A Kind Invitation

Trying to decide where to attend a special Easter service?....Come join us at Grace...we have been thoroughly enjoying the spirit-filled services with our interim pastor. AND, we had an awesome guest last Sunday night, who I think might be coming to be with us again on Easter! :)



(pssst...if you'd like a little sneak preview, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYgIJWes0Ek )

Big Love,
Sarah

Spring Blizzard

absolutely crazy...the 7th day of spring and here we are stuck inside watching sheets of snow slam to the ground as the trees dangle to the ground with the weight of the ice...absolutely crazy!!

ok, so, what's your favorite kind of blizzard from Dairy Queen?

I can't think of a favorite...mine always depends on my mood. I either get a Snickers, Cookie Dough, or Hawaiian.

And right now, I could sure go for a Hawaiian...as long as its native weather came along with it! :)

Big Love,
Sarah

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for friends. I'm not talking about the good-hi, how ya doin-acquaintances. I'm not talking about the hey-I'm bored so I think I'll give Sarah a call-distant 'friend'; or the energy-taking, life-sucking, whining, what-can-you-do-for-me, 'friend'; or the two-faced, lying, pretender who treats you one way to your face, but you find out later they have completely defamed your name; or the 'friend' who apparently doesn't know how to use a telephone--to return voicemails or simply call to say hello.

A wise person once told me, "Sarah, you need to put your friends in 3 categories. 1: the friends who cherish, who you completely confide in, who you trust with you innermost secrets. 2: the friends who you go have a good time with, you go out to dinner or go bowling, but you watch what you say around them. 3: the friends aren't really friends at all...and those--if you're wise--won't be given the opportunity to waste your time."

I am thankful for the person who goes the extra mile to call me, even though "life is so busy."

I'm thankful for the person who simply listens--whether it be me griping about doctors appointments or whether it be ya-hoo'ing about Maya peeing in the toilet.

I'm thankful for the person who goes out of their way to fit it in their schedule to come see every single time they are in town--thanks for the lunch date, Kari!

I'm thankful for the person who sends a card, for no reason at all, just to tell me they love me.

I'm thankful for the friend who is just that--a friend, any time, any place, any circumstance, who I can do absolutely nothing with, and still have a great time.

Thank you for being a good friend.

What are you thankful for today?

Big Love,
Sarah

CUTEST BABY CONTEST

So, I did it...

When Gabriel is 17, he's going to be saying, "Mom, I can't believe you do that...how embarrassing!"

Well, maybe not--if he wins $500!!! But, he can't win without your vote, so here is what we need you to do:

Go to www.power939.com and click on cutest baby contest. Find Gabriel's picture, which is in the 3rd column, 15th up from the bottom, click on it, and GIVE HIM A 5!!!!!!!!!!

Now the important part:
YOU CAN VOTE EVERY DAY THIS WEEK. So be sure to remember to go back and GIVE HIM A 5 each day this week!!

This is the pic you're looking for:

Big Fun Love,
Sarah

DISAPPOINTED

ok, guys...

according to my site meter, in less than 1 week, I have had more than 94 hits on my blog. that means my plea for a sponsorship for the Autism Care Walk has been scanned by 188 eyes!! ok, ok, u think most of those hits are my own? sure, I'll play that game--I'll say that half of those hits are my own, so that still leaves 47 hits that are other people checking out my blog!!! and the detailed stats tell me that on average, 15 people visit this site each day for approximately 4 minutes.

AND I ONLY HAVE 5 SPONSORS SO FAR, ONLY 2 OF THOSE BEING ACTUAL BLOG READERS!

COME ON, COME ON, COME ON!!!!!!!!!!

For those interested, this is how much I have so far:

Carly and Chris Burrell
$100.00
You guys are AWESOME!!!

Ed & Rosanne Luna
$100.00

Sarah Shaffer
$25.00
Go, Dominic!

Celia EasLey
$25.00
Luv ya Dom.

Katie Fellin
$25.00
We love you, Dom!


Now, it's YOUR turn...please visit my personal sponsor page at the link listed in the previous post, or you can simply mail me a check (make it out to Heartspring) at the address in the previous post.

Let's try this again...
Get ready, get set, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disappointed, but still loving you,
Sarah

PS--Carly, Chris, Katie, & Yaw: This post was obviously NOT intended for you. Thank you all SO MUCH for supporting us and helping us help Dom!!

Serious Business

If you have never read anything I've ever written, I BEG you to read this one.
If you have never acted upon anything I've ever said, I BEG you to act upon this.
If you have never dug a little deeper for any good cause, I BEG YOU TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER for THIS cause...

On Saturday, April 4, 2009, I will be participating in a very special event--the Autism Care Walk. Not only will I be participating, but so will several other people (11 others registered so far), all on behalf of Dominic Alexander, my honey honey lovey lovey.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, dig a little deeper and SPONSOR ME for this great cause. All proceeds will go to Heartspring, the specialized center in Wichita that helps children just like Dominic!

I don't care if you pledge $25, $10, $5, or $1, JUST PLEDGE SOMETHING. I will be sending out a very special "something" to those of you who are generous enough to help me help Dom.

Now the important part, here's how you do it:

Just visit My CARE Walk page at http://tinyurl.com/d4sjse and click the 'Sponsor Me' tab to make a donation on my behalf.


Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Oh wait,
6. Leave me a comment and let me know you sponsored me, so I can send your special "something!"

One last thing, for those of you who may be uncomfortable making an online pledge, I would GLADLY accept a check mailed directly to my house at:
10021 N Hillside
Valley Center KS 67147

Get ready, get set, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Love,
Sarah

Muwahahahaha

What's your favorite scary movie? Mine is...Candyman!

Happy Friday the 13th,
Sarah

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for a hard-working husband. I'm thankful that even when he's tired, even when he's not feeling well, even when he's been up all night with Gabriel, even when he's had less than 4 hours of sleep, even when he doesn't want to, he still works hard.

I'm thankful for other people who work hard, too.

For the trashman, who faithfully comes by my house every Thursday morning and empties out that dirty, germy, nasty, stinky barrell. I'm thankful

For the janitors at work who mop the floors, clean the toilets, and scrub the sinks.

For the receptionists who actually work hard at their jobs--and do their jobs well, keeping a smile on their face and treating me with kindness, even when I have a million questions.

I'm thankful for my mom, who is on the go from sun up 'til sun down, running after kids (often times MY kids), fixing meals, answering the phone, cleaning the house, changing poop, and singing Elmo songs.

There's just something about a hard work ethic that I really appreciate.

What are you thankful for today?

Those Who Have What It Takes

So many times people have asked, and I've wondered myself, "Sarah, why do you stay at Grace?" I can never give an explanation that really gives a reason why, other than, "God hasn't told me to go yet." That reason alone far surpasses any other reason I would have, but there are some other reasons that go along with it, such as...there are duties to fulfill...I want to be able to worship together with my mom, my dad, my sister, my grandma, and my aunt...the people at Grace love me more than any other church family ever will...consistency is important, not only for me, but also for my kids...we go thru many fires in that church, but if we never experience fire, we never get a true understanding of what it feels like to finally feel some rain...to see prayers answered...to watch God at work...and to know that we are exactly where God wants us.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, we had a great guest speaker on Sunday, and just for pure enjoyment and relaxation, he sends out a "cup of coffee" every Monday to family & friends and just about anybody who wants to be added to his emailing list. What he wrote about the congregation at Grace in Monday's cup of coffee reminded me why I'm still there:

"Mornin', gang-

I've got a fresh-brewed pot of Toffee Nut java here. Slide your cup over here; I'll pour us both a little more.

Babycakes and I were reminded yesterday of just what it is that makes America and Americans truly unique in the world.

We met a few dozen people as a group we'd never before met and may never have otherwise known this side of Heaven. Their names aren't important. They're a hardy and resilient bunch of folks, all sorts of personalities and ages and with all sorts of different life experiences along the paths they've walked. Tall, short, stout, thin, young, old. . .

They're a tough team who understand no one of them can go it alone, but together they'll manage to get done whatever needs doing. Everyone wears several hats because there are more tasks than takers. I observed the signs of weariness and disappointment that always comes when those with lesser drive to survive choose to quit the team for whatever reason. But I didn't see anyone moping, and I didn't hear anyone griping.

Note: I never said that doesn't occur among them. They're not The Legion of Superheroes; they're just like all the rest of us. They get tired, sore, irritated, disgusted and angry, too. They just weren't tossing that all out there. What they did do was offer some fairly dispassionate assessments of where they'd been, where they were and where they wanted to go from this point.

I observed them caring about each other. I listened to them praying for and encouraging each other. What a concept. I know of a group of 535 who can't seem to get over themselves long enough to make that happen. They could learn a lot of these folks I met yesterday."

It's kinda nice to be encouraged for once and not looked down upon for a being "one of THOSE people."

Big Love,
Sarah

Finally!

Have you ever been hungry? I don't mean like, "it's supper time, and I think I need to eat somethin'" hungry. I mean, have you ever really been hungry? Have you ever been SO hungry that you actually have stomach pain? Have you ever been SO hungry that strangers passing by would have mistaken you for Oscar the Grouch or Grunjetta? (yeah, sorry I'm still on a little Sesame Street high ;) ) Have you ever been SO hungry that you couldn't even eat, even after you finally got some food?

I have had this exact hunger that I'm talking about for about the past 5 months. However, my hunger hasn't been in my tummy...my hunger has been in my soul. I would even go as far as saying that I have been spiritually starving. Until Sunday. On Sunday, I felt like I had made about 20 trips through the lines at World Buffet.

Not sure if I ever really mentioned anything on here, but the pastor we had at Grace resigned towards the end of January. Not anything that we haven't been through before, but many, many people were hurt and broken. Some people left, and some people stayed. Some people were angry, some people were sad, some people were clueless, and some were just plum confused.

Well in midst of everything, I have let my soul starve. I guess you could even call me a spiritual anorexic. I made excuses to stop reading my Bible. I made excuses to not attend church every time the doors were open. I made excuses to stop socializing with Christian friends. I spiritually starved myself.

On Sunday, after several fill-in pastors who were opposite of wet & exciting, we had the privilege of listening to the Word of God, and it was presented by an incredible guest speaker. We had never heard him before, nobody knew who he was, but he was one of those people that you just felt like you had known for 20 years by the time he left.

I can't even explain what it feels like to be back on the road to spiritual maturity instead of spiritual starvation. I'm geared up for battle, as I know the "schemer" will be doing his best to trip me up; but I'm ready. I'm ready to face him head-on. I'm ready to fight until I fall flat on my face. I'm ready to stay prayed up and fed up so I can stand up.

And if I should fall...so be it...I'll be in a partying place when it's all over! But in the mean time, I will not run away. I will stand firm, be strong, and make sure that the "schemer" will never see the soles of my feet.

Big Love,
Sarah

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?

Back Among the Blogging!

Hey, everyone! How ya doin'? I'm so glad to finally get to post again...Sam and I finally have Internet! :) But, that doesn't mean much--I've got 2 little monkeys running wild during the day, and I'm working in the evenings now, 6-10 p.m.

Speaking of work, it's going. I'm still in the training process, and I love it, although it's quite confusing and stressful at times. Lord permitting, I will pass training by the end of next week and be able to choose a permanent shift. Otherwise, I'll be back on the job search again--which is something I want to AVOID for at least 6 months!!! :)

So nothing is really new here other than that. Gabriel continues to be my well-behaved cuddle bug, and bless his heart, he has been sporting some new tatoos on his hands and arms of his big sister's teeth marks!

Maya and I went to Sesame Street Live on Wednesday morning. We were on the floor in the 2nd row, and she absolutely LOVED it! She got special hugs and handshakes from Rosita, Zoe, the orange Honker (whom she wasn't very fond of), and Grover! I have pictures to share, but those will probably come later tonight when I'm not rushing.

Okay, love you all and hope you're well. Leave me comments, please--I miss all of you!!

Big love,
Sarah

PS--I promise to get the Valentine's layoff changed--I'm hoping maybe sometime by...February 14, 2010. ;)