Beth's Christmas tree in their living room...God bless the Christmas season! We all woke up around 8 a.m. the next morning, and Beth whipped up a delicious breakfast for all of us. Good times were had by all!

Club 31...Book #2

Has there ever been a time that you or your family reached out to someone in need and it in turn impacted you in a tremendous way? The Lord calls us to be His hands and feet. Remember in September how I joined a book club at church? Well we just finished discussing our second book. The book/magazine that we were assigned to read was Christian History. This issue's focus was on William and Catherine Booth. Just in case you don't know who they are, they are the founders of The Salvation Army. Did you know that The Salvation Army helps more than 2,500,000 families each year through 10,000 centers worldwide. That The Army can be found in 91 countries. Amazing!
In this addition of Christian History we learned a lot about the works and passion of the Booth family. One could say that Catherine Booth was a pioneer in women roles in the ministry. She believed that women should be able to exercise their spiritual gifts and it infuriated her when they were unable to do so. William Booth was a great social reformer. He had a heart for the poor people of London. And this is a passion of The Salvation Army even today. The Army run several programs today that serves as an outreach to its communities less fortunate. Anything from a Medical Clinic to an Adult Day Care to a Food Shelf to Transitional Housing & Counseling.
The Army is one of the few organizations that fines a way to use everything that is donated to them. The Salvation Army is one of the few organizations that keeps the money that they receive and gives back to the community that supports them. Unlike other organizations generally gives the money to their head quarters and they disperse the money how they see fit. So this Thanksgiving season, as you think about giving back/helping out or even what you are thankful for, think about The Salvation Army and what they are doing for your community. What a great example of being the hands and feet of the Lord. Maybe it's time to implement some sort of service attitude in your family traditions this holiday season. God Bless You this holiday season.

Halloween in Sheldonville 08

Make a Smilebox scrap pages

Penelope's New Friend

On Saturday after church, Eric, Penelope, and I went over to Eric's cousin John's house in Oronoco for a little card action. Penelope became very acquainted with her "cousin" Ty. They played all night. They played tag. They played keep away with the bone. They also played tug-o-war (not hug-o-war) with each other. They seemed to have a blast. I don't know about Ty, but Penelope did not move until Sunday night!

My Three Brothers

Over MEA weekend (actually Thursday and Friday), 3 out of my soon-to-be 4 brothers came down to Rochester to visit me. Well actually, I was not the sole reason for their visit to Rochester. They were down here for a youth conference. So by day and late night, they were learning about God; and by mid afternoon/early evening, they were spending time with me and even agreed to play Phase 10.

Growing up as an only child until the age of 14, I always wanted to be a part of a big family. Now that I am married and have my own family (a husband, 3 cats, and a dog), I finally get to be a part of one. Over that last 5 years, my parents have adopted 2 kids (Bekka and Tim) and are in the process of adopting 2 more (Leon and Zack).

This is my baby brother Adam. He is now 15 and in 10th grade. I could say that he once used to look up to me, but now the roles have reversed. He's huge! Besides spending time with his big sis, he was a jewel and downloaded music from my computer onto my phone so that now when I am at the gym I can use my phone as an mp3 player. I am so excited! Let's just say Merry Christmas to me! :)

Pictured above is Tim, short for Timathy. My parents adopted him this summer. He just turned 18. Tim has been with my parents' family off and on since he was about 11. It has been awesome to watch him grow into a young man. On Saturday, Tim and his brother got tattoos. Tim is a great kid and a wonderful addition to my parents' family. He just asked me to be his friend on facebook. I told him that I would have to think about it...NO, just kidding! We are now friends on facebook.

This is Leon. Leon is in 7th grade. He and his younger brother Zack are the newest additions to my parents' family. They moved into my parents' house in the middle of this summer. My parents are planning on adopting them as well. It was great getting to know Leon a little better. I have been told that when they get adopted they want to change their names. Leon would like to change his John Paul. Zack is planning on changing his name to Paul Thomas. They both would like to add Paul to their names in honor of my dad, Paul. Leon (John) really took a liking to Penelope. The whole time that he was with me on Friday, he spent playing with Penelope. By the time I dropped them off at the Civic Center, she was pooped and slept for the rest of the night.

It was truly a wonderful experience having my brothers with me for a few days!

Club 31

This fall, I decided to step out of my confort zone and joined a book club. Yes, you heard me right, I said a book club. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a huge reader and here I am in a book club. The purpose of this club is to encourage the modern-day Proverbs 31 woman to live the life of a godly woman. We meet together once a month to fellowship, pray, and discuss with other women. Each month, I am going to try to write up a little ditty on the feature book for that month. If you are a glass-is-half-full kind of gal, this book is for you. The first book we read was called "Cold Tangerines" by Shauna Niequist. When I first heard of this book, I thought it was a very interesting and ambiguous title. I didn't have any expectations either way. When I opened the book and began to read, I discovered story after story the millions of ways God tries to break through our everyday lives and show us glimpses of His hope, peace, and grace. Shauna revealed her truest self to her readers. As a reader, I was able to relate to her imperfections, her struggles with life and God, and her joys and sadness. What I took away from this book is that I always need to be celebrating life and living it to the fullest and finding joy (in God) in the midst of imperfection, struggles, and sadness.

A Little Beauty For You and Me

I would like to share a little beauty with all of our family and friends today. I have now lived in Rochester for a little over 11 years. And for 11 years, every fall I come face to face with this tree. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful trees I have ever seen. And today, I stopped for a moment to take in the beauty and celebrate God's masterpiece.