Month: May 2017

It’s really difficult to believe that my sabbatical time has come to an end! When I reflect on the last month and everything I was able to do and experience, I realize how lucky I am to work for such an amazing company that allows me to take in to experience God in a way that I haven’t in a very long time.

This past week I made it more of a point to set aside time for absolutely nothing but silence and prayer (about a full hour). If anyone knows me, this is extremely hard for me to do, as I would much rather be completing a task or even talking to the wall. What I learned from this is that regardless of what I’m saying, God hears my thanks, my struggles, and my hopes. What I also learned is that when God hears these things, he answers in ways that are never expected but always appreciated. My devotional during my sabbatical time was Jesus Calling, and I have to say that it really led me down an unexpected path of digging into my bible and re-reading these words. I plan to keep up this devotional even after this month to have a daily structured time for worship.

One of my goals for this week was to clean out items from my house that I did not “need” and either donate or throw away. Growing up, I somehow developed the habit of holding on to everything I owned in the case that I MIGHT need it sometime in the future (even though I absolutely would never use/wear the item again). What I did was separate the things in my life that I have not used in over two three months and things I’ve used more recently. 90% of the things that I had not used in the last three months was tossed. It felt really good!!

Another goal I had this week was to limit my time on social media. It’s been a while since I’ve really monitored how much of my free time I spend on it, but I was surprised with how good I felt when I wasn’t on any social platform for a day or two at a time. This is something I want to carry out with me as my sabbatical ends and I head back to reality; less time on my phone and more time seeing the world around me.

My chosen reading while on sabbatical was The Go-Giver, which was a pretty interesting pick! It centers around five principles that the main character discovers regarding success. One of the biggest lessons that I was reminded of was the importance in authenticity. “No matter what you’re selling, what you’re offering is really you.”

As much as I don’t want this month to end, I’m ready to get back into work life and begin a new chapter of incorporating all I’ve learned this month into my daily role as a market center manager. I can’t thank the TX03 team, home office family, executives, and Kris for allowing me to experience my first sabbatical.

I don’t always get to do volunteer work or service projects. Or, I should say I don’t always get to participate in them directly. It does seem like I help Rob and Rylee a lot by enabling them to do the things that they do for others. It’s sort of a behind the scenes contribution I often make. I love that I can help them do these things, but I often wish I had a more direct role.

In preparation for our week of service together, Rob had some contact with Global Samaritan and our good friend Danny Sims the Executive Director and said that they were working on some projects for us to do. When it looked like I was going to be helping Rob do some filming, I think I was almost a little disappointed. I didn’t want to just be a tag-along.

On day one, I made it clear that if there was something else that needed to be done, they should not hesitate to ask. I knew Rob could handle filming on his own. But what I did not know was what and who we were going to be filming. Among the people we interviewed last week were volunteers, donors, a former air base commander, the general manager of several local TV Stations, a city councilwoman, and 20 or so representatives from various local non-profit service organizations.

If you had asked me before to list as many of these organizations as I could, the list would’ve been pretty short.  But after hearing all of these people describe their missions, and describe their relationships to each other, to Global Samaritan, and to the Abilene community, I started becoming aware of so many things I had never seen.

Abilene is a tremendously generous place. There are so many unmet needs here, and it seems like any time someone becomes aware or uncovers one of these, brave and generous souls in our community always find a way to step in to offer assistance in whatever way they can.

So our mission project for this week was to raise awareness. We are creating short videos for Global Samaritan Resources that not only lift up the organizations they help, but also educate potential donors, volunteers, and those who could benefit from these services. I feel so overwhelmed by how many people in Abilene and all over are led to serve with tremendous giving hearts.

More stories and videos to come.

My first week of sabbatical was not what I had originally planned on. As some of you may know a lot has been going in Parkway.  Let’s just say it has been crazy busy.  However  I did not realize how much I was going and going and going… until I stood still.

The first few days I was worried the whole time that something was going to go wrong at work and I would not  be there to fix it.  So, I have to admit that relaxing was not easy for me to accomplish.  I just had to put my faith in God that everything would work itself out.

The rest of the week, I like to “call catch up on everything that I have been putting aside” week.  There were doctor visits,  bug spraying, getting Rylee a 8th grade graduation dress, dance recital, volleyball…the list goes on.  It has been a great comfort that I have been able to focus and spend real quality time with my family.  This is one area that was a main focus for my sabbatical and that has been great.

This week we have begun our service project with Global Samaritan.  More to come next time…

My time on Sabbatical was amazing. While in my last post, I spoke about the first week of my time off and not being able to “disconnect” as quickly as I thought I could, once the second week got started, I was off and running.   My phone died and while my blogging suffered, I didn’t really miss my phone. That is a shock for many of you but for me, it was refreshing. I can function without it – wow! I finally got a new one (back to the IPhone).  So I am catching up my blog from my journal. Lets just say I will not be going back to old habits on my phone, I liked not being attached to it as much!  I was resting and spending some quality time reading both in Gods word, my book (s) and my bible study (without feeling guilty about the time I has set aside for these readings instead of doing something for work or around the house) and my heart and head was buzzing.  I felt like someone had turned up the lights that I did not realize had been dimmed.  It is hard to explain but I became really excited and wanted to share what I was studying and how it was affecting me.  My pastor and I had some really exciting study summaries as a result of a few particular exciting passages over the next several weeks.

I went to work with three of the ladies from my church who needed different things done and did not have kids living close to help.  All three of these ladies attend my church and all three sit directly behind Eddie and I (you know….”our seats” in “our row” at church).  They give our grand kids mints, gum and “get on to us” if we “get on” to them.  They lost their husbands at different times over the past few years and have formed a bond through these losses).  For two of them, I cleaned out some clothes and items from one where her husband has passed away.  For one, she did not have “the heart or “want to” to get it done yet” and now was the time.  Her children had offered to help after they gone through the items they wanted and take care of the rest of it but Mrs. Burny was not ready to have them gone yet. She told our pastor, now was the time.  I helped her (yes we cried together a few times – you know me) but it was good!  The second lady was more business like (that was new for me) and void of steady emotion but she felt her loss in a very different way.  Her emotion came out all at once then she would tuck it back in and here we would go methodically going through things and allocating their distribution.  When it was over, relief and smiling… and then she made a list of other items we could do later haha.  (and we will)  I relied on a lot of things I learned from Dr. Wolfelt about how people process death differently and sometimes its not an outward “visible” sign of emotion.  With both of the ladies there was an underlying factor that was overtaking them both, with their kids living so far off, it was loneliness.  I hope to help with that!

The third lady I helped and will continue to help, take her shopping for groceries and just be around for her is Reva.  She is so much like my granny was in her independence, sense of humor and spirit.  We bonded almost instantly and decided ours was an encounter that would be turning into a friendship.  We would be there for each other.  Eddie (my husband) is helping me with the task at Reva’s – we are replacing her carport roof.  She thought she would just climb up there with us but we quickly let her know that was not going to happen (at her age of 80)!  She relented and just let us do the climbing. ha.  She uses the tree “pole saw” on small branches and want to be useful.  She said “I’m old but not useless” and “I need to be active”. She is afraid of being idle and losing what abilities she can still do while realizing there are some things she should not do, even if she believes she can for fear of hurting herself.  Eddie and I have decided to “adopt” her!  We let Reva know this and she was so moved we all ended up with happy tears in our eyes!

For all of these task, God spoke to my heart in different ways, with messages relating to my devotionals and feeding my spirit in servitude – my calling.  God is so good and merciful as He administers to our soul, our spirit and gives us a hunger to dive deeper in His work as it is meant for our lives.   I am still serving these ladies and became an “honorary member of our church study group “women at the well” (average age of 70).  I love it and am honored!

I will post again about the remaining time on Sabbatical from my journal about the books I have read and my bible study.  Praying for you all and your Sabbatical.

Anissa

Before I go into the details of my service project (in a future blog), I thought it might be helpful to set the stage a bit by taking a moment to describe something with which I often struggle in the hopes that it might provide some perspective for any poor soul who finds my words to be of interest…

The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To him… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create—so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, his very breath is cut off from him. He must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency he is not really alive unless he is creating.

Pearl S. Buck, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize Winning Novelist

It’s been a few years since first hearing Andy Stanley’s Next Generation Leader on Audible (admittedly, at 3x speed), and though I will never claim to have a high retention rate on things like that, I will offer that I heard some things that have affected many decisions I’ve made since.

Two of these in particular, weighed on me quite heavily as I chose a service project for my Sabbatical…

The first is that ‘being busy is not the same as being productive’. We all know this to be true, but it is always a good thought to keep in the back pocket.

For me, choosing a service project was going to be tricky. I knew that there was a good chance that God might have me find humility in tasking me with something I might only view as minimally productive; sorting food or clothes, or painting/stacking/lifting/cleaning – whatever He saw fit.  And, however painfully mundane it might be, I am probably due for a reality check and due to be put in my place…

Or… He may want me to see relief from my daily routine, and instead of being creative, He may just want me to observe and offer assistance wherever my heart led…

Or.. maybe I could stop trying to ‘guess’ and try my best to make myself ‘available’ to do His will as I could… (rinse and repeat)

But, the second – more influential thing that stuck with me has to do with his (Andy’s) thoughts on only doing what only you can do. Which he covered in the book I mentioned above. He also has a podcast and several other works on this topic – and even though it probably wasn’t the big takeaway for most people, and it was offered in the context of a leadership capacity which didn’t directly apply to the task at hand, it still really resonated with me.

My entire life is about creative service – or making things. Anyone who knows me knows that a great deal of my personal life is spent playing music, doing projects, shows, films and videos, etc., with little or no compensation – in service to others. In fact, many times, these things actually are at some cost me even beyond doing the work… So, finding something to do was not going to be a challenge at all…

My creative skill set; the tasks for which I am uniquely suited make the things I can do of particular interest to non-profit organizations who want to stand out from other organizations as they are competing for resources in an increasingly challenging fund-raising environment. So, whether I am performing on stage, running sound or lights for an event, filming a PSA or fund-raising video, serving on a board of directors  or a committee, or writing a check, my unique familiarity with fund-raising in the local non-profit world presents with many rewards, and many challenges…

However, a very big challenge for me is that the things I do in service look just like the things I do for a living. And they both sometimes consume me…

And, I seem to thrive on this.

So, to move forward with some confidence, I needed to know if it was ‘okay’ to choose what I felt compelled to do. I wanted to help the organization with whom, in my current state in life, I can most directly identify with (Global Samaritan Resources). Further to that, could I help them in only the way only I could? I needed to know if giving so much, so deeply was indeed God’s will – and not my own…

Ultimately, I chose not to choose…

Call it cowardice or call it a leap of faith, but as the week I set aside for this portion of my Sabbatical approached, I discovered that my service project had already been laid out for me (and for Lisa as well) by a very dear friend of mine from within the organization whom I admire as a man and as a Christian, and trust to be of a true servant’s heart; never asking for more than he would give of himself. We were both about to meet some remarkable people who were doing important things both in this community – and internationally…

Happy belated Memorial Day! I hope everyone had a great long weekend and are ready to get back to work this week.

My Sabbatical has been such a blessing so far. Have I told you how much I love FD?! I get so many reactions when I tell people that I’m on Sabbatical. A lot of people just can’t believe a company would do that for its employees and it’s so awesome when they say that because I get to share the story of why we do Sabbaticals.

This past week was full of rest and relaxation. It has been so great being able to spend so much quality time with my family. I usually get to spend some quality time but I’ve never been able to spend this much time with them at one time. I really feel like I’ve been able to bond very closely with my son and strengthen my relationship with my wife. Not only have the three of us been able to spend a lot of quality time together, but our extended family has been around a lot too and it has been great to spend time with them. Our parents have been so helpful in this first month of our son’s life. I can’t believe he is already one month old! Time is going by way too fast.

Yesterday during the day, Duke was being a little fussy and we just couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him. As it turns out, he’s just a one month old baby! Sometimes babies just get a little uncomfortable and fussy and that’s okay! Plus, my dad said Duke isn’t fussy at all. We apparently don’t know what a fussy baby is really like. My dad should know because I was a colicky baby and cried basically nonstop for 6 months. The fussiness for Duke wore off and last night he had his best night of sleep ever. He only woke up one time from 9:30-7:00AM to feed. It was great to get a lot of sleep last night. I had forgotten what it was like to almost get a full nights sleep.

I did do something unexpected last week. I fed about 50-75 people for breakfast and gave them sack lunches at a place called BOBS. BOBS (Breakfast on Beech Street) serves breakfast to the poor and homeless five days a week and a sack lunch and they’ve been doing this for over 16 years. I felt so bad for all of the people that came in to receive breakfast and a sack lunch but I was so glad to know there was a service like this to keep these people alive while being homeless or very poor. It was a great experience and I might continue to do this on a monthly basis from here on out.

I’m starting to get a little antsy about getting back to work but I’m excited to see what God has in store for me over the last two weeks of my Sabbatical.

Talk soon and God bless!

-Drew

Well today is the last day of my sabbatical. I will return to work tomorrow ready to take on the world. I would be lying if I said the anxiety this day hasn’t been haunting me. For about a week and a half I have been beginning to feel stressed with anticipation if what awaits me at the office. I just keep reminding myself to worry about nothing and to pray about everything. God had been so good to me – better than I deserve. This sabbatical came on the most perfect timing for me. I have tremendously enjoyed reading “Marriage on the Rock.” I have loved the time off allowed to me surrounding my wedding. I have been renewed with all the rest and relaxation I’ve experienced. Mostly, I have enjoyed the extra quality time with my family that I love so dearly. Sabbatical, you have been good to me and I will miss you!

Well these last two weeks of my sabbatical have definitely been interesting. I have never had this much time to think and reflect on people and things in my life. The first sabbatical I took part in I was a newlywed and spent my entire sabbatical with my wife and others around me. This time around, I spent my last two weeks by myself for most of the day and it definitely gave me the time I needed to reflect and refresh.

The week before last I was able to finish my book “Marriage on the Rock”. I also started my devotional. Originally, I had planned to do a couples devotional with Kelsey but that changed as do most plans on a sabbatical. Instead, I decided to let God lead me where I needed to go. So, everyday twice a day, I opened the Bible up randomly and read a chapter. My hope with this was for God to show me what I needed each day.  The results were definitely interesting.

On top of my book and devotional I got to play some golf and got into an exercise routine. Last week I started my morning with Meals on Wheels which I have really enjoyed and will continue to enjoy throughout the year.

This weekend, we took a trip to Dallas to visit my grandmother who I haven’t seen in a few years. She got to catch up with Kynlee and hear all about her stories from Disney World. They both really enjoyed the timer together!

Only one more day left on this crazy adventure and I am definitely ready to get back.

I can’t believe y’all haven’t found this yet. It’s right under your nose!

I spent the last few days of my sabbatical enjoying beautiful Colorado. Joe and I had an absolute blast doing all the touristy things in Denver. We went to a Colorado Rockies baseball game, the Denver Art Museum, hiked at Red Rocks Park, ate lots of delicious food, and caught up with my college roommate! It was the perfect way to end my sabbatical. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity, and I will cherish it for a lifetime!

2,143 miles.  That’s how far I drove last week on my adventure to seek solitude and trout in western Colorado.

“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.'”

Matthew 4:19

It was a week of disconnecting, fishing, and thinking.  A week of praying, wrestling with wind, and wrestling with emotions.  A week of laughter, tears, and amazement at the sheer vastness of creation.  I caught a few fish, got slightly sunburned, managed to keep all my toes despite really cold nights (by a Texan’s standards) in a tent, and learned a great deal about myself / my situation / my purpose / my God.

It’s amazing how He can reveal significant truths to us in the simplest of ways – a mountain vista, a friendly stranger, the rush of a river, a brilliant night sky that makes you feel small but never overlooked.  Just being in a place that showcases God’s artistry was more refreshing than I could ever hope to put into words.  My spirit was truly filled.

Now that I’m back home and clean (though I still catch the aroma of an old campfire wafting about… maybe I need another shower…) it’s time to refocus on mission work, study, rest, and my kids.  At the end of this week, I’ll go pick them up and have them the entire month of June!  I couldn’t be more excited to spend as much time with them as possible – especially because I do not currently get to do that as often as I want.

This week I’ll be volunteering with Palette of Purpose, an art non-profit – I’m going to help them write some business plans, proposals, and a mission statement, as well as prepare for the CALF (Children’s Art and Literacy Festival) that will be next month.  This week I’ll also work with Freedom Reins Ranch in Clyde.  Freedom Reins Ranch is a children’s horse ministry that uses principles of horse riding and care to teach kids about Christ, faith, and discipleship.  Mike, who operates Freedom Reins with his wife, is a dear friend and spiritual mentor of mine.  I couldn’t be happier to help Mike out at the ranch – and it sounds like he’s got fences to fix, stables to clean, buildings to fix-up, and plenty of other things to keep me busy and tired.  Which is exactly what I want!

So on my last week of sabbatical I was able to volunteer at an Oklahoma Career Tech with my BFF Tammy Balliet. She teaches Medical Technology. Her class works closely with Integris Nuro Clinic and Vrossings Community Clinic. They intern there as well as volunteer to help with the Alzheimer’s Association to make bags for them and their loved ones. We spent the week assembling the bags with information, books, and pamphlets to deliver to the clinics where I got to meet and talk with patients and health care staff. It’s really nice knowing that if you can touch just one person or family with the volunteering that you do it makes it all worth while. I was even able to get my CPR certification. So much has changed since high school. Lol. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be off for the month and spend it with friends and family. See everyone tomorrow.

My mother died of cancer September 28, 1963, when I was almost 3 years old.  I really didn’t learn of her death until sometime in October.  I remember asking my dad when mom would be coming home from the hospital.  He sat me down on the couch and in a very somber voice told me that I would never see her again.  He explained that she had died and when people die they go to another place where I would not be able to see her.  He told me, however, that he would never leave me.  And until 2005 when he was 81 years old, he kept that promise.

Everyone faces trauma at one time or another.  If you haven’t faced any yet, you will.  It is a part of life and is part of what shapes our character. The trauma I experienced so early in my life became a part of who I am and has influenced many of the decisions I have made, whether I’ve been aware of it at the time or not. This experience led me to choose Camp Courage as my service project during my sabbatical.  Camp Courage is a camp for children who have experienced loss in their lives by death, divorce, incarceration, or deployment.  I felt I might have something to offer since I have been through it myself.

I also got the idea from viewing the “Frunge” photos in the hallway at the home office.  I noticed that wall hanging when I first began working at FDL and I see it almost every day.  I thought it looked like a lot of fun and wondered how I could get involved.  I wanted to have as much fun as the people in the photo (Alvino, Pat Baxter, etc.) After some thought, I realized I really only wanted to do it for the entertainment value.  That is, I wanted to do it more for selfish reasons than altruistic.  I decided that if I were really interested in helping the children, I could just as easily do that closer to home.  So, one more reason to volunteer for Camp Courage.

In spite of the traumatic beginning to my life, I feel like one of the luckiest people on the planet.  I have a fantastic wife and a wonderful daughter, live in a free country, and I work for a great company.  I am one of the most blessed people in the world.  Over the next 5 days, I hope to convey that to those who are hurting.

The camp starts tomorrow and runs for 5 days and 4 nights.  I am a tad bit terrified. I have already had a day of training.  They tell me there is no cell phone reception out there.  I won’t be blogging until I get back.  At the moment I am wishing that I had volunteered at Habitat for Humanity or Meals on Wheels or something like that.  I will let you know how it went.

Perhaps the kids are not the only ones who need to find courage at this camp.

-Matt

Tomorrow my family and I will embark on a vacation like one we’ve never taken.

We’re heading out to simply see some of the most beautiful and fascinating things in our country. We’re first going to see ShipRock, then stand on the four corners area and drive through Monument Valley of southern Utah. Then on to Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona and off to see the amazing Grand Canyon.

The remainder of our trip will be enjoying the beauty of God’s Creation at all five national parks of Utah (Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Arches).

I can’t wait to see these marvelous sights and enjoy it with my family! I’m ready to soak it all in!

Michael

That verse will be my prayer during the Sabbatical month. It’s simple yet super important and potentially life changing.

Jesus had just begun His earthly ministry. For some time John the Baptist had been preparing the way for Jesus to enter the scene. Now that He had, John said these words…

“He must become greater; I must become less.”

This is it my friends: Jesus must increase in my life. I must decrease.

I pray this will happen during this time of rest, reflection, service and growth.

I pray this will happen for the rest of my life!

Michael

Traveling is finally done and we are glad to not be driving anywhere for a while. Upon reflecting on everything that we did I realized that we met some really incredible people with a wide range of backgrounds.

There was Kathy who was traveling solo on a trip across the U.S. and staying at all the national parks she could. Then we met Mary and Peter, Canadian school teachers who were using their time off to travel the U.S. while living out of their van. There was Peggy, a friend of my Uncles, who adored Ezra. She said he reminded her of her own grandson. Jonathan was an artist that we met while walking the board walk. I asked if I could take his picture. There were probably a dozen others whose names I don’t remember that we met while traveling.

Every person or couple was seeking something, whether it was freedom, adventure, or fame. My wife and I would never have known, however, had we not asked. I had not realized it before, but Kelly and I have developed a routine (Ezra is probably to blame) that we rarely deviate from. This is great for seasons of life but is troubling when considering some of the amazing people in this world still in need of the gospel. The only way to find them is to step into areas that I am otherwise unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Of the people I mentioned above, only one came to us asking questions. The rest we started conversations with.

In Piper’s book, Desiring God, Piper defines loving others as, “the overflow of joy in God that gladly meets the needs of others.” He even goes as far to say that we should be seeking our joy in seeking the joy of others. It should be our delight to make others happy and encouraged. This is one of great things about working for a company like FD. Through fundraisers and volunteer work, FD works to bring out the joy of Christ to the people of Abilene. However, it is one thing to be a part of an organization that does good work, but what are you doing in your own life to bring about the joy of others? This is something I realized when talking with strangers from all over the world: I did not step out of my comfort zone enough in my daily life. Luke 6:35 says, “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expect nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.”

How are we doing this in our own lives and in the lives of the people we meet?

To say that these last two weeks have been an adventure, would be a complete understatement. I’m currently about three and a half weeks into my sabbatical and have been blessed to experience so much during this time.

Since I last blogged, I’ve been in Portugal and back in Spain. Both of these places have shown so much beauty and have given me the opportunity to meet such great people from around the world and from all walks of life. One of the most memorable parts of this last portion of the trip was seeing this view at the most western point of Europe. The journey was brutal and we were NOT informed that this “walk” to the beach was actually a hike. Needless to say, my beach sandals were not ideal! In the end, I would not have traded this scene for anything. It was absolutely breathtaking and really puts into perspective how small we really are, but most importantly how GREAT God is. His creations bring me so much joy.

The week before I went on sabbatical, one of my best friends gave birth to a healthy boy. I was eager to meet him and reconnect with such a great friend that I haven’t seen in a long time. This week, I was fortunate enough to meet the little man and hold a baby for the first time in a very long time! Not only was it amazing to see this blessing come into such a great family, but also to see the happiness it brings my friend, Allie, and her husband, Sawyer. I can’t wait to see this dude grow up and become something big.

Now that I’m home, I have focused on meditating, praying, and organizing things in my house. I will be moving this summer to another location in Austin so this comes at a perfect time to get a head start on that.

Prayer is such a big part of my life and I am so appreciative of all the extra time this past month I had to just be still and in His presence and spend more time in prayer with Him!

Our house is readjusting to having our college graduate back at home while he winds down from the stress & rigors of college life and starts his job search in earnest.  I love having him home, but the adjustment to his schedule vs. mine is a challenge (when 10:30 is my bedtime); I have enjoyed having him back home, even if a little less sleep is involved!  I know God has a plan for him and He will open the door when the right position comes along.   One firm he applied with bases their company’s mission statement on serving the Lord and I told him that if that is their priority it would no doubt be a great place to work.  I know that FD has been such a blessing to me!  As I pray for him and what the next chapter in his life has in store, I pray he will be as fortunate as I have been in working for people that serve the Lord.

Thankfulness.  That is the best way I can describe having this time to spend with family to build and solidify relationships.  Most of us take for granted all the blessings the Lord bestows upon us each and every day.  The time I was able to spend with Him both in prayer and in His word was uplifting & renewing for my body, mind & spirit.  I have always thought of myself as a positive person, but it is still easy to get caught up in life’s everyday issues.   The reading I did while on Sabbatical is so relevant to our everyday lives, it seemed as if these books were written just for me…. it’s amazing how God give us everything we need and .. fills our lives with good things (Psalm 103.5).

We are all so blessed to have such a loving savior and to work for a company that encourages us in our walk with Him.

The first day of my sabbatical was spent in the labor and delivery floor of Abilene Regional Medical Center wher we patiently and eventually inpatiently waited for the arrival of our son. After 11 hours of active labor, Tres was born via surrogate at 6:50 pm. Throughout those hours I was calm and collected, able to keep my emotions under control but tgen the moment came where the doctor said “There he is, he’s coming.” At that very moment, all the years of let down, disappointment , yearning and feelings of failure melted away. All the tears that fell were all those feelings disolving. That day, our family became complete.

It was the very first day back from Christmas vacation, and Rylee came home and asked me if I could speak at her school. She said that there were multiple dates available and that many parents were coming in. I said “Sure” – but, with no time/date commitment, I kinda forgot.

She reminded me a few times – but was not pushy at all. It seems like there have been so many of these ‘hottest fires’; so many of what Covey would call “first quadrant” items both at work and at home which demanded immediate attention these past few months, that there hasn’t been much room for planning events and non-critical items….

It quickly became the last week of school… the last days of Middle School. After tonight, I will have a high school aged child… A child who texted me from school once again (this time with some urgency), “Dad, its the last week of school, can you please email my teacher about coming in to speak?”

I had forgotten!!

It’s week two of my Sabbatical, and being only mildly acclimated to having some time in my life that didn’t already have someone else’s name on it, I responded, “Absolutely, honey….. When?” “Tomorrow,” she replied with a smiley emoji.

Now, I have spoken publicly many many times with less prep time than this – but not to an audience of this significance; an audience that can have infinite influence over my home life for years to come…

That evening, she briefed me on what I was to discuss. “Tell them about all of the celebrities you’ve worked with! All of the foreign countries you’ve filmed in! All the stuff that’s been on TV! The helicopter crash! Oooh, and tell them about your band!!” So – I was charged with talking about my work/life – AND entertaining.

I spoke at 9am – and then again at 1:30pm to loads of kids. I created a dynamic presentation in Keynote (its’ like PowerPoint) with videos, and PPP’s, and Ben Duffy’s… We all laughed, we shared, I asked questions, they asked some silly questions, I described the series of events that contributed to my career and where I am today…

And when I got to the part that changed everything in my life, I cried. In front of a bunch of 8th graders, I was doing my best to control emotions that I didn’t see coming. I did not openly weep (until later in the parking lot). But, as I described the first day of having started a new business as ALSO being September 11, of 2001, I could barely keep it together. The fabric of our world changed on the very day I was to make a profound change in the direction of my life – and in the lives of my soon to be family. I talked about the fact that I had just been laid off from my third ‘dream job’ and I unwittingly had planned this new beginning on a day when so so much for so so many…. had ended. I talked about the fact that soon after, we found out that Rylee was on her way and we bought our first home.

And then I (finally) discussed my career – the one thing I was actually asked to do.

The thought I hope I left with them is the same one I hope to leave with whomever reads this blog… As my child and her friends are moving into high school, they are already beginning to shape their futures. They are making choices that will ultimately affect their adult lives. With love, encouragement and lots of prayer, this generation of youngsters can realize fulfilling lives and careers that can (and I believe) should be the cumulative sum of as many of their life experiences as their little hearts desire. I wished for them – at very least, the degree of success that I enjoy today… and so! much! more!! And you may ask how success might be defined…

My answer… “When your 14 year old daughter is proud of you and says that you impressed her and all of her friends on career day!!!”

Week one of my sabbatical was a complete blur.  It started out with the death of my beautiful niece Maelee Grace Sanchez.  She was born premature at twenty two weeks and was a fighter from day one. 

  She surprised the doctors and nurses with each passing day of her short life.  Sadly, she died on May 13^th 2017 from an infection.  Our family is heartbroken and completely devastated.  We take comfort in knowing that God will carry us through every storm in life. He will give us strength to make it.  We serve an awesome God.  Please continue to pray for my nephew Carlos, my niece Brandy, and all of our family.

The rest the week was consumed with wedding planning.  This was a first for Vera and me and let me tell you….it was crazy.  The wedding was beautiful and a huge success.  I am definitely glad that it is behind us now.  The three highs from the wedding are, escorting my beautiful daughter down the aisle, father-daughter dance, and we were truly amazed by all the people that helped make this event possible.  Vera and I will be forever grateful.

“Many men go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

– Thoreau

This is what I tell myself on days I don’t catch any fish. Fishing for trout is vastly different from fishing for bass (what I’ve done much more of recently) – flies smaller than my pinky fingernail disappear in moving water and easily spooked trout will turn their noses up at your offering if it’s not presented perfectly, or if it’s not the right color, or if the sun casts your shadow over them, or if you breathe too heavily…

I had a lot of rust to shake off, but I’m going to do better tomorrow; I can feel it!

It is COLD in Colorado at night… my mind thinks summer, but my numb toes this morning screamed winter! I’m about 9,000 feet above sea level, and there are stubborn patches of snow a mere stone’s throw from my campsite!

I spent time last night and this morning in the Word. I’m reading through Luke, and any time I read about angels appearing to people I chuckle. Not because it’s silly, but because every instance I can think of describes the sheer terror or the folks to whom the angel revealed himself. What creatures angels must be to make humans “like dead men” by just showing up.

I’m headed back up the mountain for another chilly night. Thankfully, I’ve got firewood and I brought lots of socks to layer!

I spent this past weekend in Houston with my mom and sister. It’s no fun being so far away from family members, especially when you’re as close-knit as we are. We spent all day Friday doing your typical girly things. We woke up early and went a class at a cycling studio. They definitely know how to make you sweat! After we got ready for the day, we went to the cutest little brunch restaurant. It was straight out of a dream! Despite the humidity (yuck), we sat outside and just enjoyed chatting and catching up. After brunch we went to visit the Menil Collection, which is fairly new art museum, got manicures and pedicures, and enjoyed a nice trip to the local Cat Café. I know you’re wondering, “What on earth is a Cat Café?!” And “Did I read that correctly?!” Yes, you did! Basically, cats are adopted from the Houston Humane Society and brought to the Cat Café. You pay a small entry fee and go into a cute little café that just happens to also have 12 cats in it. Now I know this sounds absolutely terrible to some people, but it is pretty wonderful to a cat/animal lover! The whole point is to get all of the cats adopted and taken to their forever homes. They’re really popular in foreign counties, especially Japan. I could honestly go on and on about the Cat Café (weird, I know), but I don’t want to sound too cat-ladyish. You can ask me about it next week if you’re interested. 🙂 Anyway, we did LOTS of girly things, and I loved every second of it.

My trip home was extended about 15 hours thanks to American Airlines. FYI, if your plane lands on time, but doesn’t de-board for another 30 minutes due to technical difficulties and you miss your connecting flight because of it, it’s your own fault and not American Airlines. So there I was, stuck in DFW at 10:00pm alone. Luckily, I have some really wonderful friends that live near the airport that let me stay with them, and it was super great to catch up with them. I caught the earliest flight out the next morning and am back in good ol’ Potosi. I have lots to catch up on this week before I fly out to Denver on Friday. Joe and I are going to enjoy a nice, long weekend in the mountains before the end of my sabbatical. I can’t wait to update you guys on how it goes!

It has been a little over three weeks since I started my Sabbatical and it has taken about this long for me not to think about what I have to do at work tomorrow. I had to constantly remind myself that I wasn’t going to work tomorrow. It finally started to sink in this last week and I can honestly say it felt calming and I felt relaxed. I felt bad for leaving people all my responsibilities but this last week I came to the realization that I needed to trust the people that took on my responsibilities and know that everything is going to be okay.

Trust has been a very big part of my Sabbatical. For instance, trusting my parents and in-laws to take care of Duke (my 3 week old son) while Christina and I went on a date! It felt so nice to actually have an adult conversation with Christina because those have been few and far between these past few weeks. Don’t get me wrong, Christina and I have been communicating a lot these past few weeks, but our conversations have usually consisted of wondering if Duke has a dirty diaper or when was the last time Duke ate? So, all that to say, we had a great time just the two of us and it was really nice to talk to Christina in a different setting. Now, back to this trusting my parents and in-laws thing. It’s so funny that we had somewhat of a hard time leaving him by himself with our parents. I’m pretty sure they raised us pretty well. I don’t think we should have anything to worry about. Yet, nevertheless, we still have to trust them with our son.

I can’t tell you how much I am thankful for my parents, siblings and in-laws for helping us out when we’ve needed a break or possibly just a nap. It makes me so happy and blessed to know that my family is there for Christina, Duke and I. Those little breaks that they’ve given us over the course of the last few weeks may seem like nothing to them but to us, they’ve been the best thing since the invention of sliced bread. I don’t know why God has blessed me with such great parents, in-laws, and siblings but He has and I am forever grateful.

Here is a quick update on the Dukemeister. He is slowly starting to sleep better and better at night. For the past few nights, we have been able to sleep about 4 hours in between his feedings which when that happens, we literally feel like we can conquer anything that next day. Yes, I will have to admit, the requirement of 8 hours of sleep is not exactly happening every night. But, it’s hard to blame my little bundle of joy for that! He is also growing and growing sooo fast! We are about to move out of newborn diapers and move into size 1 diapers. He is really starting to fill out and become a little “Michelin Man.” I think this will be the only time in his life that I am wanting him to get as fat as possible. The more rolls he has the better! Keep on eating like a champ buddy!

Last week, we also did Duke’s newborn pictures. We had Kelly Gilgenbach do Duke’s newborn pictures and Kelly really did an awesome job. If you need to do family photos, school pictures, newborn photos, wedding photos, maternity photos and pretty much any other type of photo, Kelly is the man for the job! He is incredible at creating lasting images that you will hold on to forever. Here are a couple of his photo shots for your viewing pleasure!

Talk soon!

As you can guess from the title of this blog… the first week of my sabbatical was very memorable. The 30 days started off with getting our 3 boys packed in the car and driving 14 hours from Abilene to Destin Florida. It was quite the adventure! From changing diapers to changing the overhead movie in the car, to getting hit in the back of the head with a sippy cup, we finally arrived at our destination. The beaches were absolutely perfect and to say the water was beautiful would be an understatement. We spent the next couple of days, swimming, building sand castles and playing bean bag toss with total strangers in the hot Florida sun. Even with 3 boys under the age of 5, it was pretty relaxing, but the fun didn’t stop there. It was on the 4th day that the excitement really began. My brother-in-law had informed me earlier that he wanted to catch a shark, but I really thought he might be joking…oh he wasn’t! We purchased about $200 worth of fishing gear (with our 7 day Florida fishing license) and once the sun had set, we headed out for the beach (isn’t it more fun to do dangerous things at night?) We had heard that most people shark fish by casting their line from the shore…. Not us, we got in a Kayak and headed out with the line, hook, weight and a bloody fish head and got out as far as we could and dropped it…then headed back to shore as fast as we could without tipping the Kayak over (we might have made the morning paper if that would have happened). Needless to say, after repeating the same process 3 times and 2 hours later, we caught us a bonafide reef shark! It was pretty exhilarating reeling him up to shore, and it was an experience i’ll never forget. (Don’t worry, we released the shark after catching him). The rest of the vacation was absolutely wonderful and i’m just so thankful and grateful for the opportunity to experience the Sabbatical. I have been reading the book “Not I but Christ” by Watchman Nee and to say that it has been transformative would be an understatement. I am extremely excited about continuing in the book and seeing what the Lord will reveal to me in the next 3 weeks.

-Aaron

Video of the Shark Catch is below:

My time on sabbatical has allowed me such good, quality family time. Since I just got married, there’s a lot of family bonding to do. Because I have a son, it’s not just about me and my new hubby, but it’s about the three of us learning to be a family. My time off work has allowed me to pick up Jackson everyday after school. The other day Jackson told me he loves all this extra time we’ve been getting to spend together. It breaks my heart that I don’t get to have all this time with him all the time, but I am forever thankful for this sabbatical, this gift.

Most of this first week has been spent doing some of the things I put off until I had my Sabbatical… Although, I am beginning to think I was optimistic about how long a month really is.

I had to get car/motorcycle/trailers inspected and registered on Wednesday and Thursday. I live in Tuscola. This took most of those two days. (I think I may have a ‘municipal gridlock’ theme going here)

Additionally, end of year school stuff and Rylee’s theater and dance rehearsals has us running all over town constantly. Add clearing out the garage, cutting the grass, getting groceries…  Sometimes I think I could make a full time job out of just the stuff I do in addition to work.

Lisa and I were both starting to become scared and frustrated as we watched this first week vanish instantly before our very eyes.

But then I realized something… Things were a little different. I had slept. I don’t usually do much of that, but I was at least getting some rest. And sure, I was crazy-busy running all of these errands and shuttling our daughter all over creation, but at least I could. I actually had the time. Just like participating in jury duty, I had the time to do the things I needed to do – without taking away from something else.

I believe that much of the stress that we feel is exponentially compounded by how it affects our other stressors. For example, going to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist causes me some degree of stress. Having to do it during business hours (because that’s when the dentist’s office is open) tends to compound that stress – exponentially. Having an unexpected volleyball game, and a client with an issue that needs my attention – even further compounded…. You get the idea.

All of that to say that I am finding peace in having the ability to be intentional and to be present while performing the tasks at hand. I am trying to avoid my natural behavior of trying to be more than one place at a time… trying.

I am hopeful that this will of use to me as I prepare for a very long week of work for my service project.

I’ve received numerous jury summons over the years – but for one reason or another, I have never actually gone. Not because I’ve shirked my civic responsibility, but it just never worked out… until day one of my Sabbatical.

I jokingly remarked on the timing; thinking, “That figures!” But, after giving it some thought, and remembering to allow myself to be where God and chance put me as a part of this Sabbatical process, I decided to embrace it.

I will spare you the details as I think that the only thing more boring than having endured this would be for you – as a reader of this blog, to hear me talk about it.

But, here are the highlights:

I ultimately was not selected – although that decision was not made until 2:30 that day with no lunch break…

The entire case was roughly/hypothetically laid before us in very general expression during the selection phase. If selected, we were to be sworn to abandon all logic and reason and render a decision based only on what was to be presented thereafter.

This was a murder case… My analytical side ablaze…

Now, those of you who know me know that I absolutely cannot sit still – ever. I guess I was sending body language to this effect and caught the prosecutor’s attention. He specifically and directly asked me (and I cannot recall the exact language he used) if I could, without reservation, render a decision given only the facts I was about to be presented. Upon thinking about it only briefly due to his somewhat rude prompting, I had to answer, “no”. Seven or eight other potential jurors had answered “yes”prior to me. I was the first “no”.

A hush fell over the courtroom (I always wanted to say that and have it mean something)…

I was not prepared to enter into what quickly should have become a brief debate with a professional litigator, so as not to be too disruptive to this process, I responded by simply saying, “You asked me a question. I gave you my answer.” He prodded further by grilling me in front of this group, “You mean to tell me…………” I don’t remember the rest. My angry ears don’t always hear so well – and I did not engage.

After that, several of the next few potential jurors were asked the very same question. There were now several “no’s”, and even more ranting from the state prosecutor until he shortly thereafter gave up this particular line of questions and moved on.

As I said, I was not selected. Part of me was a little bit angry for having this experience ruined by this guy. But, the larger part of me was just frustrated with my own inability to deal with the fact that so much of we do as participants in society – in being human, continues to be reduced to such a low common denominator by those in authority – only so that it can presumably be practiced and understood by one and all. I know it’s the greatest system in the world, but I left the experience… underwhelmed.

Underwhelmed… and thankful.

This morning I begin a journey to camp and fly fish in western Colorado – despite a few obstacles and some apprehension on my end!  I’m so grateful for the chance to spend some time alone with my Creator, in an environment where I often feel closest to Him.  I’m not sure I’ll ever get a chance to do something like this (on my own) again!

In advance of this trip, it was great to spend a weekend with the kiddos.  We (and by “we” I mean “I” – but the kids were good sports) volunteered to paint faces at the Baird Railhead Festival with Palette of Purpose, the art nonprofit I work with.

I painted SO many unicorns (including one on my daughter’s arm) and SO many ninja masks I went cross-eyed… but it was fun to talk to kids about art and make jokes about messing up the designs.  The look of terror on a kid’s face when he thinks I painted a unicorn instead of a dragon is pretty priceless.

Ciao from Rome!

A few months back, I was at the early stages of deciding where I wanted to go during my sabbatical time to get away. I initially was going to plan a trip to Europe (a few different counties) alone, as I didn’t know anyone that could take time off to accompany me for an extended period. A few weeks later I found out that some friends in Austin were actually planning somewhat of the same trip so we aligned our itineraries! This past week has been an exciting and culture filled week to say the least.

I started my week in Barcelona taking in so much of what this Spanish city had to offer. I was able to see and pray in Segrada Família, the chapel in Barcelona that has taken over 140 years to build and STILL is not complete, but will be finished in 2026 (talk about a long project!). Along with meeting interesting people from around the world, I’ve been able to create stronger relationships with some of the friends I came with on this trip. An awesome accomplishment was talking to my friend, Emily, about the meaning behind why we participate in Sabbaticals and how this is a time to strengthen your faith. She has joined me in my devotional and the time that I take in a day to give thanks and receive the message, it’s been truly powerful.

I am now in Rome trying to fit as much site-seeing as I can in a matter of two and a half days (HA!). One of the most memorable parts of Rome has been seeing the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican and being able to stand in silence at Michelangelo’s magnificent creation inside. No pictures were allowed, which was great because in 2017 it gave everyone an excuse to stay off their phones even if it was just for 20 minutes.

One of the best lessons from Rome has been taking things slow and enjoying the moment. Meals here last a long time so that a meal is a social gathering, rather than eating in front of a television as fast as you can. The culture here is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered, full of love and hospitality. And yes, every meal is the best meal I’ve EVER had!!! I’m an Italian food fanatic.

We’re heading to Lisbon, Portugal this week and back to Barcelona to finish out the trip.

Bye for now!

I began my service project this week. I have been working with Meals On Wheels delivering meals and groceries to those in need. Having a nutritious meal each day is something I take for granted because I haven’t faced the obstacles many of these folks do. Most of the recipients of this service are elderly and simply cannot so for themselves like they once did. I was first introduced to this service through FDLIC. I love visiting with each of these people when I’m delivering. They are always so grateful and thankful. I believe God had called us as Christians to take care of others in need, especially giving respect to our elderly. And I am so thankful for the opportunity given to me to be able to do this for others. Still feels like I’m living in a dream. 🙂

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40

Hello, friends!

I cannot believe I have already been on sabbatical for over two weeks! I also can’t believe that I’m just now blogging! And that just means I have lots to talk about. 🙂

I spent my first few days just completely relaxing and taking it all in. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, and I spent time each day on my porch swing with The Purpose Driven Life in hand. I am enjoying reading this book so much. It is really helping put some things into perspective for me.

On Friday, May 5^th I helped deliver for Meals on Wheels with Emily. It barely took us an hour to pick up and deliver the meals, yet the people who received the meals were so incredibly grateful. If you are ever on the fence about volunteering with Meals on Wheels, DO IT! It takes such a small piece of your time, and makes a pretty significant difference to others.

Last week I spent most of my afternoons and evenings at Camp Able. I had the pleasure of sitting down one afternoon with Renee, their founder. I could listen to her talk for HOURS. Seriously, y’all. This woman is amazing and easily one of the most passionate people I have ever met. She has, without a doubt, found her purpose in life and has changed so many lives in doing so. We had quite a few children come out to ride last week, and I was privileged with leading some of them on rides. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous leading horses around while small children were riding them, but I quickly overcame my anxiety! You can instantly see the children perk up and positively change their attitudes when they ride these horses. Equine therapy is a pretty magical and fascinating to experience. It was honestly even therapeutic for me! I even got to make some new [furry] friends. 🙂

This past weekend was all about celebrating my husband, Joe. He graduated with his MBA (hooray!) and also turned 30! We hosted some out-of-town friends and had a fantastic time attending Western Heritage, sharing memories, and just being thankful for Joe. We were also able to spend some great time with Joe’s mom for Mother’s Day. I didn’t get to see my mom, unfortunately, but I will get to see her this weekend! I’ll be flying down to Houston to spend some much-needed, quality time with my mom and sister. I cannot wait!

I have had such an amazing last couple of weeks. So much has been going on, and I am so thankful to say that I am still feeling rested!

Spent the weekend with my son for Mother’s Day. It was a tough weekend for my husband, we lost his mother last year. I’m looking forward to this week, tomorrow I set out to pick up my dad from Thornberry. He will spent the rest of the week with us at the lake. On the 19th we will be hanging out at the VFW for game day, a day for us to spend time helping and visiting with the elderly in our community. I can not tell a lie we will be spending some quality father daughter time fishing off the doc. It will be nice to hang out with dad, he has a hard time getting around these days but we have a golf cart here so we should be ok. I thank god that I have this time to spend with my family life is short but gods love is long. Father thank you for all you do, thank you for the fathers that teach us, the mothers that love us, and the soldiers that protect us, it is in your sons name we pray, amen!

Well…perhaps my vision of the service aspect of my project was a little ambitious.  Unlike those of God’s children who are suffering each day and available for us to help, helping grieving children and families is a little more indirect (at least what I’m trying to do).  The challenge I have had is that there are individuals involved that have schedules…and, often times their schedules are dictated by those who sign their checks.  Anyway, through several phone calls, meetings and emails, I do have some GOOD traction on providing publicity for Children’s Grief.  Rather than beat myself up over reaching the finish line with my service project prior to the end of my Sabbatical, I realize this will continue to be an ongoing project.  And, I’m very excited for the seeds I’ve planted and the potential to work with MN Bound and Due North outdoors.  This dedicated time I’ve had has really provided me with an opportunity to learn more about how to navigate through the media industry and I’m confident we’ll get there some day.

Last week I mentioned that I was going on a fishing trip with my dad…and, we went.  We traveled to and fished Devils Lake in North Dakota and the ‘Devil’ definitely wasn’t there.  It’s amazing how when you embrace the fact that God wants us to be happy and to enjoy each other, the devil is nowhere to be found, isn’t it?  Simple concept but incredibly powerful.  It was simply amazing for a couple of reasons.  First, the fishing was very good which generally isn’t the case.  However, us fishermen keep going in hopes we’ll have a trip like the one I enjoyed last week with my Dad.  Second, I really enjoyed spending time with my dad.  We talked about a lot of personal things and bonded in a way I didn’t think was possible.  Over the years, our differing opinions on MOST issues has really prevented us from gaining a deeper appreciation for each other.  My strategy?  Listen and leave the criticism at home.  With my guard down, our time together was so much more enjoyable.  And, I could tell he was in a better place as well.    BTW…just the 2 of us caught 35 Walleyes and over 100 northern pike in 2 days.  That’s pretty good fishing but they said the walleyes are only just starting to bite.  Here are some pics:

Notice in the picture with my Dad cleaning fish…the pan to his left.  Those are all walleye fillets.  We finished off the last day with some shore lunch.  Absolutely one of my favorite trips of all time!

Also have been spending a lot of time with Ben and Will (Ben mostly as he only has school 3 days a week) and helping coach Ben’s baseball team.  In exchange, Ben has been helping me with fixing and chores around the house.  And, in place of my exercise for several days I traded the treadmill for a landscaping project.  Believe me…the landscaping was much more rigorous.  Helpers pictured below including my dog Indy.

On a final note, I’ll end my Sabbatical with some pictures of my Daughter’s graduation day.  She and her long time boyfriend Adam graduated from the University of Minnesota Liberal Arts college and commencement was this past Sunday.  I’m so proud of those two and know they both have bright futures ahead.  Adam is an expert with video production and photography and Regan is much like her mom and excels with organization and event planning.  She starts next week at Life Source in Minneapolis part time to continue to build her skill set and resume.

I’m truly grateful for having had this Sabbatical opportunity.  I really have come a long way in a short period of time and really feel fresh, renewed and blessed (and a little sore from my landscaping).  The rest and reflection opportunity was something I just haven’t had time to consider in the past.  And, without the barrier of everyday business in my way, I’ve been able to learn a lot about myself, enhance relationships and establish a vision for me to work toward.  The book Wild at Heart is really a good book (Thanks for the referral., Todd) and I’m ready to start another.  Although I still probably prefer fixing carburetors over reading.

To those that are coming, I look forward to seeing you at MFDA convention next week.  For those who are not, hopefully I’ll be lucky enough to see you this summer either at the sales meeting or on a VIP trip.

God Bless!

Scott

Hello!!!

I feel like you’ve already found out a lot about my 2 week mini-sabbatical if you’ve been reading Kyle’s blogs. I did a lot of praying about a full sabbatical vs a mini-sabbatical. I just felt like I really needed to do a mini-sabbatical and I am very gracious I was able to take part of this. As you probably know, our first week was spent in Disney World with Kynlee. As cliche as it sounds, it really was “magical”. Disney World has their “stuff” figured out and they know how to treat people. I couldn’t get out of my “customer service” role and I appreciated their kindness and patience more than some people probably would. True customer service is rare and I’m proud to say we work at one of those rare places! This week at Disney World was something we will never forget!

While we were in Disney World my mom had called and told me that my Uncle Tom had decided to go on Hospice Care and was going to stop taking blood. He had Myleofibrosis and had been sick for several years. For the last several months he had to go get “new blood” every other day or he would be completely lethargic. My uncle passed away last Monday (a few days after we got back from Disney World). I had planned on doing Meals on Wheels the week we returned from Disney World but those plans changed. My mom was absolutely distraught over the loss of her older brother. My dad is 79 and was unable to attend the service which was in Houston. Kyle & I spent last week taking care of my mom before she left for Houston and stayed back and took care of dad while mom was gone. This was definitely unexpected but God knew what he was doing. It honestly couldn’t have happened in better timing (all God!). I had a week to devote to loving and caring for my parents and family and that is something I wouldn’t have normally been able to do. Uncle Tom’s service was recorded and was ABSOLUTELY the most beautiful service I have ever seen. He had preplanned everything (in the typical Tom fashion) and had a full choir in their robes, a trumpet player that played “The Lord’s Prayer” and a violin player that played “It Is Well”. He spent a huge part of his life serving South Main Baptist Church as their Minister of Administration and the place was packed with people that absolutely loved and adored him. Couldn’t have been more beautiful!

We have all heard that you don’t plan for your Sabbatical but the Lord will show you what you will be doing and that couldn’t have been more true! Thank you for this opportunity!!!

This week is all about family.

After finding out that the annual family beach trip was cancelled, we were saddened to say the least. However, as plans would have it, my Uncle graciously offered to let us stay in his house in California. The trick would be getting there. With less than a weeks worth of preparation, we set off on a 1600 mile adventure with a 10 month old in the back seat.

On the way, we were able to stop in the Mojave Desert and Joshua Tree National Park.

Two days and 25 hours later, we finally made it and I am writing this to you on the porch of a lovely cottage about a mile from some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.

Even though this is not what we had originally planned, it was a great way to find a moment of peace and time to reflect on what God is doing in me and my family. It is also a great way to reconnect with my Uncle and spend time with him before his cancer treatment begins.

John Calvin, as quoted by Piper in Desiring God, says, “If God contains the fullness of all good things in himself like an inexhaustible fountain, nothing beyond him is to be sought by those who strike after the highest good and all the elements of happiness.”

There is great joy to be found in family trips, California, and seeing my son experience the ocean for the first time, but all of those pale in comparison to the immeasurable joy we can experience as we worship the Father. As Piper puts it: “Happiness in God is the end of all our seeking.”

One of the best things about this sabbatical is it allows for us to make time for the things we should always be making time for: seeking the face of the Father in everything that we do. My prayer is that when our sabbatical month is over and we return to “normal” that our lives would be anything but normal. Is it possible that our problem is not pleasure itself, but that our desire for pleasure is too weak? We settle for the short-lived pleasures (a new car, a vacation, television) and have lost sight of what it means to worship the eternal Father. May we use our sabbaticals to remind us of where our true desire can be found.

I am happy to say that my last 7 days have been spent relaxing, reading, and enjoying some rare one on one time with Kelsey. It has probably been close to a year since I have got to spend an entire week with my wife where it is just me and her. It was great!!  We went and played golf, which hasn’t happened in a few years, got to go to an early matinee, and even spent a few days walking around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, towards the end of the week Kelsey’s uncle passed away in Houston. He officiated our wedding and will truly be missed.

Now the hard part of my sabbatical begins…I have to be by myself. Kelsey goes back to work tomorrow and I can’t help but think what these next two weeks are going to look like. I’m almost halfway through my book “Marriage on the Rock” and I’m a bit indifferent so far. There have been some points that have been spot on for me and others I can’t quite grasp onto yet. I’m hoping to finish it by the end of next week.

I can’t wait to see what is in store for me over these next two weeks. I know that anything I plan will be thwarted by what God has in store for me. I’m just along for the ride.

Hint #2: I bet you thought I forgot about you all didn’t you? Well the key hides behind doors that have been owned by more than one. They lay beneath a ball of fun. 

**BONUS**

If you get this right and tell me the answer at kickball you will get a 3rd hint. What is brown and sticky?

Well people, I guess it’s back to reality for this gal. I spent last week getting ready for my big day. The week flew by, but it was all worth it. My wedding day was absolutely perfect and I’m a married woman now!

The day after the wedding Brad and I whisked away to Cozumel. We’ve spent the week touring the island, snorkeling, laying on the beach, and watching sunsets. It’s a rough life, but someone’s got to do it! 🙂

As I sit in this Mexican airport waiting for our flight, I am reminded of how good God is. He has done so many things in my life, especially over the past few years. I have the best job in the world, and I’m married to the most wonderful man. There is so much to be thankful for. I feel like I’m in a dream.

That’s right folks. My service project has been an ongoing service project my whole Sabbatical so far. That service project being changing diapers! In all honesty, I feel like I’ve never been more blessed than right now.

I’ve really been able to focus on spending good, quality time with my family and that’s all a brand new father could ask for. This Sabbatical has been exactly what I needed in this time of my life.

As far as what has been happening since my last post, well, not a whole lot. Christina and I have been just trying to get the hang of this “parenting” thing. I’ve heard it’s a work in progress. We’ve been trying to get out of the house at least once a day, though, to make sure the sun is still shining and what not. The good news is that Duke absolutely loves car rides!

This last week we went over to Christina’s parents house for Cinco de Mayo and that was a blast! It’s always fun to get together with family and drink margaritas! Don’t worry, we didn’t drink too many because, well, we have a baby to take home with us at night now. Over the next few days we spent time over at my parents’ house and also went to see my sister’s and brother-in-law’s new house too! My older sister, Amanda, has a two year old and he was finally able to meet Duke and they hit it off great! I mean Graham talked to Duke and Duke just sat there but I could definitely feel the love between those two cousins!

As much as I love talking about my son, I wanted to share with you all another interesting event that happened this week. Over the last few months, I have been training an 8th grade girl in track. She has been a lot of fun to coach and we are hopefully just starting our coach/athlete relationship. The reason I tell you this, is because last week, her dad called me and told me that last weekend, his step-dad passed away unexpectedly at the age of 64. He said they had no idea what to do after he passed and didn’t realize that there was so much that had to happen when someone passed away. How many times have we heard this in our profession?! So, he started asking me questions and wanting to know how to get his own plans in order. He and his wife are in their early 40’s but because of this traumatic experience, he wanted to get his plans in order so that his kids wouldn’t have to worry about doing the things he was having to do over the last few weeks for his step-dad.

It’s amazing how God works you guys. I started a relationship with this family a couple of months ago and because of the profession that I am in and since I have a license to sell preneed in the state of Texas, I was able to sit down and meet with them and share with them the importance of pre-planning. It all made sense to them once we had finished our conversation. He said, “Man, I wish I would’ve met with you about 3 weeks ago!” I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard of families having to go through a traumatic experience before they realize they need us and the funeral home. As sad as all of the traumatic experiences are, this is why I love being a part of this company and this industry. You see, we are able to impact so many lives with the work that we do every day. Regardless of what department you are in, you ALL play a role in helping families get through one of the worst days of their lives.

Anyways, I think my service project kind of changed after I started thinking about it. It went from dirty diapers to being able to serve this family with two priceless gifts that their family won’t hopefully be opening until many many years down the road. But one thing is for certain, when the family does have to open those two gifts, FDLIC and the funeral home will be able to give them peace of mind knowing that all their parents’ plans have already been taking care of because of a decision they made 40 years ago to prearrange and prefund their funerals with a preneed insurance policy through FDLIC.

God is awesome and I can’t thank Him enough for all the many blessings he has given my family and I.

Until next time FD family!

P.S. here are some more pictures to help you get through the Monday woes next week!

This past weekend my husband drove me to Oklahoma City for a birthday weekend with my family. We enjoyed hours of family time and on Saturday I shared a birthday party with my uncle. It was great food, great friends and family and the biggest surprise was my little sister driving down from South Carolina. It was a weekend I won’t soon forget.  Even if it was for a few days I felt like I was on top of the world.  It’s been amazing to spend that time with my son.  He doesn’t get to visit with family very often and that was a huge thing when I was growing up.  We all said we would try harder to make this happen.  So now we already have two visits planned within the next two months.

Psalm 55:14

We who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of god  in the throng

Hello, friends!

Week one of my sabbatical is done and I’ve learned/been reminded of a couple things. The first is that I’m not as good at relaxing as I thought I was. The first couple of days of my sabbatical, I spent thinking about customers, admin work, and the people on my team. It’s difficult to change such a frequent weekly routine! The next lesson I was reminded of is that MY plan isn’t always God’s plan for me. After a full week, I can say that I’ve haven’t felt this peaceful in a very long time.

My week started with diving back into a daily devotional (Jesus Calling) and reading more about God’s intentions for me in this world. It has felt amazing, being that I have unfortunately failed at allotting much time to this lately. The love that God has for me and everyone (despite our flaws) never fails to leave me speechless, and motivate me to be more like the person He wants me to be.

I also made it back home to Abilene for a few days, which hasn’t happened since Christmas. I love the feeling of coming home after an extended period. The reason I went to Abilene was to spend time with my parents (long overdue) and to volunteer at a few places that I knew of in the community. The humbling visit was exactly what I needed at this point in my life.

I volunteered a few days this past week at the Food Bank of West Central Texas, helping the team there receive shipments, prep for outgoing deliveries, and organization of the stock. I can honestly say that before I actually started, I was hesitant to spend my time here because I had the preconceived idea that this wasn’t as important as other volunteer opportunities I could be partaking in. After a few days there, I realized that helping here was just as important as any other organization I could be giving my time at. This food bank serves a total of 13 counties and helps pantries all over west central Texas give food to people in need in their communities. I was directed by a lady here named Becky, and it was really great to see someone so passionate about what they do.

I also gave my time for a morning at Beltway Park Baptist Church. My dad volunteers most weeks here by helping prep and cook the Wednesday night dinners, and this week I asked if I could join. This was also very needed for me. Living in Austin now, I truly do miss the tranquil feeling of walking into Beltway and worshiping with my family. I was able to spend a few hours with my dad while also giving back to the church and lending a hand to prepare dinner for over 300 people.

I ended my week by traveling to Dallas and spending time with friends that I haven’t seen in quite some time, and even mended a relationship that I didn’t realize was strained in the process.

I plan to read the book, The Go-Giver, this week. I’ve heard great things about it from friends who have already read this. After this book, I plan to re-read a couple of books that I think it’s time to look back on from when I participated in the Leadership Development Academy. The books I read during that time positively impacted me and I think revisiting a few will help polish up my sales skills for post-sabbatical world.

I am so thankful and blessed to work for such a great company that allows me to participate in a sabbatical. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this month has in store for me.

After getting back home on Saturday, it was obvious we needed to take the next two days to recoup from our adventures last week. Kynlee needed to get back on her schedule and we needed to get back into a routine. Only problem is, I don’t know how to get in a routine that doesn’t involve work. Even as I’m writing this, it feels like I will be getting up at my normal time and stepping right back into my daily routine to get to work. It is going to feel strange in the morning when that doesn’t happen and even stranger when it doesn’t happen 23 more mornings. It is crazy how we crave routines and I’m excited to see what new routines I pick up over the next 23 days.  I will leave you with a fantastic quote I got from John Maxwell which is my inspiration for the coming days.

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.”

– John C Maxwell

It has been a busy week! I spent my volunteer time with the Grace Museum working on whatever they wanted me to do. I had two main projects:

The first project was installing shelving in their children’s wing of the museum. They plan on using them to hold artwork and sculptures that children create while there. Dont worry, that is where they wanted them. 🙂

The second project (and much more time consuming) was to catalog book donations to the Grace. One donor had given her entire collection of 2000 books. I counted how many were paper back and hardcover. I also had to record the title, author, and illustrator of each book.

The week went by very quickly, but it was exciting to give back to a museum that I had grown up loving and spending so much time at.

In regards to my devotions, John Piper writes in his book Desiring God, “I know of no other way to triumph over sin long-term than by faith to die with Christ to our seductions, that is, to gain a distaste for them because of a superior satisfaction in God.”

My goal for this sabbatical is to rediscover the immense joy and delight that God brings to his children. It is not just the things He does that should bring us joy, but who he is. Psalm 16:11 says, “You make known to me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Our ultimate joy and pleasure is to be found in God and nothing else because it only makes sense. Why else would we seek fleeting satisfaction in anything else when God is allowing us to partake of eternal satisfaction in his presence? I am praying that God let this truth sink in and help me, and all of us, to begin living more like our joy is found in nothing else but to be in the presence of the Lord.

Wow, this week really flew by. I have had a terrific week and have enjoyed every minute of it. Tuesday and most of Wednesday I was going through the pictures I had taken and making sure the names on the markers aligned with my notes. I also needed to compile a list of pictures that I thought needed to be re-taken. I have learned I am not a great photographer but for the most part the pictures were good. Thursday and Friday Butch and Kim (sisters) took off work to help me and be a part of the project. A huge part might I add and a debt of gratitude is owed to them. Not only for taking off of work but for helping me now and in the future until the project is finished.

Thursday, Butch drove from Sonora, about 2 1/2 hours, arriving around noon. The three of us drove to Breckenridge first. We wanted to go to the courthouse to get a copy of the deed to the cemetery and see what other things we could scrounge up. In an earlier life Butch had done some land work thus knew more about what we needed to ask. So she took the lead on this. We soon learned she probably knew more than the very sweet young woman at the court house. However, while we were standing there, a landman named Lucas Knickerbocker, from Ft. Worth who happened to be working in the area, volunteered his time to help. He not only pulled out the county maps but also said we needed to go the abstract office and look for some records. He told  us they charged $150 an hour, minimum of 1 hour for us to do our own research. I was taken back a bit at that amount. He said he had about 45 minutes on his time left and he was more than willing to help us on his dime. So off we go to the abstract office where we were able to get a copy of the warranty deed that was done in 1909 and later another acre in 1983. He then suggested we try the tax appraisal office for assistance with other documents. As we thought, no disrespect intended, they were useless.

We continued our day by driving out to the cemetery to meet Mr. and Mrs. Cooke. They have a rough sketch of the new part of the cemetery. I do mean rough, basically a piece of paper with with crude squares and names written by hand. I can only imagine what the old part will look like as we have not seen it as yet. None the less it was already 3 pm and we had not even started on cleaning off markers and re-taking some of the pictures.

As we started down the rows, Kim was cleaning off the markers that were covered with dirt and grass. It only made good sense for this to be her job since she is only 4′ 10″ and was much closer to the ground! 🙂 Butch was in charge of going down the list telling us who was next and I was taking pictures. Sometimes we were standing hip to hip hats off shoulders reared back trying to block the sun. The term we were using was “I need a 2 butt block!” On we went row after row sometimes together and sometimes off on our own hummers reading markers and taking note of so many children and the numerous soldiers including one from the Civil War or better known in the South as the War of Northern Aggression.

Kim was down the row from us cutting back some overgrown lantanas and gladiolas that were blocking the name on the marker. All of sudden Kim starts screaming ” Help me, Help me, my foot is in the grave” I am doubled over laughing trying to run down there. She told me to quit laughing and help her. My reply was….as soon as I take your picture! She had literally fallen in a hole at the head of the grave. One leg was was in the ground up to her knee! It almost scared her into residency! Of course she was thinking snakes and I was thinking she missed a prime opportunity for a practical joke. The only other incident was I was viciously attacked by 1 of 3 things; a flying marauder with no buzz, a minuscule one fang snake or a very nasty spider with an attitude. No real lasting effects except for a small hole and about a 4 x 5″ red spot that is warm to the touch and really itches.
We later drove down the road a spell to where the original school building still sits. Of course over the years upgrades (no pun intended), have been done and it was used for a while as a community center. It is now in disrepair and is over grown with weeds. We decided to go ahead on the dirt road journey driving through Moran and on into Cisco; driving over the recently completed bridge that had been washed away not too long ago. We stopped down where the old Cisco pool use to be along with the old zoo and vacation cabins. I found it to be rather creepy. Butch was very disappointed in the shape of it. A funny note on Butch, her sight has never been her strongest sense and as she was taking pictures of the dilapidated old pool, she pointed to something dead on the ground. I ask her what she was pointing at. She said some kind of big bird that was dead. As we were driving away I stopped next to the offending object, rolling down my window to see. I turned to her and said “for the record, birds to not have long rat like tails. That is a dead opossum.” I may not remember what I went in to the room for, but I will not let her forget that.

Friday we started our morning talking with a gentleman from a company that has software which allows you to log the cemetery data complete with pictures, links and so forth. It is not cheap, but after talking with Miles we are willing to pay the cost.

The rest of the day was for us to just to shop and do whatever we wanted to do. There isn’t anything better than good quality sister time. My day was great.

Even though this project is far from complete it is well on it’s way and we will continue to push forward toward the goal.

It’s interesting how the daily Devotional “Starting your Day Right” by Joyce Meyer and Wild at Heart seem to fit so nicely together with what I’m experiencing (and have yet to experience) on my Sabbatical journey. I mean…why wouldn’t they tie together…they both exclusively leverage scripture to give credibility to the messages and lessons they offer. Todd Carlson recommended the book “Wild at Heart by John Eldredge” to me a few years ago and ‘not being a reader’, I never have read the book…’big mistake’. FD has always encouraged reading since I became employed in 2014. And, with each book study…I’ve always come away enlightened. It’s time to make this a habit. Depending on ‘who’ you ask, it takes anywhere from 21 to 66 days to form a habit. So far so good…12 days of reading each and every day…a Scott Tufto first! What’s really cool is that I actually am starting to crave my reading time each day…hmm…I would have never thought it.

Back to “Wild at Heart”…With the service aspect of my project heavily on my mind I had an epiphany yesterday while reading this book. You’d have to read it to understand, but John Eldredge talks about young men becoming ‘wounded’ at some point in their youth (usually from their fathers). Before you freak out by this, sometimes (most times I think), the wound is unintentional and mostly because of a hand-me-down learned behavior from previous generations of men.  Eldrege continues to explain that boys need to be ‘initiated’ into manhood and how many men today are living without having had this opportunity and therefore are wounded. And yes, a death, especially of a father figure, can cause a wound and cause all kinds of problems later in life. As Eldredge points out: masculinity is an essence that is passed from a father to a son. However, “the true essence of strength is passed to us from God through our union with him.” (BTW…ladies, this is a great read for women as well).  So, the initiation CAN happen through an experience with your father, however, if you are ready and you haven’t had your INITIATION yet, the LORD is ready and waiting to provide you with yours (explained well with ties to scripture in the book).

The light bulb illuminates! – Perhaps Eldredge is EXACTLY what some of our campers need which may also fit in with the CGC working on offering a Christian based program to help grieving families (I need to learn more about this).  Since the service aspect of my project is somewhat without specifics, the nature of it continues to evolve.  Since my last blog, I have connected with Leah McClean from KSTP (http://kstp.com/news/leah-mclean/4182251/) to spread the word on CGC (Children’s Grief Connection).  Also, I have a confirmed appointment with Bill Sherck from MN Bound/Due North Outdoors (http://www.ronscharaproductions.com/bill-sherck/).  So, with some good leads on the networking side in place, I felt a need to connect with Coral P. from CGC and share some of my revelations.  I asked Coral if there was any merit to expanding the CGC camp offerings to also include an outdoor/adventure type activity.  Boom…Coral has many connections with other organizations where she says hiking, camping, rafting, etc…types of activities have huge impacts and troubled youth.  So, what does this all mean?  Bill Sherck is an Eagle Scout, Survivalist and incredible story teller.  There might just be a great fit here between Bill, MN Bound and CGC.  Coral and I are planning on reconnecting and continuing our communication with the hope we can connect with someone who is the RIGHT fit to tell the CGC story and get more grieving families to our camps.

Regarding my Sabbatical…tomorrow I leave for a 3 day fishing trip with my Dad.  I’ve never been on a trip like this before with him and I’m really hopeful we can reconnect and create memories.  Other than my normal daily activities, this past week I have been consumed with spring activities such as tilling the garden, mowing the lawn, cleaning the garage, fertilizing, rebuilding 6 carburetors on the boat, and also taking Ben golfing on his days off from school.  Yesterday, my daughter Regan also joined Ben and me for golf and lunch.  Regan managed to get stung by a bee at the golf course but thank God she is not allergic.  Had it stung me, we may have had problems…Until next time!

God Bless!

Scott

Well, it’s official…we survived Disney World and we had an absolute blast. Today was our last day here and our last day at the park. We made it a point today to hit every ride and character visit we missed the first time through. Surprisingly, we actually missed a lot the first time through.

Today, we hit the bigger rides. We were trying to warm Kynlee up for the bigger rides by starting smaller but to my surprise she actually likes the big roller coasters the best. We finished off the day with the daily parade and one last ride on Big Thunder Mountain. We are all packed up and ready to make our way back to Abilene bright and early tomorrow morning. It will be nice to sleep in my own bed again.

It’s so strange because I keep thinking I’ve got work on Monday and I can’t wait to see everybody. I have to keep reminding myself that I have 25 more days before that is a reality again. Next week is going to be some nice one on one time with Kelsey and I start my book “Marriage on the Rock”. It will be nice to slow things down for a little while.

My sabbatical has been over for a week now and I keep saying I have one last post to do. The good thing about doing the last post after I’ve come back is that I get to see how my time off has affected my “normal” life. I think back to when I first started and how worried I was that I would do it wrong. I think in one conversation with my Mom I said I was worried “I wouldn’t relax right.” Which as a serious Type A (really is there another kind?) seemed not only possible, but probable.
Looking back now, I didn’t do everything I thought I would do and I did some things that certainly weren’t on my list. My kitchen cabinets weren’t touched once (I’m stripping and refinishing them (for 2 years now)), bathroom remodel not completed, and many more projects are still in various stages of completion. But I did read The Blessed Life, went to a bible study here in Lawn with my mom, helped Diane at the food pantry, and had an awesome Mother/Daughter weekend in San Antonio.
I think having so much free time on your hands shows you who you really are when left to your own devices. I still kept a schedule, although not packed and with room to flow as needed. Having OTWH scheduled every Tuesday and Thursday gave me something to look forward to and still have nap time between the Tuesday shift. I still forgot to do my bible study homework a few times and might have been late a time or two to the pantry but I never got wound up or forget to be grateful.
I think that’s what has carried over into my normal life this week. How grateful I am to be able to do, work, play, spend, and give as I do. This Thursday I kept a promise I had made and stopped by Market Street on my way home to pick up this weeks donated items. I like the idea of staying in touch with my community this way. I had been praying that I would find some ministry that would need help this April and that I could continue to help them as I could through the rest of the year.
God calls us to be givers. “God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7. The word cheerful actually comes from the Greek word ‘hilaros’. It’s where we get the word hilarious from. I like thinking about being hilarious in my giving. Cheerful implies I smiled as a I gave, hilarious says I was laughing as I did so. Thinking back through the month spent with other volunteers, family, and friends I can definitely say that I laughed as I gave my time back to God.
I know a lot of ya’ll still have your sabbatical on the horizon. A word of advice? Don’t worry about what you will do, if it will be good enough, or if you will get it all done. Just sit back and laugh at what God is going to bring to you and what you will do for him.

Today was our “rest day” if you can call it that. We started the day sleeping in. Lord knows all 3 of us needed it. Once we got up, we headed down to the pool where we stayed until lunch time.

After lunch, we headed over to Disney Springs where Kynlee had an appointment at the Bippity Boppity Boitique. This is a place where she basically gets a princess makeover. She got her hair done like a princess and got makeup and her nails done. Once again she was in heaven and very adorable! One thing Disney is very good at is making you feel special. Everywhere we went after her makeover the employees would call her princess. Even the bus would announce to everyone that there was a princess on board. They definitely get the little things right!

Then, we headed to dinner and called it a night early, because we have another long day ahead of us tomorrow when we hit Magic Kingdom again.

Today started slow. We were definitely feeling the aftershocks from our adventures yesterday. Around 10 we finally made it to Animal Kingdom where we started it off with the only way you possibly could…with “It’s Tough to be a Bug”. This scared the crap out of Kynlee.

Throughout the day we made our way from ride to ride and capped it off with the Lion King show. At about 3 we called it quits and headed back to the resort for a quick nap before dinner.

For dinner, we headed back to Magic Kingdom and hopped on a boat to The Wilderness Lodge where we had dinner at The Whispering Canyon Cafe. This had to be one of the quirkiest places I have ever eaten at. There were a few oddities at this place. For instance, when we asked for ketchup they asked us if we wanted noisy ketchup. What we found out is when you want ketchup you have to yell “WE WANT THE KETCHUP!”. When that happens, whoever has the ketchup last gets up and brings you every bottle the restaurant has. This continues throughout the restaurant as tables want ketchup.

After dinner, we finished the night off by watching the fireworks from the boat. Tomorrow is a much needed rest day where we will spend the day by the pool.