Ahhhhh Vacation!

I know it has been a while since there has been any update...We had an amazing summer. The beach project was AMAZING... and EXHAUSTING! Hence, not many blog posts. Sorry friends! We needed a little time to recuperate!

We just returned from a very relaxing vacation in Rangeley, Maine. We took two recent graduates (who just returned from a summer serving youth) along for the EPIC road trip!
Here is a video one of the girls made...

Update in pictures!

Hello all, I have a blog post that I am currently composing in my head about the summer. I am back in Philly for a week and I need to get Caed all packed for camp, so I can't sit down to write. Here are some pics from summer for a quick pictorial update!

Beach Pics

I am sure these are only the first of many beach pics...

The kids and I joined Greg for the weekend in OC last week. We had to return home for the last week of school. But we head back to the shore on Friday afternoon!

Jersey Shore...Sovereign Style!

For those of you who do not know, our whole family is going to be living at the Jersey Shore for the summer! We are going to be working in a CCO summer ministry called Ocean City Beach Project (OCBP).

What is OCBP?

The Ocean City Beach Project (OCBP) is a summer-long community living opportunity for Christian college students to develop further as campus leaders. The Project provides the opportunity for you to grow personally in your faith and to develop a deeper vision for your life. At OCBP, you work and worship in one community while being challenged to become a kingdom leader. You live with other college students in a large beach house while you make an impact on the New Jersey shore. At the end of your time at OCBP, you will not only have sand in your shoes and the taste of salt water in your mouth, you will have developed character and skills to become an effective leader.

Sounds like fun huh? Watch this video to get a better picture of what our summer will look like!

The Ocean City Beach Project from CCO Campus Ministry on Vimeo.

Greg left this morning for the shore, the kids and I will join him when they get out of school in a couple weeks.

Thanks for checking in on us!

Welcome Home Scavenger Hunt!

Greg left for Nicaragua on March 12th...on the 13th Caed and Abby started planning Daddy's welcome home party! Lots of ideas were discussed, including jumping out of a giant cake. They finally settled on putting together a scavenger hunt!

Here are some pics!

I am not sure who had more fun on the hunt, the giggling kids or Greg looking for the clues! The hunt ended with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge cake Abby and I made and decorated. Greg also brought back a few goodies for the kids from Nicaragua!

We are glad that the trip went well, but even MORE glad Daddy is back!

So, I know it has been a while...

(Insert witty euphemism about time here)

Update on the Home front:

It has been one thing after another around here for the past month. We have been battling illness, snow, illness again, snow again, and internet problems for a while. This morning we had another 4 inches of snow, and Greg is battling asthmatic bronchitis. I need to take Cole to the Dr before we get another 8-10 inches of snow tonight!


Update on the Ministry front:

Last Thursday was our first ACF large group and Afterparty. We had a great turnout, about 50 students! (Pics to come) We were also super excited to announce the reinstating of MAN NIGHT (the guys small group study time followed by games) as well as 6 other small group bible studies going on this semester.

There is also a new peer mentorship program we are calling "Journey" that we are making available to new believers and other students who want to be mentored or discipled by more mature students and lay volunteers from the area.

Spring Break:
This year for Spring Break Greg is leading a team of students to Nicaragua to work with a missionary we got to know through our old ministry. More info on that to come!

It is shaping up to be a great semester...if we can all only get well enough to enjoy it!

Spoiled for the Ordinary

I was talking to a student the other day, and she was telling me about her experience with a group called YWAM. One of the phrases they use is “Spoiled for the ordinary”. That phrase resonated with me.

I am reminded of what life was like for us in 1999. Newly married…no kids…both working full time. We used to joke to one another that we were living for the weekends. Now I know that God does not waste time and He was working during that time, but we KNEW there was something more for us.

Once kids came along and other things filled our time, but we still had that unsettled feeling. Even when we lived in SC and Greg was directing a short term missions program we had trouble making Columbia home.

I can tell you today that where we are now feels like home. It is a place where our gifts are being used, the Lord is working in us and in others, we live with a community of believers that love one another, and the Lord has blessed us with provisions above and beyond what we could have asked or imagined.

Think we are a bit spoiled? 

Spoiled for the Ordinary!

If you are stuck in the ordinary ask the Lord to open your eyes to what He is doing around you and ask Him how he wants you to use your gifts in those areas.

Busy Week

I am writing this post in the calm before the craziness begins. In about an hour 50 hungry college students will come through our door and devour everything in sight! That's right, it is almost time for the AFTERPARTY!

Before all that happens I wanted to catch you all up on our crazy week of BIG events.

Monday, Labor day, we decided spur of the moment to go to one of our favorite fall spots, Linvilla Orchards. We had a lot of fun seeing the animals, going on a hayride and picking apples and peaches! Here are a few pics.

Tuesday was Caed's first day of 4th grade. Where does the time go? Here he is all ready to go (and really not wanting his picture taken).


Wednesday was Abigail's first day of Kindergarten! She did a great job, I think I was the only one who teared up when I had to leave! Here are a couple pics of my sweet little "Babby" (as Cole calls her!).






Thursday (today) is Abigail's 6th birthday! One of her birthday requests was to have all of the students at the Afterparty be there when she blows out the candles on her cake! Pics to come!

Whew, I am ready for a restful Friday!

Thanks for checking in on us! Greg just texted me from ACF large group up on campus and said there were 62 students there tonight! Praise the Lord!

Time for me to go get things ready for the stampede!

Birthdays!

June is the birthday month for most of our family! We have had a great time celebrating. Sunday June 13th was my (Ashley) big day. We went to church, and then I took a WONDERFUL birthday nap, and then Greg and I went out to dinner at Texas Roadhouse!

Friday evening we hosted 7 loud and crazy 8-9 year olds for a sleepover celebrating Caed's 9th birthday. It was his first slumber party and they had a blast. We finally got them all to sleep around 5:30 am!

Yesterday, the 20th we celebrated Greg and Caed's birthdays AND Father's day as a family. Here are a pics of the boys on their big day!





They are so much alike inside and out, it is only fitting that they share a birthday!

Caed's Wax Museum

Caed has been working on a big "wax museum" project for school since the beginning of May. He chose a man named Duke Kahanamoku, who is called the father of modern surfing. Caed wrote a 2 page research paper, made a poster, and wrote a speech about Duke. Greg and Caed also made a model surf board out of some scrap particle board. It looks just like the one Duke made himself!

Friday afternoon was the actual wax museum day where the kids dressed up as their hero and parents were able to go around the museum and push little "buttons" on each character to hear their speech.

It was so much fun, and the kids did a great job. I snapped a few pics.

Busy Busy Weekend!

AU Graduation was Friday morning. We said our final farewells to some very special seniors.

Friday evening our own sweet little Abigail graduated from preschool! (Sorry, we forgot the camera!) Abby is not a big fan of being on stage so she stood there and did all the hand motions to the songs they sang behind her back! They also did their own version of Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Abigail was very convincing in her role as a piece of cheese! ;)

Saturday morning was Caed's last flag football game of the season. Caed loved it. He shows a lot of promise for a future fullback! The Eagles mascot Swoop joined us for part of the game! I got some great pics. Enjoy!

Tomorrow morning I am taking Abby to register for Kindergarten in the fall...sniffle, sniffle. ;)

Thanks for checking in on us!

Please Pray

Greg had surgery yesterday to remove a thyroglossal duct cyst in his neck. The Dr said everything went well, and that he should be back to normal in a week.

He is in a lot of pain right now and was up most of the night.

Please pray for a speedy recovery. Also for strength and sleep for me.

I will leave you with a pic I took of Cole and Abby on Wednesday evening. We took a picnic dinner up to campus and let the kids run around a bit.



Go on, you want to say it...AWWWWWW! Aren't they too cute?

Sick!

Sorry I have not posted anything in a while...Greg has been really sick and I have spent the week taking care of him and the kids. We would appreciate your prayers for a speedy recovery.

On an encouraging note, I am so grateful to live in community with so many loving people. We have had students come over to take the kids out to play, and even take over some of the baking that I normally do each week for various events.

I am also so thankful for how the Lord has sustained me this week. Each time I have opened my bible the Lord has given me more than my fair share of grace and strength... in fact I was reminded just last night that I am "clothed in strength and dignity" (Proverbs 31:25)



Jer. 32:17
"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

I think I know why the "Ah" is there....it is a sigh of relief!

Just Because

Warning, this will be a random assortment of thoughts.

It is a bright March morning and you can feel spring trying to break up the last few patches of snow. It feels like we are about to come out of hibernation, and we are SO ready! We all need to get outside and play! The kids are climbing the walls...see:




Next thought:

Last night in ACF large group we announced that it is time to start the application process for our leadership team for next year. This is a bittersweet time. The group of seniors that are graduating this year have been with us since the beginning of our time here at AU. They were there during the days when 8 people would show up for large group if we were lucky! (Last night there were 37! Praise the Lord!) They have seen the Lord so some amazing things on this campus and are very protective of this ministry they have taken care of for 3 or 4 years. Please pray for our team as we seek the Lord's will for the ACF servant-leadership team.

Here are the application and questions for anyone interested:
ACF Covenant and Leadership Application

20 + inches of snow!

The official total of snow in Philly was 28 inches, I don't think we got that much here in Glenside (15 miles north of center city) but we got a LOT!

We have had a fun filled weekend of sledding and playing in the snow! Here are a few pics from Saturday afternoon. A couple of students came over and went sledding with Greg and the kids!

Zeph 3:17

We have been blessed to have a couple weeks to ease back into the swing of life post-holidays since students do not return until this weekend. Even though we spent one of those weeks taking turns being sick, it was a much needed respite.

Life is now beginning to pick up speed again. A few students in our leadership team attended Urbana and are ready to hit the ground running! Our minds are churning with planning, praying and preparing for spring semester. (alliteration not intended ;)

The verse I read in Zephaniah comforted my whirling mind this afternoon.

Who reads Zephaniah, really?

Well I did this afternoon! What a jewel I found.

Zeph 3:17
The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."

When was the last time you let the Lord quiet you with His love?

Merry Christmas!

One of the things we like best about our year to have our big family Christmas in Philly with my (Ashley) family is that we get to have our own Christmas morning at home.

The morning began with all of the kids piling on our bed for a few cuddles. Caedmon and Greg read to us about the very best gift ever given to the world 2000 years ago. We then talked about why we give presents on Christmas. After that, we let the kids look at their stockings before we all ate breakfast. Then the craziness began!

We are so blessed to have family, and supporting churches who shower us with their love and support at Christmas time. Here are a few pics.

12 inches and counting

It has been snowing steadily all day long! We have about 12 inches outside our back door.
The kids had a blast sledding and playing out in the snow today. Here are a few pic from this morning. There is a lot more snow on the ground now!






It has been snowing steadily all day long! We have about 12 inches outside our back door.
The kids had a blast sledding and playing out in the snow today. Here are a few pic from this morning.

Long week

I am sorry it has been while since I posted anything. It has been a long week. Greg has been having back spasms at night which have keep both of us awake. We have been dragging through each day bleary-eyed.

Last night the pain got so bad we decided at 4am it was time to go to the emergency room. We are so blessed to live with students who are willing to come over at any time of day or night to lend a hand!

Amazingly the ER was not crowded, and we got right into a room. Greg's x-rays came back clear so the Dr said it was a muscle problem. 1 Demoral shot and a Valium later, Greg was in la-la land.

He has slept most of the day. His back pain seems to have dulled a bit, we will see how tonight goes.

I would appreciate your prayers for our family right now.

On top of it all it appears that we are in for 10+ inches of snow over the next couple days! I restocked the pantry this afternoon so we are all set for the winter wonderland. Check back for pictures!

This is what we do on our nights off!

Wednesday nights are fun around here. It is one of the few nights that we don't have students over, so we have a good time together as a family! Here is a pic of Greg and the kids goofing off tonight.

Enjoy!