Seabrook Texas

Down on the coast... There used to be a house in this picture.

We're outta here!

Vacation is finally here! We're heading to Houston to sail away. A few days on a beach is just what the Dr. ordered! In honor of our excursion... here's a cute song. I know, it's cheesy. But it's cute. And I'm on vacation, so it doesn't matter! See you when we get back!

Cedar Creek Cleanup Day 2008

This is year 3 for us to participate in Cedar Creek Cleanup Day. Groups from all over the Lake Area join in and pick up trash alongside the area roads and lake. After a morning of clean-up, we're join together for food and music at a Pavilion on the lake.

This year, over 300 individuals participated! Note in the pictures that SOME of us have earned patches for our vests! The rookies have to earn theirs!

Rick had the prize of the day, scoring a pair of jeans from the middle of the road. Too bad they didn't fit!!!

Here are some more pictures from the day.

Tim and Tiffany (and future Lilly) Rick and Tim, with their tools Doreen, Linda,and Kristen Rick and another...um, prize

Has it really been 16 years?

I had a wonderful email from a friend in high-school, Amanda. We haven't seen each other in years, and haven't really corresponded since graduation.

She's going to kill me when she sees this post, but hey - it's incriminating to ALL of us, not just her. Amanda is the pretty one on the front row with the light colored dress. I'm not telling which one I am.

We've exchanged a few e-mails, catching each other up on all that's happened in our life. I was amazed to hear she had 3 little boys... and I was excited to know all the various details about her life.

It made me wish that I had done better at keeping the friendships up from that era. I have to admit that sometimes I feel jealous when I hear that some people are still best friends with the same person from childhood. Perhaps we're all made a bit differently, and life experiences take us different places where we develop new friends and spend our time maintaining those relationships....

...But I still wish I had not been so selfish and had worked harder at keeping those dear friendships close.

As of late, I've gotten to connect with a few of those friends via facebook. It's been neat to see where we all are 16 years later. And I can really see the grace of God evident in our lives. Well, I guess I'm talking mainly about my own. I shudder to think where I might be without His Grace. I want to let go of the busy-ness of my life. I want to spend more time with my friends (old and new) instead of rushing from one place to the next. After all, isn't it all about relationships in this life? And not all the meetings and to-do-lists that seem to bog us down?

So... Hey friends! Let's get together soon. I'd love to see you.

Wrapping up the weekend

I just returned from a trip to the Nursing Home. We took requests for songs, and the top ones were: When We All Get to Heaven We're Marching to Zion The Old Rugged Cross I sat next to a little lady who waved her arms and sang at the top of her lungs. She had the most glorious look on her face and her eyes shone so brightly! I'm not entirely sure how "present" she really was with us, but she sure did enjoy the singing. It always does my heart good to spend some time with these friends. ------------------------------------------ It's been a busy weekend. Saturday we started out at a benefit breakfast for a woman in our community that is now paralyzed due to an accident... sad story, but the community is really rallying for her. After the breakfast we participated in an all-day retreat at our church. We looked at our mission statement "Sharing with our Neighbors God's Hope and Love" and brainstormed on ways we could go deeper into that mission. An outline resulted that is going to guide us in setting some priorities for the next year, as far as our church activities/missions is concerned. We were able to grab a quick nap before heading to an open house for a new Funeral Home in town - Moorehead-Epps Funeral Home. NICE family that started this business and we wish them great luck. They actually volunteered some time at our Red Cross Shelter last week. So it was good to get out and support them in their business efforts. The evening rounded off with boot-scooting and bar-b-que! The second annual Denim and Diamonds fundraiser was held at our good friends ranch - Ed and Nan Creel. (www.triplenranch.com) It's a real working Longhorn Ranch, and a perfect venue for last nights excitement. The Library at Cedar Creek Lake was why everyone showed up, and the support was generous. Good music, good food, and best of all, we made some new friends. It's Sunday afternoon now, and we're going to lay low (aka NAP) until it's time to go to Jan and Stan's house for the Cowboy game. The whole crew will be there, so we'll have great fun! ----------------------------- Oh, did I mention that the people who looked at our house last week were Hurricane Evacuees? They are wanting to retire up here, away from the hurricanes! They liked our house, but haven't requested a second showing yet. So what does that mean? Stay tuned... I'm trying not to be too discouraged.

Mobile posting to my blog

I'm testing a new thing I just learned about. Seems I can post "on the go."

So, I'm on the go. We received a call this morning at 9am that our house might show between 9 and noon.

That's great... Except that the house was a disaster. And we were taking a slow morning recovering from the shelter.

We threw it into high gear and they drove up just as Rick was getting into the shower. Yikes!

So we flew out of there and sat in a driveway down the street waiting for them to finish.

There's never a dull moment in our house.

Now let's see if this posts remotely!

Pew-weee

I don't even have a picture to accompany this post, and if I did - I promise you wouldn't want to see it. It came to my attention recently that I have spoiled food in my fridge. Since we have practically been living at the church since last Wednesday, I have paid NO attention to tasks at home. I never realized how stinky a head of lettuce can be - or the icky residue it leaves behind. We're applying for FEMA to assist with getting a haz-mat team in to do the cleanup. Other than that - I have no complaints! Here's a summary of what's going on with the Browns right now: - Our Shelter downsized by about 20 this morning. That's really exciting! One family of 8 left to go back to Texas City because the Refineries are back online, and his job is calling him back to work. I'm not sure if their home is secure and safe, but it's good that he can get back to work. Another family headed back as well, but I'm unsure of their circumstances. - Our Shelter increased by 2 when one of the the aforementioned families departed WITHOUT their parakeets. We were housing them in a church-member's home, and when she brought them to the church this morning, the family had already departed. Guess they weren't too concerned about the birds. Or the eggs that are in the nest! Our pastor now has possession of the "evacuKEETS." - We're experiencing Shelter Fatigue, which is a term I was unaware of. But I'm glad there is a label for what I'm feeling. There are so many of us that have invested the last week of our lives into this project - and each of us is exhausted physically and mentally. As far as spiritual, I think I'm more hungry than ever. With the interruption of our regular routines, I have not been able to keep my daily time with God. That time usually comes early in the morning when the rest of the house is still sleeping. And I've just been too exhausted to try and keep my eyes open... With that said, I've still experienced God in a HUGE way the past 7 days. My duty has allowed me to observe each volunteer to become a servant and use their specific strength and gift. It's as if I've been in the audience of a huge symphony, where the bigger instruments right down to the smallest play their part in beautiful harmony. And God, as the conductor, has written a part for every single person. Tonight is our Wednesday night youth activities. It will be refreshing to hang out with the kids and experience a bit of normalcy. Well... that's if you can say teenagers have even have an ounce of normalcy. Compared to the chaos of the week, spending time with teens sounds like a vacation! Oh, here's a picture of Rick and Richard. Richard is one of the most polite and humble people I have met. I don't know when he'll go back home, but I know that we will miss him.

Shelter #09 update

Serving dinner Activites with the children Staff meeting And so ends Hour 59 of the Red Cross Shelter #9. We've had a busy day: Scheduled volunteers, shifted calendars, organized kids activities, cleaned up throw-up (twice) bandaged wounds, transported someone for dialysis, laundered towels, organized food, served meals, scheduled a surgical procedure, housed two parakeets, cleaned bathrooms, planned a worship service, hugged each other, printed maps, and prayed. And you know what? I am so energized. I've had a permanent rush, and I don't really want to go home. Most of my time has been spent with administrative tasks - but the times that I take a break and sit to visit with our guests is the most treasured of my time. You see, it's easy for me to put up a protective wall - to safely protect myself from having to deal with any emotion. And there's LOTS of emotion here. But when I let my guard down and truly connect with these new friends, I find a little bit of solace. Think about this - In one corner: Chaotic stress of organizing and running a Shelter - it keeps me stuck in the rut of an endless list of tasks. Productive, but tiring. In the other corner: The smiles and hope and peace and love offered by our guests...I visit with them and breath life. The good and the bad things about life. All of it. They are in an impossible situation, and they meet it with resolve and hope. Sure, I had my difficulties today. Challenges. Tough decisions. It has NOT been a cake walk of little debbies and warm fuzzies. But at the end of the day, I can't think of another place I'd rather be. It's about serving others, learning to listen more than to talk, meeting each challenge with new resolve, and standing with our new friends through their darkest days. May God bless and protect them.

Open for business: Red Cross Shelter # 09

Sorry I've been dark for a few days.

Wednesday was my last normal day. Because Thursday from 8am until after midnight we were at the church mobilizing Red Cross Shelter #09.

Our church is a safe zone sanctioned by Red Cross, and is housing Hurricane Ike evacuees. We have 29 guests as I type this, but our capicity is 50. I expect tomorrow we will fill the rest of our beds.

My role is "Volunteer Coordinator." It's been a BUSY and CHAOTIC and REWARDING journey so far. I've built more spreadsheets in the last 48 hours than I care to, and I've been more productive than 3 normal days at work. Funny how that works...

I'm exhausted. Can hardly believe anything I type makes sense... but I wanted to update you with what we've been doing.

Honestly, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'm getting to know my church family so much better and to witness first hand the generosity and servant spirit amongst them. It truly is inspiring. Every person I've encountered today has been so willing to help... and every person has a different unique ability to contribute. This sounds "sunday-school-ish" to say, but I'm witnessing the body of Christ working. Everyone has their own unique way of helping and encouraging and doing. It's AWESOME.

I'm tired. Must get some rest because morning is going to come early.

Tomorrow we may ride out the hurricane at the Shelter, and there's lots to do to get ready. News reports indicate that our little area of East Texas is going to be hit hard, and we need to be prepared.

Oh, before I go - I wanted to mention how friendly and grateful our guests have been. Their life has been put on hold, and they have no idea what they will have to go home to when this storm is finished. But they are positive and loving and hopeful.

I want to be more like them.

Can't BELIEVE it's Tuesday already

Not sure what happened to yesterday... It's Tuesday already and lunch time, at that. Well, here's a picture of the Cowboy Game Sunday:

What's the matter? Don't recognize those famous players on the field? Just in case you're not into the Cowboys, the team pictured above is: Rick 'the Bruiser' Brown making the catch. Stan 'the Man' Wiens backing him up. Tim 'aka Bob Lilly' and Sean 'DonJuan' Wiens moving in to assist. Charles 'the Heff ' Hetmer was off camera, no doubt showing off for the cheerleaders!

We enjoyed the Cowboy Season opener and their WIN on Sunday at Charles and Twina's house. The half-time show was presented by the men as they exhibited their God-given talents on the football field. Good friends, good food, good ball. Made for a great day!

We really enjoy our Cowboy Friends. Watching the game on Sundays without them just wouldn't be the same.

Give Thanks

We attended an event last night for "One Man's Treasure." Our friends Kenny and Sharon invited us to attend, and we are so glad they did!

We learned that this group is dedicated to providing a wardrobe to men as they exit life in prison and enter the "free world." When a man leaves a Texas prison, he is faced with an almost impossible circumstances: Little money, only the clothes on his back, and a bus ticket. He is expected to make a new life for himself, and if he has no family or friends to help him, the chips are stacked against him.

"One Man's Treasure" was created to provide clothing to these men. Recipents of the program receive:

1. five shirts

2. two pairs of pants

3. one pair of shoes

4. five new pairs of underwear

5. five new pairs of socks

6. one t-shirt

7. one coat, one hat, & pair of gloves

At the event last night, the silent auction table was laden with hand-made goods crafted by the men at a nearby prison - Beto Unit, Tennesee Colony. We purchased the item pictured above, a beautiful wooden piece that says "Give Thanks."

What an incredible thing for an inmate to be able to say. Give Thanks.

I wonder, as he crafted this piece, did he think about things in his life that he is thankful for? What were the blessings he counted? What was his story, and why did he choose to craft these words out of wood?

Perhaps he has learned a lesson the hard way. One that I need to learn again and again... that when we look for things to be thankful for and give God the thanks, something within us begins to change. A seed within me sprouts, and it's watered when I choose to Give Thanks instead of grumble. It grows when I approach my day with gratitude and not selfishness. And it can bloom when, in the midst of stress and frustration, I choose to Give Thanks for what I have been given.

And what is that? Today, I Give Thanks for:

Saturday morning traditions (coffee and patio)

The morning crispness in the air brought about by the gentle changing of seasons

My brother and parents, both of whom I just spoke with on the phone, and they always makes me feel totally accepted and loved.

My husband - because he is the Prince Charming that I knew had to exist, somewhere... even when everyone else said that kind of love was only in fairy tales

My computer - even when it's slow and stubborn, it is one way I can connect to my friends and the world.

So there you have it. And in the words of Forrest Gump:

"That's all I have to say about that."

Whew! A fast paced night!

We have survived the first week of Youth Wed night activities! That in itself is something to be proud of, considering that tonight's welcome-back activity was a fast-paced, crazed night of scavenger hunting. Rick and I are launching into year 2 of working with the Wednesday night youth group at our church. We each lead a small group (he has high-school boys and I have jr high girls.) Normally, the routine is: snack supper, praise/worship, video lesson, then small group discussions. Tonight, however, each small group was a team on the scavenger hunt. And OH MY GOODNESS... everyone had so much fun! There were about 35 youth that attended, and the energy was extreme. It seems that everyone was very excited to be back into the swing of things. Here is a picture of the list of items on the hunt. Our team successfully gathered everything we needed, AND made it back in time (with 2 minutes to spare.) Probably the most difficult item on the list was finding a cloth hankerchief. Seems nobody carries those anymore. But sweet Mrs. Riddleheuber came to our rescue with one of her late husband's hankerchiefs. (I'll pause for an "..awe....") Anyway - It's late, and we just finished watching Sarah Palin give her knock-out speech at the RNC... and I'm going to bed.