waiting...

well, we're home from bartlesville now.

what can i say but we REALLY hope that bartlesville is where God wants us. the congregation there just seems amazing. they love their community and there is a HUGE outreach effort towards the people of that town.

lots of things this weekend impressed me, but one that will stick with me is something the elders did at meals. when we were at dinner last night, and again at lunch today, one of the elders asked our server if there was anything they could pray about for her. wow! what a simple question with a great impact. both times our waitresses had a prayer request. so before we ate, whoever was leading the prayer prayed for that person right then! so cool.........

so now we're just waiting.......waiting for God's answer. we have been praying a long time for this. and if God's answer to working in bartlesville is no, we will definitely be disappointed, but we'll know that he has other plans for us. i'm not worried about it. he's always taken care of us, and he'll continue to take care of us. i'm just ready to see what the next chapter in our life is going to be.

so now for some catching up on pictures!

photo of the day #196

hotel phillips

this is the hotel we stayed in this weekend. it was very cool. it used to be housing for the phillips company, but now it's a hotel. we were told every room is different!

photo of the day #197

daryl's new view

hopefully this will be the auditorium daryl looks out onto very soon.......

this is one of the cononco-phillips buildings downtown.

i went to lunch with some of the ladies from church. we ate at this cute little deli/bakery called the rolling pin. downtown bartlesville is full of little cafes that are just open from 7-2 weekdays for all the conoco-phillips employees to have a place to eat. we walked around downtown for a little bit, but if i'd had longer i would have taken lots more pictures! there were just some really cool buildings and other things to photograph. i'll definitely be going back!

tonight the ponds were calling me. i love walking down there right around sunset. there's just something about the sunlight on everything down there that just makes me sigh and smile. here are some of the things i photographed.

this picture is actually from the crape myrtle in our front yard. all of the blooms are a deep gorgeous red except for this one that has a tiny pink bloom! how beautiful!

this little guy was munching on his evening snack just a few feet away from me. i was just about to move in a little closer when a kid on a dirt bike zoomed past and scared the bunny away. oh, well. at least i got this one!

photo of the day #198

wow

i actually thanked this little guy out loud for staying still long enough for me to get his picture!

and now i have some more pretty flowers to look at in my kitchen! have i mentioned that i love going to the ponds?

quote of the day: Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. ~Winnie the Pooh

first impressions

most of my blog readers know what's going on in my life, but some don't.

after much prayer, daryl and i have decided that it's time to leave the congregation where we currently work. we dearly love our brothers and sisters at 29th, but we feel God is leading us in a different direction.

today was round 1 of the interview process for a church in bartlesville, oklahoma. i hope that their first impression of us is as good as our impression is of them! first of all they put us up at a really cool, old hotel that used to be apartments for the phillips company. it's actually called the phillips hotel. these people sure know how to make you feel welcome! they even had a little basket of fruit and cookies waiting on our bed along with a sack full of information about the city!

daryl met with the search committee first. then i joined them for dinner. it was awkward at first because they had already gotten to know daryl a little bit so it was my turn in the "spotlight." they only asked me 2 questions: tell us a little bit about yourself and what is your philosophy about being a preacher's wife?

the first question was easy. the second question wasn't hard, but the way the question was asked kind of caught me off guard. i wasn't really trying to be funny, but my response made them laugh! i told them i was not the kind of preacher's wife that would be all prim and proper sitting on the front row staring adoringly at my husband! i said that god had blessed me with talents, and i had work to do in the church, too. i said i am supportive of daryl and i help him with what he needs, but god also has things for me to do. i hope that was a good answer!

after that we had dessert at a couple's home. we all talked for awhile, and it was amazing the connections everyone in that room had! one couple lived in texas for 25 years until moving to bartlesville 2 years ago. they were talking about the church they had attended while living in fort worth, and that is the congregation we borrowed VBS material from when we worked with the church in terrell! in fact he was the one that wrote the VBS curriculum!

another strange connection i had with that same couple is that my first {and only} church camp romance went to that church. now that was years ago....but when i mentioned his name they started laughing!!! they had him in bible class when he was younger! too funny!

so overall it was a good evening. we're just praying that god puts us where he wants us.

i did take pictures today, but i forgot to bring the card reader! so you'll have to wait until saturday night to see them. sorry!

quote of the day: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~Jeremiah 29:11

you're a winner!

photo of the day #195

winner!

yay, me! i won a super cool scrapbooking kit from kenner road. i needed a little happiness today!

quote of the day: "Can you fly?" ~a little boy asked Jesus this question at VBS tonight! so cute!

google eyes rock!

photo of the day #194

wiggle eyes

i got to create a love bug hat in preschool crafts today at vbs! it was so fun! i sat at a table with colby and another little boy. while we were waiting for glue, we played with our googly eyes {giggle...} googly eyes make me smile! i use them as bingo markers in my classroom!

my love bug hat turned out really cute! i left it at church, so i'll have to take a picture of it tomorrow!

quote of the day: Those who expect moments of change to be comfortable and free of conflict have not learned their history. ~Joan Wallach Scott

Baby is gone......

Baby has gone to a good home.......I hope.

{I still think she needed me, though.}

wooden spoon

photo of the day #193

vbs crafts

today was the first day of vacation bible school. i was given the title, "director", so i just walked around to all the classes making sure everything was going ok.

as i was walking by crafts, i recognized a very familiar varmint voice whining, "awwww, i don't like those."

to which the crafts teacher replied, "uh, sorry." {translated, too bad for you. i'm glad she said that!!! don't let him whine!} i was just about to step in the room and get on to colby when i heard him add, "but my mom uses those to spank me!"

i couldn't pass by at this point. i walked in to see what they were doing, and the teacher was passing out wooden spoons that they were using for the heads of the puppets he was making! i just started LAUGHING!

way to go, colby! just rat me out on my parenting techniques! i haven't spanked him with a wooden spoon in a really long time. i used to carry one around in my purse with the handle sticking out as a reminder to both boys what might happen. i think i actually only spanked them with it once or twice, but apparently it made quite an impression!

quote of the day: "But my mom uses those to spank me!" ~Colby

i want this puppy.

this is baby. i think she needs me.

varmints

at approximately 8:10 this morning when the varmints SHOULD have been getting ready for church, this walked into my bathroom right after i heard daryl shouting, "why haven't you taken a shower yet???" {we leave for church no later than 8:25.}

you see instead of taking a shower, spencer was decorating colby again.

photo of the day # 192

dork varmint

i couldn't help but laugh.......especially when he sneezed in his beak!

quote of the day: "Look at Colby's face!!!!" ~Spencer

the flea

this morning i went to the tulsa flea market with lisa and jacob howe. i was in the mood for treasure-hunting again!

we found lots of fun stuff!

like this adorable owl high chair.... {didn't buy it}

and these cups to add to daryl's collection! {bought 'em}

and i don't know why, but i bought this little gilligan that was just laying in a box of junk. there's something about it that just made me smile! {and i used to watch gilligan's island all the time!} he looks so cute in my printer's tray with all my stamps!

there were buttons EVERYWHERE! this one booth had jars of buttons, buttons on cards and trays of buttons sorted by color! i was drooling......especially when i saw a whole tray of bakelite buttons! {didn't buy them...yay me!}

this booth not only had buttons out the wazoo, but it also had all kinds of vintage sewing stuff! it made me want to be a seamstress or a quilter! it even had sock monkeys!!! {didn't buy them}

unfortunately, though, not all of our encounters at the flea were happy ones. there was one booth that was selling these really cool stretchy shirts. i didn't know what kind of fabric they are made from, so i walked up to the booth and unfolded one just to look at it. the lady running the booth walked up {didn't say hi or how are you today} and said, "that one is for size small to large. the 1x and up are on another table."

GASP!!!!! i couldn't believe it! i realize that i am a large woman, but i don't need some rude sales lady telling me! i just dropped the shirt i was holding and loudly said, "well! i guess she's telling me this isn't my size!" and walked away. the nerve of some people................

i realize the picture of her is blurry, but i don't want to show her face. jacob walked back by the booth and took a picture of her for me!

photo of the day #191

how rude

quote of the day: Whoever one is, and wherever one is, one is always in the wrong if one is rude. ~Maurice Baring

chenille

photo of the day #190

knitting again

tonight i picked up my needles and started knitting again. it's been a while since i've knitted, but after reading the book, the friday night knitting club, i wanted to knit.

i started this black scarf a while back. i'm using chenille yarn, and i don't like it very much. it's hard for me to use because it doesn't slide off the needles easily. but i'm too far into it to turn back now! so i'm going to finish it and start another project! i'd like to make an afgan....i haven't done that yet!

quote of the day: I like making a piece of string into something I can wear. ~Author Unknown