Soccer Blessings!

Cameron as you know has been playing indoor soccer this year. I had prayed that he would get on a great team! God more than answered my prayers! Our team dynamic was AMAZING! I mean all the parents got along, all the kids got a long great, the coach was SO good with the kids and patient! All of the kids we're either home schooled, private schooled or lived within blocks of us. Several were business owners and the similarities went on and on. Needless to say, we all had a great time! The team was unstoppable as well! We went completely undefeated. Now let me interject here, in small kids sports like this, they don't keep official score . . . but after the first game it was obvious we had an amazing team and some parents took it on themselves to keep score. We only were scored on probably 3 times the whole season! But our team of 5 year olds made 67 goals in 10 games! I would say, in sports averages, that's pretty stinkin good! Cameron had a great time and we look forward to playing with this team again next season. Valley Wide will allow you to choose your team :) which makes this mama's heart happy! So for the last time for 2009 Go Stingrays!

Cameron & Gabriel, in their new soccer shirts


Cameron & Kniko


Pizza party




Coach Nester handing out awards


Cameron and his supersized trophy


The Stingrays


Cameron and Coach Nester

Dang that's a long time

This May 2 marked Larry and I's 10 year anniversary! We have been together more than a third of my life! That's crazy to think!! We met shortly after my 18th birthday started dating a few weeks later, then engaged 5 months later and married 11 months after that! 10 years! We often talk about how quick it went. How it hasn't seemed like 10 years could have passed. What's even weirder is that I'm old enough to have been in a relationship for that long. We will have our 9th wedding anniversary here in September . . . and that just blows our minds! So in honor of our 10 years together, here are a couple pictures from 10 years ago. Dang we looked young . . . oh wait, that's because we were!

Almost 2 years ago

Larry got a VERY important phone call today. One that will undoubtedly change our lives. It has been almost 2 years since Larry went to the COA academy. The engineer academy, if you will. Today he got called for a job. Not like in the past, where there was rumor that he was going to get a job, but he got the call for an ACTUAL job. As of Monday May 18th at 8am he will be officially working in Battalion 3. It's kind of hard to believe. I mean, when most people go to COA, they go because a job is waiting for them upon their return. We have been waiting patiently (most of the time) and we know that God had control of the situation . . . but it was still frustrating to see other people go to academy's after him and get placed into jobs. We are in a state of disbelief right now, the good kind. But excited all the same! I mean Larry will finally be able to use the training he received almost 2 years ago! There will be some additional financial compensation (a pay raise) and for the first time in 5 years he will be with in a 25 minute drive from our home! The downfalls are there also. This is a job on a schedule B engine, so he will probably be gone a great deal over the next several months, because they go anywhere the fires are. His schedule will change. For the last 5 years he's been a Mon, Tues, Wed shift, which meant he was off Thurs-Sun. But we know that God is in control and we look forward to what he has in store for us next!

pinning on his badge




ringing the bell


his class






Larry in his "outfit" striking a pose


My parents and Larry at his graduation

Wordless Wednesday

I have several friends who blog regularly and they do something called "Wordless Wednesday". I think this is great . . . because sometimes, you have nothing to say. I have plenty to say, it's time I'm lacking! So today I'm just going to post a picture. I think I will dig deep in the archives of photobucket! And in the future if I feel the pressure to blog about something, but don't have the words (you all know me and being witout words isn't really my style) or the time I may institute a "Wordless Wednesday" and just let you enjoy the quiet. Quiet is good!

Stingray Soccer

Cameron is in his first season of soccer. He is playing indoor soccer through Valley Wide. We were really blessed that he got on a team with an amazing coach. His coach Nester, plays for Peru! He has taught Cameron a lot of about soccer and has gotten him excited about the game. He even wants to play the next season of soccer, which will be with AYSO!

Here are some pictures from when he was named "player of the game" Sorry they are blurry, there was something wrong with my camera. :(

As a forward


Bummed because he had to sit out a quarter (they have to take turns)


As goalie, he is a REALLY good goalie!


Getting a drink


Announcing "player of the game"


What?


SO excited

Crafting, crafting and more crafting

Lately I have been able to craft! It's been fun! I mean I have all this stuff I've invested money into, might as well use it right?

One thing I LOVE to use when I craft is my Cricut! It's a personal die cutting machine. You have to buy cartridges for different fonts or images, but then you can combine them to do anything.

This will be the cover for Cameron's next autograph book


And I made this . . . because I could


Several of the cartridges I own have card features.
This card was made with the "Stretch Your Imagination" cartridge


In the center of the sunflower I sprayed Tattered Leather Glimmer Mist, by Tattered Angels. . I have a somewhat obsession with Glimmer Mist lately. It gives things a certain something extra.

I made this card using a flower from a piece of card stock that I had. I cut the Thanks message using my cricut. Then I misted the thanks and the envelope with "latte" Glimmer Mist


To store all of the cards I made this stationary box designed by Dannie's Designs Once I got the hang of it, I was able to make one in about 15 minutes. There is a place for everything! Stamps, cards, tags and even a pen. I made one for my mom for Mothers Day and I have two additional ones (that now just need to be filled with cards) for my cousin for her birthday and a friend for her birthday.





I originally saw these magic boxes on my friend, Allison's blog. She found them from Life as Lou blog I made several of these for Mothers Day and filled them with Hershey's Hugs and Kisses

Sometimes you just need a good song

Sugarland
 
More CMT Music
 
More CMT Music Videos

My Mama mapped out the road that she knows
Which hands you shake and which hands you hold
In my hand-me-down Mercury, ready to roll
She knew that I had to go
And hangout, make lots of noise
And layout late with a boy
Make the mistakes that she made 'cause she knew all along

I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on

They say the first time won't ever last
But that didn't stop me. the first time he laughed
All my friends tried to warn me the day that we met
"Girl, don't you lose your heart yet"
But his dark eyes dared me with danger
And sparks fly like flame to a paper
Fire in his touch burning me up, but still I held on
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on

The last time I saw him, we packed up my things
And he smiled like the first time he told me his name
And we cried with each other
We split the blame for the parts that we couldn't change
Pictures, dishes and socks
It's our whole life down to one box There he was waving goodbye on the front porch alone

But I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
I was already gone
Hangout, make lots of noise
And layout late with a boy
Make the mistakes that she made, life is a runaway train

My mama mapped out the road that she knows
Which hands to shake, which hands you hold
In my hand-me-down Mercury
Life is a runaway train you can't wait to jump on

Easter 2009

As Cameron gets older he is really starting to enjoy holidays! This was especially evident at Easter. He wanted to dye eggs and hunt for eggs. Now, we have never pushed the notion of an Easter bunny. The only figure of Easter we have ever encouraged is the most important figure, which is Jesus! Needless to say, we don't have television and he's home schooled, so the Easter bunny was never mentioned. But in an interest to not deprive him of the fun joys of childhood, we did partake in Easter eggs. Earlier in the day we had stopped at Larry's parents house. As Cameron was running around the front yard, he tripped and scraped his hand pretty good on some brick work. This incident parlayed nicely into our Easter discussion. We let Cameron dye eggs on his own . . . with very little guidance from us.




the finished eggs


His Easter basket

We got him all the stuff he needed for tball.

After a while the vinegar in the dye started to sting his hands and we found gloves for him to wear. (Side note, there are a ton of Easter pictures, so I'm only posting a few) Later at bedtime, we decided to do the Resurrection eggs. If you don't know what they are you can check out the link. But the basic idea is that there are 12 plastic Easter eggs and each one has a different item in them that ties into the story of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus. We got to the egg with a sponge in it. The description of the sponge is to explain that when Jesus was on the cross, he was thirsty and asked for water. The guards instead soaked a sponge with vinegar and gave him that to suck on. This reminded me of our dyeing eggs and how the vinegar had hurt Cameron's hand and I explained that connection between the two. It's amazing to see the love of Jesus growing in a small boy. He was very sad for Jesus getting vinegar instead of water. It was a great way for the lesson to be brought to him in a physical way he could understand.

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On Easter Sunday, we went up to the Romona Bowl to watch "Behold the Lamb" the passion play that Calvary Chapel Hemet puts on every year. After we all met at our house for BBQ and family Easter egg hunt. Everyone who wanted to participate was to bring 12 eggs filled with candy and at least one egg filled with money. It was quite funny seeing everyone run for the eggs!

Kayaking in La Jolla!

One of things that Larry and discovered last year was ocean kayaking. Last September, for our anniversary, we went kayaking to the seven caves of La Jolla. We got an offer from the tour company that we used for discount kayaks for last Friday only. My sister and Bob took Cameron for several hours so that we could take advantage of $5 kayak rentals. Because this trip was a rental excursion and not a tour, we would be on our own in the kayaks. We got down there and the water was rough!! To say the least! We got into our kayaks and had to row hard to get behind the waves. After about 10 minutes or so, we finally got out far enough that the waves weren't breaking on us. The wind and sea was SO turbulent that my first choice of kayaking to the caves became an impossibility for us. As we approached the caves the swells increased and not wishing to be thrown into the rocks, we opted to just kayak around and also float off shore. We decided on a little spot about a mile and a half or two miles off shore. We paddled next to each other, hung on to each others kayaks and just talked. Every once in a while a sea lion would swim by. It was a very calming experience! After about an hour and a half or more (it's really easy to loose time when your out to sea with out a watch) we decided to head back in. One of the things we loved about the last time we went kayaking was the ability to "surf" in. This was not an option on this turbulent day! A huge wave hit Larry hard and he toppled out of his kayak. It spun me around and sideways and I rode the kayak in for about 30 feet, backwards and sideways, before it toppled me out. But when all was said and done I had lost my sunglasses and Larry lost one of his water shoes. We can't wait to do it again! The kayak part, not the being thrown from a kayak by a giant wave part!

Us before


Larry in his kayak


Those are the 7 caves behind Larry


Me



Us