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!