Kids Kamp 2K10

Here are the TOP 10 things that I LEARNED this year at Kids Camp.

10. Kids will continually surprise you with their kindness (should be a given, but not so much with some kids)
9. Don't show off your basketball skills when you are a foot from the hoop and still miss. FAIL.
8. You are not supposed to touch the rope in tether ball?? how am I suppose to ever hit the ball if I can't stop it?
7. Our counselor skit out of all of the skits at camp was the best one?? really I guess we should take our mad rap skills out on the road. NOT
6. That Bianca is NOT the BMX Bike Pro like she led on.
5. That Tiffany and Ashley CAN get along for 5 days (twice this summer, it wasn't a fluke after all).
4. Ashley is NOT allergic to bees. YAY. (takes the dissapointment away from being able to stab her with an epi pen) lol
3. Refer to #4 If you put a penny on a bee sting it will draw out the Venom. (Jeremiah, the jury is still out on that but I did google it and apparently someone else believes it too)
2. I am amazed at people who can make a tommy gun out of a balloon. Go Figure?

and the number one thing I learned at camp this week is that.................

1. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE WOULD HAVE 11 KIDS FROM OUR CHURCH SURRENDER/RECOMMIT THEIR LIFE TO CHRIST. WHAT A BLESSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some people think that kids are too young to understand about Jesus, but they are not. They are God's creation, and from the moment they are conceived they are begining their walk with God. They need reassurance, explanation, guidance and love from us. Josiah was 8 years old and was made King. It is hard to imagine, but it is true.
Take a moment to really look at an 8 year old, look into their eyes, look at them face to face and you will see that they are a wonderful soul created to fufill God's glory. No matter where they are from, who their parents are, and what situation they may be in, our kids will answer to the King someday, just the same as you and I. My only goal in life to be able to give them the information that they need to make an informed decision, to love them and to be supportive to them in anyway that they need me to be.
People are created to love their God first and formost. People are inately good. Kids are people.
This weekend I saw total selflessness in a few outstanding kids, but over the course of the weekend I saw it in all of them.
It is unfortunate that we can't keep kids at camp forever, they lived without the things of this world. The cell phones, the TV, the video games, the bad situations that they face day to day. They lived IN this world this weekend, for God, in nature, in his glory and in fellowship with each other. Their only jobs were to worship our God, Have a blast and nourish themselves. That was it, and I think they could have done that forever, I know that I could. Pray for each of these children, that they will take what they learned at camp and put it into action!

Hakuna Matata --- What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata

That is what Jesus provides for us-----Hakuna Matata!

Changes and Blessings

There have been so many changes in my life right now. I wanted to share them with all of you. Many of you are aware of these things and many are not.

First off, I went to a funeral today for one of the most faithful, God loving person I knew. Gary Janes went home to be with our Lord and Savior this week. He fought the worldly battle of cancer and he won. He ran the race and won the prize. The prize being spending his eternity in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

I am currently in awe of the new found friends that I have. I have no idea why they think the party doesn't start without me. The party being us hanging out together to do life. Sharing all of our passions together. I am blessed beyond belief by Bianca, Bobbi, and Mike who care more about me than I deserve. They are always there when I need them. No questions asked and no judgment. We are doing our life together for God's glory! I love you Bianca. I love you Bobbi and i love you Mike

I am truly blessed by Nate Brown and his family. He put his trust in me at a time when it was very hard for him to do and I am honored by that. I love you Brown family!

I am blessed by Rebecca, she jumped right in to our ministry on the first visit to our church and she is a wonderful mother to her children and welcomes us to be a part of her life. I love you Rebecca.

Jan and Bonnie, what would I do without you. You are both totally awesome and i cant wait to spend time with you.

A HUGE shout out to all of our Ridge Life Kids volunteers. You rock and I could never do this alone.

I am truly honored to know David Chui who is currently battling cancer, he received GREAT news this week, his PET scan was negative, God is not finished with him yet. He sometimes doubts the affect he has on people. He is an inspiration to us all and we love him so much. The power of pray is on is side. God is good--all the time, and all the time God is good! I love you David!

I am overwhelmed by the effect that my friend Sue had and still has on my family's life. She also is home waiting for me at the gates of heaven after her short battle with cancer.

I am very proud and blessed to have three awesome girls, how they became so awesome with me as their mom, i have no idea. They are the love of my life. Melissa is very independent and is working on going back to school, she has grown into a beautiful, caring adult.

Tiffany is expecting and is due on Christmas Eve. Circumstances on that may not have been ideal, but God has a plan and we roll with his flow, I have no doubt that she will be a great mom and this baby will be loved and i am sure spoiled rotten by me.

Ashley finished middle school today and will be a freshman in the fall, she is not a little girl anymore and i need to realize that. However she still needs my stalking abilities to keep her on the right track. :) I love you Melissa. I love you Tiffany. I love you Ashley, I hope that I am a mother you wouldn't want to trade.

My husband of 21 years is also the love of my life. We have many differences and seem to work through them. He has been gone alot this year while racing on a pro stock car team for the NHRA. He is missed more than he thinks. I need someone to keep me in line. lol. I love you Tommy.

I am a pretty misunderstood person. When I'm totally focused on something i come across as moody. lol I am working on that. I work at JPS Monday through Friday and have many co-workers that I truly care about even if it is not reciprocated. That is okay because I try my best to do my part to keep the peace. Sarcasm is my problem, but I just wouldn't be me without it. I do want to give a special thanks to Isabel my co-partner in crime. We work well together Izzy and it is just unbelievable that you haven't kicked me out of the office yet. lol I love you Izzy!

I would also like to mention that Tiffani Brown and Jennifer Fiaccone are just like my own daughters. I love them more than they know and I am proud to be the second mama.

Tiffani we have had our moments, but what family doesn't. At the end of the day no matter what, I consider you my own. Bonus is we don't disagree near as much as i do with my own kids. I love you Tiffani.

Jennifer, I can never replace your mom and I would never try, but I will be here for your whole life. Your mom and I made a pact. Whoever left first got to spend time with our Lord and Savior and the one left behind would take care of our girls. You are mine to take care of and i am honored and wouldn't trade it for anything, well except your mom to be able to raise you up, and will be here for you whenever you need me. Sue would have done the same for me. Man i love her and i love you!

Mom, i know that we have many differences, i also know that you love me. I also know that I am a huge pain in the rear. Thank you for always being there when i need you the most. i love you Mommy.

There are so many people that have made a huge difference in my life, I cannot list them all here, so please don't be offended if I didn't mention you because you are all important to me.

I haven't had this much fellowship with friends in a long time. I am very blessed to have each of you in my life. I am not the easiest person to get along with due to my OCD and just plain crazy but I am working on that.

The bottom line here is that things can change in an instant, live each moment as if it is your last. Tell the people you love that you love them. Love one another as the Bible says. You cant go wrong with love, you just can't.

Don't judge, judgement is not yours it is Gods.

Most of all Love God First, People Second, and have fun doing it!

Start each day with a pay it forward attitude and you cant go wrong.

Smile and say Hi to strangers, they appreciate it.

Remember that God uses every thing for his good. no matter what path you choose, God can turn it around.

Believe, Love, Live, and be faithful to our God! I love you Jesus

I love you all
Kaye

Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

All of the kids-snuggled up real tight; waiting to see if they got that new bike.

I was lying awake in my bed you see; worrying about did I get what they need.

Then what appears before my eyes; were three golden angels that were larger than life.

They said not to worry about all of the stuff. Teach your kids about Jesus and that was enough.

Jesus was born they said with such glee; so that you and your kids will live eternally.

In a heaven that was made for you and for them. Because of his sacrifice for all men.

All of the men of this world include you and me. So what side will you be on in eternity?

All you must do the angels did say was to believe that Jesus came to save. That he really was the son of God. The son of man-- the great I AM.

He was raised from the dead on that glorious day; he chose to die and he chose to save.

Ask forgiveness from all of your sins don't you see; and choose to follow him your whole life and believe.

Believe that he died for you and for me. There is no greater present on earth than the King!

Merry CHRISTmas to all and to all a goodnight is what the angels said before their flight.

I lay in my bed with a smile on my face because I knew I was covered with God's grace.

Give him this year to all of your friends. He is just waiting to let them in.


"For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved!" Romans 10:9

***spoiler alert--Little Miss Sunshine 2006

I just finished watching this movie about an hour ago. I can't stop thinking about how awesome it was, so I looked it up on the faithful IMDB and saw that it won 2 Oscars. Not a surprise to me.

When it came out in 2006, it looked like nothing I would be interested in so I never watched it. This morning I turned on the TV when I woke up and it had just started. I immediately did what I always do and hit the info button to see the summary The Dish has deemed the story to be and it said "Members of a dysfunctional family set out on a road trip to watch their daughter take part in a children's beauty pageant." Now right there I was going to change channels, I hate beauty pageants, but the word dysfunctional was in there (totally describes me) so I watched it a few minutes, still not sure, but I laughed several times (usually don't) so I hit record, turned it off and watched it tonight with Ashley, Kirbi and Kayla (ask them about candy canes?) I wasn't expecting much, but it turned out to be terrific and a must see for everyone.

I don't understand though about the dysfunctional part, I have a feeling most families have times like this,(well maybe not just like this--but close) I would think if you didn't you weren't normal. No one really lives the happily ever after every single day do they?

I found part of myself in each of the characters:

The Mom----Peace maker, people pleaser, protecter of feelings
The Dad-----Driven, realistic (to the point of irritating), Determined
The Grandpa----I don't care attitude, have no regrets, might as well do it all
The Son-----Loner, goal setter, I hate everyone attitude (big draw)
The Uncle---needs approval and is suicidal
The Daughter---a little girl with a dream, innocent, questioning

Those are a few of their traits, I believe anyone who watches this movie could relate to one or more of the people in it. This is about a real family, with real issues, with one goal. There is a time that everyone has moments like these in their families (not exact moments. lol) The ending is perfect, without telling too much, you can see in your mind how the next day in their life would play out.

Even as the sap I am, I never cried, I laughed through most all of it and cheered at the end. It was awesome. If you want a realistic movie with lots of laughs I highly recommend this movie if you haven't seen it.

Of course I am no movie reviewer, but I am a dysfunctional movie watcher and this one is it!

Blessed and Stressed

My world is full of blessings and my world is full of stress. Which of these I choose to lean toward is what makes up my attitude on a daily basis. No one wants to choose stress over blessings, but by the time all of the little things in life have added up and you finally realize that you are stressed, it is too late. Because you have just at that moment realized that stress is eating you alive.
I am currently there. Sunday was my birthday. Yes I will say it, I turned 41, I feel more like 14, I was once told by an awesome pastor, you are who you hang around with. Well I hang around a bunch of kids and their mean average is about 11 so go figure that I act like one, at least in my heart.
Well I was sick Sunday and I took a little time to reflect that I was stressed, that was part of my recent problems. I also realized that with the holidays coming, I don't want to be stressed. Something deep inside of me wants this to be the best Christmas in a very long time. Not gift wise though. Spirit wise. Spirit filled. Memory making. Just relishing the holidays like we should, not depending on others for our satisfaction. Enjoying every moment. Taking it all in. So many "tragedies" this year that are affecting my family. Making every moment count.
If you love someone tell them, If you want to do something, do it. If you can dream it, do your best to have it.
My new favorite song over the last several weeks has been "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas. It was written for the Disney movie "Meet the Robinson's". The song implies that our lives are made of these moments that we call little wonders. I call them the everyday things that we take for granted and we should slow down and enjoy them, inhale them, make them count.
A few examples of some everyday things that one might overlook in our busyness----a teenager stating firmly that God will end the world when HE wants to, not when someone says it will end(2012). ----friends that love you not matter what you do(that is very important)----husbands that surprise you with a stereo in your truck for no reason (well i really wanted one--he has no idea how much that little thing meant to me)---husbands that by Haribu Gummi Bears for your birthday. Kids that make you cards for no reason and just give them to you.--Friends that bring donuts by your work, and they are just for me and I am most certain it is out of someones way to do it. Those donuts --you know who you are--really brighten up my day. big smiles. ---laughing with your kids at TV shows--red bulls that magically appear, for me of course. lol.
I could list forever the little things that make up my life, even the bad sometimes (which i hate the bad) but all of it mixed together is what makes us all different.
God loves us all the same, it is how we show his love to others, that separate us from the ordinary. If we could be Jesus to just one person a day, think how that could change lives. Those are life changing moments and they could be as simple as a thank you. 99% of the time you will not know about the change, but they will and it will mean the world to them.
Just this last week a good friend of mine reminded me of an incident that occured between us that i remembered after she told me the story, but at the time I never put 2 and 2 together that it was her. God had a plan, it was under God's circumstances that it happened, not luck. It was God. God knows what he is doing, do you? I don't. I put my trust in him that all I do, good or bad will accomplish his will.
I am trying to slow down, do God's will and enjoy every moment that I have loving others and having fun. What will you do.


I have added the link to the song on you tube, listen to the words and enjoy. Have a blessed--not stressed holiday! It's not what you get, it's how you feel. give it feels better than receiving. i know. Check it out! You won't be sorry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLT4N5IgP9c