The Massey Bunch

It's Complicated!

2010-12-13T07:12:00.000-08:00

I saw a friend's status on Facebook the other day stating that he was 'single' and 'it's complicated'.

Hm...

I was tempted to see his 'single' status, raise it to 'married' and call his 'it's complicated' with a hearth 'HA! I LIVE complicated relationships every day!'

I'm a husband. I'm a father. I'm a son (all three of THOSE to people I share a house with!) I'm a father-in-law. I'm a brother. I'm a son-in-law. I'm a brother-in-law. I'm a...Well, you get the point.

I am MARRIED to a fantastic, smart, gorgeous, funny and...surprise...COMPLICATED woman!
We do not share the same brain (thank God above she doesn't have mine...she would have driven herself off a cliff years ago!). We do not share the same body. We do not share the same opinions. We do not share the same temperament. SINCE we do no share those and many other things, we find ourselves either at odds with each other or trying awkwardly to arrange our psyches' to 'fit' into the others ideas or view points on some situation so as to live in as much harmony as possible.

I found the previous sentence complicated just to write!

We DO have one character trait in common...we are both selfish, and we want our own way. It is my considered opinion that everyone in this world shares that trait with us. And since this is the case, I would most definitely define our relationship as 'complicated'.

I am a FATHER of COMPLICATED children!

I have three exceptional children, and one incredible daughter-in-law. They all bring me much joy, happiness, satisfaction, mile of smiles and great pride! They also bring me great frustration, confusion, sadness, grey hairs and anger. They also have that whole selfish thing going on as well, so add that generously to the mix! Since these, and other traits and emotions are often played against and with each other, I would most definitely define my relationship with them as 'complicated'.

Now, I realize what my friend was saying with his status. He had had a sudden or unexpected change in his relationship. I may, or may not, have been of his own choosing, and where he could explain it, it was more than he wanted to share with the general public, so he wrapped it up in a simple 'it's complicated'. I understand.

But we ALL live complicated lives (again...surprise!)

God seems to understand too. In the book of John, Jesus tells us that 'Here on Earth you WILL have many trials and sorrows' (16:33, emphasis mine). With all due love and respect toward my family and friends, many of my trials and sorrows come by way of them. And, many more times, THEIR trials and sorrows come by way of my! The people I share a house with can attest to that! I, they, we...make life complicated!

But, if you know the rest of the verse, you know that Jesus says, 'but take heart, because I have overcome the world.' We all have a way to get through the 'complicated'. It's tied to that verse in Philippians that says 'we can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength' (4:13).

A complicated life is pretty much a given during our allotted time to spin on the Earth. Accepting it, dealing with it, moving on with it...will, quite honestly, make it less complicated, in my opinion. Not any less frustrating or difficult at times...just less complicated.

Romans 8:18 says, that AFTER this complicated life is over, it will prove to be 'nothing compared to the glory HE will reveal to us later'. A note I made in my Bible next to this verse says 'we won't even THINK 'it was worth it'...because this complicated life won't even be a blip on the radar in heaven.'

THAT's pretty cool...very simple...not complicated!

Mark

REAL Updates!

2010-07-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

On occasion as I handle my sound duties at church, or as I'm preparing during the week, I'll think about the songs we're singing that Sunday. Imagine that? Actually considering the words to the praise songs that are being sung to God! Usually I find myself too busy to deal in such trivial matters (!) but every once in a while it'll happen.

Anyway, I've always loved the song 'Blessed Be Your Name.' I'm sure most of you have either heard it or sung it. Great style and rhythm, starts lite, builds to a crescendo, then a strong finish! Finely crafted song! But let's do a word study for a few moments....

"Blessed be Your name,

In a land that is plentiful,

Where Your streams of abundance flow,

Blessed be Your name."

I love those Facebook updates where people are talking about some aspect of their life at that moment and how blessed they are.
“Sitting on the porch with my husband, watching the sunset. I’m blessed.”

“Watching my kids play in the park and my youngest runs up and gives me a hug and tells me he loves me. I’m blessed!”

“Playing games with family and friends. I’m blessed!”

And on and on. We’ve all seen them, and we would definitely agree…those are blessed times.Your health is good. Your family is running smoothly. Maybe you’re pregnant and the future is looking rosy. Your bank account isn't suffering, your house has just sold for more than you asked…Utopia! Nirvana (not the singing group!)! Nay, 'Heavenly!'

"Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise!"
Great stuff!

But...the song doesn't end there, does it? Dang it!!There is a second part of the verse.

'Blessed be Your name,

When I'm found in the desert place,

When I walk through the wilderness,

Blessed be Your name.'

Hmmm…

Job said in his book in chapter 1 and verse 22, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." And from OUR point of view (not being in the middle of his problems), we can definitely agree. “Doesn’t matter what’s happening, Job. Continue to bless God’s name! You hang in there. Don’t lose the faith! Semper fi, my brother!” We have the safety of being the posterity that his story was written for.

And when we sing the song, I don't doubt that a part of us actually means the words. We are deeply committed to praising and blessing God even in the hard times…as long as they’re not THAT hard! As long as they don’t severely rock us off the comfortable road we’re on. We might even sing the song loudly, maybe raise our hands, our hearts and souls filled with love for God and His will, whatever it might be.

But it's safe in there.

It's church.

But if we want to be …real…be the type of Christian and follower of God that Job was…well, try these ‘updates’ on for size…
“The bump the doctor removed from our child's neck came back from pathology, and he wants to talk with us. He didn’t sound encouraged. But, we’re blessed!”

“The house sale fell through. We’re back to square one! But we’re blessed!”

“I’m headed to the lawyer’s office to sign the final divorce papers. I really don’t want this…but God is still on the throne!”

Or these phone calls you get on an idle Tuesday…

Your wife is at the obstetrician and she's crying, and not in a happy way...

Your boss calls you in unexpectedly and asks you to shut the door...

The police have found your child at the wrong place doing the wrong thing...

Job’s entries might read something like this…
“Just got word that all my animals have been stolen and the ranch hands killed. Be praying for me and their families. I don’t know what I’m going to do. But, God’s name be blessed.”

“A tornado destroyed my son’s house. All my kids and their families were there. None survived. My wife and I can barely breath. I don’t understand and I want to curse God...but He has a reason. I will still bless His name.”

"When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I'm gonna say,

Blessed be the name of the Lord"

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4, talking about the power of God in us, starting in verse 8, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but NOT FORSAKEN; struck down, but not destroyed...

"Jesus Himself said in John 16:33, "In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." He was giving us His peace!

The song ends with these word over and over...

"Blessed be the name of the Lord,

Blessed be Your name.

Blessed be the name of the Lord,

Blessed be Your Glorious name."

That’s an update we can all post!

The Wedding Laugh

2010-06-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

A year ago I made people laugh. Fortunately, it wasn’t JUST a year ago I made people laugh. I’ve been doing it ever since, quite successfully some would say (ok, ‘some’ means ‘me’). Granted, it usually falls in the ‘unintentional comedy’ area, and it mostly involves my family laughing at something idiotic I’ve done, but hey…a laugh’s a laugh!

Anyway, a year ago on June 20, my son, Reese, married an incredibly wonderful, beautiful, way-over-his-head young lady named Melanie. Reese did me the incredible and totally unexpected honor of selecting me to be his best man. The rehearsal, ceremony, and reception went off very well…the message by the pastor, the welcome and prayer at the reception, the DJ…all fell into line quite nicely.

Then came time for toasting the happy couple...the maid of honor did her thing…and I was given the microphone…and decided to ‘wing it’.

For those who weren’t there…you sense it coming, don’t you? One of those ‘I can see the train wreck about to happen and there’s nothing I can do about it so I’ll just sit back and watch’. For those who were there, and remember what I said…try to keep your snickering to just that, please!

After Melanie’s maid of honor, Sarah, gave her toast (done very well…had a script and everything!), it was my turn. I have to say, I started well. It did sound promising…something about ‘make each other laugh’, ‘keep laughter and fun in your marriage’, etc, etc. Nothing bad or embarrassing. Yet.

One of the many problems I deal with on a daily basis (and Noelle and the kids suffer BECAUSE of it as well) is mush mouth. I mumble my words sometimes; let my mouth get ahead of my brain and thoughts. It is affectionately referred to as ‘Mark mouth’, from my days on stage when I would mumble my lines and the director would yell at me, again, to E-NUN-CIATE!! Sure enough, the beast reared its ugly head at the wrong time.

What I MEANT to say as I was wrapping up the toast, talking about the life they have in front of them, was… ‘it’s going to be a great ride.’

What came out of my mouth was… ‘SHE’S going to be a great ride.’

Classy! Suave! Smooth! Yeah, that’s me!!

Fortunately, I was on the back side of the toast, bringing it in for a landing, TOTALLY oblivious to my (some would say ‘Freudian’) slip, so what laughter there was I didn’t hear (I also knew the cutting of the cake was next, so I’m sure my mind was drifting to getting some to eat….hmmmmm, wedding cake…). Anyway, I said, ‘to Reese and Melanie’, we all toasted and went on.

As I’m moving toward the cake area, my best friend, Brian, quickly calls me to his table. When I sat down, he said, with a big smile on his face, ‘Did you REALLY mean to say ‘SHE’S going to be a great ride?’ I paused, started wondering what he was talking about, looked at the other side of the table where two other friends, Kathy and Cindy, were vigorously nodding their heads and laughing…then my eyes started growing wide! “I SAID that?” Yes, I was assured, I did say that. And it was on video tape. For EVERYONE (including my future grandchildren) to hear!!

GENIOUS!! Unintentional comedy OFF the scale!! Thank you! I’ll be here all night!

So, in light of needing to re-phrase my toast, and in celebration of their ONE YEAR anniversary…let me ask your indulgence as I say what I should have said back then.

“I remember the first time I met Reese, about 18 or 19 years ago. He was not a happy guy. Not having a good day. He was crying, cold, wet….naked. People roughing him up, moving him from here to there…just not a good time. But I saw something special in this kid...something I could build on. So I took him under my wing…helped him grow, molded him, shaped him…you could almost say I was a ‘father figure’ to him. Almost!
Seriously, it’s incredible to me and your mom that we are here watching you start this next chapter in your life. It may have seemed slow to you, but to us it’s gone by so fast!
Following Sarah’s lead about Melanie’s old boyfriends, I’ll say we do remember all your old girlfriends…some we liked, very nice girls. The others…eh, not so much. I remember the first time you had a girl sleep over at our house…when you both were about five! It was quite the scandal in our church then! (She was at the reception, by the way, so I’m sure that would have made her blush. And, Laura Lynn, don’t worry, I would only have pointed in your general direction!) Girlfriends came and went, but when you started dating Melanie, there was something different. I remember asking you, ‘What do you see in her?’ And not in a sarcastic way, but I was really curious. And you said, ‘Dad, she makes me laugh’.
That’s good, son. Laughter is great, especially as the years go by. I used to make your mom laugh at funny things I would say or do…now she just laughs at me when I’m NOT trying to be funny, but she’s still laughing. I hope you guys can keep that.
Melanie, you are now the new number one in Reese’s life, after God of course. It’s a title that Noelle and I willingly and with excitement give to you, because we know you are worthy of it. We also give over to you his personality, his goofiness, his desire to play video games ALL THE TIME, his moods, his laundry…it’s all your, honey! Let me know how it works for ya!! Seriously, we couldn’t be happier for him and you…welcome to our family!
You’re both starting what I believer to be an incredible life, your future looks very bright and I believe God’s got great things in store for the two of you. I can tell you both have a deep, caring love for each other. You’re starting very young, some would say, but that’s good in that as you continue to grow your personal ‘roots’ in life, they will intertwine with the others, and your bond to each other will be that much stronger!
IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT RIDE, this life of yours, and I can’t wait to see where it takes you. I love you both! I pray God’s blessings on you.
To Reese and Melanie!”

Happy anniversary, kids! Hope the ride continues to be fun and exciting!

Birthday Extravaganza!

2010-04-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

This April we have had another milestone extravaganza with our children’s birthdays. Reese turned 20 on the 3rd, McKenna turned 16 on the 18th and Drake will be 13 on the 25th. Wow…how did the time pass so quickly!?

Oddly, Reese’s turning 20 bothered me a bit more than him getting married last summer. I’m not sure why this is so. You would think that becoming a mother-in-law would be the thing that makes me feel old! When I think about the last 20 years I have a lot of wonderful memories and some that aren’t so great. Oh how I wish I could go back and correct MY behavior as Reese was growing up. It’s sad to say that I didn’t always respond to him in the right way. I didn’t always discipline in the right way. I didn’t always spend the time I needed to with him. I didn’t always give him my undivided attention when he deserved it. I didn’t always say the right things. I DID always love him. Always. Even when I didn’t like him very much and he didn’t like me very much…I always loved him. And I still do! I am so proud to be his Mom. He’s turned into a great person who knows how to love others, desires to serve God and wants to make a difference in the world. Wow…what a gift he is!

With McKenna’s birthday came a driver’s license. Yay! And not so ‘yay’. It will be nice to be able to have someone to run an errand for me every now and then (until she gets tired of that!) and to help chauffer her brother around. The insurance…not so great! McKenna is my only girl…and I am so glad that I have her! Oh how I wish I could go back and correct MY behavior over the last 16 years. It’s sad to say that in addition to the ‘didn’ts’ listed above I wasn’t always compassionate. I wasn’t always understanding. I wasn’t always a good listener when she needed to talk. I wasn’t always available. I wasn’t always kind. I WAS always in love with her. Always. Even when I didn’t like her very much and she didn’t like me very much…I was always in love with her. And still am! She’s my girl! I am very proud to be her Mom. She is growing into a beautiful young woman inside and out who is learning how to please God and desires that in her life. She cares about others and is there for her friends no matter what. Wow…what a gift she is!

Drake…I can’t believe he is entering into the teen-age years. Goodness. My baby…13! Yikes! Now that makes me feel old! Drake has always been so shy (until you get to know him!). I know he’s growing up because he’s starting to leave that behind. I can see him making better choices already. Oh how I wish I could go back and correct MY behavior during Drake’s first 13 years. It’s sad to say that in addition to all of the ‘didn’ts’ and wasn’ts’ listed above I haven’t always been patient enough. I haven’t always tried to see it from his perspective. I haven’t always kept my word. I haven’t always loved unconditionally. I haven’t always led by example. I HAVE always loved him. Always. Even when I didn’t like him very much and he didn’t like me very much…I have always loved him. And still do! He brings me joy! I am so proud to be his Mom! He is growing into a great young man who is loyal and loving towards others, can make you laugh and lift you up and is learning to serve God and please Him. Wow…what a gift he is!

Oh how I love these children of mine! Always have. Always will.

HARSH!

2010-01-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

Most of my life I have prided myself on being like the Range, from the song 'Home on the Range'...where seldom is heard, a discouraging word.' (I'd change the next part about the sky to INCLUDE clouds and a chance of strong storms and hail and tornadoes and blizzards all the time...it's the weather freak in me...).

But as I've grown older and crankier and grumpier, I've found that's not as much the 'norm' as it used to be. Discouraging words DO come out at times, more often I DO make statements and arguments that are very...argumentative. I do things that cause hurt feelings, bitterness and anger. The unfortunate recipients of most of theses outbursts are my family, in general, and specifically, my wife, Noelle.

When I speak harsh, angry...'discouraging' words to her, I'm definitely NOT following the command of Colossians 3:19 which says 'Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly." Along that line, verse 21 instructs the fathers not to 'provoke your children to anger, so they won't be discouraged.'

Anger, discouragement, bitterness...all coming FROM the husband/father. Who, obviously, is more prone to DO that sort of thing. I notice that command is not given to the wife (hardly seems fair!). Probably some testosterone/competitive/'me-Tarzan-you-Jane' thing that's inbred in guys for...Lord only knows what reason.

Probably as a guy this instruction would sink in more if I would take it like a player hearing it from a coach I respect (in this case, God). He keeps drilling it into me over and over during practice! It's put on signs around the locker room to remind me what my focus needs to be. THAT'S what I need! A sign! I can make one and nail it over the door in our bedroom and slap it every time I walk out, like a football team slaps it's motto sign before they head out of the big game...'Never treat her harshly!'. Practice it, learn it, live it! (nailing a sign inside our bedroom over the door would probably make her bitter all over again, and the only slapping would be...well...I'll just imagine it's there!)

1 Peter 3:7 tells men to give honor to their wives as a weaker vessel. I heard a great illustration about the difference between men and women...

Men are like a tin cup you'd take camping. You can drop it, kick it, throw it into the backpack without thinking about it. It might get dinged up and not be as shiny or clean (just like a lot of guys!), but...it doesn't care...it's a tin cup. It still works.

Women are more like a porcelain teacup. It (they) must be treated with more care and carefulness. Tenderness and gentleness are the ways to take care of such an item. You can't throw it around or casually drop it without it cracking or breaking. It's a more delicate item. That sort of cup needs and wants to be clean and shiny (just like most women) when you use it.

My point is this...when men live with their wife, they are asked to grow. It's apparently part of our DNA to treat others in harsh ways sometimes (probably more often than we think). We grow by learning how to treat a TOTALLY different kind of person in ways that are almost foreign to us. God likes growth, stretching...taking us out of our comfort zones. Making us into the men He wants us to be. He says we can do ALL things through Him who gives us strength.

Maybe THAT needs to be the sign we have up in our rooms!

2009-08-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Ever been asleep, DEEPLY asleep, and then you were jolted awake by something that happened to you? Physically happened…out of the blue, obviously unexpected (you were asleep; what could be expected other than…nothing?), and completely out of the ordinary?
That happened last night, and I don’t believe even the person who woke me up knew what she was doing. Yes, I’m talking about Noelle, my beautiful wife.
Sometime after 3 this morning (I know that because I glanced at the clock just after it happened), the pillow I was laying on was suddenly JERKED from under my head, bringing me to full awake status in a moment’s time. Noelle had, for some reason, ripped it right out from me, not unlike someone ripping a tablecloth from under a full set of dishes and leaving them all intact. My head didn’t whip around or my body fall off the bed, it was that quick.
My first thought was that she had had enough. I had either been snoring or tossing too much and she was throwing my pillow off the bed and would demand that I follow it…to the couch, the front room…wherever, just out of the bedroom!
As I was waiting for some words to come forth out of the dark, my eyes adjusted to the low light and I noticed her wrapping her arm around the pillow, clutching it for…comfort, maybe?
How sweet! My wife wanted to snuggle with her husband’s pillow and think longingly of him and…EEEHHHHHH!!!! Wrong!
Noelle sleeps with a body pillow on occasion, and it was then I realized she was still asleep but her subconscious was looking for the big pillow and instead grabbed mine. At least that’s the story I’m sticking with, because the snoring or tossing (or even the argument we had earlier this week) might STILL have been her reasoning for violently waking me up, but…
After sitting up and waiting a few seconds to see if she said anything, I chuckled and reached to the floor to get another pillow for her to have (Yes, I had to have mine back. You silly people. It’s shape and size are the way I like a pillow to be…thin, not fluffy. Come on, I need my pillow back!).
I said, ‘Honey, here’s a pillow. You took mine’. She went, ‘huh?’, opened her arm for me to exchange the pillows, and went back to sleep…I guess. She probably started calling me names in her head for waking her up…thinking I need to be on the couch or the front room, etc.
Never a dull moment….

How Do I Explain McKenna?

2009-02-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

This past fall McKenna was part of the color guard, the flag waving corps that accompanies the marching band at halftimes of games and at contests. She was a natural at tossing and catching the flag, improving and impressing with every practice.
For the first home game, we had arrived early with her, so they and the band could go over last minute instructions and get in the stands before most of the crowd showed up. I was on the track in front of the stands talking with another band parent before our night of helping them set up their halftime show when TJ, the color guard instructor, came up to me and said, “Mr. Massey, can I ask you a question?”
Now, TJ is a big black man, very funny but demanding with the guard, so I thought it a wise choice to give him my full attention.

“Yes sir?,” I said.

“Can you explain that to me?,” he asked, and pointed into the stands where the guard was.

As I looked, I saw all but one of them were sitting down, organizing their stuff, talking with each other, looking around the field, listening to their ipods…just passing time. The one who wasn’t sitting was…McKenna. She was standing about two or three rows up into the group, facing right, and doing the running man dance.

There wasn’t any music playing.

She was dancing alone.

She didn’t care.

Explain that? Explain to someone, who has only known my daughter for a few months and really only from a few hours a day of doing flag throwing drills, what has to be going through her head at that moment?
I might as well explain the pull of the ocean toward the moon that causes the tides to come in and out, the cocooning and emerging process of butterflies, the instinctual return of salmon to their birthing place to spawn.

How do I explain this girl who, around age 5, was in a deep, philosophical argument with her older brother in the car one day regarding who farted. She had smelled the offending odor, and mentioned it, but of course Reese shot back with the tried and true, ‘You smelt it, you dealt it!’ McKenna would have none of that, as she emphatically replied, ‘No, I didn’t!’ Reese began repeating, ‘You smelt it, you dealt it! You smelt it, you dealt it!’, followed by her ever louder responses, ‘NO I DIDN’T!!’. Finally, in a desperate and bold verbal hail mary, McKenna retorted, ‘REESE, I SMELT IT BUT DIDN’T DEALT IT!!’

How do I communicate what I feel about the picture of the two year old she was at the time as she’s holding a flex-tube at the Omniplex in Oklahoma City and it’s shooting air in her face and her hair is standing up on end and she’s laughing and thinking this is the greatest thing in the world?

How do I explain where, or how, she and a friend came up with a new holiday…Turkey-Bacon Day’? They apparently decided that Turkey-Bacon needed to be celebrated and have instituted their own holiday for this healthy version of a breakfast staple. They put the announcement on Facebook, inviting others to join them in creating a festival atmosphere celebrating the genius of turkey-bacon. McKenna even made her own shirt wishing all who looked at her a ‘Happy Turkey-Bacon Day.’ They’ve even made a catch-phrase…’It’s goinkin’ (I guess a cross between gobble-gobble and oink)! And she doesn’t care what people think! A wonderful trait, but once again, how do I explain this?

How do I explain the young lady that loves to play with the neighborhood girls who come to our door to ask her to come outside and brighten their afternoon with her presence? Or likes to create bright, colorful drawings on any piece of paper she can find that expresses her delight with her friends or family…or a cow she made up who’s name is Tony?

How do I explain the thought process of this female?

Once, when she reached the end of her rope at finding, AGAIN, her younger brother’s underwear in the bathroom floor after he got out of the shower, she proceeded to tape it and a note to his door informing him that the next time she finds them there she would ‘HANG THEM IN THE TREE IN THE FRONT YARD!! Love, McKenna’! (She did follow through on that threat by the way…NOT a beautiful day in the neighborhood!). How do I begin to explain this?

How do I explain the girl that loves to give me hugs and kisses when we’re just hanging at the house…or wants to practice driving the car with me anywhere we can in anticipation of getting her permit (which I’M not quite ready for, btw!)…or wants to practice our wedding reception ‘daddy-daughter’ dance to Steven Curtis Chapman’s ‘I Danced With Cinderella’ at totally random moments? She’s a teenager who likes to spend time with her father? What brand of foolishness is she displaying here?

You want me to explain the girl that is so passionate about her friends that not long after having arguments or disagreements she’s on the phone or otherwise communicating with them, trying to work things out in order to get the relationship back to a happy state?

She is who she is because God has put it in her heart to be the free spirit, loud and proud, outlandish, marches-to-her-own-drummer type of girl that she is.

I looked at her in the stands that evening, smiled, then looked at TJ and shrugged my shoulders. “I dunno! You have to ask God, I guess. He made her that way.”
Which is just how I like it!

Dork

2009-01-07T07:28:00.000-08:00

What is it about family events or seeing relatives you rarely see that brings out the ‘dork’ in you? You know, trying to act cool or say the right thing and you wind up looking like something out of the zoo and getting ‘gratuitous’ laughter? Or…maybe it’s just me?
I was at my wife’s cousin’s wedding rehearsal the other day and seeing people I hadn’t seen in a long time, making idle chit chat. At one point I found myself in the food line with my daughter, McKenna, and the bride and groom walk up behind us to get in line. Now, I’ve known Thad, my wife’s cousin, since he was a little kid, visiting him every couple of years in California . He’s just graduated from college (as had his fiancé) and they were all aglow in pre-marital bliss, getting ready for the big next day. After the initial how’s things going stuff, I start to ask questions like ‘So, you excited?’, ‘You really like her, I guess?’ ‘She a nice girl?’ (both asked as she was turned away talking to someone else, thank God!), and this one, ‘So…you excited?’ Yes, AGAIN!! Lulls in conversation can be painful for me…so painful that I have to make others suffer by MAKING AN OBVIOUS STATEMENT IN THE FORM OF A QUESTION...TWICE, APPARENTLY!!! I’m surprised I didn’t really get spooked and ask if they were looking forward to having sex!! Somebody TAKE ME BACK TO THE CAR…please!
McKenna was standing with me and, thankfully, she has inherited her mother’s gift of giving me the courtesy laugh at my mostly lame attempt at humor in front of others. Or…she was caught up in all the wedding ‘giddiness' that teen girls sometimes find themselves in and was looking at me as the handsome and rugged daddy who will be there for her as she walks down the aisle and dances with her at a probably insanely overpriced reception…nah, it was probably the courtesy laugh, while thinking, ‘geez, what a dork my dad is. But I love the old guy, so I’ll try to make his embarrassment feel less tortuous.’
Am I alone in this? Am I the ONLY guy who can’t believe what he just asked or said and gives himself a mental stab in the EYE for even opening his mouth? Surely, there are others out there…and no, I’m not calling you ‘Shirley’!

Year End Wrap Up and Christmas Greetings

2008-12-06T11:01:00.001-08:00

Listen my friends, and you will hear
Of the Massey’s life in 2008…oh,what a year!

From marching bands to the Air Force to beaches and travel
It was all we could do not to completely unravel!

There were birthdays, anniversaries, and a big graduation
We all ran the gamut from happy to frustration!

There’s five in our house, plus Mark’s mom, in case you don’t know
And we’ll start with January in Texas…and, as usual, there’s no snow!

After a visit from Noelle’s …’different’ cousin Andrew
Reese and dad’s car took a spin in the morning dew!

He rolled it two times and landed on his head
But God protected His child, and he spent only a few hours in the hospital bed!

February came and Mark turned 43
He’s doing quite well for his age…but bifocals are in his future, ‘cause it’s harder to see!

The month came and went with no ripples in that pool
But wait! I forgot…Reese finished early! He was done with high school!

March blew in and before our very eyes
Drake decided it was time that he should be baptized!

He’s generally a shy boy, attention he’s always resistin’
But he knew he had to let others know that he was a Christian!

When April showed up, that’s when we got very busy
Three birthdays in one month can really make you dizzy!

Reese turned 18, McKenna turned 14, and Drake became 11 this year
All three are generally good kids… so we have little to fear!

But wait, that’s not all…oh, no that would be too easy
Getting braces off and proms and color guard auditions… It all made us quite queasy!

Color guard? Oh, yeah…that was McKenna’s direction
She could toss and catch the flags with ease...it was a natural progression!

As we headed into May, this shock came to husband and wife
Each of the kids was moving on to another level of life!

Leaving middle school and elementary! Graduating from high school now!
Growing up before our very eyes! We both could only think….’wow’

Summer showed up and life was speeding on
But did someone say ‘vacation in Florida?’ In mid-June we were gone!

The whole family went to Destin, Mark’s sis and bro, too
One last fling with Reese before he went off to the Wild Blue!

The white sandy beaches were really quite cool
But there were jellyfish in the water! We should’ve stayed in a pool!

We had to come back to the life that is too real
McKenna started color guard practice…it was a back-to-school feel!

At the end of July, there was happiness and remorse
It was time for Reese to spread his wings…and leave for the Air Force!

To San Antonio he went for Basic Military Training
We prayed and God gave strength… his determination was never waning!

As the summer closed out, all we heard was ‘band, band, band’
Both McKenna and Drake were in…so we had to give a hand!

For McKenna we joined booster club, Drake got mom’s old clarinet
Before we knew it, band fund raising deals were up to our neck!

But…before school started we had to say our goodbyes
To our best friends, the Means’…there were tears in our eyes!

They’re in Colorado now; God has given them great grace
We talk with them often…but miss seeing them face to face!

Anyway…School, work, and practices became the routine
For the lives of the adults, the freshman, and the pre-teen!

In September we jumped in cars and to San Antonio we would race
To see Reese graduate from Basic Training at Lackland Air Force Base!

After six weeks he looked great, a handsome sight to see
But the next step took him to tech school at Keesler Air Base down in Biloxi!

We all came back to Sachse and like an hourglass full of sand
We were poured from Friday night football to contests for the local high school band!

The first weekend of October, McKenna had her first homecoming dance
While Mark, Noelle and Drake went to Biloxi…where Reese was…caught in a trance?

He wanted to marry Melanie, his longtime girlfriend
She was the light of his eye, and a life without her he didn’t want to spend!

We were happy for Reese! But then we left Biloxi and that gave us the blues
However we got over it real quick, ‘cause Mark and Noelle went on a cruise!

We drove down to Houston with the Means, Humes and Moore’s
To embark on the Ecstasy, and sail to Mexican shores!

We had a great time, and I’d really like to gloat
But as it is in Vegas, everything stays on the boat!

When we got back on land, one more contest was brewin’
For the Sachse High band…but the end would leave them stewin’!

They came close to state finals, just one place away
But it wasn’t in the cards, and they’d have to try another day!

In the middle of November, Reese got transferred to Wichita Falls
Sheppard Air Base is where he’ll finish school…so close he can make house calls!

Now Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we were all together
In Oklahoma with Noelle’s family, having a great time in the cold weather!

December is upon us now, everyone’s got things to do
But we always remember the One who first loved us and gave His life for us, too!

As you celebrate this Christmas, wrapping up boxes and tin
Don’t forget the real reason for the season…and Come, let us adore Him!

As we all know, this life can be like an out of control gurney
So our hope and wish is that you’ll just laugh…and together, enjoy the journey!

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!
The Massey’s!

Catching Up

2008-11-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since our last post. I've been on my husband to post something new and he is working on it but thought I would catch us up...

After graduation we took the family to Destin, Florida for vacation. Our last family vacation with Reese in the house under our household umbrella. We had a great week together and faced some interesting challenges while there. Being raised on the west coast with waves you can surf and water you can't see through I found it a bit boring but relaxing and thought that the 'beautiful crystal clear water' that everyone talks about wasn't so great...you can see what's floating in there! I would rather be oblivious. Mark and I had booked a catamaran cruise for our family and were looking forward to it with the kids. We were promised dolphin sightings and snorkeling and beach time but were stuck on the boat for three hours in the hot, hot sun because the jelly fish were so thick and the captain didn't want to let us into the water. Sigh...we'll talk about that memory forever! Not the least of the things that went wrong was that I brought home sand mites and broke out in small bumps all up and down my arms. What!?!?! Sand mites?!?!? I have never heard of such a thing!

With all of that said, here's what went right. We spent a good amount of time in the car together as we always do when we travel. The kids played games and joked around and chatted. They always seem to get along better when we travel. I love to listen to them laugh! Such a wonderful sound. We had a wonderful day at the beach with Mark's sister, Helen and her girls, Abbey and Summer and with Mark's brother, Matt. We played volleyball on the beach. We learned that the smaller the jelly fish the smaller the sting (but still a sting!). We built sand castles with motes. We buried Mark in the sand. Mark and Reese got to eat very fresh seafood. I read on the beach with my feet in the warm sand. We ate dinner on a covered patio at the beach while it stormed all around us (Mark was a very happy man!) We talked, we laughed we relaxed (as ordered by Reese who is tired of vacations that make him tired! Thank you, Reese, for demanding us to slow down). And, true to form, Mark always has a stop planned for our trip home so we can see a little something extra. This time, New Orleans. We stopped and had Beignets at Cafe' Du Monde. YUM!

After we returned from our vacation we busied ourselves getting Reese ready to leave for basic training. On July 28th we dropped him off and said good-bye for 6 whole weeks! The house is quiet without him...well, I should say, quiet-ER...not quiet. After a long six weeks we finally made our trip to San Antonio to his graduation from basic training. He is now an Airman in the United States Aif Force and is completling his technical training in Wichita Falls after 7 weeks in Biloxi Mississippi. We are so glad he is going to be in Texas for a while! He is close enough to home that he can come and visit on the weekends! We are so very proud of him!

School started in August and we were off! Drake decided to join the band and he is learning how to play the clarinet. He's enjoying middle school and is doing very well. McKenna started her year in the thick of football season by way of the marching band. She is a proud member of the Sachse Mustang Marching Band's Colorguard. We have spent the last few months doing new and exciting things as band parents! Football halftime shows, marching contests and band booster club! I'll have to see if I can post their show...it's great and she's great! I think she's found a niche! We are looking forward to next year!

Another major announcement in our lives is that Reese is getting married! He and Melanie have set a date for June 20, 2009. Our lives have quickly been taken over by wedding plans. I am thankful that Reese has found Melanie. She is a wonderful young woman who loves God and loves Reese. I see it in her eyes everytime she looks at him or mentions his name. I can't thank God enough for her. Reese will be loved very well for the rest of his life.

Stay tuned for more of Mark's posts. We'll try not to leave so much time between...with so much going on I'm sure we'll have much to fill you in on!

Done with High School...and moving on!

2008-04-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

It’s been over a month since Reese graduated High School!!
And it’s funny how you can get ‘used’ to something so quickly. All of us, I would say, have gotten used to his new schedule, being out of school. There’s only so much ‘new’ quite honestly…he’s working almost full time for the time being, so his schedule isn’t that different than what he had in school. He gets nights and weekends off, he’s hanging with us and Melanie (well, with Melanie and us, in THAT order), and just generally enjoying being a ‘free’ teenager waiting for the next phase of his life.Speaking of the next phase, and with apologies to Carrie Underwood (whom I've heard MANY times, thank you, McKenna!) '18 years have come and gone - For us they flew by, for Reese they (probably) drug on and on!'

I was looking at some pictures of him recently, trying to get my head around the fact that I was the parent of a High School graduate! Looking at his kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grade pictures...then flipping to his high school pics...it wasn't even the same kid!! Amazing! The same little boy who was playing with me and learning how to throw and catch and standing close by as he threw with all his might and the ball went all of 4 feet and half closing his eyes as I threw the ball and he tried to catch it...was the same 'young man' rocketing the football at me (as I closed MY eyes and tried to catch it) and making leaping one handed grabs in the street just the other day!!

I look forward to his future. I remember telling him as he started his senior year that I firmly believe God has an incredible plan for him, and as much as I’d like for him to stay around here for college or work, God’s got things for him to do! I'm excited for him as he learns more, meets different people...starts living and growing in ways I can only imagine. I can't wait for the time, after he’s been in the Air Force a couple of years, for him to call and say 'Hey dad, want to know what I did today? I’d tell you, but then I'd have to kill you!'

That would be so COOL! Yes, I’m a strange dad, but a proud one! I know I’ll probably cry like a baby when he crosses the stage in May, and I’ll cry when we leave him at the hotel before he goes to Basic Training, and when he graduates from that in September, and when he…well, fill in the blank here.

Right now he’s in the next room playing Guitar Hero, talking on the phone with Melanie, and will probably stay up WAY later than he needs to on a schoo…uh, work night. His life is good and blessed…my life is good and blessed to a large measure because of him. To quote from the song 'Butterfly Kisses', ‘With all that I’ve done wrong, I must have done something right…’ to be given this gift of time with Reese!

Thanks, God!

Reese in a wreck!

2008-01-22T17:55:00.000-08:00

As most of you are probably aware, Reese was in a one-car accident Monday. He's bruised and sore, but God protected His child and we are obviously very grateful. He's recovering nicely, as the 'worst' injury he had was some cuts on his left hand and arm.
According to Reese and the police, after he lost control of the car on a wet, tight curve, it wound up rolling 2 1/2 times, landing upside down. He crawled out the driver's window, where a local resident told him to sit down. An ambulance was called, and they put him in a neck collar and took him to the hospital for precautionary scans and xrays. Noelle and I beat the ambulance there (in itself rather wierd), and after a couple of hours, took him home.
Today (Tuesday) I went to see the car where it had been towed. I was in stunned silence. It was more beat up than I imagined it would have been, and anyone looking at it would have questioned whether anyone would have walked away from it. God obviously has plans for this boy, and I hope He also has his full attention!

Quickly, this thought struck me as we were in the hospital with Reese. Nothing else matters! If you're a parent, you understand this. If your kid is hurt, or in great danger, or is fighting for their life, nothing else matters. Not the job. Not any body. Not being anywhere else. Not money.
Nothing. Else. Matters.

It's amazing how a situation like this will re-prioritize your life. When it comes to your kid...
Nothing else matters!

Recent Developments!

2008-01-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

This just in from the home office in Garland...

I CAN BLOG AT WORK!!!! I didn't think that was possible, with all the firewalls, anti-virus, anti-spam, anti-fun filters that the school district has in place, but they've obviously let this one slip.

My voice can be heard from my cave! The office I have in the bowels of the Event Center has a conduit of communication to the WWW and I plan on taking advantage of it! I have a voice! I have an opinion! I will NOT be silenced! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Now if I can just get them to pay me for writing instead of that other nonsense I'm supposed to do!

More later people! Power to the blogger!

Routine

2008-01-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

The routine in the Massey home on school mornings goes something like this:

I get up, go tell Reese to stop ignoring his alarm and get in the shower (2 or 3 times depending on his state of comprehension), get in the shower myself, get dressed, remind Reese AGAIN to get in the shower and that now he won’t have as much time since others have to shower as well, start waking McKenna up to tell her to be ready to get in the shower, start getting lunches ready, tell Reese he has to start wrapping it up, continue with lunches, tell Reese to get OUT of the shower, make sure McKenna is ready to get in, tell Reese to get OUT of the bathroom, make sure McKenna gets in, finish lunches, start getting Drake up for his shower, tell McKenna that yes, I do think she has a wonderful singing voice but she needs to start wrapping up her shower, see what there is for breakfast, get Drake in the shower, take Reese to school, come back to make sure breakfast (or some semblance thereof) is eaten, finish my primping routine (did I just say ‘primping’?!?), make sure the kids are ready, get them out the door, take them to school, go to work!

I know, I know! There are so many things WRONG with this routine but it would take much time and many group sessions to fix! And I’m not here to say ‘Hello, my name is Mark Massey and I’m an enabler.” That’s another column for another time. It was a quick observation that McKenna made during one of these mornings that brings me to this soap box.

Recently, after Reese FINALLY got in the shower the conversation went something like this…
Me: You’ve only got three minutes!
Reese: I only got in two minutes ago!
Me: Then you should have gotten in earlier! Hurry up!
I go start waking McKenna. Move to kitchen to start lunch routine.
Me: Reese, time’s up. Turn the water off.
Reese: What?
Me: Turn the water off. Time’s up.
Reese: Dad, I’m not done.
Me: Too bad, it’s time to get out. Now!
Reese: Fine! (turns water off)
Me: Kenna, get ready to get in.
Back to the lunches for a minute.
Me: Reese, get out. McKenna’s ready.
Silence.
Me: Reese!
Reese: I’m coming!

A minute or so later, he comes out, and McKenna makes her way in. Only this particular morning she came to the kitchen first to make this observation.

“Dad, Reese can’t shower as quick as you can, so you don’t need to keep telling him to hurry up. Boys have needs too, you know.”

Pause. I quickly debate what to say next, and I settle on this.
“Thank you.”

She went to the shower.

I continued making lunches.

I didn’t feel at that moment that McKenna needed to know what my reasons were for doing what I was doing…it was probably one of those ‘pick your battles’ thing. Plus, I don’t want her to be afraid to come and tell me what’s on her mind thinking I’ll always have a come back as to how and why she’s wrong (I probably do that enough!).

In her 13 year old mind, McKenna had assessed the situation, come up with the problem and solution, and conveyed it to me. In her limited viewpoint, she saw the immediate, in your face situation, and determined that dad didn’t need to be so hard on her brother.

That’s cool. In and of itself, there’s nothing wrong with her feeling that way (it’s also out of the norm, but I digress).

What McKenna doesn’t have yet, of course, is the omniscient knowledge that had been bestowed upon me when I became a parent! Anyone who’s a parent understands, of course! It’s one of those magical, ethereal, heavenly light, angelic AAAHHHHHH things that happens once your child is born. But, again, I digress. I had reasons she didn’t see for ‘getting on’ to Reese as I did. He needs to learn about time management, responsibility of getting things done when he’s supposed to get them done, obedience in general, yada yada.

I said to myself, “I’ll tell her those things later when it won’t seem like I’m just being ‘big bad dad!” (Aren’t I sweet?)

So, I resumed food duties.

And God spoke.

“You know, that sounds just like you when you tell ME how I should run things. How you think it would be better if I did such-and-such a certain way.”

If you have ever seen the TV show ‘Chuck’ you’ll understand what I mean when I say I ‘flashed.’ If you haven’t seen it, I’ll just say I quickly ‘heard’ these words replayed in my head;
God, I’ve evaluated the situation and I really feel it would be best if you did this…

Father, it would really be best if you gave us another car so we can get around more conveniantly.

God, why don’t you heal that person? It would obviously be the right thing to do.

God, why did you take that job away from them? They have a family to support and bills to pay. I wouldn’t have done that!

God, I know I got myself into this situation basically because I didn’t do what you told me to do, but if you don’t ‘rescue’ me from it how else will people see your grace and mercy? Don’t you want people to like you? Don’t you want us to praise you because you made us comfortable again?

I stopped and shook my head. Once again, God had used the words my kid had said to me as an example of what this ‘kid’ says to Him. A LOT!

What HE has said quite plainly in Isaiah 55 is “I don’t think the way you think, the way you work isn’t the way I work” (vs. 8, The Message). In Jeremiah 29, He says “I KNOW WHAT I’M DOING! I have…plans to take care of you…” (vs. 11, The Message, emphasis mine). For my benefit, He might as well add, ‘AND DON’T EVER FORGET THAT!’

Our view is so limited! We can’t see the whole! God does! We can’t see beyond the second we’re living in! God can! He knows the lessons He’s trying to teach His kids, we don’t, so we (I) just need to stop complaining and believe He knows what’s best!

I'll get right on that!

In the meantime, I have lunches to make.

Laughing and enjoying the journey, Mark

Start of something new!

2008-01-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

You're looking LIVE at the latest blog entry to the Massey Blog Spot...spot. I'm your host, Mark Massey, head of the Massey Bunch (probably a figure head, but I'll take whatever I can get!).

We took the plunge this Christmas and used Noelle's bonus to purchase a laptop computer! OOOOOOO!! We're SMOKIN'!! I can enter the 'blog world' much more conveniently now that I can take the computer wherever I may be. I'll be filing blogs from all over the house, probably even the bathroom (I'll try not to let that information get out, as Noelle would probably ban me from using the machine for a while!).
We've had this laptop for all of 8 days now, and I've spent about 20 of them on the phone with Dell trying to get the *&^$%*& wireless mouse properly connected! It seems to be working properly now, just a BIOS problem, which, if I'm not mistaken, is part of the brains of the computer. So the brain wasn't functioning properly. THAT'S encouraging. But, hey, it's a refurb we got for a great price, I've got a 2 year warranty on the equipment, so I shouldn't complain much.

I look forward to having more time to post thoughts, questions, observations, and possibly some writings. On occasion an extended thought will hit me regarding some aspect of life and an article, for lack of a better term, will spit itself out of my fingertips into Microsoft Word. Then I post or send it out for more people to see so, if nothing else, they'll realize just how much their life DOESN'T suck, since they're obviously handling it better than me! That's probably what I should title my 'columns'...How Much Better You're Doing Than You Think You Are!

Anyway, I'll call it quits for the time being. Gotta go help put the kids down and spend some time with Noelle! She's probably getting a bit jealous of the Dell techs in the Philippines that I've spent most of my evenings with of late!

Laugh and enjoy the journey, people...it what keeps us sane!

Contentment

2007-05-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hey! Are you content in this life? Yes? No? Maybe? If not, why not? I know, I know…don’t get you started. To quote Shakespeare, you don’t have a ‘winter of discontent’, you have all seasons of discontentment! No reason to be filled with joy and happiness. You feel your circumstances and situation in life is always going to be this way and God won’t come through for you and…oh boy, I’ve got you started now.

The car. The money. The house. The kids. The spouse. The job. The church. The so-called friends. And what is that SMELL?

You’re right, you’re right…there’s not too many reasons to be content. And no, I’m not trying to be Little Mr Sunshine blowing happiness up your…uh, well, I’ll just say I’m not trying to make light of your circumstances. I have my downtimes too.

Living the freelance life, my income is greatly dependent on the ring of the telephone, and when it doesn’t ring for a few days (or hours), I can start getting antsy, nervous, scared…insert negative emotional state here. I start worrying about the income that ain’t! Paying the bills that are! I get angry that other people I know, not near as spiritual or as close to God as I am (!), aren’t having the hardships or money issues or car problems or future worries that I’m having. Why, God, do you allow others who don’t give a whiff about you to (seemingly) not have the same or worse problems that I’m having, and instead bless me because of my great actions and devotion to and for you?
(In case you were wondering, there was no lightning bolts OR claps of thunder when I wrote that. God knows my heart and mind…I didn’t have to write out what I’m thinking in order for Him to know about it!)

Why are we not ‘content’ in this life? Could it be we people watch WAY TOO MUCH? We’re looking at what others have, who they’re married to or the wonderful children they have, or the great paying job(s) they have, or the way everything they touch seems to turn to gold. Do we think because we’re Christians, God is going to continually bless us with things or good times or non-hurtful situations or friends? My apologies to Lynn Anderson who recorded it in the 70’s, but God said it first...

”I never promised you a rose garden!” David, Jesus, Paul and others talked WAY too many times about ‘When persecution comes…etc, etc.’ It’s gonna happen people! Either from others or by our own hand. On purpose or by accident. Persecution, hopelessness, despair…DISCONTENTMENT will happen!

Paul said in Philippians 4:11 ‘…I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.’
Here’s where I try to stand as much as possible. God has blessed my life greatly, more than I deserve. I’ve got a wife I love, kids I love who SAY they love me (I’m sure they do), friends who like to hang out with me, friends I can hang with as well, a roof over my head, food on the table…but even more than that, the knowledge that THIS ISN’T ALL THERE IS! This life is only temporary, there’s a far better life for me, and all of us who are Christians!

Again, Paul says in Romans 8:18 ‘I consider the sufferings of this present time are not WORTHY to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.’

I CLING to that! I have to! If I let the circumstances or situations or emotions (that’s a big one!) of this world get to me, my contentment level can’t be found. I HAVE to remember, we all do, that we aren’t here to enjoy things or people or events or status or whatever the world has to offer.
Romans 5:3-5 says ‘…we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’

HOPE! We have hope! Not only for spiritual success in this life (note I didn’t say physical or emotional, though that does happen every now and then), but for ETERNAL life after we shuffle off this mortal coil!

The life Jesus led! The FACT of His resurrection from the dead! The Holy Spirit that lives in us! ALL these things and more give us hope for our lives and the life to come!

Jesus didn’t just come to show us how to live a fine life here. How to always have wonderful things or happy families or be recognized for the all the great accomplishments we can do in this world. If that’s all He came for, well, 1 Corinthians 15:19 says ‘If we (Christians) have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.’ ANYONE can be so focused on this life that they live it very well (by their standards). But what happens when they die?

Hey! Be content! If Paul can say that in prison (which I’m sure was far worse than any prison we have in America right now), you can be content with the house you have, or the car you’re driving, or the spouse you have, or the job you drag yourself to everyday. God has great and wonderful things to show us in heaven! Things we’ll get to do, and see, have fun with, and be happy in…be CONTENT with!

Be content! Have hope! Peace out!

Laughing and enjoying the journey, Mark

Read the Book!

2007-01-16T07:08:00.000-08:00

As I was sitting here doing some work on the computer last night, my oldest son, Reese, was watching TV behind me. Every now and then I had to get up and get something and when I came back, I'd look at him and say, 'You ok?' He'd grunt a 'yeah', or maybe a 'mm' in his best caveman imitation. I chalked it up to being bored and 16, or tired, and went on with my computer life. Now, granted, he'd been somewhat 'awake' the previous 48-72 hours. We just had our 'D-Now' weekend (Discipleship Now, for those not in on church lingo!), and he and about 30 other mid to high-schoolers had spent a lot of time together at the meeting place and at host homes. Learning more about God can really tire you out. (So can staying up till 2 or 3 in the morning and having to get up at 8, but surely THAT wasn't an issue!) He had also spent two nights with a good friend and had to get up early the second morning in order to be brought home. So knowing all of THAT didn't make me too concerned about his attitude or demeanor.THEN his phone rang. I had an idea who it was and by the tone of his voice when he said a playful 'Hellooooo', I could tell I was right. The girl! His woman! His precious flower! The light of his life! Madeline was calling! Where there were weeds there were now dandelions! Where there was gray skies there was now the most wonderful blue! He had traded ashes for beauty, sorrow for joy! He had a reason for living! The most important person in this world was now available for him to talk to, spend (phone) time with! Just hearing her voice had raised his spirits exponentially......which reminded me of something...that EXACT thing happens to me many times. I'm depressed about work, or money, or my parenting, or my spousing (just coined that...use it with my blessings!), or my car, or I'm just down on myself for past failures, or...well, you get the picture. And from conversations I've had with a few of you I know I'm not alone! You're feeling really down for whatever reason. Nothing will ever be right again and surely this is how the WHOLE rest of your life will be!Here's something else I was reminded of...God 'calls' us as well! When we hear from Him it's like the sun has broken out of the clouds and an incredible warmth and pleasant feeling has overtaken our being! We are smiling again! We are happy again! We, like my son, have a reason for living!But God is always there to call us or be called. Unlike Madeline who couldn't talk till she got off work, God can talk to us at anytime. And we get instant gratification just by opening the Book!The bible says in Jeremiah 15:16 'Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart!' and Psalm 119:105 'Thy word is a lamp to my feet and light to my path'!Promises galore! Confidence restored! Spirits will soar! It won't be a bore (Ok, I'm stopping, I'm stopping!).People! Read the word! Get excited and happy again! MARK! Read the bible! Get excited and happy again! (Don't for a SECOND think I'm not talking to myself when I write these little bits! I need this too!) (No extra comment from Noelle about the 'talking to myself' part, please!)God loves us! He's always there for us! Just open the book! Laughing and enjoying the journey,Mark

Colorado in August!

2006-09-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, that’s not North Texas. First of all, there’s FLOWING water behind us, and second (you can’t tell from the pic, so I’ll mention it), we’re at 8000 feet. Colorado, baby! White water raftin’!
Noelle and I told the kids that in their 16th birthday year, they can pick a place to go and mom and dad would take ONLY them. Reese picked a day of white water rafting. Great choice!
I found an outfitter on the internet that’s based in Buena Vista, CO called Buffalo Joe’s. They take people down the Arkansas River for a full day, experiencing Class III and IV rapids along the way. So, we flew in to Colorado Springs (not a shabby place either), rented a car, and drove through the late night about 90 miles to Buena Vista in central Colorado. Waking up the next morning, the first view out our hotel is absolutely gorgeous!

Mountains! Topography! The first thing we feel outside is…what is that called…uh…oh, a cool nip in the air! (The closest thing Texas has to a nip in the air in August is the freezer section at the grocery store!) The temp was 55 degrees! We openly wept and immediately questioned our current living arrangements!
We drove to Buf Joe’s office, which had a definite ‘outdoorsy’ feel to it, and the excitement started to settle in. We met some great people from Nebraska there, the Edgar’s, and soon were in the buses taking all of us to the river’s edge!
We were told the river wasn’t running quite as fast or as deep as it does in June and July, but that we’d still have quite a day of rafting. That was no lie!
I’ve been asked many times what the water was like, how cold was it. I think Bill Cosby said it best in a bit he did back in the 60s or 70s:
“You are about to step into what?”
“A river.”
“Uh-huh, and where does the river come from?”
“Well usually what happens is the snow up in the mountains will melt.”
“Right, does it ever really get hot?”
“No.”
Pause.
“So you are about to step into what?”
“12 degrees!”
(Actually, it was 45 degree water…which STILL isn’t what I normally shower in and wakes you up a WHOLE lot better than coffee!) WOO!!

We were given instructions, which included the phrases ‘put on sunscreen’ and ‘it will get a bit hot up here today’. We reacted with an ‘oh alright’ to the first phrase (we forgot that up at 8000 feet, you’re a bit closer to the sun) and openly laughed at the second. Their ‘hot’ was the low 80s! Our OVER NIGHT LOWS get into the low 80s in Dallas in August. That’s one reason why we’re here!

We were assigned our raft guide, a young lady (21!!!) named Candice/Candy. The Edgar’s were in our boat as well. Overall, everyone going on this trip took up eight boats, so we had a nice sized group going. We were also taking the food for our lunch stop with us, which included steak, chicken, corn on the cob, salad, snacks, etc. We were going to eat GOOD!
The whole day was incredible. Candy gave us great instructions and kept us going down the river at a leisurely pace, doing the tour guide thing and getting us through the rapids.
Forward 1! Back 1! Forward 2! Don’t hang your head out of the boat near the rocks, Reese! Those phrases will be a part of my psyche for a while! As will the feel of the water! VERY cold, but VERY nice!

All three of us joined most of the others jumping into the river at one time or another. On Reese’s first jump, he forgot that he had his glasses/sunglasses combo on…prescription glasses! For driving! Not cheap! I hope whoever finds them (probably in Arkansas somewhere) makes good use of them. I also hope whoever finds mine will as well. Mine came off on my second jump, after I griped at Reese a bit for forgetting he had his on! God can be SO devious!

After lunch (steak and chicken grilled outdoors at 8000 feet, corn on the cob freshly boiled, etc…McDonald’s just won’t be the same!), we continued our day into more exciting rapids and great times. Seven rapids in a row! A whirlpool that was 30 feet deep, and another stop at a 12 foot jump off into the water! Reese did that, and Noelle and I can’t really figure out why we didn’t!
The times got even greater as we were close to finishing the day and Candy asked if we wanted to ‘surf the rapids.’ ‘Sure’ we innocently call back. I thought I heard a chuckle from Candy, but I ignored it. She instructed us to turn around back into some rapids we had just come through, and with great effort, we paddled back up the rapids, kinda ‘hanging’ on one particular one as the boat started bouncing, or ‘surfing’.
Here’s the exciting part: A wall of water built up under the boat, and as we bounced up, it came up, and as we bounced down, it came down and continued on its way down the river…WITH MY WIFE AND SON WITH IT!! They had fallen out of the boat!
One second they were there, the next they were under water and off the boat. I saw them surface rather quickly and start flowing down the river…toward some rocks!
My thoughts in the next few seconds:
“Hey!”
“What…?”
“I wonder how the Dolphins did in their game?”
“Great, we lose glasses and NOW I’m losing two people.”
“Which ones are cheaper to replace? Hmmm…”
(Upon seeing Reese with a smile on his face) “Ok, he’ll be fine.”
(Upon NOT seeing Noelle’s face when she surfaced) “Oh, this won’t be pretty!”

Candy gave us quick instructions on how to get to them, and also called another boat to be ready to pick them up. They both started swimming to that boat (which doesn’t really get you anywhere, it just slows you down so the boat can get to you quicker). Reese, after gliding over some rocks that gave him a nice scrape on his side, grabbed on to the side of the ‘rescue’ boat and as they swung around, Noelle grabbed onto the back…behind the guide who didn’t see her and didn’t notice that end of the boat was swinging toward a big rock! Fortunately, they got Reese in quickly, and the guide heard Noelle shouting to him so he grabbed her up into the boat just before they bounced off the rock. Only half of Noelle ended up in the boat, but she stuck her legs up and missed the rock, so all was ok!
We came up to the boat and retrieved what was lost and continued on our way. As Wesley said to Buttercup after he put the fire out on her skirt in the FireSwamp in “The Princess Bride” and I said to Noelle after she got back on board, “Well, that was an adventure. Hurt, are you?” Buttercup/Noelle says, “No. You?” With a casual lip curl, Wesley/me shakes the head.

After we got out of the river (22 miles from where we started!), we were bussed back to the Buf Joe’s office, where we changed, said our goodbyes, and promised ourselves that we’d be back, with other family or friends!
We left Buena Vista and drove an hour and a half to Breckenridge. The last part of the drive was absolutely breath-taking. WHY DO WE LIVE IN TEXAS??

Once there, Reese collapsed on the couch at our little condo, and Noelle and I walked the streets for a bit…being reminded at each step that we aren’t as active as we once were. Constant paddling, over-exposure to the sun, 8000 feet thin air…that’ll slow the couch potato down a bit! We wound up watching a movie and going to bed. The next day, we got up and went way up a mountain and slid down on the Alpine slide, which is tremendous fun! Then we drove back to Colorado Springs to catch our flight back to Dallas (BOO! BOO!)

Our goal on the trip was to have concentrated time with Reese in a fun setting, and we definitely accomplished that! We hope and pray that he grows up with great memories of his mom and dad, doing fun things with him (don’t think he’ll ever forget falling in the water with his mom…and I’m sure the story will grow larger as the years go by…sorta like that disclaimer in front of some Hollywood movies, “Based on a true story.”)
The phrase ‘Laughing and enjoying the journey’ has never meant as much!

DC or BUST!

2006-08-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

Well, I'll try to keep this down to a minimum...not promising anything!

We pulled out of our driveway way too early for my taste but it was necessary...or so Mark tells me. The kids weren't too keen on the idea either but, hey, we didn't have to drive!
We actually have an oddity in our family (ok, more than one). My kids seem to get along better when we are trapped in the car driving across country together. So driving to our vacation destinations has never really been a problem. They seem to enjoy each other and make the best of the situation. It's a great time!
We stopped by and said 'hey' to Elvis on our way through Memphis.
The kids were underwhelmed but at least we got to get out and stretch our legs. We went from Memphis to Knoxville to stay the night with Mark's brother, Matt (free lodging!) and spent some time with his sister and her girls while there. The next morning, after Krispy Kreme Donuts, we were off again. Thank goodness it wasn't as early. The drive was very beautiful and we had a lot of beautiful scenery to look at as we drove.
We arrived in DC around 8:30p on Sunday and began our wait for my parents and my sister and her family to get back from the beach. We gave up on them around midnight and went to bed.
Bright and early Monday morning we were up to head out to our tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. After breakfast and an early morning shock for my parents (we surprised them by coming in a day early) we were off to catch the Metro to make our 8:45a tour appointment. The Bureau was facinating and the kids loved the gift shop! Darn those stupid gift shops...they ruin a perfectly good vacation!
When we got the kiddos attitudes straightened out after telling them they couldn't get a souvenier yet we walked outside and there, right in front of our eyes, was the Washington Monument! Of course, the thing is so huge it's almost always 'right in front of your eyes'! Well, Drake went nuts! After all, that was the number one thing he wanted to see and the reason we planned this whole trip in the first place...he was very happy!
So off we went to take a look! And we walked (and sweat...it was really hot that day) to the Washington and Lincoln Memorials and the War Memorials. Very moving...very amazing! I can't begin to say how glad I am that my kids got to see and experience all of these tributes to our countries leaders and heroes. It's an incredible experience!
I will take this moment to tell you of a rule that I have established for my weather loving husband. No one in my family is allowed to talk about the actual degree of temperature outside. I feel that if one says, "WOW! It's 152 degrees out here!" that it will only make matters worse. It begins to feel hotter than 152 degrees and I will get very cranky. If someone says, "Did you know it's 20 degrees below zero?", I will begin to cry...and my tears would freeze because it's so cold. So, they are only aloud to say, "It's hot/cold", "It's very hot/cold" or "It's really hot/cold". This way I can agree and move on without incident. If you want to know how hot it really was, ask Mark. In my estimation it was really, really hot!
We had a tour of the Capitol that day as well. We loved the Capitol. It has marble floors, marble walls and marble ceilings and it was air conditioned too! It was really cold in that building. Drake laid down on the floor in the middle of the hallway...I didn't make him get up, it was really, really hot that day. I was watching him wishing that I could join him while squishing my face against the wall...it was really cold and felt great after being outside where it was really, really hot!
Oh! And the building itself was really cool too. They have underground tunnels between the buildings so that the Congressman and such won't have to go outside into the really, really hot weather.
Our White House tour was on Tuesday. Drake was very excited, again. This was his second most desired thing to see while in DC. He was very disappointed that we didn't get to see President Bush...he got over it. It was neat just walking up to the place. We learned a lot about the history of the house and saw different things that belonged to the Presidents over the years.
The Library of Congress was a facinating place and we almost didn't see it! We were all ok with not going but we had time to fill so we went. I'm so glad that we did! It is beautiful! All of the ceilings were either painted with gorgeous scenery, historic scenes or other interesting things or they were covered with beautiful mosaics. All of the staircases were marble (very cold!) and had art carved into the marble banisters. We saw the main reading room which was awe inspiring. The size alone is intimidating. We also got to see the Gutenberg Bible.
I'm not sure which day we saw Ford's theatre, things started to run together after a while. Anyway, that was pretty cool too. They have the box seats where Lincoln was sitting decorated with the presidential 'garb', I can only assume it's like it was when he was there. I can't explain how it felt to stand in a place that Abraham Lincoln stood and was shot. They have a museum set up in the basement of the theatre. Along with the facts about the people involved in the assassination (more than I was aware of) they had artifacts that belonged to Lincoln and to John Wilkes Boothe. The one thing that I love about history (yes, only one, there are no others) is old stuff. We saw the coat, not a replica, that Lincoln was wearing the night he was shot, the gun that was used and a host of other things. It's just fascinating to me!
Wednesday was the Smithsonian. There was so much to see that we broke it down into just the areas that interested us. Drake wanted to see the Dinosaurs & a Star Wars exhibit (which was not there anymore and he was very dissapointed!), McKenna wanted to see the Ruby Slippers & Kermit the Frog and Reese & Mark were interested in the Air & Space museum. We saw it all, including my choices which were the Star Spangled Banner and Lincoln's top hat. We also spent time in the Museum of National Art and the Botanical Gardens.
Thursday we went to Arlington National Cemetary and decided to ride their shuttle to The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was a 20 minute walk and it was really hot. The cemetary and the Tomb were incredible! My absolute favorite thing of the whole trip! It was very moving to see all of the headstones representing the men and women who have died for my freedom! And to know that there are still young men out there who will sacrifice and give themselves to guard the tomb of someone they don't even know for 24 hrs a day in all kinds of weather (really, really cold, really, really hot and really, really wet) is something I take comfort in and am proud of.
We went back to see the Iwo Jima Memorial, which is right outside the cemetary, that night. It is so HUGE! McKenna tripped and fell on the steps while we were there and we had to do some triage. It looked pretty bad but she pulled through. We went to the Jefferson Memorial after that. Also HUGE! Very inspiring to stand in the middle of that building and read what he had to say to the leaders of our country. Our forefathers really knew what they were doing!
Friday we pulled out to start back home. We went through Gettysburg, PA to see the battle ground. My sister and I thought it would be neat for the kids to see a place that a battle had been fought and somewhere they had read and learned about in school. It's the funniest thing to me that it's in the middle of a corn field...I guess I never thought about that before. It's not like they cleared a field for the battle like they clear a field for football or baseball! There's corn and then there's monuments all over the fields...right in the middle of the field. So interesting!
When we left there we had to say goodbye to my Mom & Dad and my sister and her family. We started out for St Louis. Mark wanted to take the kids to see and go up in the Gateway Arch. Be sure and ask McKenna for a list of all the states we were in this summer!
We had what they call 'rain' as we drove through West Virginia. It was wet and smelled nice.
We stopped along the road at a fruit stand and bought some fruit that had been grown in local orchards. Momma Mia! It was deelish!
God even took the time to teach us all a wonderful lesson in faith and prayer while we were on the road! Apparently, there had been some horrible storms in Missouri before we got there and it left parts of the state without power. We needed to stop for gas but discovered we couldn't pump any when we stopped. We had to drive quite a way on faith and prayer! The kids learned that God is good and He takes care of us! When we arrived in the next town only half of the town had power and we were able to fill up! Go God!
We all had a great time going up in the Arch. It was cool to be at 630feet and look down on a crowd in the park below. Mark had arranged for our tickets to be at sunset and we got to see a beautiful sky while up there.
We had a pretty uneventful rest of the way home. We were all very glad to be home. We had a great time but we were so glad to be back in our own beds. Beans was very, very glad that we were home. He couldn't make up his mind who to go to first! Reese says next vacation we go someplace where all we have to do is hurry up and do nothin'! I agree...

Look what the Dog dragged in!

2006-07-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well we made it home from our driving fool vacation. We are worn out and getting back into the swing of regular life...bummer! I don't have time (or the energy) to write about our experiences but I promise I will put some pictures up and tell all in the next few days! Glad to be home but miss being with my family and goofing off! Gleebe

Anticipation

2006-07-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well, we are 2 days away from leaving for vacation! Packing, purchasing last minute things and cleaning have been our activities this week. I'm sure the kids would add 'Mom's nervous breakdowns' to that list! I think we are all ready to get out of Dodge and have some fun on the road and see what Washington DC has to offer us. I can't wait to write and tell you about our trip!

New to the game

2006-07-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

I must say that I didn't think I would ever have a blog! Mostly, this is so my parents, family and friends can keep up with what's going in our lives. I hope that I can figure this out because, so far, it has made me a bit crazy!