After everything was loaded on Sunday, Katie went to her car to get some clothes & decided to move her car up to the church. She happened to notice her battery light was on so her grandpa lifted the hood to check things out. He added some water to the battery in case it was low and then proceeded to look around. That's when he noticed the serpentine belt was off.
To make a long story short...Val called a friend in Sidney who had a guy come to tow Katie's car back to his place. We all loaded up in Jordan's van & Val's van to make the drive to Sidney as well. When Chris looked at the car, the only problem was a nut had come off. He can't explain why it happened, but he had a nut to replace it, and we were all back on the road in pretty good time.
We all talked about how God has watched over us in this circumstance. It could have happened on her drive back to Indiana...it could have happened at night (two weekends ago we were in Spencerville and were the only ones left at the church - they had us lock up when we were done loading)...it could have happened when we didn't have people to help us. But...God, in all His glory, provided the right moment in time in order for this to all happen the way it did!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The Weekend
This weekend we (Katie, Tim & I) had a concert in Tipp City so we had to leave early Saturday in order to get there & get things ready for Sunday's concert. I never realized how much goes into a concert of this type and can definitely say I've taken for granted all the performers I've seen in concert do to get ready.
Putting aside travel time (which took us about 2 1/2 hrs. one way this past weekend)...once we arrive at our destination, we have to unload all of our equipment (2 speakers, 3 monitors, bass boost, speaker stands, mic stands, wireless mic kit, keyboard along with all of it's equipment, mixer, all of the cables - 2-3 bags worth, notebooks, another black box that sets on the stage - can't remember it's name, Tim's briefcase, and anything I've forgotten) and set it up. After it's set up, we begin the process of checking to see if everything is working correctly and making any necessary changes or adjustments. Once that step is complete, we begin our practice to prepare for the concert and continue to make the needed adjustments. We typically practice for an hour or so, and then we meet with the praise band/team from the church (we try to utilize their players/singers during our praise & worship segment) for about an hour. Once all of the rehearsals are complete, we have a time of prayer with everyone, and then it's off to supper. After finishing supper, we head back to the hotel to check our clothes for the next morning (sometimes the trip leaves wrinkles that need to be removed). I've been trying to take my shower on Saturday night because I've been having "hair trauma" on concert mornings so this gives me one less thing to do on Sunday. (I think you'd have to be a girl to totally understand this dilemma). :-)
When Sunday morning arrives, we have to be at the church early enough to do one last run through with their praise band/team as well as a quick run through of a couple of our songs to make sure everything is still working correctly. We typically end with enough time for me to make a quick restroom stop before meeting with the pastor for prayer before the service.
And then...it's off. The pastor opens the service, welcomes everyone, prays, & does a quick introduction before we take the stage.
Following the concert, we do our meet & greet time, and Katie & I stand by the table (along with her grandpa, Clyde...he's a great salesman). And then...it's time to pack everything back into the bags & then fit it all back in the van before having lunch.
Whew!!! Now that I've put it in writing I know why I'm so tired on Sunday evenings & Mondays. :-) It's a lot of work!
I know this is getting long, but I just have to mention a couple of highlights from this past week's service.
1) Tim spoke to them about the frailty of life & how important it is to be right with God - no one knows when his/her life will come to an end. He's really felt concerned for this concert and had been asking us to keep the church in our prayers (this is something we all do leading up to a concert...our prayer is that God would use our ministry & the gifts He's given each of us in the way He sees fit). Following his message, Tim gave the congregation time to respond while I played the piano. The response was amazing! There was a powerful prayer service that was followed by a testimony that came from the heart. (Following the service, the pastor shared that the one man who came forward to rededicate his life had been away from the church for over 13 years. Last week he came to church, much to everyone's surprise, and heard about the concert. He told the pastor he'd try to come. Not only did he come, but he thanked Tim for his challenge because it was what he needed to hear. How great is our God!)
2) I had the privilege of having friends from Sidney at the concert. This is the first time I've had my "fans" there, and it was great to see them (guess I should tell you who came - Val, Devan & Briauna). Here's picture of D & Bri I took after the service. Aren't they cute? :-)
Putting aside travel time (which took us about 2 1/2 hrs. one way this past weekend)...once we arrive at our destination, we have to unload all of our equipment (2 speakers, 3 monitors, bass boost, speaker stands, mic stands, wireless mic kit, keyboard along with all of it's equipment, mixer, all of the cables - 2-3 bags worth, notebooks, another black box that sets on the stage - can't remember it's name, Tim's briefcase, and anything I've forgotten) and set it up. After it's set up, we begin the process of checking to see if everything is working correctly and making any necessary changes or adjustments. Once that step is complete, we begin our practice to prepare for the concert and continue to make the needed adjustments. We typically practice for an hour or so, and then we meet with the praise band/team from the church (we try to utilize their players/singers during our praise & worship segment) for about an hour. Once all of the rehearsals are complete, we have a time of prayer with everyone, and then it's off to supper. After finishing supper, we head back to the hotel to check our clothes for the next morning (sometimes the trip leaves wrinkles that need to be removed). I've been trying to take my shower on Saturday night because I've been having "hair trauma" on concert mornings so this gives me one less thing to do on Sunday. (I think you'd have to be a girl to totally understand this dilemma). :-)
When Sunday morning arrives, we have to be at the church early enough to do one last run through with their praise band/team as well as a quick run through of a couple of our songs to make sure everything is still working correctly. We typically end with enough time for me to make a quick restroom stop before meeting with the pastor for prayer before the service.
And then...it's off. The pastor opens the service, welcomes everyone, prays, & does a quick introduction before we take the stage.
Following the concert, we do our meet & greet time, and Katie & I stand by the table (along with her grandpa, Clyde...he's a great salesman). And then...it's time to pack everything back into the bags & then fit it all back in the van before having lunch.
Whew!!! Now that I've put it in writing I know why I'm so tired on Sunday evenings & Mondays. :-) It's a lot of work!
I know this is getting long, but I just have to mention a couple of highlights from this past week's service.
1) Tim spoke to them about the frailty of life & how important it is to be right with God - no one knows when his/her life will come to an end. He's really felt concerned for this concert and had been asking us to keep the church in our prayers (this is something we all do leading up to a concert...our prayer is that God would use our ministry & the gifts He's given each of us in the way He sees fit). Following his message, Tim gave the congregation time to respond while I played the piano. The response was amazing! There was a powerful prayer service that was followed by a testimony that came from the heart. (Following the service, the pastor shared that the one man who came forward to rededicate his life had been away from the church for over 13 years. Last week he came to church, much to everyone's surprise, and heard about the concert. He told the pastor he'd try to come. Not only did he come, but he thanked Tim for his challenge because it was what he needed to hear. How great is our God!)
2) I had the privilege of having friends from Sidney at the concert. This is the first time I've had my "fans" there, and it was great to see them (guess I should tell you who came - Val, Devan & Briauna). Here's picture of D & Bri I took after the service. Aren't they cute? :-)
Friday, October 26, 2007
SLL Champs!
This season I've been following the Genoa Comets football team. Why Genoa, you ask? Because Jodi's cousin, Connor (#25), is a starter & plays most of the game. It's also fun to be back at Friday night football games. I forgot how much I enjoyed them and missed them!
We've been going nearly every week...we've even gone to some of the away games. But tonight's game was a big one! Tonight they won the SLL Championship by defeating Otsego 62-0. It was quite a game...one in which Connor had a punt return that he ran back 85 yards for a touchdown! :-)
We've been going nearly every week...we've even gone to some of the away games. But tonight's game was a big one! Tonight they won the SLL Championship by defeating Otsego 62-0. It was quite a game...one in which Connor had a punt return that he ran back 85 yards for a touchdown! :-)
Monday, October 22, 2007
Character
To me, a person's character says so much about who they are. It's so important to me, but obviously it doesn't matter as much to others...or at least my character doesn't matter to them.
Why is it that people feel the need to run my character in the mud? Why do people have to do & say such hurtful things?
Just recently I've experienced a third "character assassination", and quite frankly...I'm getting so tired of it! Things have been said about me that couldn't be further from the truth - things that affect the way people see me & think about me. In all three situations, I've had people who have stuck up for me and have spoken on my behalf, but I'm really getting tired of it. I just don't understand why these people, who act as if they are my friends, would do something like this.
In times like these, it makes it hard to know who you can trust!
Why is it that people feel the need to run my character in the mud? Why do people have to do & say such hurtful things?
Just recently I've experienced a third "character assassination", and quite frankly...I'm getting so tired of it! Things have been said about me that couldn't be further from the truth - things that affect the way people see me & think about me. In all three situations, I've had people who have stuck up for me and have spoken on my behalf, but I'm really getting tired of it. I just don't understand why these people, who act as if they are my friends, would do something like this.
In times like these, it makes it hard to know who you can trust!
Dedication
In July, our school librarian, June Roth, lost her battle with cancer. June was such a dear lady...it's hard to find words to describe her. Since I started teaching at Starr, a group of us (including June) have been eating lunch together. The time was always different if June was missing. She has definitely been missed!
On Sunday, the library at Starr was dedicated in memory of June. It is now called The Roth Library. June would have been annoyed with us making such a fuss over her, but she was definitely deserving!
On Sunday, the library at Starr was dedicated in memory of June. It is now called The Roth Library. June would have been annoyed with us making such a fuss over her, but she was definitely deserving!
Starr's 50th Birthday
This year is my school's 50th anniversary so we had a big birthday party/celebration at school on Friday. It made for a very busy (and at times stressful) week, but it really ended on a fun & exciting note.
For our big school-wide celebration on Friday, everyone was asked to dress in their favorite decade (the decades were the 50's through the present decade). I was very excited because it gave me a chance to relive the "big hair" days of the 80's. :-) You gotta love the 80's!
As you will see in the picture below, my outfit included pegged jeans (but I must say it's harder to peg bootcut jeans than the tapered jeans we wore back then), two polo shirts (had to pick pink & green...courtesy of Goodwill) with the collar popped (for those who weren't "of the 80's"...that means the collar is standing up), a lace glove (minus the fingers of course...in true Madonna style), rubber bracelets, rubber watch, pink bead necklaces (one of which was tied in a knot), large earrings (they were in the shape of a star & rainbow colored), a Rubics Cube key chain on my belt loop, lime green mesh shoes, blue eye shadow & pink lipstick (of course I had to add the lip gloss...shine, baby, shine), and last, but certainly not least...the big hair (courtesy of Aqua Net & a teasing comb - I actually found some in the Dollar Store).
I had so much fun, and my outfit was a big hit! Here are two pictures (the first is the "total package" & the second is a close up of my hair...keep in mind the hair had been standing for over 8 hrs. at this point).
My choir also performed for the afternoon assemblies that day. We sang a song from each decade, but there was a bit of a twist (each song had been re-written to be about Starr & things the students like about Starr). Here are the songs we sang:
50's - You Ain't Nothin' but a Starr Bulldog (to Elvis' "Hound Dog")
60's - The Recess Song (to "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys)
70's - We are the Bulldogs (to Queen's "We are the Champions")
80's - Starr Staff (to "Mickey" by Tony Basil)
90's - Memories of Starr School (to "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks)
00's - When There was Me & Food (the "When There was Me & You" from High School Musical)
For our big school-wide celebration on Friday, everyone was asked to dress in their favorite decade (the decades were the 50's through the present decade). I was very excited because it gave me a chance to relive the "big hair" days of the 80's. :-) You gotta love the 80's!
As you will see in the picture below, my outfit included pegged jeans (but I must say it's harder to peg bootcut jeans than the tapered jeans we wore back then), two polo shirts (had to pick pink & green...courtesy of Goodwill) with the collar popped (for those who weren't "of the 80's"...that means the collar is standing up), a lace glove (minus the fingers of course...in true Madonna style), rubber bracelets, rubber watch, pink bead necklaces (one of which was tied in a knot), large earrings (they were in the shape of a star & rainbow colored), a Rubics Cube key chain on my belt loop, lime green mesh shoes, blue eye shadow & pink lipstick (of course I had to add the lip gloss...shine, baby, shine), and last, but certainly not least...the big hair (courtesy of Aqua Net & a teasing comb - I actually found some in the Dollar Store).
I had so much fun, and my outfit was a big hit! Here are two pictures (the first is the "total package" & the second is a close up of my hair...keep in mind the hair had been standing for over 8 hrs. at this point).
My choir also performed for the afternoon assemblies that day. We sang a song from each decade, but there was a bit of a twist (each song had been re-written to be about Starr & things the students like about Starr). Here are the songs we sang:
50's - You Ain't Nothin' but a Starr Bulldog (to Elvis' "Hound Dog")
60's - The Recess Song (to "Fun, Fun, Fun" by the Beach Boys)
70's - We are the Bulldogs (to Queen's "We are the Champions")
80's - Starr Staff (to "Mickey" by Tony Basil)
90's - Memories of Starr School (to "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks)
00's - When There was Me & Food (the "When There was Me & You" from High School Musical)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The Weekend & Our Concerts
This past weekend was our first "double header" (as Tim called it) - we had two concerts on Sunday. It was a great experience, but I was unprepared for how worn out I'd be on Monday.
The weekend started off with me going to Genoa's football game on Friday night. Jodi's cousin plays on the team, and they've been having a great year. It's been a lot of fun to go to high school football games because I'd really been missing them. As if that wasn't good enough, Jodi brought Lauren with us. She's a hoot! I can't begin to explain the love I have for this little girl...and I love the fact that she thinks I'm pretty cool. :-)
Here's a picture of Lauren all bundled up at the game. This was her "silly face" picture.
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On Saturday, I was able to sleep in a bit which was nice. After making breakfast, I began packing for our weekend concerts. We left Jordan's home around 2:30 to head towards Cridersville. When we got to the church, we unloaded all of the sound equipment and began to set up. Once everything was up & running, we had our practice. After we had our practice, we practiced the praise & worship set with Joey (a teenager who played drums for the praise & worship).
By the time we were done practicing, we were all starving so it was off to check in at our hotel (which happened to be in Wapakoneta - where I lived for three years while teaching at Jackson Center), and then we went to Bob Evans for supper. The rest of the evening was spent chilling in our hotel rooms & watching the Cleveland Indians game (the Jordans are huge Indians fans!).
Sunday...wow! What a day Sunday was! We got up & got ready in time to leave the hotel around 9:15 a.m. so we could be at the church in Cridersville for one last sound check & practice (we ran through a couple of songs & then worked with Joey for a little bit). Following the concert (and after we had mingled & sold CD's), we packed everything up, loaded the van, and changed clothes before we left the church. Pastor Jon & his wife took us out for lunch (they were such nice people!) at a Mexican restaurant in Lima. Yummm! It was delicious! It was also nice to sit & talk to them for a little bit.
After we said our good-byes, we were off to Spencerville...the location of our evening concert. Upon arriving at Spencerville, we had to unload the van & set up the sound equiment once again. Then there was a small rehearsal for the evening concert (we did some different songs) before we went to change. We did have a few minutes to kind of relax which was much appreciated.
Then...it was time for the evening concert followed by more mingling (this is one of my favorite things...in case you didn't know...I love to talk). While Katie & I were mingling & selling CD's, the men (Tim - Katie's dad & fellow vocal team memeber, Jeff - Katie's brother who runs sound & sings a couple of songs with us, Jared - Katie's boyfriend, and Clyde - Katie's grandpa) began to pack up. I was really surprised how quickly they worked. We finished packing the equipment, and then loaded the van.
By the time we stopped to grab a quick bite to eat in Findlay, unloaded things at the Jordan's house, and I drove back to my house...I got home around 11:15 p.m.
I was totally exhausted, but I also had energy that comes from the concerts. It's been such a powerful, moving & humbling experience to see how God is using our ministry to change people. There is no doubt in my mind that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm so thankful I had this opportunity!
Here's a picture of us (Tim, Katie & me) following one of our concerts:
And...here's a picture of Tim. Can you tell it had been a long day? :-)
The weekend started off with me going to Genoa's football game on Friday night. Jodi's cousin plays on the team, and they've been having a great year. It's been a lot of fun to go to high school football games because I'd really been missing them. As if that wasn't good enough, Jodi brought Lauren with us. She's a hoot! I can't begin to explain the love I have for this little girl...and I love the fact that she thinks I'm pretty cool. :-)
Here's a picture of Lauren all bundled up at the game. This was her "silly face" picture.
.JPG)
On Saturday, I was able to sleep in a bit which was nice. After making breakfast, I began packing for our weekend concerts. We left Jordan's home around 2:30 to head towards Cridersville. When we got to the church, we unloaded all of the sound equipment and began to set up. Once everything was up & running, we had our practice. After we had our practice, we practiced the praise & worship set with Joey (a teenager who played drums for the praise & worship).
By the time we were done practicing, we were all starving so it was off to check in at our hotel (which happened to be in Wapakoneta - where I lived for three years while teaching at Jackson Center), and then we went to Bob Evans for supper. The rest of the evening was spent chilling in our hotel rooms & watching the Cleveland Indians game (the Jordans are huge Indians fans!).
Sunday...wow! What a day Sunday was! We got up & got ready in time to leave the hotel around 9:15 a.m. so we could be at the church in Cridersville for one last sound check & practice (we ran through a couple of songs & then worked with Joey for a little bit). Following the concert (and after we had mingled & sold CD's), we packed everything up, loaded the van, and changed clothes before we left the church. Pastor Jon & his wife took us out for lunch (they were such nice people!) at a Mexican restaurant in Lima. Yummm! It was delicious! It was also nice to sit & talk to them for a little bit.
After we said our good-byes, we were off to Spencerville...the location of our evening concert. Upon arriving at Spencerville, we had to unload the van & set up the sound equiment once again. Then there was a small rehearsal for the evening concert (we did some different songs) before we went to change. We did have a few minutes to kind of relax which was much appreciated.
Then...it was time for the evening concert followed by more mingling (this is one of my favorite things...in case you didn't know...I love to talk). While Katie & I were mingling & selling CD's, the men (Tim - Katie's dad & fellow vocal team memeber, Jeff - Katie's brother who runs sound & sings a couple of songs with us, Jared - Katie's boyfriend, and Clyde - Katie's grandpa) began to pack up. I was really surprised how quickly they worked. We finished packing the equipment, and then loaded the van.
By the time we stopped to grab a quick bite to eat in Findlay, unloaded things at the Jordan's house, and I drove back to my house...I got home around 11:15 p.m.
I was totally exhausted, but I also had energy that comes from the concerts. It's been such a powerful, moving & humbling experience to see how God is using our ministry to change people. There is no doubt in my mind that this is what I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm so thankful I had this opportunity!
Here's a picture of us (Tim, Katie & me) following one of our concerts:
And...here's a picture of Tim. Can you tell it had been a long day? :-)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
From Air Conditioning to Heat...in 48 Hours
I don't know why this surprises me...I live in Ohio! Where else can the temperature drop 30 degrees overnight?
I had to turn my air conditioning back on Sunday when I got home from the retreat because it was miserable in my apartment. I left it on Monday night because I knew I'd sleep better. When I got home from the gym on Tuesday, I turned off the air and opened the windows.
Tuesday night I had to shut the windows because it began to get chilly, and by the time I woke up on Wednesday, it was pretty chilly. In fact...it was 30 degrees chillier. A sleeveless shirt on Tuesday...a sweater on Wednesday. Go figure!
This evening I was sitting at home on the verge of having goosebumps with fingers that were nearly numb. I decided to see what the thermostat said. When I saw the temperature in my apartment was 64 degrees, I decided it was time to bite the bullet.
So...my heat is on & has run a couple of times tonight. I have it set at 67 degrees so I'm still a little chilly, but it seems so crazy. I'm going to try & hold off as long as I can! :-) I guess I'm a bit stubborn.
I had to turn my air conditioning back on Sunday when I got home from the retreat because it was miserable in my apartment. I left it on Monday night because I knew I'd sleep better. When I got home from the gym on Tuesday, I turned off the air and opened the windows.
Tuesday night I had to shut the windows because it began to get chilly, and by the time I woke up on Wednesday, it was pretty chilly. In fact...it was 30 degrees chillier. A sleeveless shirt on Tuesday...a sweater on Wednesday. Go figure!
This evening I was sitting at home on the verge of having goosebumps with fingers that were nearly numb. I decided to see what the thermostat said. When I saw the temperature in my apartment was 64 degrees, I decided it was time to bite the bullet.
So...my heat is on & has run a couple of times tonight. I have it set at 67 degrees so I'm still a little chilly, but it seems so crazy. I'm going to try & hold off as long as I can! :-) I guess I'm a bit stubborn.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Marsha's Family
My sister sent me copies of their recent family pictures. I had tried to post them earlier, but they wouldn't go through. But today...it worked! WooHoo! You'll have to check out my niece & nephew. Be prepared...they're really cute kids! :-)
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A Thought
I came across this quote in an e-mail my sister sent me. I thought it said alot without using many words. Enjoy!
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.
-Eleanor Roosevelt-
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.
-Eleanor Roosevelt-
Monday, October 8, 2007
My Weekend
This weekend was SGAW (Singles' Get Away Weekend) in Michigan. It was organized & put on by Patty (a lady who attended SoloCon in Michigan). We had a great weekend, and it was so good to see my SoloCon friends. Here are a few pictures from the weekend (my camera broke so I didn't take many...but these are the important people from the weekend). :-)
Smile Tara!
My Friend, Becky (she's knows everything there is to know about cars)
Ron - what a guy! He's one of the sweetest men I've ever met (and he's a big teddy bear).
Tracy (she tells the best stories...Ron & I had sore stomach muscles on Sunday from laughing so hard)
Here's a picture of the two story carousel that we saw in the mall on Saturday. It was beautiful, and I was totally amazed because I'd never seen one. Have you?
Here's a picture of Ron & me. Isn't it precious? :-)
The final picture is of the leaves. They were absolutely beautiful so I decided to get a picture to share with you as we were driving home (don't fret...I wasn't the one driving). :-)
Smile Tara!
My Friend, Becky (she's knows everything there is to know about cars)
Ron - what a guy! He's one of the sweetest men I've ever met (and he's a big teddy bear).
Tracy (she tells the best stories...Ron & I had sore stomach muscles on Sunday from laughing so hard)
Here's a picture of the two story carousel that we saw in the mall on Saturday. It was beautiful, and I was totally amazed because I'd never seen one. Have you?
Here's a picture of Ron & me. Isn't it precious? :-)
The final picture is of the leaves. They were absolutely beautiful so I decided to get a picture to share with you as we were driving home (don't fret...I wasn't the one driving). :-)
Friday, October 5, 2007
Sorry it's been so long!
Hello everyone who's out there! Sorry it's taken me so long to post an updated entry, but life's been keeping me on the move (plus I've changed my workouts & they are kicking my butt...I'm exhausted by the time I get home).
Things have been going well. I honestly can't think of anything you've missed, but just wanted you all to know I'm alive & well. :-)
I'm going to a singles' retreat this weekend so I'll have info to post when I return. I'll let you all know how it went.
Hope October has started out great for you!
Things have been going well. I honestly can't think of anything you've missed, but just wanted you all to know I'm alive & well. :-)
I'm going to a singles' retreat this weekend so I'll have info to post when I return. I'll let you all know how it went.
Hope October has started out great for you!
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