Miller Trip - St Louis/Chicago

As mentioned in my previous post, my side of the family flew up for a week at the end of June - beginning of July. It's always fun to hang out with family and it was even more fun taking them to Chicago for the first time! And there's wayyy too many pics here :)

We started out the week with a Cardinals game.
We were really close to Matt Holliday. :)


We had an extra ticket so we took one of our youth, Haley. She is seriously the biggest Cards fan EVER. I PROMISE you she knows more than you about them. :) We love her.

Me & my beautiful sis...can I have that shirt???

Love these peeps...my momma's first Cards game!


Then, for Mother's day, Brooke, Kyle and I gave my mom a ticket to see Wicked. It's such an awesome show & it was just as good the 2nd time around! We also brought along on my good friends, Jaime Klee!


Did I mention the Fox Theatre is BEAUTIFUL?!?!



Next we boarded on the EARLY train to Chicago. We love traveling there by train & Chicago is a blast! Here are a some of my faves from there... you can click here to see more pictures of Chicago. (and the summer!)
Gotta have deep dish pizza! Best in the world!

Famous Silver Bean

This would be my hangout if I lived in Chi-town!

Waiting for our River Tour

View from John Hancock

Another view from John Hancock Building

Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier

Public Transportation Fun!

John Hancock & Navy Pier

Night View from John Hancock

Gotta love historical Wrigley Field...even if you do NOT love the Cubs!




We returned to St Louis just in time to celebrate the 4th! A guy and good friend from church surprised us with 4 tickets to the Cardinals game that he was not going to be able to use. They were AWESOME seats so of course we accepted. (Brooke had gone to Columbia so we didn't have to leave her behind!)

Pujols is a beast!

Favorite Cards pitcher - Wainwright...so glad he was pitching!

Molina is the best catcher in the league!

Our view of Holliday this game...he had just made an awesome catch!


We stayed downtown to watch fireworks from the arch. They were amazing as always!






Oh...and we found the best ribs in St Louis. :)

Texas & Florida

I love being able to travel in the summer! It seems like every year it is packed with fun adventures and this summer has been no different.

I started out the summer in mid-June making a trip to Texas. Kevin & Emily had their wedding shower on June 12th and one of my childhood friends, Jeff Pair, got married on the 19th...so I stayed the whole week to attend both! It was a great trip b/c I was able to see a lot of Kyle's family, visit my grandpa in Breckenridge & all my family in the Abilene area, catch up with my friends Elizabeth, Jodee, Laci, and Brandi and see several other family friends at the wedding!
The two best Emily Parker's EVER!! (well will be after the 17th!)

Valinda and her girls

My mom, sis, and me

Em's Family

Valinda's Family

Misty & Emily

Kevin & Emily <3

High school friends Blake and Jonathan

The groom - best childhood friend everrr!! Jeffrey Pair!

Our parents group! They had so much fun catching up!!

I made it home in time to do laundry & re-pack to head to Panama City Beach for BigStuf Camp 2010! We took about 35 students and had a great time! They put on one of the best camps I have ever been to. You can click on the Driven blog (over to the right) to see more pics from camp.
They always have an awesome stage...this doesn't do it justice:

Our group (minus 2 that left early)

My room was awesome! (by the way...we stayed in condos that were AMAZING!! - go to Driven blog to see what they looked like!)


After camp, my family flew up for a week! We saw lots of baseball and took a quick trip to Chicago! I haven't finished going through pictures but they are coming soon!

Now we are headed back to Texas for Kevin and Emily's wedding and a lake trip with Kyle's family! AND to meet Jodee's little girl, Lillee Grace, to be born on July 20th if not sooner!! I'm soooo excited!! Pics to follow!

Hope my two readers are enjoying the warm weather!!

SUMMMMMEEEEERRRRR

I'm in love with summer.

Kyle and I had a great Memorial Day weekend by making our first trip to the lake with the James family. I just enjoyed a little boat time while Kyle had to go out and pick on all the kids!
Kyle & Griffin

Kyle being a pain & sprayin water

Girls vs. Boys

Dawson making sure we know who won!


I'm even more in love with this summer because for the first time in three summers I am not totally stressed about my job. Even though I'm not going on a cruise or to Vegas this year (tear) it is sooooo nice not being worried about what the next year holds. I had a WONDERFUL year of teaching and can't believe I've already been in it for 3 years! I'm hoping next year that I will CHOOSE to have a great year even if I don't have great classes!

It was really hard saying goodbye to my 8th graders. There were some great mentor-like relationships built this year. It's been fun to encourage them and have "real-life" talks with them that will help guide them in high school. I cannot describe in words the joy I have felt from meeting some of their parents & them being so thankful for the positive impact (hopefully!) we have made. Teaching is tough, but it's so rewarding!

Love this kid. Even wished me a Happy Mother's Day for bein like a mom to him. *tear*

Our boys. Intramurals will never be the same.

Hannah and Addison. Addy is my special kid...can't wait to watch her grow up!


Don't I look like I fit right in with these ganstas?! (talent show day)

Look how much Keshon & Rasheen changed from 6th to 8th!! Love these boys!!

They are on opposite sides in this one:

Texan Talk

I have been made fun of more this year for my Texas talk than any other year! Even though many people here use "y'all", I apparently use it "different" than others. I still get told I say "hill" and "male" funny...but the 2 new ones for this year are "field" and "goal". Apparently I say "field" more like "feld". And apparently you are supposed to say (in basketball instructions) "go shoot at that hoop" not "goal".

One of the first things Kyle and I noticed was that everyone here always puts the emphasis on the 2nd word in 2 word things...like in Six Flags and Taco Bell. In Texas we. For the first time, one of our youth noticed and made fun of Kyle for emphasizing the first word. Crazy how different we can be!

Next weekend I am going to Texas and I will be made fun of for talking like a northerner...and adapting words like "soda" and "salsa" and "you guys"! Everyone will also notice how I say my O's different, like in "stop", and think St Louis has corrupted me. I don't know where that came from...its more a Wisconsin thing...and I even get made fun of here for that lingo! (and I was told in college I sounded like I was from WI - and I was all Texan then!)

There is no point in this blog really. It doesn't bother me a bit, I actually like when people from either side bring it up & tell me it sounds funny b/c I think it's such an interesting thing that people can talk so different in regions that aren't really that far from each other...and I'm like a mutt - I can be labeled so many different things! :) So there is your random, pointless blog post for the day.

Parker Happenings

Now that I think about it - quite a bit has gone on in the past couple of months!

- I visited Indianapolis for the first time for a conference and loved it - such a neat place! Peyton & I were going to go out for dinner but he was out of town during my visit...oh well, there's always next time. Anyway, I definitely want to go back & see all the sites & watch a Colts game. (I was by myself so didn't do much)

- Driven Youth had their first annual Freedom Weekend. (Disciple Now) It went really well! Kyle did an AWESOME job planning and organizing everything. We had Runks (from Levelland, TX) come speak and he did an amazing job as well. He's hilarious and always has a powerful message. For me personally, his messages have been a tool in some major turning points in my own life.


A few of the derby car teams:




- Mike, Valinda, Kevin, Emily, and my parents all flew up in March for the Midwest Regional. We love, love, love having visitors (especially family!) and had a great time! Adding the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 was a special bonus! We are so lucky to have such great families!


Magic!!


- I mentioned in a blog about 2 years ago (click here) about one of my good friends from HS, Caleb Campbell, being draftd in the NFL. The army changed their policy the day after he arrived at spring training camp & had him return. Well 2 years later, he has served his time & officially signed a contract with the Detroit Lions once again. You can follow him on twitter: LTCampbellLions I am super proud of his perseverance and accomplishments!

Check out who he's stretching with!

(for you non-football fans, that's Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska - the 2nd overall pick this year)


- I am seeing the goodness of God's plan in my job more now than ever. I just about thought the world had ended when I found out I couldn't get my IL stuff in time to teach math my 2nd year. Then, I got a PE job at the same school and felt better...til I started & my students were INSANE...and I was clear across campus (we have a big middle school) from everyone I knew. I cried just about every night for 2 weeks before school started this year...freakin out about having to teach PE and not understanding why a job in another district hadn't opened up. Now, I am thankful I stayed put. My classes have been much better. I love knowing so many more kids & therefore can enjoy sporting events. I've gotten to know some great teachers & administrators. And I've become so attached to many of my 8th graders that I've had for 2 years. I feel like I fit now. Most importantly, being 3 years in Alton saved me from getting cut and if I would've moved anywhere else I would be jobless right now. Praise God!

Last Friday was our 8th grade dance. I know none of you really care, but these kids feel like my own...so I'm going to post pictures & show them off. :)

Teacher friends:

Love these boys: (and worried like heck who is goin to take care of them/keep them out of trouble next year!)

I want my daughter to be just like this girl: LOVE HER!!!

The say she looks like she could be my kid...maybe it's b/c she is always at my side!


I want to take the 2 boys beside me home! (below..NOT above! haha)




- And last but not least...I'm pretty sure I bought too many flowers this year with my yard sale money. Check back in a month and I might be the house known as "flower power!" Ok. That's it.

Margin

HOLY SMOKES! I didn't blog in March or April...wow. I know my hundreds of readers have been disappointed - but seriously, after this I'm probably down to NONE - they're tired of checking! You may find it surprising, but I just haven't had a lot to say...I guess it's spring fever.

We started a new series at LifePoint last week called: MARGIN. Bob speaks on this type of thing at least once a year & several smaller times throughout the year. I always love it because as they say, "If Satan can't make you bad, he'll make you busy." Since I graduated college, busyness has become my biggest struggle. It's not something I'm proud of. I truly am improving as I become honest with myself about how bad the problem is, but it's a daily battle. And I'm not just talking about having a lot in my schedule....I'm talking about a personality trait...a bad one. Like freakin out trying to prepare my house before family comes (like Martha did in Luke 10:38-42) and even when my schedule is clear I'm thinking of the millions of things on my to do list or project list or house list or my "when I get time" list.

Although I wish I had more "Mary tendencies" I am also learning to appreciate my "Martha-like" personality. This thorn has caused me to learn just how truly dependent I am on God. I have been blessed with a husband who is willing to call me out and with friends that are like me to work with & encourage - especially Laci and Martha (my real friend Martha!) - who both told me "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" was a must read. I HIGHLY recommend this book if you struggle with similar busyness/worry/full schedules. I feel like it was written by someone in my head knowing my every though I fight the battle each day. I wake up asking God to reign in me, to be my one thing. I pray that I would focus on fellowship with Him & not worry about my to do lists. Sometimes I lose, usually because I beat myself. But, my goal is to win the war. Which is why I love doing a series at LifePoint on it once in awhile. It encourages me, keeps me accountable, and motivates me.

So, here's a few points (or a lot) from Week 1 of MARGIN that stuck out to me. I hope they encourage someone out there!!

Margin - the amount available beyond what is necessary; the difference between what you have and what you need

We need margin in time and money, emotionally and physically.

Most of us live at an unbiblical pace of life.

THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE HAPPEN IN THE MARGINS!!


We get so consumed by good things that we miss out on great things.

If you constantly forget things...
If you can't remember where you're going...
If you have to write everything down...
If you frequently double book things...
You are too busy.

If you say, "Everyone else is doing it" or "Everyone else's kids are doing it and I don't want mine to miss out" then read ROMANS 12:2 (wide is the path to destruction - you will destroy your family by being involved in so much stuff!)

As margin decreases - your stress increases & your relational intimacy decreases. (amen - been there, seen this, burned the tshirt)

Don't wear busy as a badge of honor. Don't brag about it & try to one up others - it ain't cool.

We stay busy and involved in way too many things because we don't trust that God is going to be enough without those things.

We'd be furious if someone broke into our house & stole something. We'd find out who did it & get it back. We are robbed everyday & don't do a thing about it. When we say, "Oh I'm sooo busy" we should be convicted because we are making the choice to let Satan rob us & we are breaking God's heart.

If you don't go to LifePoint here's the challenge Bob gave us for this week:
1 - Sit still & listen 5 minutes a day.
2 - No phones out during meals.
3 - Don't say "I'm busy" to anyone.

Work on creating margin!