Ant Invasion

Ants have invaded our backyard. I found this amazing ant killer. It's Bengal, so you know it's good. It completely kills the nest overnight. All you have to do is dust a little powder over the hill, and Wa-lah! No more ants. Supposedly. However, I think I have some kind of everlasting ant breed living in my backyard. Or maybe they just come back to life, not quite sure. Somehow days after their home has been demolished, they start building a new home a few feet away. In like 2 hours the hill is complete. And I'm talking about a mansion of an ant hill. I wouldn't be surprised if they got some kinda HDTV and a indoor swimming pool in that thing. It's that big. So, I drag out the powder and go after it again.

Well, today I noticed a new hill. My plan was to drop a little powder poison, and then take Caleb inside for his nap. Well, Caleb was not so happy about being asked to come inside. Poor kid didn't play outside at all yesterday and was in desperate need of some quality time in his Cozy Coupe. So, I sat my chair a few feet away from the poison covered ant hill and began reading my book.....

Five minutes later, out of the corner of my eye, I see little man sitting contentedly next to me. (See, I was so into my book that I sorta went brain dead on the whole poisoned-ant-mansion next to me.) Probably no more that 2 seconds went by as my brain registered that my child was sitting in an ant hill. Ahhhh! But not fast enough. (You know how when you are in a car wreck time seems to slow down and everything happens in slow motion. That is exactly what happened.) Caleb's chubby little fingers went straight into the white powder, slowly coming up, closer and closer to his face, and OH NO!!!!!!!! My child just stuck ant poison in his mouth!!!!! I jumped up, grabbed the kid, heart pounding. Heart literally about to jump out of my chest as I said "oh no oh no oh no" about a hundred times. I'm sweating. I'm holding back tears. I'm freaking out. I'm standing there thinking, "Is it possible that child services might take away my kid for poisoning him with ant killer and covering his helpless little body in ant bites?" I hoist him up, begin running frantically to the sink, swatting the hundreds of ants that I was sure were crawling all over my baby, biting him to pieces. I stick his entire body into the bathroom sink and turn on the cold water full blast. I begin scrubbing his legs, arms and face. Scooping water into his mouth. I hear little sounds coming from my baby. I'm sure he's about to die. These must be the last sounds he'll ever make. I'm positive that they're helpless, pitifull crying sounds.........Until, I turn down the water, glance at my child, dripping wet.....as he giggles at his crazy mommy.

Then I check his legs, which a few minutes ago I was sure were covered in hundreds of fire ants, only to find three tiny little bites. I check his mouth for signs of a rash and only see his seven shiny baby teeth. He laughs at me. My 14 month old toddler laughs at me. My heart begins to slow down, and all I can do is laugh right along with him. "Sorry Caleb, your mommy's a big dramatic."

A Piece of Paper

Graduation is in the air! Frantic seniors are rushing to fill out last minute paperwork, applications, and finals. Their mamas tear up at every completed step. "Oh, my baby got her senior portraits. Oh, my baby addressed her last invitation. Oh, my baby finished her last final. Oh, my baby got her cap and gown. Oh, my baby is growing up." Their little siblings carefully plot the best possible use of the soon-to-be-empty bedroom. Their dads give last minute life lessons: how to balance a checkbook, how to check the oil, how to change a tire, how to beat off college boys with a stick. :-) Yes, graduation is here again!

This year is a pretty important year for my family. My younger sister is graduating. As the youngest of four, she has patiently waited her turn to leave the nest and is very ready and excited. She graduated on Wednesday, and although I couldn't be there, I was cheering from 5000 miles away for my baby sis.

I have been to quite a few graduations in my life. The graduates parade into the auditorium dressed in their cap and gown as moms begin to grab the tissue. Pretty but usually pretty boring music plays for what seems like an eternity. Especially if your graduating class was close to 500 like mine.A well respected teacher or community member gives a motivational speech. The class valedictorian gives a speech as well. And then eventually everyone gets up, walks to the front, tries desperately not to fall, and accepts a piece of paper.

It's funny that all this hype is over a piece of paper. The paper says that you worked hard for a designated amount of years and earned a designated amount of credits toward your education. And without that paper you can't continue your education or obtain a good job. But it's not really about the piece of paper is it? So what's graduation about?

I think it signifies a new step, a new season of life. It's a celebration of the past and looking forward to the future. When I accepted that piece of paper in May of 2003, I didn't have a clue what to expect. I was so excited and nervous and sad and happy all at the same time. It all worked out though. I had some difficult experiences and many wonderful ones. I believe that God directed my path, and I am confident He will do the same for the graduates that follow Him. Lance and I have talked with many high school seniors about thier plans and worries for the future. They worry (and so did I) about following God's plan and God's will for thier life. We, as humans, think we have to have it all figured out. We want step 1, 2, 3, and 4 to fall easily in place. We want to see the entire picture, and we want to be confident that God will back us up in the path that we have chosen.....I don't think it works that way though. God doesn't hand us a blueprint or a step by step manual for our lives. I think He doesn't do that for a reason. Planning is a good thing. It helps direct our lives, our goals, and our futures. But, planning is not all there is to it. God never commanded us to plan. He commanded us to trust.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Proverbs 3:5-6

I'm so proud of the graduates in my life, my sister Rach-h, my nephew-in-law Brett, and our students here in George County. Trust God. Follow all the commands that He has written in His Word. Everything else will fall into place. Enjoy your time to celebrate. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for your future!

Hanging with the 65+ crowd

Today, I ate good. Really, really good. I went to the monthly Senior Adult Lunch at my church.

As most of you know, I'm not a senior adult. I'm 25 actually. But being the youth minister's wife definitely has it's perks. One being the fact that you have an open invitation to just about every event the church has to offer. Also, since I live in the parsonage, which is about a 2 minute walk from the church, it's really convenient for me to just zip on over for a little while. Well, I say 2 minutes walk- technically it takes about 10 because I have an independent little toddler who wants to walk everywhere! And 1 of my steps equals about 5 of his. Plus we have to stop to notice the birds, the ants, the trees and the flowers! Anyways, so I attended the Senior Adult Lunch. Senior adults are awesome.

Here are my top 5 reasons to hang with the 65+ crowd.

1. They cook amazing- I'm taking about dishes filled to the brim with perfectly seasoned home-grown vegetables, homemade rolls, delightful chicken casseroles, pasta dishes, and rich/sugary/gooey/delicious desserts.

2. They like to teach.- Most senior adults like to pass on things that they know how to do well. Ask them for their recipe and not only will they write it down for you, but they'll also tell you the tips and tricks to make it just right. (The stuff you'll never get from a Betty Crocker cookbook!) My husband has really enjoyed working with older men. Lance asks them to show him how to do building projects or electrical work. He has learned so much and is quickly becoming a handyman!

3. They adore children.- Well, most of them. I have come across a few elderly ladies and gentlemen that give me dirty looks because my kid is too loud but for the most part this is true. I am sorta on the shy side, but conversation is easy when you have a cute toddler. All Caleb has to do is give them a little grin and a wave, and they love him! Caleb is always a hit with the over 60 crowd.

4. They are wise.- Most things that I struggle with, an elderly lady has too. She can sympathize and give advice of how she overcame obstacles. Yes, I know that some senior ladies tell long, long stories, but trust me it's worth it to listen.

5. They want to know about us.- Older people grew up in a very different world than we do today, but that doesn't mean they hate our world. Some embrace it and jump at the chance to learn something new, even to the point of texting with their grandchildren or catching up with the world on facebook. However some senior adults, don't understand our fast, high tech toys and tools. But, this afternoon Lance talked for close to an hour with a man who is interested in learning to email but is unsure about how to set it up.

I think it is sad that young people don't spend time with older people. We are quick to judge them, pointing out their boring music, outdated technology, and old-fashioned values. Just as I'm sure you have, I have met some elderly people that did not posses many of the qualities I have mentioned. But that doesn't mean we should give up on the whole generation. If you met a 23 year old who was a jerk, would you stop spending time with all 23 year olds? Of course not, that would be ridiculous.

Titus 2:3-5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers of addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. (emphasis mine)