Vacation Time

If you were to ask me where I would recommend you to vacation...I would tell you the location doesn't matter but you should DEFINITELY do it on a cruise ship!

But, before we get to that...Kyle and I head off to Vegas this evening to meet up with his family for a few days. We love going to Vegas and we love even more getting to hang out with his family! I'm planning to win enough (since I play so big..ha) to pay off all our bills AND build our church the most amazing building ever. That's a lot of stinkin pennies and nickels I'll be winning!

Ok..back to the cruise.

I have been lucky (no...spoiled) to have gone on cruises the past 3 summers. So, as you would expect, I was completely depressed that we would not be cruising this summer. BUT, we were sooooo very blessed by a guy in our church that works for a travel company that gave away free cruises for pastors. STAFF RETREAT TO THE CARIBBEAN!! Bob, Martha, Dan, Carolyn, Kyle, and I are packing it up and heading to Miami to set sail on a 4-day western caribbean cruise to Key West and Cozumel on the Fascination of the Seas. (Carnival) I always said I would never go on one less than 7 days....but when it's free...oh and did I mention our free upgrade to a balcony suite?!? Nope...not complaining.

Here is me reminiscing about how great my cruises have been:

Summer 2005...Miller family trip with the Chapmans...Rhapsody of the Seas

Best excursion(s): Swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman & Climbing Dunns River Falls in Jamaica


Summer 2006...Honeymoon with Kyle...Freedom of the Seas (in it's first season...the BIGGEST and the BEST available)

Best excursion: Xcarat in Cozumel (floating down the river)


Summer 2007...Parker family vacation....Liberty of the Seas (brand new..identical to Freedom)

Best excursion: 4-wheelers in rain forest of San Juan, Puerto Rico


And last, but not least....my next cruise:
Kyle and I heard about Royal Caribbean's Genesis Project to come out in 2009 when we were on our honeymoon. It's finally in the making and is scheduled to launch late next year. I'm definitely going to start saving up!!! Click below and check it out!!!! (you will be amazed at what the boats can pack!!)
Oasis of the Seas


That all being said...I will be away from blogging until we return on the 4th. :)

Flooding

Brooke was in town on Saturday, so we headed to downtown St. Louis to take some (ok...too many) pics of how much the water has risen. The first two pics are of the same bridge, first one in August...second one now.










Meanwhile, we have been enjoying having a pool in our backyard very much!!

And when we don't, the stupid ducks do.

One Church

We are currently participating, along with over 1600 other churches in over 20 different countries, in a series called One Prayer at LifePoint. Today we heard from Craig Groeschel, the pastor of LifeChurch.tv and the guy that launched the idea for this series. (he also is the author of a one of the best books I've ever read: Confessions of a Pastor

The idea of one prayer is that the church would be unified...with our focus on the ONE. First, and foremost, we have to understand that the church DOES NOT exist for US. We should not have a consumer attitude when we attend church. The church exists for the world and to bring God glory!!

Groeschel gave a great example of how the kids in the backseat fight over important stuff on long trips...who sits in the middle, which song to play on the radio, who crossed which line, etc. The church is no different! We fight in our church and amongst other churches over the same type of important stuff. What style of music, what clothes to wear, which version of the Bible to use, etc.

What would happen if the church came together with these 3 common ones?
ONE enemy - satan...not other churches, religions
ONE heart - to serve and love people
ONE purpose - to make His name known & bring Him ALL the glory

Groeschel also highlights that if TODAY the church would be unified...this is what we could do in a week:
Monday - eliminate starvation
Tuesday - give everyone access to clean drinking water
Wednesday - meet all medical needs
Thursday - eliminate poverty
Friday - meet the needs of all orphans
Saturday - have the whole world not only know the name of Jesus, but SEE it
Sunday - praise our Lord like never before

Now...if you think those sound far-fetched, let me give you a statistic that David Nasser told us last week at camp. (given to him from World Vision)

If less than 7% of churched people would step up and decide they have an extra room to open up for a child....there would be no parent-less child left.

Dad Day

This is sort of a repeat of a blog from May...but since Kyle and I can't spend Father's Day with our dads, we decided to dedicate a blog to them.

Kyle and I are blessed to have such incredible men that raised us and continue to be such a huge part of our life.

I remember in marriage counseling being told that we (humans) usually marry people that in some way remind us of our fathers/mothers and I was asked what about Kyle reminded me of my dad. I don't do good at answering questions on the spot, but I was searching for something deep...and all I could think of, and say, was: "They both have smart mouths." haha I still remember when we were driving around town one evening looking at Christmas lights or something (before gas was $4 a gallon)and asking my dad to drive by the house real quick so I could get a pillow. As soon as we turned on our street I swear he hit 60mph as we flew by our house. That is the kind of junk you get from him ALL the time...but I love it. Later in our counseling I went back to the question and talked about how level-headed my dad is. He never spouted off something without thinking fully through the situation. This quality made him an outstanding administrator. (athletic director) He always remains calm and makes logical decisions. Kyle and I greatly respect and admire my dad. I deeply value his opinion and always call on him for tough decisions. I know I can always expect my dad to support and love me no matter what I may be doing or going through. His love for Kyle, me and his family is unwavering and shown in so many ways.

Mike always has the same type of jokes, play on words, and smart comebacks like my dad, which makes him just as entertaining. He is the only person I know that knows so much about cars, yet has run out of gas in a new Tahoe TWICE. But, there is no question over Mike's love for his family. He would do absolutely anything for them. And there has never been a moment that I have been around him and not felt like I was 100% part of that family. I am so grateful that he treats me like his own. He, also, is a man that Kyle and I greatly respect and admire. His words and opinions weigh deeply on decisions we make. His willingness to fight for what is right has been shown time and time again. It wasn't but a year ago that he devoted hour after hour on the phone fighting to get us another wonderful cruise. (click here for insane cruise story) Again, we never have to doubt his love or support in our lives.

We know that being far away from you guys hasn't been easy on either end, but we are so grateful that you have allowed us to walk down the path God has called us to and cheered us on. Your support has been shown in various ways and words cannot describe how much it means to us. We love you both and can't wait to see you!

Youth Camp

This post is quite belated....but between waiting on Kyle to get me camp pics and my stupid class I'm taking, it is finally here!!

We spent last week at Windermere Conference Center at the Lake of the Ozarks for StudentLife camp. It was beautiful and the kids had an awesome time!! A total of 21kids and 5 brave sponsers went. It was neat seeing the kids come together and join forces with one another and allow their lives to be changed. The speaker, David Nasser, and the band, Steve Fee Band, were awesome as well!



For me personally, it continued to stir up this desire to break free & live in the dream zone. It tapped into a different aspect of living in the dream zone that seems so simple, yet, I had not considered it.

It's about God being my everything. About losing myself for the glory of God. This has been so cliche for a long time in my life, but it's changing me in a way I can't describe. I'm being prompted to be generous and selfless in ways I've never imagined. I'm starting to deeply understand how loving God and loving people can really change the world. I'm really beginning to understand exactly what it looks like to give up my comfort to love God, love people, and change the world. It's not about what I want. In the past I've put a limit on these words to not push my comfort away too far. Now I'm understanding that God is calling me to rise above that. His glory is found in me losing myself to love others. My prayer is I wouldn't become content. I wouldn't lose sight of loving God and loving people in big ways.

Older and Uglier

So, it is officially June 2, but I have not gone to bed yet, so I am still counting it as June 1.

My grandpa is the coolest old guy I know. And today (June 1) he turned NINETY-FIVE. The title is in honor of his reply to me EVERY time I ask him how he is doing. (even though I disagree with him) If I could give him a magic pill to remove all his arthritis then he might come visit me...meanwhile, I cannot wait to go to Texas so I can visit him!! Here are a few pics we took last summer before moving to Illinois that give evidence of what an awesome man he STILL is at 95:





Side note: Kyle and I are headed with 21 students and 3 other leaders to the Lake of the Ozarks for youth camp tomorrow! Actually we are leaving today...in about 6.5 hours. We are crazy...I know. :)