Quest for Excellence

Another busy weekend for the KenneyKrewe.  Friday afternoon Emma & I drove down to Greensboro for her volleyball tournament.  We got there around 6pm, met up with some of the other girls/families for dinner, met back up at the hotel so the girls could all get their uniforms, and then settled in the room.

Katelyn had a 4 hr gymnastics practice at another gym on Saturday morning.  This gym has some male coaches and a "pit" that allowed our girls to practice some Level 7 tricks.  They left early afternoon and drove down to Greensboro too.

Saturday morning (8am show) at the tournament the girls started off by playing a boys team (the only boys team in the tournament).  They beat them!  Most of the boys were younger than the girls, but it was still a good test anyway.  They finished up around 6:30pm.  Sunday they had to be back at 7:30am for more play.  We finished up around 1:30pm.  It was a good weekend for the girls as they finished tied for 5th out of 15 teams in their age group!  Not bad for the 1st tournament, and with a lot of girls that haven't had much experience! Only 4 of our girls have prior club volleyball/tournament, and one was on vacation and didn't make the trip.

Peninsula Juniors Mizuno 14 

After Christmas

Alright, who's coming over to clean house?  The family room is covered in boxes, tissue paper, new toys, and new clothes.  What a wonderful Christmas we had though.  I'm blessed to have such a great family. Christmas Eve we did our family traditions of having lots of appetizers & dips for dinner, went and saw some lights on houses (and the Newport News Park this year), opened up our Christmas Eve presents (new PJs and a movie), watched the movie, and generally just had fun! Angie & I were up till around 2am Christmas morning getting everything wrapped and under the tree.  We say we're going to do better every year, but somehow it just doesn't work out!

The kids were up a little after 7am on Christmas morning and the fun began.  They began with Santa presents. Santa usually brings the stockings, one family gift and then a small gift for each kid.  This year he gave us a new waffle maker with the batter, syrup, and whip cream!  We made some for breakfast and they turned out pretty good.  From there we dug in to the presents from us and grandparents.

In the afternoon we took a break from playing with our new stuff and went to the movies to see Frozen.  It was pretty good and of course the popcorn is always good!  We had planned on having a ham dinner later that evening, but everyone was pretty full from the day of eating candy, popcorn, etc. so we decided to just have leftovers from Christmas Eve.

A wonderful Christmas in the KenneyKrewe house.  We are thankful for the blessings God gives to us and were lucky to celebrate the day together as a family.  We thank the Lord for the parents, grandparents, our extended family members, and all our friends He has placed in our lives.

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." - Luke 2:10

Pic of Day

Team trophies from WISC

Tick Tick Tick

We made it through the week!  We recovered pretty well after the sickness that took the house down last weekend.  Everybody was back to work/school on Wednesday.  Too much going on to be down that long!

- Emma had semester exams (she's feels pretty good about how she did)
- Emma only had 1/2 days (exams, and then done)
- Nicholas's class was rewarded for doing so well all year and having their Christmas program verse memorization all complete, so they got to have a fun week in class with no work/homework!
- The grammar school Christmas program was at the Upper school on Thursday night; Katelyn played some Christmas music on the recorder (with some of her other classmates) by the front door to the building
- They did songs and verses, all did a great job!

- All 3 kids had Christmas parties on Friday at school; Angie went and helped out in Nicholas's room.
- Emma went to a friends orchestra program on Tuesday night, and then went to volleyball practice right after
- Katelyn had gymnastics practices this past week but is off from normal practice Christmas week. She does have one private though
- Emma has practice on Monday night and tentatively Thursday night in prep for their 1st tournament next weekend
- Supposed to be 80 degrees here today!  Yuck!  Snow, snow, snow
- We went to church yesterday afternoon for the Christmas service (our church won't have Christmas Eve/day services), and then we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  We then all watched some cheezy Christmas movies on TV the rest of the night

Man Down!

The Kenney Krewe was attacked by a bug!  Sunday night all 5 of us were in some sort of sickness level. Katelyn was probably the best since she had it on Saturday.  Angie, Emma, & Nicholas all were sick some time throughout the night.  I had serious stomach pains but never got sick..I'll do anything to not get sick! So, everyone stayed home from work/school.  Everyone is feeling better today, and Emma/Katelyn went back to school.  Nicholas couldn't since he puked again yesterday and there's a 24hr rule to go back to school.

Fun times!

Week(s) in Review

Definitely been awhile since I've regular updates on the blog, so here it goes:

- Katelyn had a gymnastics meet yesterday afternoon, but they had practice in the morning.  She wasn't feeling the best but went to practice...made it about an hour then was ready to come home.  After about 20 minutes at home she threw up!  We thought the meet was off, but she said she felt better and was ready.  So off to the meet her & Angie go, but...right before her 1st event (bars) she threw up again...on the floor! So, you would think she'd be done right?  Not our Katelyn!  She continued on and finished the meet!
- Emma's volleyball practices have begun and her 1st tournament is the last week of this month down in Greensboro, NC. She had practice last night from 7-9pm!
- Emma's drama class put on a show last week; Death by Dessert.  They were great!  They did one act, with a dinner intermission where each table got to vote for "who done it", followed by the last act conclusion. Our table guessed the killer! Emma was one of the chef's:

- Nik was doing some volleyball clinics several weeks ago and was told he was going to get to play on the grass roots team starting in January...he was pretty excited:

- KT has had 4 meets so far this year; 2 at Level 5 (where she got State scores), and 2 at Level 6 (where she got State scores and the one mentioned above!)

- Nicholas & I had a good visit with my Dad last weekend

- Angie's been fighting a cold/sinus infection I think; she's been stuffy and her eyes were really red for a couple days too!  She did pull out a couple dog hairs from her eye though and that helped alot!

- This is the last school week before Christmas break.  Emma has exam's the last 3 days of the week, and Nik and KTs Christmas program is Thursday night.

- We almost have all the Christmas decorations up in the house.  We should finally finish it today. If we could only get some snow!

Fourteen...

So, we have a 14yr old in the house now.  Wow, time flies!  We celebrated Emma's birthday as a family on Sunday the 1st (the day after we got back from Florida!) since she had school and activities on Monday the 2nd.  The plan is for to her have a birthday party with friends during Christmas break from school.

She had been wanting a guitar and after playing Papa's in Florida she was hooked.  So...

Thanksgiving Pictures

Fun times in Florida for Thanksgiving...and here's the proof!

Pool Time

We had a great time this Thanksgiving. The kids were on a rubber band bracelet frenzy...I bet Karen is still finding little rubber bands in her house! They went on a boat ride with Papa and got to see dolphins playing right behind the boat. Emma started playing the guitar while down there. Lots of relaxation was the best though!

Break Time Almost Over

For those few of you that follow this blog...I took some time off from the blog.  Life events seemed to overtake this past month.

I hope to start back this week.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Emma!  14 years old today!

Time

765,244,800 seconds
12,754,080 minutes
212,568 hours

8857 days with my beautiful wife!  Love you honey

So Much

So many things over the past couple of weeks

- School volleyball for Emma is over; they were Conference champs but lost in the semi-final round of the tournament.  There were some issues with the opposing team parents in regards to sportsmanship that affected some of our girls on the court.  So although they lost on the scoreboard, they won in sportsmanship and their composure.
- Katelyn's 1st gymnastics meet of the year went great (as stated in prior post)
- Volleyball clinic for Emma & Nicholas is over; today was the last weekend.  Emma helped out as a "Coach" for the younger kids during the 1st session.
- Emma's travel club volleyball is getting ready to start; try-outs are over and we had the team meeting a couple weeks ago.  Looks like we'll have tournaments in Richmond, Williamsburg, Charlotte, and Greensboro. Maybe one in Raleigh as well.  Waiting to hear on when practices start and what nights.
- Nicholas is going to start grass-roots volleyball in January - he's stoked!
- Emma and a couple friends from school are trying to start a band, they practiced in our garage a couple weekends ago.  Schedules last weekend didn't allow for practice, and not sure if we'll be able to have it this weekend either
- Emma's sports award banquet was this past week; for a small school Summit does very well.  Fall sports had Cross Country, JV & V soccer, and JJV, JV & V volleyball.
- The kids all got straight As on the 1st quarter report cards!
- KTs class is sponsoring a service project supporting Operation Christmas child.  They have collected shoe boxes and items to go in them for children this project supports
- Emma went with a friend to her church's harvest fest on Halloween...and then spent the night at here friends house.  Last night was the school volleyball celebration at one of the girls house.  Ang was able to go for a few hours and Emma spent the night there with almost all the girls.
- Today is hopefully house cleaning day...it needs it!  Lots of activities have left all of us with little motivation on house cleaning chores

Pic of Week

From KTs gymnastics meet this past weekend.  She was 1st on floor, 2nd on bars, and 3rd all around! A great showing for the 1st meet of the year!

No Vacancy

Have you ever been to a church that was really crowded?  No "man-space" aka one-chair in between me & you?  How about the reverse...have you been to a church that looked like this?

Our church (Waters Edge Church) announced this past weekend that they are opening a 4th campus (mobile this time) in Williamsburg and will be expanding the Yorktown campus!  Amazing what God can do!  WEC is doing this because the "optimum" church service times are at capacity.  I know alot of people will struggle with the $ aspect of this growth, but let's ask a question. Is it important to make room?  What if your neighbor, your co-worker, your aunt, or whoever comes to church one day and see's this...

and maybe under it in smaller letters it says "sorry, go to Hell".  Is that ok?  So why do we say ok, ok, ok when we talk about reaching people but when $ gets involved our tune tends to change?  Things that make you say Hmmm.

Quick Trip

Nicholas & I dropped off Katelyn, Jenny, & Alex (her gymnastics friends we carpool with alot) and then we decided to run to Sam's for a "quick trip". Goldfish, laundry soap, and maybe some granola bars. Yeah right! One cart full later and a pretty $ at the register we made it out. Oh well, we needed everything we ended up getting. There seems to be a bunch of locus' in this house...food goes fast! I don't know how extremely large families or families with all boys do it!

Emma had a volleyball game tonight, and the JV team won again! Almost tournament time.

Dream Weaver

Last night I had this dream where I was driving a semi-truck.  This truck had every electronic known to man inside the cab, and the front looked like a little like this...

I was driving hands-free and talking to the truck on where to go next (kind of like KITT from Knight Rider!). Next thing I know, I'm free-falling off a skyscraper.  Spider-man swings by to save me, but he misses!  Next thing you know...boom!  I made it all up!

I rarely dream, or rarely remember that I dream.  According to www.dreamresearch.net, we can think of a "dream" as a report of a memory of a cognitive experience that happens under the kinds of conditions that are most frequently produced in a state called "sleep."  It went on to say; It seems likely that all of us forget 95-99% of our dreams for the very ordinary reason that we sleep right through them and aren't paying attention to remembering anything.  Whew! I think I'm ok for not remembering many.

Anyway, I've always been a little jealous of people that describe their dreams and the crazy things that happen there.  

How about you...do you dream?  

Week in Review

Be happy, it's Saturday!  Some things from this week:

- I was recalled back to work on Monday.  Yeah!  Furloughed only 4 days...whew.  My heart goes out to those that are still furloughed because we have political parties that can't come together for decisions.
- Emma had a couple volleyball games this week, and they won both.  Last night was a nail biter though! They are now 11-3. Only a couple more games and then tournament time.
- Nicholas's Zoo trip was cancelled thanks to all the rain we've had the past few days.  We had a mini NorEaster with wind/rain.  The school is gonna try for this Thursday
- Katelyn's class is going on a field trip this week to Pamplin Park in Richmond...it's a Civil War historical park
- Nicholas/Emma both have volleyball clinics this morning
- We're going to try to make a trip to the Pumpkin Patch today.  The one we go to has awesome pumpkin ice cream!
- 1st quarter is almost over for the kids...and all are still carrying As across the board!  So proud
- I talked with Mary several times this week as Dad spent some time in the hospital.  Doing ok, but his situation has really brought to light how scary health care can be w/o an advocate for the patient.  Love you Mary!
- Katelyn's principle told Angie she was so happy our kids are part of SCA and how Katelyn brings a "calming sense" to the classroom.  Katie Kenney?  Our Katelyn?  :)  Wow, glad to hear she can sit still!

Thursday Thoughts

Day 3 of government shutdown...day 3 of furlough.  Trying not to think to much about it, nothing I can do to fix it.  Praying for our leaders to work together.  I think they need prayer...I know they get lots of negative attention.

I took the pool down today and got it to the dump.  The poles had more rust in them than I thought...I'm not sure it would have made it through another winter.

Emma's been on her school retreat since Wednesday.  She'll come home tomorrow afternoon.  I'm one of the drivers to go get them and bring them home.  That's been one positive of being furloughed...I've been able to be with the kids in the morning and take them and pick them up from school.

Emma was re-baptized this past weekend.  She's been talking about wanting to since she says she was baptized young and she understands a little better now.  This past weekend was a spontaneous baptism..256 baptisms!

Nicholas has come home from school with an "accident report" twice already!  Neither time was serious, but geez!  He gets to go to the zoo on a field trip next week..I've signed up to drive!

Week In Review

Saturday!  Another week of activity for us.  

Emma had a couple volleyball games, I think the JV team is 8-3 now.  She also joined the Math Club this week!  I never would have guessed that.  So she's in school volleyball, the drama club, and now math club. She went with a friend last night to the ending retreat service at her friends church. She's keeping busy!  She has AVA volleyball clinic today.  

This is from the annual See You at the Pole event. See You at the Pole (SYATP) is an annual gathering of Christian students of all ages at a flagpole in front of their local school for prayer, scripture-reading and hymn-singing, during the early morning before school starts.  Emma's in the gazebo so can't really see her.

Katelyn's had gymnastics practice 4 nights this week as always.  She has a gymnastics performance this afternoon.  Plus she's spending the night at a friends house tonight.

Nicholas keeps on with the flow!  He has AVA volleyball clinic today too.

Angie & I have the Cooking For Life event tonight.  It's usually a pretty good time, and a great cause as a cancer benefit.

Week/End Whirl

Another busy week and weekend in the KenneyKrewe house.  Emma had some volleyball games, Katelyn had gymnastics practices, and all of us had Group once or twice during the week.  Emma went to volleyball try outs and Katelyn was in a parade with gymnastics on Saturday. Katelyn also had a National Gymnastics Day routine at her gym on Saturday.

Angie & I (and Emma) stressed out all weekend trying to decide where Emma was going to play club volleyball.  She was lucky and had offers from 2 clubs.  In the end, we stayed in the same club.  We've had a great experience in this club over the past couple years, have met some great families, plus God has a place in the club through some of the families, coaches and the director.

Angie & I had parent/teacher conferences on Friday.  Nothing but great words for all 3 kids from all their teachers!  Makes a Dad proud.  Tougher school, but so far all 3 are still carrying As across the board.

Angie was sick earlier in the week, and then she passed it on to me somewhere in the middle.  Several of us are still dealing with runny noses, some cough, and a little ickiness.

I started emptying the pool this weekend.  We're thinking this may have been the last year it stays up.  It's held up great, but definitely showing it's age in some of the metal braces and around the bottom edge.  Plus, we weren't able to enjoy it as much this year with Angie working in the summer now.  The constant shade it gets doesn't help it to stay warm either!

We The People

It's Constitution Day...

The U.S. Constitution has withstood the test of time for more than two centuries as our nation’s charter of government and the guarantor of our liberties.  Signed in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787, this founding document reflects our core values and enshrines the truths set forth in the Declaration of Independence, that we are all endowed with certain unalienable rights.

This link is to a great article on the beginning, the signing, and the ratification of the US Constitution  http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_history.html

Chippokes Plantation State Park

From last weekend

Volleyball

Emma was Ms. Happy, Happy, Happy last night..

She got to dress out for the Varsity team, and she played setter the entire 3rd game!  

The JV team lost last night, but the Varsity won.  

She has Peninsula Junior's tryouts today and tomorrow.

Weekend

Sunday evening in the Kenney household...homework, laundry, bill paying, and of course FOOTBALL!

Emma's JV volleyball team won their game Friday night...now 2-0.  They have 3 games this week, with 2 being away.  Both Emma & Katelyn had friends spend the night on Friday and then they spent the day with us on Saturday.  After Katelyn and her friend got home from gymnastics Saturday morning we all got ready and went to lunch at the Pizza Shop.  We then took the ferry across the river and went to a state park.  Had lots of fun driving around the camp sites, walking on some trails, walked down to the river to throw some rocks, played on some tractors, and fed some roosters!  We ended the day with supper at Pop's (local diner).  All in all it was a great day!

Summit Volleyball

Emma's volleyball season started last night, and the JV team came out with a big WIN!  Happy for her and her teammates.  Hope they continue to play well throughout the season and improve together as a team.

Going Deeper (Pt. 2)

In the 1st part of this discussion I talked about not forgetting the simple things and not being lazy in my walk.

Here's my 2nd part...don't discard the Church.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our lives, our "busyness", our laziness we skip church.  Or maybe we are on such a quest for more knowledge thru bible studies, home groups, book studies, etc., that we forget the importance of Church.  These things are great, but they shouldn't come at the expense of our time in church.  Without the commitment to our church how "deep" are we really being? Ephesians 5: 25-27 is one verse that tells us how important Jesus thinks the Church is. We need to experience our local church, learn from our Pastor, let the praise and worship touch are hearts, and be with other believers. "For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them" (Matthew 18:20)

Sometimes when I'm in not "feeling it" on a Sunday morning, I still feel refreshed and alive after going to Sunday service.  Use this energy to encourage yourself to expand your knowledge throughout the week.

Going Deeper (Pt. 1)

Something I've found myself saying over the years as a Christian is "I wish the Pastor would expand on this" or "I wish we had more of this" or "if we would only go "deeper" into the message".  Now I do believe that as we grow as believers we should grow in our knowledge.  Hebrews 5:12 says this:  "I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong."

So, we need to grow, but do we need to rely on someone else to "go deeper"?  Why do I ask questions and have thoughts about the Pastor's responsibilities like I do?  I think it's because I get lazy.  I get lazy in my own walk with Jesus and I start to rely on the Pastor or the church to "feed" me.

Here's the 1st way I use to get myself out of my laziness.

1st - Going deep doesn't mean ignoring the "simple" things.  Maybe you've heard this particular "theme" sermon before.  Maybe you've seen/read this verse a hundred times. We are saved by the "simple" faith & belief that it takes to have forgiveness, but it takes this same faith to sustain our Christian walk. We should grown in our knowledge through church attendance, through reading & studying the Bible, through associating ourselves with other Christian believers, and through prayer.  However, we should not lose the wonder and excitement about the salvation story we already know. We shouldn't move past the gospel we know, but we should revisit it.  It's amazing how when we clear our mind and forget what we think we know and read a verse again, hear a message again, or talk with others on the same subject again how we may pick up new revelations about it, gain new perceptions from others about it, or learn a new life application based on the stage of our life.

Don't go past the "simple" things!

September!

September is here!  Wow, summer has gone by fast.  We've enjoyed the past couple days.  Emma had volleyball pictures on Friday and my Mom came in to town for the weekend.  She was able to see the grammar school and go inside the upper school with a tour from Emma.

We went to Yorktown Pub for lunch yesterday, stopped at the Farmer's Market (as they were closing up shop) and got some bread things, and then ended the day with a cook-out and games over at a friend's house.  Somewhere in there Katelyn & Nicholas were able to bake some cupcakes with Gramy C too.

Two more days to enjoy of the long weekend...looks like rain may be with us though.  :(  Hope everyone else is having a great weekend!

Some Seuss

What if we did even half of this list?

Week in Review

1st week of school down...
- Ang has the drop off and pick up down...drops Emma off 1st, then KT & Nik next; picks KT & Nik up and I pick Emma up after her volleyball practice (since she practices right after school)
- 1st week of new uniforms seemed to go ok...I didn't hear any complaints
- Katelyn has a new friend in her class that she has bonded with already!  She even was invited over to spend the night on Friday with her!  Lucky for her the Mom is a teacher (Nicholas' 2nd grade teacher no less!) at the school, so we've met her.
- Emma spent the night last night at an old friend's house
- Gout is no fun!  My left foot is swollen and screaming at me today (and yesterday)
- Fantasy football getting ready to be in full swing...Angie & I had a live draft last night and I have another this afternoon
- We did pretty good with lunch/dinner planning last week.  With all the running around to schools, sports, our community group, the kids student group, and whatever else comes up we have to have something of a plan.  Otherwise we'd be hungry or eating take-out all the time

Our 2nd week is almost here...hopefully we'll get in to somewhat of a routine.  The next week begins Emma's volleyball games...that will add some further scheduling issues!  Whew

All things through Him are possible!

Pic of Week

Kids in uniform ready for the 1st week of school!

Two days down and they seem to be adjusting to the new school just fine.

God Doesn't Want Me Happy

Bigger TV, newer car, nicer clothes, more $ in the bank, bigger muscles, six-pack abs, perfect job, awesome relationships...that all = happiness...right?

Is God's plan for us to be happy? Is God here for us; here to bring us nothing but happiness? Our vending machine of happiness?


I don't think God wants me happy.  Now before I get emails and calls from my friends and family let me explain. I don't think God wants me to pursue happiness at any cost or at the expense of everything else.  I think society and especially TV commercials tell us the opposite.  "Buy this product - it will improve this aspect of your life, it will make you look 10yrs younger, it will make you rich & famous!"

If we're happy, everything is going right...right?  Hmm...although society/TV may tell us yes I think our own lives tell us different and even the lives of some of those with "rich & fame" tell us different.

There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again—it leads straight to hell. Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak. (Proverbs 14:12-13 - The Message)

I'm not saying don't be happy, and that happiness is bad, but I don't think happiness is the point. Sometimes what we think will make us happy isn't necessarily going to make us happy in the long run, and it may definitely not be what God wants for us.  I don't think God wants to be happy when we do something wrong or stupid.  The ends shouldn't justify the means. I don't think God wants us to be happy when our happiness is based solely on the things of the world.  These are temporary.  Most of will say that money doesn't buy happiness...but if we we asked if $10K would help us I'm pretty sure we'd all say yes!  I'm not saying money is bad...it's just the drive we put in getting that money...how we spend that money...etc.

God doesn't want me happy, he wants me blessed.  Happiness is based solely on the things of the world, but blessed is based on God.  He can provide peace and contentment.  I can enjoy the blessings in my life and the things of this world he has blessed with me, but I want to remember that true joy and happiness comes thru Him.

Last Weekend

This is the kids last weekend before school starts on Tuesday.  They all had school orientations yesterday. They were able to take their supplies in, see their classrooms, meet teachers, get their locker (Emma), and meet a few people in their class. They all seem excited and ready for it to start.  I think Angie is going to have a rough Tuesday morning dropping them all off!

The school sports picnic is tonight.  Pretty good chance of rain, so we'll see what happens.  Nicholas has a birthday party to go today, plus Papa Archie & Grandma Karen are here for the weekend...so should be fun-filled all around.

...fuse...

That's a fuse burning at both ends...that's the way it's seemed around here lately.

- Katelyn gymnastics 3 nights a week, Fri & Sat morning
- Nicholas gymnastics 1 night a week
- Katelyn/Emma student group 1 night a week
- Troy/Angie community group 1 night a week
- Emma - volleyball practice 4 nights a week (by the way she made the school JV volleyball team!)
- parent sports meeting last night
- grammar school new parents/orientation tomorrow night
- grammar school student orientation Fri morning
- Upper school student orientation Fri afternoon
- School picnic Sat (sports team players/family arrive early...as it's a fundraiser for the AD)
- KT needs ID card...visit to pass&ID with her tomorrow
- school supply shopping...I think we've bought at least 1 of everything out there
- music lessons have been 1 day a week
- somebody should probably go to the grocery store soon...otherwise kids may eat a sugar sandwich next week!
- oh, and that silly thing called work comes into play each day for Angie & I

It's a good think I like coffee!  Something to keep my eyes open.

Pic of Day

Admire or Desire?

Scenario:  Sitting at restaurant eating dinner...and she walks by..

(Jessica Rabbit)

without thought you become this

uh oh...what just happened?  Careful, your significant other may be planning a response

My point?  Where's the line between simple admiration of beauty and lust? Is it possible for a man, without looking away, to admire a woman for her beauty only? Can a man learn self-control and behavior?  Or must it be abstinence to avoid the "my mind went straight to the gutter" thoughts?  Should there be no looks, no wandering eyes, no 2nd glances? What if it's not the opposite set, but a car?  Can we admire our neighbors car without lusting after it?  What if it's his wife?  Where's the line between admiration and lust? Where does admire and desire cross?

I'm a man that's weak.  I admit to admiring glances.  My wife even points them out sometimes!  However, I also admit to "gutter thoughts" on occasion.  So to protect myself, and my family, I've tried to adapt a technique I heard from Pastor Rob Shepherd (www.robshep.com) that he titled "bouncing my eyes".  Jessica Rabbit walks by and before I become entranced I "bounce my eyes" to that tray of cheese cake!  I love cheese cake..especially with raspberries!  I check my phone, I tie my shoe, I check my fingernails, whatever! It works for me, it may not for you.  Maybe you don't need a diversion tactic at all. Maybe you've never thought about it.

So, what's your line between admiration and lust?  Men - do you have a diversion tactic? Do you think it's even a big deal? Women - is it a big deal to you?

24 Years

24 years!  Happy Anniversary Angie...love you!

Here's 24 things I love about you:
1) your laugh....love that we still can laugh together
2) that special spot on your neck
3) giving us Emma
4) giving us Katelyn
5) giving us Nicholas
6) that you're the "heart" of the KenneyKrewe
7) that you allow me to be the "head" of the KenneyKrewe
8) that you believe in me
9) that you're my best friend...we can talk alot, we can hardly talk...and either way it's great!
10) your "Smurfette" attitude...my Ms. Positive...my glass over-flows woman...it keeps me in check
11) that you tell me what I don't want to hear, when I need to hear it, but in a kind way
12) you don't laugh, too hard, when I dance
13) our memories together and our adventures yet to experience in the future
14) you're mischievous eyes
15) that we're a team in raising our children
16) that we're in a team in living God's plan for our family
17) your "non-shopping" ness...
18) your random silliness...like singing with the kids after movies
19) your "foolishness" detector...you can see right thru it
20) without knowing it you strive to be like a Proverbs 31 wife
21) you don't "nag"
22) you're honest with me
23) when a rough patch comes by, you're willing to work thru it
24) and...well you know! :)

Week Purge

I took a little break from the blog...in case my 1 or 2 followers missed me!

Lots happening the past week or so

- Emma & Nicholas finished up Saturday volleyball clinics; Nicholas may get to start again in Sept
- Emma finished up her Beach volleyball practice/clinic this week
- Katelyn started Saturday morning gymnastic practice (in addition to M,T,Th,Fr). The Saturday will only be a few weeks and is designed to push her to the next level
- Nicholas still loving his Wed night gymnastics
- Emma's AVA volleyball team won 1st place!  She was happy!
- 2 weeks until school starts
- I took Emma to Richmond yesterday afternoon to meet her best friend (lives up by DC) who she hasn't seen in 4 years.  Emma is going to her house for the weekend!  She has been super excited the past or week or so.  Grinning, giggling, hopping around....it's been entertaining!
- Furlough days continue...we've been making the best of it...allows me to take KT to practice on Fri morning
- Me, Emma and Nicholas were walking around inside a mall yesterday as we were waiting for her friend to get to town, and we walked into a Spencer's.  Bad mistake!  Holy cow that store is not family friendly!  Cuss words emblased all over T-shirts, sex-games, other not-so nice to try to explain to your kids things. I remember "back in the day" the store had some bad stuff, but it wasn't usually just displayed everywhere in the store.  The T-shirt's with F-this, and she's a B-that were killing me! I don't think I'm a "straight-laced" kind of guy, but I don't imagine I'll ever walk into a Spencer's again.
- Kids school physicals are all complete; shots for Emma & Katelyn but none for Nik...he was happy!
- Something ate the tops off all my ivy plants in the backyard...1st year that's happened.  Rabbits?
- Been looking at a BB guns with Nik...I think it's almost time
- School supply shopping...whew...the kids needed lots!  That and all new uniforms has been killer
- Episode of gout last weekend...arghh!
- Have you ever lost something in the house after you went to the spot where you were SURE you left it?  I went to the safe to get my DD214 (military retirement form) this week and it wasn't there!  Took a couple hours to find it...looked for over an hour with no luck, sat downed and prayed, found it 5 minutes later! Who says there's no power in prayer!  Oh, and it's in the safe now!

Pic of Day

Emma's AVA volleyball team (Aloha Volleyball Academy JV Summer 6's Champions, Summit Christian Academy) won 1st place!  These girls are between 11-15 yrs old and they beat some high school teams! Way to go girls!

80s Reminiscing

While watching a movie last night, a song started playing in the background and my mind started reminiscing. Do ever watch a movie from your younger years and hear a song that brings your thoughts back to that time?


Can you match the theme song to the movie?

- Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins
- The Heat is On by Glenn Frey
- Weird Science by Oingo Boingo
- If You Were Here by The Thompson Twins
- If You Leave by Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark (OMD)
- Power of Love by Huey Lewis & the News
- Eye of the Tiger by Survivor
- Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
- In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel
- In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins

So, how'd you do?  Here's the answers...
Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Weird Science (hard one huh?!), Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Back to the Future, Rocky III, Breakfast Club, Say Anything, and Risky Business

Week Activity

Lots of fun over the past week or so. 

Pic of Week

Emma's Home!

Emma made it back from camp last night around 7:30.  When she got off the bus and finally got her bags she walked over and said "lets go!".  I think she was tired of the bus ride and all the people!  She's so funny. Overall she had a good time, enjoyed good worship, and met some new people.  She was definitely ready for her own bed last night though!

Furlough Hot Potato

Today it the day...my 1st furlough day.  So do I do feel this...

or this...

On one hand I have a 3-day weekend!  On the other hand, I'm not getting paid today.  Hmmm...  So many thoughts, so many emotions, and so many opinions out there.  I've seen several of my friends mentioning their furlough day this week.  I've also seen other comments telling the civilian workers to "suck it up"..."what's the big deal"..."in the real world people just lose their job".

I'm lucky I have a job, Angie has a job, we a great family with 3 wonderful kids, we aren't fighting a major illness, and we'll get thru these next few months of furlough.  However, does the 20% pay cut sting?  You bet!  Am I happy about it? No!  Do we have to adjust expenses?  Yes.  So, while thankful for the blessings I have in my life the loss of pay surely hurts. I want to focus on the positive side of still having a job, even with the 20% pay reduction the rest of the fiscal year, but the negative side is always there too.

Perspective?  What if we had the chance to walk in another person's shoes for a day, see thru their eyes for a day, feel their joy, feel their sadness, experience their life for the day?  Would that change our perspective?

So, how do furloughed civilian workers respond to the criticism that we're whining babies and we should suck it up and be happy about it?  Are we being babies?  What's your thoughts? How are you responding?  

Sequestration

Sequestration...say that fast 5 times.  Did you do it?  Did you say Sasquatch?  Just checking  :)

This week starts the beginning of civilian furloughs within the Air Force thanks to "sequestration".  My 1st day "off" will be Friday.  However, the effect of sequestration has already touched me this week.  As part of the whole deal we (AF civilians) aren't allowed to work any overtime...this means no comp time, no overtime, whatever.  As a 22 yr AF veteran (as many AF civilians are), it's hard to simply stop work at the "whistle".  I think for the 1st time in 8 yrs at my job here, I left with unopened/viewed emails.  Not a big deal right?  For me it was killer.  Now I'm not saying I always had everything done/actioned in my email, but I always at least  read the email so I knew what to expect the next day or maybe it was something important enough for me to stay a little later to compete.  I also had to tell my boss today that I wouldn't be able to make his COB (close of business) deadline because I only had 45 minutes left on my "clock".  Ugh...I don't like it.

It's a terrible feeling...I can't stand it.  I'm a perfectionist...leaving when work is there to do is just wrong in my mind.

I'm sure some  positives will come from this...it will help me to learn to manage my time better, it will help me to prioritize better, and it will help me to disengage from work and enjoy life more.

It still bothers me...and that bothers me too.

Camp

Emma's off to camp this week.  She'll be spending the week at Gardner-Webb University in NC.  She had to be at the church at 5:30 this morning and sounds like they arrived at camp an hour or so ago.

Our church took about 200 students to camp this year.  This is what took them.

I guess they stopped at a Chick-Fil-A for lunch...I bet the restaurant was surprised!

Have fun Emma!

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Do You Love Much or Love Well?

Crazy question huh?  Have you ever heard someone coming out of a failed relationship that says something like "we always loved one another, but we still couldn't get along"?  Maybe they have loved much, but they didn't know how to love well.

Loving well is an essential ingredient in marriage and 1 Corinthians 13 is great counsel on how to do it. I read an article from Lee Eclov the other day that I thought put a few of the verses in great perspective...here's a paraphrased version:

- If we're going thru a rough patch and maybe arguing with one another, we may be suspicious of the things our spouse says to us. Verse 1 says loving well brings music to our words. If our actions don’t show love, words of love will be meaningless. 

- When he is thoughtless and inconsistent, “love is patient.” When she hurts you, “love is kind.” When other couples have what you want, love “does not envy.” When you were right and he was wrong, love “does not boast.” When you did a better job than she did, love “is not proud.” (verse 4)

- When you know your spouse hates it when you are habitually late, love “does not dishonor others.” When no one thinks of you—your needs, your feelings, your desires or your rights—love “is not self-seeking.” When you've had a long day and you’re tired, or when she seems to be taking potshots at you, love “is not easily angered.” When your spouse doesn't say “I’m sorry” for some offense, love “keeps no record of wrongs.” (verse 5)

- When he or she is taking a pounding from the world, your love, like a roof overhead, “protects.” When you've been hurt or disappointed or betrayed, love “trusts.” When no one notices how much you care or how often you cry, love “hopes.” And when your love has been abused and questioned, when the door has been slammed in your face, when you've been completely ignored, love “perseveres.” (verse 7)

If we're honest with ourselves, none of us measure up to this kind of selfless love.  Loving well is hard for us. However, when we're at the snapping point, at the point of no return, at the "are you kidding me!" stage; take a minute and pray for grace to do better.

What sacrifice of love is hard for you?

Happy 4th!

Beach Volleyball Practice

It was cool in the shade under the pavilion...but I'm pretty sure she was hot!

Thought of the Day

Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant? Henry David Thoreau

Who Has Your Ear?

"If you continue to give your ear to the wrong voices, they have your thoughts and eventually your actions."

Who do you have in your life that you talk to, that you complain to, that you go to for advice? Do you remember a time in your life when you listened to the wrong voices and it left you in a heap of trouble?  Or maybe you realized too late the direction the "advice" was leading you or had already led you?  Most of us can probably remember a time in our youth where our "friends" or the peer pressure led us to do things we wouldn't have otherwise done.  How about today?  What voices are leading you to your actions?

Student Event - WEC

The girls enjoyed a special community group event last Wednesday...check out the video

Father's Day Wish

I pray I'm a father my kids can learn from, a father they can always trust and a father they know always loves them.

A view from the past...

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it (Proverbs 22:6 NIV)

Pic of Week

Beach Fun

Yorktown Beach

An afternoon at the beach...this was before the T-Storms rolled in and took out our power for 24+ hours!