King of ALL Days...

"Light of the world, you stepped down into darkness. Open my eyes let me see..."

I think it's fair to say that God opened my eyes to let me see him a little better tonight. I was winding down for the night when Chris Tomlin's "Here I Am To Worship" starts playing in my head. I have always known (in my head) that God will meet us right where we are no matter where we are physically, emotionally, or spiritually, but for some reason God decided to write that knowledge on my heart tonight.

"King of all days, oh so highly exalted. Glorious in Heaven above! Humbly you came to the earth you created. All for love's sake became poor."

As I was singing this song in my head tonight, the lyrics "Humbly you came to the earth you created. All for love's sake became poor" really struck a chord in my heart. It hit me that God could have come as a king, a rich man, or an important person with influential ties. He could have come to earth as a high ranking priest within the Jewish Church, but he didn't. He came as a poor carpenter. Jesus was/is fully man and fully God. He experienced infancy, toddler hood, childhood, puberty, betrayal by his closest friends, hunger, thirst, anger, joy, and pain. I could list a million things that Christ experienced in his 33 years, but it would take a really, really long time. The point is this: God can and will meet you wherever you are. If you are experiencing life, God has been there. He KNOWS how you feel because he's been there.

Right. Where. You. Are.

I needed to hear and know that in the depths of my soul.

I'm not really a hyper-spiritual person, but I do love God. Jesus lives in my heart, and anything in me that is good is really just Jesus shining through all the nasty, dark yucky parts of my sinful soul. I want to be Jesus' hands and feet. I want to know God instead of just knowing about him, and I am thankful that he opens my eyes to who he is a little more every single day. I am beyond thankful for his mercy and his timing because this part of the year is sad and joyful for me all at the same time, and I know that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

"Here I am to worship. Here I am to bow down. Here I am to say that you're my God. You're altogether lovely, altogether worthy, altogether wonderful to me."

I Am Officially Out of Space...

...for books. Y'all, I have stacks and stacks and stacks of books. I think besides my family and friends, books are my favorite thing in the world. First of all, you have to give it up to God for creating people who have enough talent to create entire worlds, people, events, and relationships through their writing. I know that I am a nerd, and I am in no way bragging, but even with working and having a family, I read around 5,000 pages a month. Seriously. (And I do sleep...when I'm not reading! :-) ) I can read freakishly fast, so that helps me move through books in a hurry.

I read some research a month or so ago that said if everyone read 1-1.5 hours a day, we would not only be a more literate society, but that reading also helps our children process, learn, and cope with things more easily. That is a huge statement! By the way, the school I teach at subscribes to this philosophy, and it is truly amazing at what great readers these kids are. They are fluent, smart readers with opinions and high test scores. That's why we are a Texas Honor School. Sorry, I digress...

I am not a particularly picky reader. If it's written, I will read it. I finished the Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon a couple of weeks ago. These books are not for the faint at heart. They are thick books that average about 800-900 pages per book (with 7 books currently published), but they are well worth the effort of reading. I just finished the Blue Bloods Series (super quick and easy to read), and I started Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett yesterday. To put a few minds at ease, I don't just read fluff. I LOVE classics like Mansfield Park, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. I also really enjoy Christian fiction. Anything by Francine Rivers is amazing.

So, all this to say, I am out of room for books. I had to stop buying books because I officially have no where to put them. I love to buy books. I know buying books is a waste of money to most people, especially when you have a public library at your disposal; however, I love to buy books because I will re-read books over and over again. So for now, I am now a loyal library patron. As a matter of face I have been 3 times in the last week because I blew through everything I had checked out. Tyron asked me if they knew me by name yet, and I laughed. Now that I think of it though, it's probably only a matter of time before they do know me.

So, in case anyone is out there that wants to get me an over the top birthday present, I need another book case. :-) Because the library is great, but I like to own books too...and I need a place to put them!

The Power of Blue

Yesterday was the 2010 Barbers Hill ISD Tailgate Party. The Tailgate Party is basically a giant booster club event that brings in the pretty much the entire community. There were at least 2,000 people there! It was absolutely crazy, but we had a ton of fun. Each school campus designs and builds a float which people vote for by dropping tickets into a designated box. My campus didn't win, but we put up a good fight! After the tailgate party (which included dinner and treats for the kids, carnival games, and a pep rally), we went to the football game where the BH Eagles defeated the Nederland Bulldogs 28-21. It was a great game! Here are a few pictures from the tailgate party. Please excuse the quality of the photos...I was practically dead on my feet when I took them. :-)

Plinko "Eagle Style"

Daddy and Hannah

This is the outside of the arena where the Eagles play their home basketball games. Pretty awesome!!!

Family Fun

Our family came to visit over the Labor Day Weekend, and we had so much fun! On Saturday we went to the Kemah Boardwalk and let the kids ride the amusement rides and ate at Landry's. Then on Sunday, we went down to Galveston to the beach. The word "fun" doesn't even cover it. It was an adventure, to be sure! The weather was perfect, and the water was nice and cool. My kids had their first run in with marine life while we were in Galvest. Luke got attacked by a crab and ended up with a little gash on his foot, and Faith got stung by a jellyfish on her neck. To my surprise, they all jumped right back into the ocean! I can't believe how brave they were because, to be perfectly honest, I was a nervous wreck the rest of the trip! Tyron also got stabbed by some small animal, but we weren't sure what it was. It didn't phase him much though! Not to mention me and Kara's sunburns! Ouch! Here are a few pictures from the weekend! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

Stewart Beach - Galveston Island

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Cousins - MaKayla, Hannah, Kyler, Luke, and Faith

Kara and Me

Faith and Hannah showing their sandy hands.


The kids digging for seashells.

Hannah eating sand. Yum!

Luke's foot after his little run-in with a crab.

KEMAH BOARDWALK

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Faith, MaKayla, Hannah, Luke, and Kyler - The Lee Cousins

Having so much fun!

Tyron and Kara.

Kara and me...again. This time with make-up!

Tyron and me.