28 Years

I celebrated 28 years this past week and realized I'm getting stranger and stranger the older I get. Just consider my gifts - a sewing machine carrying case, jewelry and makeup and gift cards to Lowes to buy a power tool and maybe some lumber. Yes, strange combination. I've found that since I have more 'free time' as a stay at home compared to working full-time at my last birthday, my hobbies have diversified but have one common theme - all revolve around my home - my full-time office for the past year. And I love it. I cherish the time I get to spend making our home more 'ours' and coming up with ways to save money by making (or in some cases, building) things.

I celebrated my birthday a few times this year. Dash and Mason even made me a birthday cake. Pretty impressive, huh? And it tasted just as good.

We headed to my parents' home in Austin on my actual birthday so we could get a jumpstart on the drive to Family Camp. We missed them by just a few hours (on their own vacation to Colorado) but found a note taped to the fridge...

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

If you want your presents,

Here's whatcha gotta do.

There are little treasures hidden around the house,

Use the hints to help you out,

Look up and down and everywhere

Look inside and look outside if you dare.

Some are big, some are small,

All are for you and not for John-Paul*.

My creative sister, Jessica, had put together clues and riddles that led me to six different spots where my presents where hidden - all purple presents - makeup, jewelry, nail polish, purse. Twenty-eight is definitely not too old for a scavenger hunt.

Thank you family and friends for making this year special!

*Dash's first name :)

T Bar M Family Camp 2010

We were blessed again with being able to visit Family Camp at T Bar M again this summer. As the old saying goes "A picture is worth a thousand words," I'll let the pictures do the talking...

In His hands

On the way to church yesterday, Dash and I were stressing and worrying about finding enough families for the Adopt an Apache program and I had a heavy heart. We have 6-7 families committed but with limited time since the fall semester is rapidly approaching, my nerves were getting the best of me.

During the service, God didn't waste any time reminding us both that this program is not about the details but about His larger plan for the families He chooses and the players He chooses.

The first song we sang was a new favorite of mine by Chris Tomlin (a TJC grad). (Listen here)
And if our God is for us
Then who can ever stop us
And if our God is with us
Then who can stand against us

The second song was a remake of an old hymn.
Take my life and let it be
All for You and for Your glory

Thank you, Lord, for reminding us to not let our stress get in the way of Your will and Your work.

We feel so blessed that God is letting us do His work through this program. I know this won't be the last time we battle stress, but I pray that it becomes easier and easier to defeat.

Our New Ministry

God has blessed our family with an exciting ministry opportunity. We've had it on our hearts since we moved here to find a way to impact the college students/players that He has put in our lives. And the idea could have only come from Him because it hit Dash and I both at the same time and the details are falling too perfectly into place. Below is an e-mail I sent to families in Tyler today, but as our friends and family, we ask that you pray for this program: for the impact it makes on our community, the families and players; that God chooses exactly the right families to participate; that His will be done and not ours; that we find ways to give Him the glory through this program, even though it's by definition a 'secular' program; and specifically for me over the next month as I organize all the details and recruit families.
With joy,
Shae

Some of you have heard a little about the ministry we are starting, but I’ve included more background for those who have not. Please forward this on to anyone you think might be interested. Since this is the program’s first year, we can use as much help as we can get from people spreading the word!



Dash and I knew that God had plans for our family when He opened the door to Dash’s new job as TJC Assistant Tennis Coach last year. While Dash loves building relationships with his players, there is a fine line that is difficult to cross as a coach to really make the most significant spiritual impact on their lives. Just recently, God put it on our hearts to involve the community (our friends, church, tennis supporters, strangers with a desire to serve) in impacting these players for His glory. So, that’s where this plan came from…

This coming school year, starting in September, we are launching the first year of the “Adopt an Apache” program. This program will match up college athletes (just tennis for now but we have a great desire to expand it in coming years) with families in Tyler that ‘adopt’ them for the year. Adoption is this case means treating the player to one meal a month (home-cooked or eating out), attending a couple of their FREE tennis matches to cheer them on and building a relationship. Of course, it’s not limited to these but that’s the minimum we are asking of the adoptive families. Not too much, right?

At least half of the TJC tennis teams are international students that come to Tyler without a friend, car or much money. They often cannot leave for the short college holidays (like Thanksgiving and Easter) and stay in the empty dorms. While it’s easy to see the needs of players from places like Paris, Greece, Brazil, Israel and Russia, the tennis players from Lubbock, Abilene and Franklin are searching for ways to get involved in the community just as much. Having our 18-month old son around the tennis players for the past year has been such a blessing for our family. They all run to play with him and we love that he gets exposed to other cultures within the confines of the Tyler city limits. College is such a critical time for many – when many of us made spiritual decisions that would affect us for eternity – and our prayer is that through the adoptive families, this is an opportunity for our community to impact the nations and these players in His name.

Other details (in a nice, concise list!):
-A mixer and optional FREE tennis clinic for adults and children will take place in early or mid September to introduce the families to their adopted Apache
-Families will receive a bio on their Apache before the mixer
-A monthly reminder e-mail/newsletter will be sent out with suggestions and success stories
-A facebook fanpage will be set up to easily find out about upcoming matches and TJC tennis news (like the fact that both the men and women’s teams won the National Championship this past year!)
-Families can request a male or female player, if they have a preference.


We have over twenty players coming in just a few weeks and our goal is to have families ready to make an impact on their time here in Tyler. Please pray about your commitment and let either of us know if you have any questions or concerns. Or if you are ready to “Adopt and Apache!”

With joy,
Shae

Thanks for your support. We look forward to sharing successes and struggles as we get the program off the ground and running.

New Mason videos

He still keeps us laughing, though we are experiencing more frequent times of wanting to pull our hair out now as he is constantly testing his and our boundaries. He understands 'yes' and 'no' well (though not without the occasional fit if the answer does not swing his way) but the sharing lesson is a hard one to teach and learn right now. Thank goodness for friends that understand and are going through the same thing right along with us.

Mason's favorite word is 'no' (fun for us!). He tells his friends 'no' and of course we hear it often. One of the funniest times he uses 'no' is when he is bossing our dog, Maddy, around. She gets lots of 'no's from Mase, as in 'no' don't take my food 'no' don't steal my ball, 'no' you are in my way. I think we have a bossy child on our hands, but at least he knows what he wants and communicates it to us. Sigh.

Here's a video of Mr. Bossy Pants himself, telling a new person 'no.'

I'm trying hard not to get Dash's hopes up that we're going to have an athletic son. We might have conversations in our house about which sport we'd most enjoy Mason going pro in. Doesn't everyone? ;) But I really do think he has great coordination and still prefers his bouncy balls to any other toy of his.

Notice the precision he places the ball down with? There's my boy's"orderlyness" (as one babysitter described it as he picked up all his toys and lined up his shoes).

Addiction

I have a new addiction to spray paint. Instead of going out and buying new things, I'm trying to repurpose some things we have already to make them our 'new' new.

Here's where 6 bucks got me today. Well, 4 bucks really. I still have half a can I'm hording.

My husband will be so proud that I used an old blanket as my new spray paint drop cloth. No shadows of my projects left in our green grass this time.

Family Tree

Even though we live 4 hours away from our closest immediate family, it is really important to us that Mason knows all of his family. No matter how much time he gets to spend with them. No matter how far away they live. No matter how far away we move. I started this project last year, but finally (thanks to facebook!) I was able to steal enough photos to finish it. Simple. Cheap. Educational. Memories. All my favorite things rolled into an activity for Mason and me to do together every day.

Here's what I used...

I bought both of these things at Office Depot (still get my old company's discount - shhh!) for less than five bucks. Without a discount, it would be around $12.

And here's what I made...

And closer...

And closer still...

Pretty fun, huh? You can see pictures of all Mason's aunts, uncles, most of his cousins, all the grandparents and of course, his mama and daddy. He is really great at copying words and names so I'm hoping to tap into the stage he's at and teach him his family members' names. When I'm cooking or washing dishes, which is often when your home doesn't have a dishwasher, we go through them quickly. He always picks one or two to carry around with him for awhile. And some lucky family members get kisses from him. If my wallet allows, I see another Office Depot trip in our future to expand the game to include great-grandparents (Mason has more than you can count on one hand!) and his furry friends. I'm sure his family tree will keep growing in other ways, too!