A Day in the Life of the Brown Family: March 2008

3.31.2008

The Lord's Prayer

PAUSE THE MUSIC ON MY BLOG!

This is even cuter than her rendition of "Amazing Grace." This little girl is so cute and seems like she is super intelligent!

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.

Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version)

Were you aware that if grapes are cut almost in half and put in the microwave for several seconds they cause a spark? How do I know this? I'm glad you asked. The teenage guys figured it out in our microwave last night. I do admit, though, it was humorous to see 10 people hovering around the microwave trying to see the show.

When I was writing about our activity, I knew I was forgetting something, and it came back to my mind at some point today.

Has this ever happened to you?

Someone was trying to take David's and my picture, and they accidentally had it on video... it took us a few seconds to figure out what was going on!

3.30.2008

Youth Fellowship @ the Brown's & Photo Ramlings

goofballs

having fun

being thankful

cute couple <3

we call him TP ninja

trying hard to get people to guess the correct word

Who knew TP could be so fun?

in games, you never take that much

more cute, sweet girls

I like to take pictures of David driving

self-portraits are kind of amusing, too

See the door behind the flowers? I just noticed it the

other day... I think it's really cute

The young people playing games at our house

cuter, sweeter girls you will never find!

As youth pastor and youth pastor’s wife (I really don’t think I have a title), David and I want to make sure that we have a variety of activities planned for the young people at church. When we’re planning, something that we do is look back over our time as “youth.” What activities did we enjoy & why? One thing that David really enjoyed is spending time in church member’s houses for “fellowships.” Tonight, we hosted one at our house. We’ve done several, but we are going to try to make it a regular thing. Hopefully about one Sunday night a month, the young people will gather at someone’s home to eat a meal, play some games, and hear a testimony or devotion.

The activities tonight included playing a Christian version of Taboo (called the Unspoken Word), ate pizza, devoured chocolate cookies, and laughed a lot. While I was in the kitchen trying to bake cookies, the guys were competing to see who could swipe the most cookie dough. I would put one ball of dough on the sheet, turn to get another spoonful, and by that time, the first would would be gone. Have you ever played that game where something pops up and you have to hit it down? It made me feel like I was playing that game. I was utilizing my spoon to defend my cookies.

We are so blessed to have a good group of young people. When they’re all together, we don’t have to worry about someone saying something inappropriate or doing something they shouldn’t. They are all very respectful, and they know how to have good, clean fun. We are very thankful for that!

On another note: Thanks to all those who prayed for David today. He did a great job. I know he's glad that today is over and that he will be able to rest more easily. I think it must be very nerve racking to preach God's word to a group of people who really know it!

3.29.2008

Photo Ramblings, Free Wi-Fi, & Funeral Update

I found some more old pictures that were scanned into the computer for our wedding today... some of them are so funny...

my family (long ago) at a rest stop on vacation

my husband... I can't imagine him blonde

Another old picture... my brother (In the white tshirt) is now 6'5"!

David & Kimberly (little sister)

my first experience with cooking, I guess

in his Uncle Dave & Aunt Donna's wedding... how cute

my kindergarten picture (first year of homeschooling)

David & Kimberly again

my brother & me... he was on his way to preschool

On another note: Something just made me think of wireless internet, and I had to "blog" this story.

When it first became popular, Subway had on their sign "Free Wi-Fi." My mom, my aunt, and I were driving by one day, and they read the sign and said something like, "I wonder what that is and if it's any good." Trying to contain my laughter in the backseat, I said they should go in and ask to try some. I guess I didn't succeed at hiding my mirth because they both knew something was up. Since they weren't going to ask for some, I explained what it was. I really wish they had been a bit more gullible!

My mom and my aunt can be a riot to be around! Last year about this time, we were in CVS Pharmacy looking at cards. We started laughing so hard that the clerk came over to ask what was so much fun. That only made us laugh that much harder. Does anyone else do that? My family always finds something hilarious on the card aisle.

On another note: The funeral today went relatively well. The vast majority of those in attendance were lost and not interested in hearing the gospel. There was only a graveside service as the family intended it to be very brief. The man they asked to present the gospel apparently did not understand that and preached a 30 minute sermon. If you were saved, it was a fine sermon. If you weren't, the gospel was not crystal clear. David was able to give a concise gospel message at the close of the service. That is what the family wanted - opportunity for lost friends to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Thanks for your prayers!

Amazing Grace

PAUSE THE MUSIC ON MY SIDEBAR!

You have got to watch this adorable little girl sing this song! It's things like this that make me excited about the day when we will have children. This girl's got spunk, too... My husband was trying to imitate her little dance. It was more amusing than cute.

Erastosthenes

I read a children's book today called The Librarian Who Measured the Earth. It was a good book for many reasons, and you can read a post about it on my other blog (click here). Many concepts are addressed in this book (it would be great for teaching social studies or science, even math); but that's not what I wanted to mention here.

Erastosthenes is this really smart guy who lived long, long ago, right? He became the head of the library in Alexandria. He later calculated the circumference of the earth (he was off only by 200 miles). Do you know what he liked? Lists. I thought that was really interesting and it made me happy (isn't it the little things in life?). This blog is called A Day in the Life of the Brown Family: Ramblings from our lives. I think it should say "Random" before that second part.

3.28.2008

It Was a Splash...

PAUSE THE MUSIC ON MY BLOG!!!

This is hysterical! I cannot imagine someone doing this in church! I do know people who would definitely have done that if they had thought about it at the time, though...

Photo Ramblings

While doing something on my parents' computer today, I found some interesting old pictures. There are many more I could have included, but for embarrassment's sake, I didn't. The first picture is from 2003. The second two are from 2005. These pictures are from before the "Brown Family" even started (our branch of it, at least).

Trust

Trust God's:

WISDOM: He knows what is best for me

POWER: He is able to do what is best for me

LOVE: He is willing to do what is best for me.

In Sunday school a couple weeks ago, Mr. Jackson taught a great lesson. It was on the different "excuses" some of the prophets gave God when he "called" them. Jeremiah said, "I'm a child" (Jeremiah 1:6). Moses said, "I am not eloquent" (Exodus 4:10). Isaiah said, "I am of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5). Gideon asks, "Why not use a mighty man?(Judges 6:14-17). Ezekiel implies that he was afraid (Ezekiel 2:3-8). Have you given God any excuses for why you are not faithfully serving Him?

Regardless of these men's perceived weaknesses, God was able to use them mightily. Are you allowing God to use you despite your shortcomings?

2 Corinthians 12:9: And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Quotes:

When you sacrifice your integrity, you become a hypocrite.

Play to an audience of one -- God.

Don't worry about what others might think of you! Worry about what God thinks!

3.27.2008

Thanks for Praying

If you prayed for David tonight, I just wanted to thank you! His voice held out pretty well (though people were asking him after church, "are you sick?") and the message was a blessing. I'm biased, I'm sure, but it really was good. He preached from Philippians 3:13-14 which says: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but [this] one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

He focused in on the word mark. There are several places in the Bible where we are told to "mark" certain things... for instance, we are to "mark the perfect man..." (Ps 37:37), "mark them which cause divisions..." (Romans 16:17), and "mark" wise counsel (Job's friend, Elihu, tells Job to mark his words... i.e., pay attention to the good counsel he is about to give) (Job 33).

If we mark those who are perfect, we learn from their good examples.
If we mark those who are causing division and stay away from them, we will avoid pitfalls along the way.
If we mark good counsel, it can help us become more like Jesus.

If you ever want to hear some good sermons, you can click here to listen to some messages from men at our church. There are other pages (here) where you can hear our pastor. I realize that you all have your own churches, but I know I like to listen to different people online sometimes.

On another note: Tomorrow we are going to be laying some sod at the church... that should make for some interesting stories.

Upcoming Interview

When we were at dinner on Monday night with David's family, I saw a man who works at a private school here in DeLand. He was the third person from that school that I have run into recently, all of them telling me that I needed to apply for a teaching position there. After three people told me, I figured I might as well check it out. I called the school on Tuesday to be certain they were accepting resumes. They said they would have openings in the fall, so to bring my resume on by. Guess what grade will be available? Third! I did my student teaching in third grade! So, yesterday, I dropped off a cover letter and a resume.

The "Head of the School" called me today to set up an interview. I would greatly appreciate your prayers. My interview is April 7th at 1:30 p.m.

Another prayer request: David is preaching tonight at church... he's also feeling a little bit under the weather. Pray that his voice will hold up okay, and that he will say what the Lord would have him say. Thanks so much!

3.26.2008

The Library Escapade

So, I've been reading this really good book, right? The one about teaching reading comprehension? Yep... that's the one. Today, I decided to swing by the library to pick up some of the books that it recommends.

On my way in the door, I'm searching for my library card. I can't find it in my wallet or anywhere else in my purse. So, I grabbed my driver's license, hoping that would get me somewhere. As I walk inside and get in line to find out if I can either get a replacement card or use my driver's license as a card, I get behind this lady who is getting her new card (wow... I'm abusing the word card). The librarian hands her her new one, as well as a small card that fits on your key ring. Hmm... I think, that sounds awfully familiar. Guess what I find when I pull out my keys? You guessed it: my library card (the hand-dandy, "never lose it" size... well, I "lost" it).

As if my embarrassment wasn't great enough, I thought I might have a fine, so I hand the lady my not-so-lost library card (and my keys) to figure out how much I owe... if I told you the amount, you would never speak to me again, so I won't. Let's just put it this way... I keep the library in business! Thanks to me, you can check out books for free. (It's not quite that bad, but doesn't it make for a great story?)

All that to say, I got some books at the library today. I'll have to let you know if they are any good or worth reading.

New Look

Okay... what do you all think of the new look. I know it really doesn't matter, but I thought this template was really cute. The only problem is this: it won't work with the three column layout. Oh, well... I wish I knew more about html.

Please let me know what you think!

You can get a new look similar to mine by going to Cutest Blog on the Block. The directions are on the right hand side. It's very easy!

3.25.2008

This Takes the Cake...

You have to click here to see the most ridiculous wedding cake ever! Can you imagine having a wedding cake that is made to look just like you? When David & I got married, I wanted to make sure it wasn't just "my day." I asked him to help me choose the colors, cake, etc. We also helped each other choose attendants... I have a lot of guys in my family, he has a lot of girls. This bride obviously didn't mind the day being all hers.

For those of you who aren't married, here's something that saved "us" (really my parents) a little bit of money. Rather than buying a "fancy" cake big enough to feed two hundred fifty people, we bought one that would feed 130 (I think). In the back, the caterers had cut up another cake that had the same design,the same flavor, and was made by the same place, it was simply a sheet cake. So, it saved us at least $150-200.

A couple people made comments about how there was enough cake for everyone, even though the cake looked a little bit smaller than they thought it would. Other than that, no one seemed to notice. We got our cake from Publix... if there is one in your area, we were very pleased!

Also, I went back and forth about having a bride/groom figurine on the top of the cake that I could keep forever. I am so glad that I went with the fresh red roses, though... I think it really made it stand out.

A Hard Goodbye...

As I was sitting at lunch today with my mom, looking at her Wild Cherry Pepsi, it caused me to think about how much I miss drinking Coke, sweet tea mixed with lemonade, and Dr. Pepper. I'm telling you, I really miss it!

The summer that I was seventeen (2003), I was on a girls' trip with church... when we were at Sliding Rock, NC, they had to call an ambulance for me because my heart started racing wildly and wouldn't stop (no... it was not due to the "cute" life guard, as my friends like to tell the story...). When I got home, it did it several more times, so my parents took me to the cardiologist. As it always happens, whenever I would go to the doctor, my heart would be beating regularly. So, they ran many tests, and found out that I have a prolapsed mitral valve (MVP). No big deal, right? They said I would live a normal life.

Well, I had a handful of episodes between 2003 and 2007, but did not think much of them. I knew what was wrong with me. However, while I was on fall break last year, my heart started racing and palpitating again. This time, it wouldn't stop. So, David and my parents took me to the ER (against my will). This time, they were able to put me on a heart monitor to determine what was actually happening. They found out that I have Lone Atrial Fibrillation (read about it here). I had to stay in the hospital overnight (That is miserable, by the way) for observation, and they let me go home the next day. Since November, praise the Lord, I have only had one episode that lasted about 30 seconds!

They put me on a beta blocker for a while, but the cardiologist doesn't like "young people to be on medicine" so he took me off of it after they had my heart rate stabilized. I have looked into "natural" remedies or preventatives, so I might try those one of these days.

One of the reasons things have been going so well is this: I don't drink any caffeine. Caffeine naturally causes the heart to beat more quickly, which can trigger A-fib. My husband has turned into the caffeine guru! He won't even let me have sips anymore! So, while I'm glad he's helping me with my health, sometimes I would like to give in just a tad and have one glass of coke. Caffeine-free coke simply isn't the same.

Anyways... talk about randomness! If you think about it, pray for my heart. It would be wonderful if the Lord would simply heal the problem that I have. I worry about it more than I should because I know that there can be complications... I was especially worried when we tried to change our medical insurance to a different company, and couldn't because it's very difficult to get insurance when you have A-fib.

3.24.2008

All in a Day's Work

Today, I had to work at my dad's office from 9 a.m. to 4:30... let me tell you, I am so glad that I don't work all day, every day in an office! It would drive me crazy! I loved teaching school all day, but sitting behind a desk is not fun! However, I did get the chance to talk to this really sweet old man. His wife died a long time ago, and he knows how long it has been to the day (9 years, 8 days). He talked to me about how they were high school sweethearts, how he was in World War II, and various other things. It was really neat; you could see it in his eyes how much he loved his wife and misses her still.

David's aunt and uncle are a couple hours away on vacation, so we met them for dinner, along with David's granddad, for dinner. It was nice to be able to visit them for a while. I have been fortunate... my mom's family (and my dad's) all live in the same town (with the exception of one aunt). We see each other at church, eat dinner with each other, etc. I take that for granted.

On our way down to meet David's family, we had a good time chatting (as always) in the car... as I have said, I love our "car time" chats (reminds me of "fireside chats"). We were looking forward to having more on the way home, but we ended up talking on the phone with his family the whole time. That's okay, though... we don't get to speak with them that often.

I am trying to come up with something funny or profound (yeah right), but I am very tired and kind of on the fried (brain) side. I also feel like I am coming down with a bug... grrr... I need sleep and vitamin C.

Check out the photos from our evening in the post below...