New Additions to the Agape Golden Family

Our son, Isaac, turned seven in October. For his birthday he had two requests: 1. a golden retriever puppy and 2. stuff for his golden retriever puppy. Never one to disappoint my children, his wishes were granted. We welcomed home Agape Golden's Cosmic Pluto Labor Day weekend... four weeks prior to Isaac's actual birthday. For his party we went "dog wild" but had a "dog gone" good time. The party was held at our local park and was well "dog" themed of course. His cake had a picture of him and Cosmo meeting for the first time and doggie/treat bags were passed out to all guests and their pets. (Pets bags contained tennis balls and dog biscuits.) He had a grand time and is so totally in love with Cosmo.

So then a few weeks later the kids tried to get me to let them have a kitten from a litter at a friends house. I was firm in my answer, "NO." I informed them and my hubby that I was holding out for a Himalayan kitten. I had wanted one my whole life and would not have another cat unless it were a Himi. However, I refuse to pay $350+ for a cat. (The day I did would be the day before it got in the road and got ran over! I know how that works!) So the stipulation was made that I would get one should the day ever come that I could find one in my price range or in other words "for free". My husband knew it would be an impossibility so he gladly went along with my proposition. Again proving that nothing is impossible with God and how much my heavenly Father loves me, less than a week later I read an ad advertising free Himalayan kittens. Serendipity joined our family the same day.
Even crazier than the fact that I found a Himalayan for free is that once I saw the two available kittens, I decided to take them both. I just knew I'd find someone who wanted the sister. Sure enough I did. But who knew it would be my mother who believes that animals are meant to look at not keep. (At least for herself.) She has babied that little kitten more than I've seen her dote on anything since we had infants around. Her "Jazmyn" is spoiled already and runs the house.

Well, the very next day we were told about a litter of Golden Retriever puppies. Not being interested in one for ourselves, I went to look for a friend who had mentioned that he was looking for one. Of course, once the kids saw them they fell head over heels... especially Dacey. I told her that she could have one if she paid for it with her own money. To my surprise, she did! She brought home Rose Bud last Friday.

The very next day I called my aunt who had also mentioned that she was interested in a Golden puppy. She was thrilled and asked me to get her one. Upon mentioning to a couple of friends that we'd be going back for another, two more friends hopped in the van and went with me to pick out sweet, little Golden's for their family. Let me tell you, nothing beats a golden retriever... especially a golden retriever puppy!

And as life has been slightly more than busy the past few months I have neglected to share here that our oldest Golden Retriever, 5 1/2 year old Scarlet, passed her Therapy Dog International test in September. We will soon begin visiting hospitals with her as well as libraries and schools participating in the READ program. We are so very excited to see a dream come to pass that we have literally been working towards for the past five years. God is good! "A therapy dog's work is never done!"

And that's all the animal news around here. Oh, and Kathy.. for the record... I DID NOT get another dog.... this is all on Dacey! LOL

What are you advertising?

Several weeks ago while shopping in Wal-Mart, I asked my eight year old son to grab a box of Kleenex and put in the shopping cart. He was quick to inform me, "But Puff's has lotion. It's better for your nose." Having been brainwashed to believe that "a nose in need deserves Puff's indeed", Jaden was convinced that it was the only choice for our family.

Companies carefully select and pay high dollar to marketing firms to make you believe that their product is the best of its kind. Can you look at a package of Skittles without thinking "taste the rainbow" or Burger King's "have it your way"? Effective advertising mixed with clever phrases and tunes equal big profits for products that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Whether we are aware of it or not, every minute of every day we are marketing ourselves. People are watching and our attitudes and actions advertise our hearts and lives from the inside out.

A while back someone told me that they had passed by my house and seen me outside playing with the kids and dogs. I had to think back to the day, and I asked them, "Did you pass by while we were happily playing or when I was busy scolding?" Another time my mom commented to me that a friend of hers had seen our family in town and was impressed by our well mannered, happy children. I laughed and said, "She should have seen us ten minutes later. Her story might have been different."

A friend recently bragged on my children. "They are 'kind'," she noted. I've thought about that comment many times since and have come to believe that of all of the adjectives that could be used to describe my children, "kind" would be at the top of the list of what I'd want them to be. My kids are not perfect... far from it, but they are kind. (Ok, so not always to one another, but usually to everyone else!) They show the fruits of the Spirit through their lives. Proverbs 20:11 says, "Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right." It is how they have "marketed" themselves and what other people see. Kindness is just one of the trademarks by which they will be remembered.

Taking a personal inventory of my own life, I wonder how I have advertised myself. Do people think of me as warm and friendly or cold and harsh? Do they see someone who loves God with her whole heart or just another lukewarm Christian? Matthew 12:34 says, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." The words we speak are a reflection of our thoughts and our thoughts determine who we are and what we do. The things that we say and do are the key selling points in our lives. If our actions do not back up our words then we are guilty of "false advertising".

So how about you? How do you market yourself? How are you perceived by others? Pay attention to the words that are coming out of your mouth. Do your actions match them? Are you giving people a wrong impression of who you really are or are you selling yourself short?


For fun I turned some popular slogan's and taglines around a bit. Here's what I came up with:

"Are you in God's hands?" (Allstate)

"Ready to 'fly His friendly skies' to the 'happiest place on earth'? (American Airlines meets Disney World)

"Reach out and touch someone for Jesus - just do it". (AT&T and Nike)

God - He brings good things to life. (GE)

Accept Christ - It does a body good. (Milk Counsel)

Hell - The ultimate snap, crackle, pop. (Rice Crispies)

Jesus - "He loves to see you smile". (McDonald's)

Salvation - "Don't leave earth without it." (American Express)

And last but not least, "A life in need, deserves CHRIST indeed."  - (Puff's)

M.I.A.

Yep, it's been a while since I've blogged, but life has as always been crazy. We're always saying, "when things get back to normal...", but for our family, the unexpected does seem to be normal.
Our wonderful caboose, Connor, turned three a couple of weeks ago. He had a "Wonder Pets/Go Diego Go" party. It was a lot of fun watching him as the big day got closer. He'd announce each morning, "Tomorrow my birthday??" When it finally arrived he was one happy fellow. He tickeled us as he opened gifts. He showed little emotion as he opened each item and was ready to get on to the next one. He did really love his new Wonder Pet toys and his Mickey Raceway set. It was a special day, and I can say I have survived the terrible two's for the last time!!!  Thank you, Jesus!

The Monday after Connor's birthday (which also happened to be the day before Dacey's birthday), I slipped in water while visiting my mom at her office. A trip to the ER provided me with crutches and instructions to see a specialist the next day. So for Dacey's 11th birthday we went to the Ortho to determine that I had broken the "accessory" bone in my ankle as well as sprained/strained it. After the appointment Nana treated Dacey and me to a wonderful meal at Cracker Barrel to celebrate Dacey's big day. Once we were home Aunt Sidney brought Dacey a wonderfully, delicious chocolate cake and she opened a few presents... most of which were dance related as....

Two days later - at age eleven - Dacey had her very first dance class! About six weeks ago Sidney and I were able to take Dacey and her friend, Emily, along with our precious Anna, to see Ballet Magnificat's production of "The Hiding Place." It was such a beautiful and awesome performance. The Spirit really moved as these lovely young ladies danced their hearts out before the Lord. We left with Dacey saying, "I've got to do that!" I had tried in recent years to get Dacey into a dance class, but most would not accept her because of her age. So when we found out that Emily was about to begin and there was "one more opening" in her class, we prayed asking God to open the door. He did, and now we have one very excited dancer in our home. Dacey has been to three practices so far and the teacher is very happy with her progress. We are thrilled to be part of this dance school as it is a Christian themed studio. On the front of the building is a sign that reads: "God danced the day you were born." Mrs. Nena says she teaches character first and dance second and that Jesus is the unseen choreographer of all of the dances they perform. I am so excited about this opportunity for Dacey.

The following evening we threw a Luau in celebration of Dacey's birthday. It was a wonderful time as Dacey was surrounded by all but one of her closest friends. (We missed you, Hannah!) She told me later that having most of her friends together was the best part. The kids had a blast doing the limbo and just all out partying. Dacey is so blessed to have a wonderful group of Christian girls to call her friends. They are all so fun to be around, and I enjoy their company as much as Dacey does.

It's always a difficult thing for me when my oldest and youngest have birthday's a week apart from each other. Reminds me of how quickly childhood passes. Reminds me of memories made and opportunities missed. Each of Connor's firsts is my last and each of Dacey's firsts is a new milestone in her life. It's bittersweet, and it is blessed. I'm excited as we enter new phases in our journey and I hope that I stop long enough to make the most of each moment. Dacey drew a picture one day last week and left on my nightstand for me. It was a picture of two stick people under the stars standing next to the trampoline. It made my heart smile. While it isn't something we do often, we do enjoy from time to time going out and laying on the trampoline to watch stars together. Apparently this is one of Dacey's favorite things. It's one of mine too and something I need to do more often. It doesn't take a lot of money, doesn't take a lot of time, it is just the point of being together.

Ok, enough rambling... my ankle is still in a boot. I go back next week to see what to do from here. Yep, and that appointment is just two days before Isaac's 7th birthday. Here we go again...

ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE

School is back under way and has started off with a bang.

The kids are especially excited about the nature study that we are doing this year. Their enthusiasm is contagious. We have already made it a point to be outdoors more and to really "study" God's creation. Romans 1:20 says that God reveals Himself to man through His creation. As we learn about nature, we are also learning about our Father.

Our first week back to school we enjoyed a nature walk at our local lake. The kids had a great time exploring. Isaac even caught a dragonfly. We were able to put it in our bug catcher and examine in through the magnifying glass door. We all agreed it was cool. Later in the week we were able to observe a katydid in the bug catcher too.

The six of us had the best time laying on our trampoline watching the meteor shower last week. It was a grand and awesome display of God's "fireworks in the sky". We talked about in scripture where it says He numbered the stars and knows them by name. Our God is an awesome God!!!

This past weekend we met our dear Cajun friends over in Natchez. We enjoyed lunch at Mammy's Cupboard, drove around a wildlife nature reserve for a bit, and then toured one of the antebellum homes. We had a blast. The boys even saw an alligator at the reserve. The girls were in a separate car, and we missed it! We did see a swarm of dragonflies though. "Yay, us," (said with great sarcasm). We still enjoyed the ride though.

On Tuesday we went with the Youngblood's to visit Grand Gulf Military Park and the Windsor Ruins. Both places were great to see. We climbed up the 75 ft. observation tower and were able to view the Mississippi River from there. The kids had a good time running through the park going through a church, rifle pits, seeing a water wheel, picnicking on the grounds, looking through the cemetery where some of the headstones were dated from the early 1800's. We also took a few minutes to let them run around the banks of the Mississippi before we loaded up to head to Windsor. The Windsor Ruins were interesting. It was a grand house in its glory days. It survived the Civil War only to be burned down when a house guest dropped their cigarette on the 3rd floor. The house burned from top to bottom and could not be saved. Only the columns and some of the iron work remain today.  And to add to our nature study, we got to see a preying mantis while visiting the ruins.

The first three weeks of our school year has found us very busy, but learning lots. I am so blessed that God called me to this journey. It is a wonderful experience to watch my children learn and to learn along with them. It isn't always easy. There are many days I wonder why anyone would be crazy enough to attempt this, but the rewards are so much greater than the sacrifices. I am loving watching these guys become who God created them to be, and I am thanking Him for allowing me to be a part of that journey.

THE GAME OF LIFE

One night this week while sitting around the dining table playing the LIFE board game with my husband and children, my daughter commented, "Every time I get ahead, something else comes along and takes all my money." I laughed. "Yes, dear. That's life."

Or so it has seemed with our life as of late. Two weeks ago one of our commodes became unflushable. Once our two year olds toothbrush was retrieved from the pipes by my husband and his trusty plumbing snake, the commode again began working properly. However, just a few days later our dryer stopped working. For a family that normally washes ten to fifteen loads of laundry a week, a dryer tends to be more of a necessity than a luxury. This I have learned as for the past week I have been hanging clothes out to dry like they did back in the old days. It is a much slower process and not nearly as many clothes are able to be cleaned, dried, and put away in a day's time.

On Friday the kids and I were on our way home when all at once I smelled an overwhelming stench. Dacey was riding in the passenger seat of the van and shouted, "SMOKE!" I looked over to her to see black clouds and sparks coming from underneath the dashboard. Praise God that the old country road we were driving on had a shoulder and we were quickly able to pull over. I told the three older kids to get out and run as I very quickly unbuckled our two year old from his car seat and ran to safety with him. Hubby (who was a mechanic in his younger years) praised my efforts. "If you'd driven any further," he stated, "the whole van could have gone up in flames." Praise God there was not much damage to the van. Some wires had shorted out, and my husband will be able to repair it with little expense.

Later that same day the kids and I were hanging clothes out to dry when I noticed our cat toying with something in the grass. Since she'd killed a snake and left as a gift for us earlier this summer, I stooped down to see what had caught her attention this time. Yep, it was another snake. This time it was not a harmless grass snake. It was a rattlesnake. Tommy dutifully and quickly attended to it, and the kids and I were again safe.

When trials of life seem to overwhelm us, we can sit, sulk and cry, "Poor, pitiful me," or we can stand resolved, trusting God knowing our place as victors, as overcomers, and as more than conquerors. We can feel discouraged and defeated, or we can trust God as Job did when he said, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."

Jesus told us that He came "so that we may have life abundant." It is hard some days to feel like we are living an overcoming, abundant life when we become so bogged down in the things of this world. Our gift isn't an easy life. Jesus' gift to us is eternal life. He warned us that "in this world we would face troubles", but also assured us "to take heart because He has overcome the world."

I praise God for the life He has given me. It is a grand and exciting adventure... filled with happiness, joy, and love but also with its fair share of drama and chaos along the way. That's how it is in this game called life.