Summer readings

Well, it's been a few weeks and I haven't been good at updating. Mostly because I don't want to bore you all with work, work, work. I did spend a lovely vacation with the family at my Grandparents in the U.P. However, since basically everyone who reads this blog also reads my sister's I'll let you read her summary of the trip. I second what she says! :)

The nice part about my job is that I get a chance to read ALOT! So far I've read 3 books and they have all been wonderful! So I thought I would recommend them to you all.

Book #1: Ana's Story by Jenna Bush. It follows the life of a South American (I think) girl named Ana. She has HIV and it tells her life story and struggles. It made me aware that many in this world are suffering and I am grateful for my health, family, and life that God has given me. I am really blessed.

Book #2: Idoleyes by Mandisa. She was a contestant on American Idol season 5. I decided to read it because I am a fan of the show. I remember when she was on there, and I thought how it was cool that she was a Christian. What I quickly found out while reading the book was how strong of a Christian she is. She was really able to impact so many lives and is an excellent example of who Christ is.

Book #3: Mistaken Identity by Don and Suzi Van Ryn and Newell, Colleen, and Whitney Celerek. This book is about the tragedy that happened 2 years ago to the Taylor University students who were hit coming home from a school banquet they worked at. Five people were killed. One student survived. For five weeks they thought it was Laura Van Ryn. However, they actually mixed up the identities and she was actually Whitney Celerek, a student they declared as one of the victims. This book is written by the families. It is an amazing story! I actually watch a special on dateline a few months ago where they told the story and interviewed the family. Honestly, I can't begin to describe how amazing this all is. The faith of both these families is remarkable. I put myself in everyone's shoes and wonder if I could go through what they did. This is truly a must read for all!

So, there you go. Just some thoughts. All three of these books have made me see that I am blessed by God. They've also shown me how God is truly able to use his children for good things. I just need to make sure that I am ready for whatever He has for me.

Happy reading!

Summer is finally here!

Yes, it is official... I am hot! (temperature wise that is ;) Even though I've been out of school for some years now, I still feel like summer starts when schools get out. Well today was the first day of summer vacation for schools around here and what better day than today to have some summer temperatures! However, what came with that 80 degree weather was wind, rain, rumbles of thunder, and a tornado warning. It was the end of nap time and we got the message that we were under a tornado warning so we quickly woke our kids up and pushed them out of the classroom into the coatroom. They were surprisingly not too worried about the "tomato" (to quote one of my girls). We sat there at most for about 10 min. before getting the all clear. Then it was sunny skyand warm temps. again for the rest of the day.

I did get to enjoy some of that weather that evening with Tristyn and Peyton. I love babysitting them! We had such a great time playing outside on the scooters, playing "Mr. Fox" and going for a walk. There's nothing like walking hand in hand with my two favorite boys. And of course it always does my heart good to hear "We are friends forever" and "I'm gonna marry you K-K". Oh they are growing up to fast so I really need to enjoy these moments!

Next week is the start of Maranatha for me. I'm already feeling myself stressing already. So my goal is to do my best and when I get a break from work, I'm going to enjoy myself and not let me think about work whatsoever! Oh I hope it works...