Week Rundown! (12/23/12 - 12/29/12)

This was Christmas week... all planned out to spend with family. We thought we had things scheduled and nothing could go wrong, but we were incorrect. Thankfully it turned out fine. Since so much happened, I'm sure I'll leave something out!

Sunday afternoon we visited with Lydia's family at her mom's house. We exchanged some gifts and got to visit around the dinner table. The kids played some games, and they even got a bit of a nap before church services that evening. After church, we watched "It's a Wonderful Life".

We decided to wake up and have our 'family' Christmas on Monday. Mysia and Malachi didn't mind at all! They both got quite a bit of gifts. Mysia's favorite was a diary, and Malachi's was his Lego blocks! We spent most of the day letting the kids enjoy their gifts and watching some Christmas videos. We attended the Candlelight Service at our church. Mysia and Malachi were excited that they got to hold a candle. Malachi kept trying to see how hot it was by waving his hand over the top! Oh boy...!

Christmas day was fun! We headed over to my parents' house to hang out with my family. We opened gifts, ate dinner, and played games. The cousins had a blast playing and watching videos.

On Wednesday, Lydia went into work for a full day and I dropped the kids off with my folks before heading into my work for a few hours. After lunch, the kids and I headed home for naps and supper before we all went back to my folks' to once again hang out. Things were going good until Malachi started complaining about a tummy ache. We left for home, and Lydia was smart enough to ask to borrow the 'puke bucket' just in case. Sure enough, half-way home, Malachi used the bucket. This led to an interesting night for both him and I. We both camped out on the bottom bunk of his bunk-bed with the "puke bucket' nearby. He was able to rest, as I tried to find a comfortable position to sleep. By early morning, I got a report from my sister via text that the 'bug' had hit their house. Uh oh!

Thursday morning came, and I was pooped. I hadn't slept comfortably... however, Malachi was up and at it. It was like he hadn't been sick at all! He was asking for breakfast with no hint of complaining. We decided to stay home for the day to make  sure that we were all okay. Over at my parents' house, several were recovering from their sickness. We did go over and hang out later that evening.

Friday was fun as well. In the morning Lydia took a tax test (since she's an accountant) and I went into work for a few hours. We then headed back over to my parents' house for lunch. We visited for a few hours then headed back to the house. Sam and Abigail agreed to babysit the cousins while Lydia and I took BJ and Ana to Branson for a double-date. We had a great time. The kids were asleep when we returned.

Our nephew Elijah had spent the night with Malachi, and both boys were up playing on Saturday morning. Mysia was trying to make sure they kept out of trouble (a great big sister, of course). We let them watch some cartoons and have breakfast before we headed back over to my parents' house that afternoon. That evening, we went to Incredible Pizza for supper. After eating the buffet and chasing the kids around the arcade, we headed home for showers and bed before Church in the morning.

What a week!


~Matt

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas day!

Week Rundown! (12/16/12 - 12/22/12)

Mysia still had a slight fever Sunday morning, so Lydia stayed home with her while Malachi rode with me on the Church van. Lydia took the chance to get some rest as well.

Mysia had to be 24 hours free of the fever before returning to school, so I took off and stayed home with both kids, just to be safe. Well, I had no worries.... they were definitely fine! We played games, watched a movie, and made a mess with play-dough!

We also took the kids shopping to let them get each other gifts, along with gifts for us parents. Boy, was that an interesting experience! Lydia and both agree that we'll have to figure out another way to go about an activity like that in the years to come.

For most of the week, each evening was filled with food preparation... mostly sweets! Of course, Lydia was the one in charge, and stayed up late just to get the baking completed. My duty was gift wrapping!

We had some snow flurries on Thursday morning, which brought excitement to our household. Unfortunately, it didn't amount to anything. That afternoon, I got the opportunity to attend the holiday party at Mysia's class. It was the last school-day of the year, so Mysia and her classmates were excited!

Since Mysia was out of school on Friday, I took the day off. Lydia went ahead and went to work, while I took them to the eye doctor. Both did great with their eye exams. We had lunch with Lydia and then took naps at home. That evening we enjoyed a great visit with our friends Noah and Courtney! Besides supper, we talked and played several games on the Wii.

On Saturday, we met up with Lydia's family for a breakfast at Hemingway's in Bass Pro Shops. It was good getting to catch up. We then were invited to meet up with our friends, the Mitchells, at Silver Dollar City. They were gracious in getting us in with extra tickets that came with their season passes. It was a surprise for Mysia and Malachi, who had been wanting to go 'so bad'. While there, we got to ride a few rides, see two great shows, and visit with Santa. Malachi's biggest thrill was being able to see the huge Christmas tree!


~Matt

Week Rundown! (12/09/12 - 12/15/12)

Our church had their Christmas Cantata on Sunday morning. Since I'm in choir, I was a part of it! The drama that went along with the cantata was well done and really made the presentation great.

That afternoon, the kids got to hang out with my folks as Lydia and I headed out to Branson. We were privileged to go and be a part in the audience of the Jubilee Christmas concert that was to be a part of a live video! Legacy Five, Greater Vision, and the Booth Brothers did an excellent job. I'm anxious to get the DVD!

Lydia had a few finals this week, and was so happy to be finished with classes! Hopefully, the break will bring down the stress.

Most of the evenings this week were spent watching Christmas movies! We still had housework and other things going on, but it was nice to sit and watch some of these classics as a family.

On Friday evening, we headed to church. Lydia and I attended the Christmas banquet while the kids partied up stairs with the other children.

Early Saturday morning, Mysia woke up with a high temperature (accompanied with a cough). Not fun. Lydia stayed home while I ran vans and took Malachi to the children's Christmas party at church. Lydia took advantage of the situation and got some rest, plus some things done around the house that she really wanted to get to. When I arrived back home later that afternoon, the kids napped while Lydia did some grocery shopping. There is holiday food preparation in the days ahead!

Next week is going to be hectic......!

~Matt

Week Rundown! (12/02/12 - 12/08/12)

Our afternoon was spent with the children at church. We all went Christmas caroling at one of the nursing homes in the area. It was fun, and interesting at the same time! My parents agreed to watch the kids Monday evening while Lydia and I attended my work's Christmas party! We had a great time....!

Lydia has been working on homework and gearing up for finals next week. So on for most evenings, she was doing a lot of studying. The kids watched a couple of Christmas movies throughout the week. On Thursday evening, I went to church to practice with the choir in preparation for our Christmas Cantata on Sunday.

One of the biggest highlights of the week was getting to go see "Joseph" at the Sight & Sound Theatre in Branson on Friday night. I was able to get tickets for the family, and mine was free through Baptist Bible College. The show was fantastic, both kids really enjoyed it. Mysia loved the drama, and Malachi loved the action.

Saturday was fun too! Unfortunately, Lydia had her first final during the afternoon, and missed attending the downtown Christmas parade. My mom agreed to tag along, so she had the thrill of watching the kids get excited throughout the parade! The weather was a bit cooler than last year, but it didn't stop Mysia and Malachi from running out and grabbing the candy thrown at them. In fact, they remembered that the more they shouted "Merry Christmas", the more likely the candy would come their way.

The weekend ended on a bittersweet note... I took the the family out to see Springfield's Live Nativity Pagent. It's their 35th year doing the presentation, and their last. We had tried to make it to the first showing of the evening, but it was too full by the time we got there, and they had closed the gate for entrance. We spent the next thirty minutes driving around looking at the Christmas lights in the area before returning to catch the very last show. To our surprise, we were able to get front row, and in the middle! We watched the entire production from the 'comfort' of our car. It wasn't easy for me though.... both kids wanted to sit on my lap for the entire thing! lol.

~Matt

Week Rundown! (11/25/12 - 12/01/12)

Sunday afternoon was pretty relaxing, the kids napped and then played with crafts before evening services. Afterwards, we went to my parents' house to celebrate Granddad's birthday!

On Monday, I had a day to myself to get projects and things done at home. The evening went pretty well, we watched a movie before bed.

Lydia woke up on Tuesday morning with her heart racing and eminence chest pains. Sure enough, she was having a tachycardia attack. She tried calming down and resting, hoping that it her heart beat would slow down. She even took a warm shower to see if it would calm her down. It didn't work. The kids and I rushed to get ready and I had Abigail pick up Mysia to drop her off at school at the right time. Lydia and I dropped off Malachi on our way to the ER. But as we neared the hospital, the pain stopped and her heart rate finally dropped. Come to find out, it seems that hitting the cold air as she left the house shocked her body back to normal... (according to the doctor). We're sure the prayers from others helped as well! Lydia bought a heart monitor before going into work, and kept a watch throughout the rest of the day.

Wednesday was pretty normal with the schedule.... Children services were back in swing! On Thursday, Lydia made homemade tortillas, with help from the kids. After supper, the kids took their showers before watching "Frosty" and going to bed.

Lydia did shopping while I picked up the kids after work on Friday. The kids watched a couple of Christmas movies.

On Saturday, we worked on things around the house. The kids worked hard on cleaning their rooms. Mysia got the chance to attend a birthday party for one of her friends from school, she also got to spend the night as a "Slumber party'. She had a fun time! However, once she figured out she could call us from their land-line, our cell phones were called multiple times.

I went to work for several hours to run the board in the early evening, then joined Lydia and Malachi at our Sunday School Class' Christmas party. We ate and visited. Malachi was a bit clingy later on in the evening, and when we got home, he admitted that he missed Mysia. Yes, I have silly kids!


~Matt

Week Rundown! (11/18/12 - 11/24/12)

On Monday, we visited the dentist. Thankfully, we didn't have any cavities!!!

We had evening services on Tuesday night, so that those traveling on Wednesday could attend services. There wasn't any kids services, so we got to sit together as a family. Malachi must have been tired... he snored sitting next to me!

I was off work, and Mysia didn't have school on Wednesday, so I spent the day with the kids while Lydia went into the office. She was glad that she didn't have college classes or homework. After I mowed the lawn, the kids and I spent most of the afternoon at my parents' house. We visited and the kids played. Abigail and I took the Mysia and Malachi to the park for over an hour. They played and rode around on their scooters. We then had lunch at McDonalds before heading home for naps. After supper, we watched Charlie Brown Thanksgiving as a family. Before bed, Mysia helped Lydia with some of the deserts for tomorrow's feast!

Thursday was finally arrived! We got up and immediately turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We ate a quick breakfast and got things ready before we headed out the door. We spent the day at Lydia's Aunt and Uncle's place with the extended family. There were about 30 people who was there throughout the afternoon. The weather turned out pretty nice, so the kids spent a good amount of time outdoors. Lydia and I enjoyed the time visiting with others. I ended up having a stomach ache before lunch, so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I wanted to. However, by supper time, the leftovers were great! Before it got dark, Lydia and I had the opportunity to do some target practice with my .22 rifle.... that was fun!

We made it home before 6 on Thursday evening. As our own tradition, we got out the decorations and decorated the tree and livingroom! Christmas music played in the background and we even had the fireplace (fake) going. Mysia and Malachi helped Lydia hang the ornaments while I sat at the table putting hooks on them.  

Friday was a relaxing day at home together. I was able to put the lights up on the house too!

The kids watched a few Christmas movies on Netflix on Saturday morning, and I left for several hours to do some shooting with Sam and dad. We had fun shooting up those toy rubber duckies! Lydia and the kids played games and worked puzzles until I returned home. We then headed out to do some Christmas shopping. During supper that evening, we watched We watched "Rudolph" and "Cricket on the Hearth" before going to bed.


~Matt

7 Days of Thankfulness: DAY 7 - "Lydia"

This is a continuation of my "7 Days of Thankfulness"!
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DAY 7 - "Lydia"

Today, I’m thankful for my best-friend, my life-partner, my beautiful wife.... Lydia!

I may have posted these things before, but I don’t care, it's definitely worth repeating. Without her, I honestly believe I wouldn’t be who I am right now. I depend on her sooo much, that I wonder how I could ever survive if she wasn’t there. (she knows it too)

Lydia is someone I can go to at all times. She is truly my BEST friend. I enjoy talking with her, and believe me, we can talk for hours! I enjoy spending time with her, and look forward to those times that I can spend with her without interruption. Yes, it’s not the easiest to do. We have very hectic lives; both of us work, we are parents, and she has tons of homework! .

The best part, she is the only woman who can put up with me!!! And get this, she actually is willing to live with me.... that tells you how wonderful a woman she is!

Yup... I’m thankful for the love of my life, Lydia!

~Matt

7 Days of Thankfulness: DAY 6 - "Febreze Air Freshener"

This is a continuation of my "7 Days of Thankfulness"!

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DAY 6 - "Febreze Air Freshener"

This may sound odd, but I’m thankful for Febreze air freshener and any other odor eliminator products... Without it, my family would leave me. Just ask my kids! Yikes!

'Nuff said...! ;)


~Matt

Week Rundown! (11/11/12 - 11/17/12)

Over the weekend I decided not to shave, and grow out a goatee. I promised Lydia that if she absolutely hated the thing, I'd get rid of it. I did pretty good, and lasted several days. However, by the 6th day of growth (Thursday), she'd had enough. It was fun while it lasted!

It sure was nice to get that extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning! The time change can be nice sometimes.

Besides the normal things of life each evening, the kids did a good job when asked to clean their rooms. Mysia had worked hard on her homework Monday evening, and was able to finish it before supper on Tuesday. Lydia went to our church's Ladies Thanksgiving Dinner Tuesday evening, which gave me some time with the kids.... so we watched cartoons on Netflix!

On Friday, we hosted "Movie Night" with my parents and siblings. We watched "The Amazing Spider-man", while the kids watched a few movies in their bedroom.

Saturday was a bit relaxing, but busy. We had breakfast together, and the kids watched some cartoons. We found out that vandals had slashed tires throughout our neighborhood! Thankfully, they didn't get our vehicles, but sorry that our neighbors got struck. I estimated at least 20 or more got hit overnight. For the afternoon, we visited Christian Publishers Outlet so the kids could see Larryboy. While there, Lydia and I filled out papers to enter in their shopping spree contest.

We finally watched the Avengers with the kids, however, Mysia was too tired. Malachi enjoyed the movie! He's ready to see it again.

~Matt

7 Days of Thankfulness: DAY 5 - "Being A Parent"

This is a continuation of my "7 Days of Thankfulness"!

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DAY 5 - "Being A Parent"

Is it apparent that I'm a parent? Sometimes, it's tough for me to sit and imagine that I'm a Dad to two kids. I know that several that knew me as a teenage would have a difficult time imagining me be a responsible parent. The key word being "responsible"... lol!

Today, I'm thankful God has given me the responsibility of being a parent. I admit that after Lydia and I got married, the thought of being a dad scared me. I liked kids, but was uncertain that I could really take on the responsibility of dealing them full-time as my own. It's different when watching others children. As a parent, anything that happens falls under you as the 'owner of the kid'.

However, now I wouldn't trade what I have for anything! My kids are awesome! Yes, they have their faults, and can be some trouble at times... but I'll proudly claim them as mine anytime!  

I try very hard to do what is right as a responsible dad. I'm a kid at heart, so I have to remember that I'm the grown-up. It's never fun to have to correct and serve punishment, but it is something that is needed. I want Mysia and Malachi to grow up with respect and have good behavior. It's not an easy job. Lydia and have expectations on our children, and their learning.

I'm happy to report that both kids have told to me from time to time that I'm the coolest dad. I guess I'm doing something right! I just want to be a good example and make sure that Mysia and Malachi love and respect me as their dad. It is a serious responsibility, and I'm up for the challenge. I pray that I'll never give up... it is worth every moment!

I'm thankful to be a parent!

~Matt

7 Days of Thankfulness: DAY 4 - "Hillside Baptist Church"

This is a continuation of my "7 Days of Thankfulness"!

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DAY 4 - "Hillside Baptist Church"

I'm thankful for our church family!

For over 5 years, Lydia and I have been active members of Hillside Baptist Church. Located east of Springfield on historic Route 66, the church sits on a hill. We have a wonderful congregation that meets regularly on Sundays and Wednesday.

We have an awesome pastor, Cecil Tolbert,  who loves the Lord and is always there for his congregation. He is very knowledgeable in the scripture, and does very well in where God has put him!

There are several great friends there as well!  Hillside has a bit of a country feel, with a great big country heart. We try to be as friendly and welcoming as can be. Focused on ministry, and reaching souls, Hillside is a great church to be a part of!

I'm involved in both the van ministry and choir. Lydia helps out in nursery when scheduled, and we both work with the children every Wednesday night service. It keeps us busy, but we feel that's were the Lord wants us to serve. We try to help out in any other things when asked, and have been involved in many of the activities. I also provide my graphic services to the church when needed as well.

What a joy to be part Hillside Baptist Church! Come visit sometime......


~Matt

7 Days of Thankfulness: DAY 3 - "Coffee"

This is a continuation of my 7 Days of Thankfulness!

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DAY 3 - "Coffee"

I'm thankful for coffee. It's more than a pick-up drink... for me is also comfort. Yes, I love drinking it of a morning to give me a charge, and it sure seems to help throughout the day. But I also can drink it late at night. The hot warmth, as I drink it, calms me down and makes me ready to rest and go to bed. However, at times, if I'm with a group of friends, it can energize me to go on for several more hours.

Coffee is awesome!!!

~Matt

7 Days of Thankfulness: DAY 2 - "My Work"

This is a continuation of my 7 Days of Thankfulness!

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DAY 2 - "My Work"

Today, my thankfulness post is about my place of employment, KWFC Radio. First of, yes... I'm thankful for a job. That part is a given, especially in today's economy. No matter the situation, I'm grateful for wherever God has placed me in the workplace. Sure, there have been times in my when I wasn't the happiest with my place of employment, but that's what God had provided.

Not only is it good to have a job, but awesome when you enjoy working there. That's where I'm at. I absolutely like my job! Wait.... I have to say it... I LOVE my job!

I'll admit that it's not the easiest, and I can't say it doesn't get stressful. But overall, it's worth it. There are many things I do, I can't think that it's in vain. Not only do I get to work around Southern Gospel Music and great Christian programing, I get to promote it as well! 

I'm constantly striving to get us noticed and out there. I get to communicate with our faithful listeners daily, even on weekends! These people share the same love in music and love for God! There is a common bond that I have with those who call or write.

If wondering what I do, well... there is a list. I'll try to simply it. My official title is "Publicity Director". That means I deal with the public in doing the printed ads and promotional material for KWFC. But that's not all. Besides all the printed graphics, I work on the graphics for the web and everything else! Then, I'm also behind the weekly email blast.

I'm also in 'sales'. That means I have accounts of businesses that support our station, and I get a commission. Part of my job is to find more support for our station, without it, we wouldn't survive. (so if you're part of a business that would like to underwrite Christian radio, let me know)

One of the neatest things about my job, is the ability to be on the air. Yup, I started filling in from time to time, and now I have a few programs that I host. You'll hear me every weekday evening from 7pm-9pm, and then Sunday afternoons from noon-4pm. I enjoy being able to share my love of Southern Gospel with our listeners. However, I've earned the nickname "Mayday Matt", thanks to my stumbling from time to time. Just listen in, and you might catch me!

Of course, I'm also thankful for the awesome work environment, and am so happy that they have have a sense of humor... the perfect place for me! Not only that, it's great to be able to work with fellow Christians. Every morning we have pray at 9, and of course, we try and solve the worlds problems at that time. Ha!

Yes, I'm thankful for my work!

~Matt

7 Days of Thankfulness: DAY 1 - "My iPhone!"

If you are into social networking, you may have noticed that many people are doing "Thankfulness Month", posting each day on something they're thankful for. Well, I liked the idea, but I figured I'd do something different. For the 7 days, leading up to Thanksgiving, I'll try and blog about something I'm thankful for. They will not be in any specific order, and may not be the most important. However, no matter what, each post will be about something that has come to my mind for the day. It may be serious, or it may be funny.... depends on my mood! lol

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DAY 1 - "My iPhone!"

Today's post is funny but somewhat serious as well. I'm thankful for my iPhone 3Gs. Now, at first thought, you may think I'm nuts, or crazy, being thankful for something that many may consider a toy or a piece of equipment that one can do without. And I can agree how one can think that. But let me explain.

My smart phone is a tool. A very important tool. Yes, it does allow me to play games, and I could use it to distract me from many things going on around me. It would be very easy to do....  but that's not what I use it for.

My phone is something I've become to depend on, and that's a good thing. I use it for work, both on and off my actual job at the radio station. Since I'm in also in 'sales', I can pull up information and documents at any time. It also keeps me in contact with my freelance clients. No matter what, I'm easily reached. 

It also serves as my back-up brain! With the calendar, I'm able to keep on schedule. (of course, that means I shouldn't have an excuse if I forget a meeting). The notes and notifications also remind me of projects and things that I need to get done. The maps feature help me when needing to locate a destination, it has proven itself when driving the van route for church!

Now, I'll admit I also use it's 'fun' features. I enjoy the ability to take a quick photo at any time. I average about 500-600 pictures a month! It can be a good thing, my kids growth and life is well documented! 

My favorite thing about my iPhone is the ability to be in constant contact with my best friend, my wife, Lydia!!!! I really don't have hard proof to back it up, but I do believe that it is a healthy thing for our relationship. We are able to share thoughts and concerns at anytime. Instead of sending 'love notes' on paper, we are able to chat or talk in real time. We use it to encourage each other throughout the day... so awesome!

There is another important part of my phone... it has a the Bible on it! I don't have an excuse on not reading chapters or verses! The Bible is always with me. 


~Matt

Week Rundown! (11/04/12 - 11/10/12)

It sure was nice to get that extra hour of sleep on Sunday! After evenings services, we went to my parents' house to celebrate Abigail's birthday! Cake and ice-cream... yum...

Mysia has been doing good with her homework, and on Monday, she told us that she has learned how to use the dictionary. We had several, so we gave her one to use as her own. She's now consulting the book as she writes! What a daughter!!!

Come Tuesday, we voted! Not exactly happy with the results, but we can't say we didn't do our part. ;)

The kids got to hang out for several hours with Abigail and her friend Rabecca on Tuesday evening. Malachi had so much fun, he told us that he wants her to bring more friends over next time.

I had a sneezing fit on Tuesday, which caused me to loose my temporary crown on my tooth! Ouch. Thankfully, I had an appointment with the dentist on Wednesday. I thought that were going to have to really work on it, but since the temporary cap came off, they just needed to fit the permanent one on! No shots....! Whew.....

Mysia was awarded PRIDE Panther at her school once again this year. We're so proud of her. She's been a good student, and often 'caught' being good!

We spent Saturday getting the house in order! Not our favorite thing, but it had to be done. The kids spent the evening playing, including Mario Kart Wii.

~Matt

Tech Post: IMO Messenger (Mobile App)

I'm not sure, but I may have posted about this app earlier, but since I use it daily, I want to make sure I tell others about it!

Yes, there is an app for my iPhone that I like a lot! It’s called IMO Instant Messenger. The best part is that it simply has the ability to pull all of messenger accounts together under one app. Facebook chat, Skype, MSN, Google Talk, MySpace, Yahoo, and more! A great way to be able to stay online with each IM client, and not have to switch between apps.

There are several awesome features, including copy and paste! I also like the fact that it keeps you signed on for a week without taking you off after several hours.
 
It’s also FREE! And there is now news that it will be getting an awesome update on Tuesday... hooray! ;)










 
For further reading, here is another article on the app: http://fanappic.com/imo-instant-messenger-advanced-chat-platform/

~Matt

Obeying... Sort of.

Last week, we were heading out to church and I told Malachi to climb into the car and unlock the other doors. 

He took me literally... He went to the drivers door of the car, climbed through the open window (instead of opening up the door), then climbed to the backseat to unlock the other doors! My son, what a character...

It looks like I need to be more specific! However, if you notice, he obeyed. I guess I'm doing something right. ;)

~Matt

Nose Hairs

Yes, I have them. Long nose hairs. I guess it’s one of those ‘growing older’ issues that one has to deal with. But hey.... I’m only 30.

Well, the other day I had an annoying one hanging out there. Yup, dangling from my nostrils. It was a bother, and I grabbed at it and was able to yank it free, with a little sharp pain of course!

Mysia was watching me, and commented, “Boy, I’m glad I’m a girl, so I don’t have to worry about nose hairs when I get old like you Dad!”

I didn’t correct her.....

~Matt

Week Rundown! (10/28/12 - 11/03/12)

On both Saturday and Sunday evening, I got to sing with Abigail and Sam at Central Baptist here in Springfield. Both nights were good, and we sang several of our favorite songs of course.

This week was pretty special for Malachi at his daycare. On Monday he got to dress up as a hillbilly and Tuesday was orange shirt day. Wednesday was he was asked to dress up as an animal or something with a harvest theme... so he went as a 'box turtle'. That's was fun! Crazy hair day was on Thursday, and pajama day on Friday.

Wednesday night services at church included "Trunk or Treat", where we all partake in going from vehicle to vehicle to get candy. Several of the trunks had themes. I stayed in the trunk of our van and handed out candy as Lazarus (thanks to several rolls of cheap toilet paper). Lydia was Martha and Mysia was Mary. They went around collecting candy along with Malachi, who wore his turtle costume.

On Thursday, we got to hang out with our friends Doug and Mary. It's was nice to get out and visit with friends!

Friday was a big and busy day for me. It was concert night for KWFC radio. There was so much to do, and I got a little stressed out trying to get some of my stuff together. Thankfully, my coworkers helped me calm down as the evening came, and we had a great night.. LOL. There were around 900 people that showed up, and I got to meet many of the listeners who call and email. Ernie Haase & Signature Sound kept the crowd alive for the entire night!

Lydia and the kids had a 'movie night' while I was at the concert. They also ate a lot of the candy from Wednesday night.

Besides sleeping in on Saturday morning, we went to our Sunday school Class activity. There was a great bonfire. We cooked hot dogs and ate chili (and had dessert). It was fun visiting with our friends from church. The kids had a blast playing with their friends as well.


~Matt

Week Rundown! (10/21/12 - 10/27/12)

The "Week Rundown" now has a new format.... it will now focus on the highlights of the week! Enjoy!



On Sunday, I discovered on the way to church that one of his van kids had stepped in dog poop....!!!! Oh the joy. But after services, when dropping the kids off, I was handed a note by one of the van kids that read, "Matt is cool". Yup, my day just got better!!!

Mysia had to count the faces, edges and 'vertices of a 3D object' in her homework on Monday... I was stumped and Mysia knew what it was! I guess that's why she's got excellent grades in her 2nd grade class!

Mysia had also received two certificates for free children's meal at Culvers, so that's where we went for supper on Monday. We also watched to Cardinals game on tv. It was disappointing! (the presidential debate was a bit more entertaining... go figure)

KWFC Radio was part of the Pastor's Luncheon on Wednesday. I got to help prepare for it, and attend it as well. The food was great, and it was neat to hear H.B. London!

We were thrilled to get to visit with Paul Sudbrock, missionary to Germany, on Thursday evening. He was in town, so we had him over for supper. It's always fun to hear stories from our missionary friends! We also got to visit with him Saturday afternoon as well!!!

Another joy was to be able to have Kristi and Gideon over on Friday evening. Mysia and Malachi enjoyed being able to hold and play with their cousin. It was great to be able to spend some time with both of them and visit.


~Matt

Popped Springs

We have an awesome couch/sectional in the living room. It was something we bought over a year ago. Besides having something nice for us to sit on, it works great when we have company over. Five (or more) people can sit on it. With recliners on each end, it makes for a comfortable place to sit each evening.

Unfortunately, We discovered that the springs popped off under the cushions on one part of it... the part that is right underneath the window. We imagine, rightfully so, that Malachi was the culprit who caused the damage. He loves to run, jump onto, and then stand on the sectional, bouncing as he looks out the window. He’s a monkey... that’s for sure!

So, I had to take the sectional back to the furniture store and get it repaired. I’m thankful that we had the insight to go with the insurance/warranty! It didn’t cost us anything... whew!

The hope is that the warranty will last us until Malachi gets old enough to know not to jump onto the furniture... hmmmm.....

~Matt

Week Rundown! (10/14/12 - 10/20/12)

Sunday:

We had a lots of rain night before and the kids ended up sleeping on the floor around our bed since the thunder was so loud. It was an average Sunday morning.

The kids took naps in the afternoon, and during the evening service Mysia sang in church childrens choir.


Monday:

A pretty normal day, and the evening was pretty good as well. We had the kids work on cleaning their rooms.


Tuesday:

Mysia had Crazy hair day at school, and was happy to have all sorts of ribbons and clips decorating her head.

I got to take field trip to the KWFC tower in Fordland with my coworkers. It pretty neat.

Doe the evening, the kids played and we watched the debates while working on a few projects and homework.


Wednesday:

Today was Father & Daughter day for Mysia and I since she didn't have school. Lydia still had classes and work, and Malachi attended daycare. Mysia had a list of things to do and places she wanted to go. Her list even included breakfast!

The only down part of the day was our first stop... the dentist. Yes, I had to get a temporary crown for one of my teeth. It wasn't really expected, and it tool longer that what we planned. However, I made it up by taking her to the mall. We walked the entire building.

For lunch, I had originally planned to go to the park, but we noticed storm clouds coming in. We picked up her free pizza from Pizza Hut (a gift from her school teacher), and headed home to let her watch a few of her favorite tv shows. Sure enough, it rained hard!

We visited Grandma and Granny before returning home to meet up with Lydia and Malachi. We ate a quick supper, and attended church services.


Thursday:

Mysia had Crazy hat day at school... so she wore a funny cowboy hat.

For the evening, after supper, they worked up picking up their rooms while I worked on projects and Lydia did her homework. Before showers and bed, the kids and I used sandpaper to smooth their derby cars for the race on Saturday, then we gave them a good coat of silver spray-paint.


Friday:

For school, Mysia got to wear her favorite pajamas. Malachi got to wear orange for a field trip to the pumpkin patch with his daycare. Lydia didn't have classes or work, so she slept in for a bit while I dropped off the kids and then the took van at the auto shop. The van needed new front tires.

It was our day together, so after Lydia picked me up from the auto shop, we did the necessary shopping for the month. We visited almost every grocery chain! Lunch was our rest time at home before heading out again. We enjoyed the time together, but were wore out by the time we arrived home with the kids.

The kids and I worked on painting and decorating their derby cars for tomorrow's race.


Saturday:

Yup, "Race Day" was held at our church this morning! There were things to do! Lydia helped with concessions, and I was in charge of dj for the music outside where the classic automobiles were brought in.

I got to watch the kids race their cars, and then headed downstairs to eat some of the food. While I was gone, my car won 2nd place in the adult division! What a neat surprise to find out during the devotion later in the afternoon... While doing 'clean-up' after the event, the kids played on the church's playground and enjoyed the fallen leaves.

Once back home, we all took naps and spent the rest of the evening being lazy.


~Matt





NOTE: Starting next week, the "Week Rundown" will have a new format.... it will just focus on the highlights of the week....

Week Rundown! (10/07/12 - 10/13/12)

Sunday:

I drove the church van, and had a great services. Lydia and the kids rode the van afterwards and we spent the afternoon at Lydia's Mom's house to celebrate Moses' birthday. We had a yummy lunch and visited for a bit before we all took a few naps.

We made it in time for choir practice, and got to hear a missionary preach in the evening services.


Monday:

Lydia and the kids beat me home from work. They watched Woody Woodpecker Show while Lydia made supper. We spent the evening getting some projects done... Lydia worked on her homework and I worked on the school's monthly newsletter.


Tuesday:

The kids and I came home, ate supper, and I had them work on tidying up their rooms. Mysia also had some homework from school, but she quickly got it done! I worked on a few projects and some chores that needed done. Lydia had a meeting at the college after classes, so by the time she got home, the kids were already ready for bed! She worked on some homework before we went to bed.


Wednesday:

Besides the fact that Lydia and Mysia had their normal schedule (school and work), today was special for Malachi and I. It was set aside as "Father & Son Day". I had taken the day off and made it a day for us both. We had breakfast, Lydia left for her class at college, and we dropped Mysia off at school.

We headed off to Wal-mart to spend his birthday money. They had some generic Lego building block sets on sale that we had seen last weekend, so we knew what to get. Sure enough, he was happy! We then stopped by BCC college library to visit with Granny (my mom). Malachi was very hyper, but we read a few books, and checked them out as well. It was then off to Grandma Taylor's house for a visit. While there, we put together one of the sets, building a helicopter, motorcycle, jeep, and firehouse! Grandma fed us an awesome lunch.

We were able to make it over to Lydia's work for a short visit during her lunch break. Malachi was still hyper, but you could see that he was finally wearing down. Once back home, we both took naps. Yay! Once awake, we worked on the bigger set of blocks. I didn't get them all done before supper...

Once Lydia and Mysia came home, we ate real quick and then headed off to church. Children's services went well. Once back home, the kids went to bed and Lydia stayed up late working on homework. She had a test to prepare for. I stayed up and played... er, worked... on the lego blocks.


Thursday:

Since Lydia had stayed up late, she was super tired for the day. I had a busy day at work, going to a meeting and doing an extra "on-air" shift before coming home. Lydia got a little short nap and we had a later but quick supper before heading over to Sam's apartment to celebrate his birthday. We had ice cream, cake, and soda while visiting. We didn't stay too long though, and the kids went to bed once home. Lydia again stayed up late working on homework.


Friday:

When Lydia got off work, she headed to Mysia's school to prepare for the "October Rocks Festival". Mysia got to participate in the Bike Rodeo with her classmates, learning safety in bicycling.

Once I got off work, I picked up Malachi and we got there in time to help get ready. Lydia was in charge of the ticket booth and I had a "cartoon" booth. My duty was to sketch/draw kids as a cartoon for one ticket. My parents were able to attend, helping Mysia and Malachi take part in all the activities since Lydia and I were occupied. It was a busy evening, but fun. Malachi and Mysia got their hair colored and face painted. After cleanup, we got home and went to bed!


Saturday:

There wasn't any sleeping in for us this morning. We got up, ate oatmeal for breakfast, and headed out to see the new VeggieTales movie! Abigail joined us, and we enjoyed the show.

For the afternoon, we worked on chores and housework. There was a lot to catch up on since we've been busy all week. The kids took naps in the afternoon, I did some grocery shopping, and Lydia worked on homework.

We were watching the weather, knowing that there was a great possibility of rain. But since it looked like it was going to miss us for most of the evening, we met with others at the church around 5pm. The kids stayed while Lydia and I took the others to a corn maze in Marshfield. We had fun, even though most of the corn stalks were no taller than 5 feet!!! It started raining on the way back to the church, and when we arrived, there was no electricity. Mysia and Malachi weren't afraid (that was a bit surprising), and were having fun.

Once we finally left the church for home, the storm hit. Sirens were blaring, and there was torrential downfall. Come to find out, the storm was directly upon us, following us home!!! It was a good thing that I was very familiar with the way home, because even a slowing down, I could only see several yards ahead. Yes, the visibility was that bad. Some of the rain was even horizontal. But I knew we had to make it home.

Thankfully we made it safely, and the storm had started to weaken, causing the warnings to cease. However, we found out later that there had been a tornado in Willard, 8 miles north of our church!


~Matt

Week Rundown! (09/31/12 - 10/06/12)

Sunday:

This morning, Malachi and I attended Men's Prayer Breakfast before I ran the vans. During the afternoon, the kids took naps and Lydia and I worked on Master Clubs paperwork. The evening services were our "5th Sunday Sing". Mysia sang with Abigail for a special..


Monday:

After I got home from work, I started working on the main computer. I re-formatted the hard drive and reinstalled the operating system while supper was being made. The kids watched tv and Lydia worked on homework. I installed many of the main programs on the computer. Right before going to bed, I had restarted the computer and was greeted with the "blue screen of death"... So I gave up.


Tuesday:

A somewhat relaxing evening, we had supper and the kids played for a bit before we got them showers and to bed!


Wednesday:

After a quick supper, we headed to church. Instead of the 'normal' schedule for the children's services, all the kids attended the main services in the auditorium. We had a guest missionary in, and he kept everyone's attention. I'm very proud of all the kids... we didn't have a problem the entire evening!


Thursday:

For me, it was a busy day! (as if any other day isn't....)

I attended the Springfield City of Commerce Expo with my co-workers to represent KWFC. Besides the chance to represent the station, we had the opportunity to talk with those who might be interested in supporting us! I got to work later than normal...

For supper, we had tacos. Yum!


Friday:

I took my car into the shop to get the fan blower fixed. It had gotten so bad that besides the loud squeaking, it would put a drag on the engine. Not good.

This evening was family fun night! We read books, played a bit, and watched tv! The weather had gotten cold, so I made hot chocolate and popcorn!


Saturday:

This morning, we got up and ate some blueberry pancakes while watching some cartoons on tv. We then headed out to Jordan Valley Park to participate in the "Walk 4 Life" to support the Pregnancy Care center. It was a bit chilly, but we met with our church group and had a great walk. We also had lunch!

We stopped by the store to grab a few things before heading home. The kids napped while Lydia worked on some homework and I worked on a few projects. We also got to do some online video conferencing with my family.

Before going to bed, we watched "Captain America" on Netflix. Malachi really enjoyed the movie... he was up in front of the tv, throwing punches! lol!


~Matt

Week Rundown! (09/23/12 - 09/29/12)

Sunday:

A pretty typical Sunday morning for us. I ran the church van and had a pretty good number of riders. For the afternoon, the kids took naps and we rested a bit before heading to church. Lydia attended a career fair, so I dropped her off before heading to services. Afterwards I picked her back up and we headed home. We spent the evening together and ate pizza before sending the kids to bed. I was inputting financial data into the computer late into the evening, and things were going well until I got the "blue screen of death". After several attempts of recovery, I gave up and went to sleep!


Monday:

After supper, the kids played and Lydia worked on homework while I attempted to fix the computer... what a pain! I had obviously installed some things that didn't run well with my operating system, so I had to upgrade to the latest service pack. Once finished, it seemed work fine. We'll see...

I read the kids a story and then sent them to bed. Lydia and I watched some tv while she worked on some homework.


Tuesday:

Once home for the evening, we ate supper and Mysia worked on homework. We watched some shows on Netflix and had the kids showers before bedtime.


Wednesday:

Tonight was children's services at Church so we hurried home after work, ate a quick supper, and made it to church in time! Malachi got to help our associate pastor decorate a shelf with some old-time racing cars. That was an exciting for him, and he had to show his accomplishment off to both Lydia and I. His saying, "I put them all there, except for the ones I didn't..."

The evening wasn't too hectic, and once we got home, we got the kids ready for bed. Mysia had some homework to finished and Malachi played for a bit.


Thursday:

After getting home, we made Macaroni & cheese with tuna and diced tomatoes. It looks and sounds disgusting, but is actually very good! We watched a few episodes of the Andy Griffith Show and folded laundry. We also let the kids play before time for their evening showers. I read them a book before sending them to bed.


Friday:

After work, Lydia did the grocery shopping before coming home. I picked up the kids. We made chicken sandwiches and the kids worked on picking up their rooms. I promised them "Fun night" after supper. So we played Mario Party on the Wii until bedtime. Mysia was the winner.


Saturday:

Supposed to be our "rest day", we slept in for a bit before getting up. The kids watched cartoons and played for most of the morning. Lydia and I worked on some house chores and projects.

While the kids took naps in the afternoon, we visited with Tim and Debbie Banks. Afterwards, I watched the kids as they played outside while Lydia worked on some homework before supper. We watched some Netflix shows and let the kids do some reading before showers and bed.


~Matt

Books To "Count" On!

Books, Books, Books....

I used to be an avid reader. However, lately I just haven’t had as much time as I wish I did. Thanks to the internet and all the nifty devices, I find myself reading blogs and other news articles. Occasionally, I’ll sit down and pull up a book.

Yes, I don’t pull out a book, I pull it up... on my Nook. I have found many of my favorites are available as digital books. Most have been free, and I like the ability to read it whenever I please. I don’t need to carry around the physical books anymore, my library is on my digital device! It’s great!

I’m a sucker for classic literature, but unfortunately, some of my favorites aren’t available for free. Last week, when My mom told me that “The Count Of Monte Cristo” had been reduced to 99 cents... I was ecstatic! It is one of my all-time favorite books. Don’t believe me??? I’d read it several times a month as a teenager. And I’m sure that I’ve honestly read the book over 150 times. Not too unusual, like I mentioned, I used to be an avid reader!

I need to find a way to make an Amazon Book fund, so that I may add to my collection... ;)

~Matt

Week Rundown! (09/16/12 - 09/22/12)

Sunday:

Church van were full once again this week

We took naps in the afternoon, and the kids played legos until time for church. After church services, we attended the Birthday & Anniversary fellowship before going home.


Monday:

Today it was back to our schedules. This evening, we ate supper and the kids played with legos. Lydia worked on laundry and I mowed the lawn, it really needed it after getting the much needed rain over the weekend. Lydia and the kids danced to the Wii for a bit, and then it was showers and bed!


Tuesday:

This evening we ate supper and let the kids play while we worked on budget and financial things. We then worked on a few projects around the house. Before getting the kids ready for bed, we watched home videos of Malachi's birth and the few months following up to Christmas of that year. It was neat getting to see him as an infant and Mysia as a toddler. Hearing his cry reminded us how glad we are not to hear that in the night anymore, and seeing Mysia hug on him that much makes us wonder how he survived these last 4 years!


Wednesday:

Today was busy for both Lydia and I, but we made it through. Before school, Mysia and I looked at the material offered at her school's book fair, and we purchased one that she wanted.

Lydia picked up both the kids, and I met them at home. We ate a quick supper and headed off to church. Both Lydia and I were tired, but the children's services went fairly well. Once back home, we let the kids have a snack and they went to bed. Lydia worked on homework.


Thursday:

It was a busy day for me. KWFC decided to a special fundraiser called 20 on 20. We asked listeners to help us raise $20,000 on this the 20th of September. We ended up raising over $15 thousand! Not too bad. We stayed at the station until 9pm for the event.

At lunch, my friend Doug went with me to BBC's cafeteria since it was $3 Thursday. Not a bad price for a meal! We sat with the college students from our church. Perhaps a bit out of place, but we had fun!

Since I stayed at work, Lydia picked up the kids and headed home. They ate supper, watched some tv, and then went to bed. Lydia was working on homework when I came home.


Friday:

Early this morning we had a hailstorm... it was intense! The kids ended up sleeping on the floor beside our beds due to the loud thunder. We even lost electricity for a bit.

Lydia and I both came home from work a bit earlier than normal. We watched the Brady Bunch on tv, then the kids got to go the the Grandparents' house for the evening. They had a blast. Lydia and I had our friends, Noah and Courtney, over for the evening. We had a great visit, and Lydia got to share her Microsoft Office skills. Yup... Lydia is now a computer geek! ;)


Saturday:

We slept in a bit, but it didn't last long. Today was a blur of business and stress. We ended up visiting two banks... one to close accounts and one to open them. Yes, after dealing with a month of headache, we moved banks. We acted as if it were a field trip for the kids, because, seriously... for them, it was boring. They did like acting for the security cameras!

We spent the evening at home, working on finances and budget. The played after some rest time, and then watched Woody Woodpecker before going to bed.

 

~Matt

Week Rundown! (09/09/12 - 09/15/12)

Sunday:

This morning I ran the church van. We were actually full for the first time in several months! It was exciting! The weather was nice, so this afternoon, we were able to have the windows open and naps felt so good...

After evening service, we attended the appreciation dinner for teachers and helpers.


Monday:

After work, I met Lydia and the kids at Mysia's school for open house. Lydia had volunteered to watch the PTA table, encouraging other parents to join. After hanging around the table for a bit, we then went and visited Mysia's classroom. She showed us her seat and the things she does during the day. I then took the kids out to play on the the playground while the Lydia went back to helping with the PTA table.

Back at home, we had them take their showers and get ready for bed. Lydia worked on homework while I caught up on some of the blogs I follow.


Tuesday:

I picked the kids up from daycare and Boy's and Girl's club. Lydia stayed at the college for a class/meeting. The kids and I ate supper and then they spent the evening picking up their rooms!


Wednesday:

Today was long for me. I got the chance to paint my office at work... it needed it!

We ate a quick supper and headed off to church. It was the second week of Master Clubs (children's services) and was promising to be busy. And it was! The planned schedule changed once we got there, but things turned out okay. Whew....!


Thursday:

After getting home from work, we spent the evening with things around the house and watching a few episodes of Dick Van Dyke Show before sending the kids to bed. Lydia stayed up and worked on homework.


Friday:

I had the day off so I could spend the day with Malachi. He had a wellness check with the doctor, which turned out well. We spent the afternoon at home for a bit, eating ramen noodles for lunch and playing with toys. We then headed over and picked up Granny from her work and went to Mysia's school. It was Grandparent's day, and I had volunteered to take pictures.

We spent several hours taking pictures and greeting the grandparents. We then stayed for "friday sing". After school let out, Granny (my mom) treated us to dipped cones at McDonalds! Yum!

We ate bean dip, watched some Netflix, and then went to bed!


Saturday:

Today, Malachi turned 5! Wow... how time flies!

We slept in, and the kids watched tv for most of the morning. Once we got moving around, we picked up the house, ate lunch, and the kids got naps. I did some grocery shopping and then we got things ready for Malachi's party.

Once the family showed up, I got the hamburgers going on the grill. Malachi got gifts and enjoyed his party!



~Matt

Week Rundown! (09/2/12 - 09/08/12)

Sunday:

We were still in Kansas visiting Silas & Kristi... and our 9 year wedding anniversary! Wow!!!

We woke up and got ready for church services. Before heading to church, I packed most of our belongings into the van.

Mysia and Malachi attended the Sunday school with the other kids, and then sat with us during the morning services. Afterwards we grabbed a quick lunch and visited before hitting the road home. We made several pit -stops, but made it home in about five hours. We were tired, but happy to have made a safe journey. We unpacked and made it to our beds!


Monday:

We slept in! After the trip yesterday, we were happy to have a day with some rest.We got things accomplished around the house, watched some movies, and took naps!

After supper, We had some Andy's ice cream with Granny, Grandad, Sam, and Abigail.


Tuesday:

Lydia stayed at school for the first part of the evening to work on homework. I picked up the kids, ate a quick supper at home, and then watched tv together until Lydia arrived home. The kids took showers and then went to bed.


Wednesday:

Tonight was "Fun night" for Master Clubs at church. We had a great lesson, games, and even a snack. There were a lot of kids, and boy... the evening was hectic! ;)


Thursday:

After work, I met Lydia at home we all rushed over to the other side of town. The Pregnancy Care Center to view the dedication of their new mobile unit. It's exciting to see what's been going on there.

We came home, ate, and then let the kids play before they went to bed. Lydia then turned to her homework while I did some computer projects.


Friday:

We were able to meet at home a little early... and the storms rolled in! It was amazing to watch the clouds above. We spent the evening watching some old tv shows and getting things done around the house.


Saturday:

We slept in for a bit, ate a quick breakfast, and then headed over to my parent's house. Malachi and Mysia got to spend several hours playing with their cousins Elijah and Jonathan. We got home in the afternoon and the kids got to play with five friends for three hours!

For supper, we met up with my family at Chick-Fil-A. We visited for a while before Benjamin and his family had to hit the road home. Back at home, we had showers and got to bed!



~Matt

At The Playground

Yes, I'm sitting here at the playground at Mysia's school typing this quick post with my nook color.

The kids are playing, hopefully getting rid of all that energy that's obviously been bottled up. I've actually been looking over all the blog ideas I've jotted down, but never completed. So, before I get to them, I figured I'd write another one... yet this one I'll actually complete and post asap.

Right now the weather is nice, with a cool breeze. The sun is getting ready to set, and it feels good to have the the warmth on my skin. Malachi is climbing all over the playground equipment, trying to reach the highest of all places at record speed. Mysia has already described many of the games she has learned from her school friends. Lydia is inside taking care of the PTA table.

I realize that this post isn't much of anything specific, but it might give a glimpse of the somewhat normal life we live. I think.... :)

Now to wait until I get  home and onto wifi so can actually post it!

I Stumble...

Yes, as the title of this post proclaims, I stumble. Not in walking, but in talking. Sometimes I get carried away in my talk, and I stumble over what I'm saying.

I try my best to be clear, but I often will say something backwards or completely wrong. It just happens. Of course, all I can do is laugh. There's no sense in kicking myself for it. Most of the time, it's just too late. One thing guaranteed... it's always humorous.

Let me take what happened last week as an example....

I'm sitting in my office, two of my co-workers standing there. The phone rings. I answer. The man on the line asks if the rainy weather will eventually cancel the outdoor singing at Silver Dollar City that evening. We had received several calls of this nature due to Isaac (former tropical storm and hurricane) had made it's way over the area. I just told him that it will only be cancelled if the weather turns severe and then added as a suggestion to "bring a towel towel to wipe your seat"... 

A look of horror showed on my coworkers' faces, then laughter ensued. I then caught what had slipped my mouth! Woe, THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! They both started stumbling into the hallway, laughing hard. I too then started... and couldn't compose myself over the phone. Fortunately, the caller was chuckling as well!

Ugh...!

That wasn't the only time I had stumbled recently though. The radio station is part of Baptist Bible College, and we can take advantage of the school's cafeteria through-out the week for some lunch. Well, last week was "Spirit Week", and they had different things planned for each day. Well, Wednesday was "Nerd Day", in which the students were encouraged to dress nerdy or geeky. I didn't need to dress up... I just wore my normal attire. Anyway, I enjoyed my lunch at the cafeteria. And that's where I made my stumble. Seeing several dressed up, I asked one of the college girls if she had dressed up as well. She looked at me and said, "No......."

Whoops!!!


Perhaps its best if I keep my mouth shut. And to think... I have a air-shift each evening on the radio!



~ "May-day" Matt

Week Rundown! (08/26/12 - 09/01/12)

Sunday:

Since this was our yearly, family get-a-way... we slept in! We then got up and packed everything away into the van. After checking out of the hotel room, we headed over to the Splash Country for several hours of swimming and fun on the water slides. We then left for home. The kids were so tired that they slept in the van.



Monday:

After making it home from school and work, we got dinner ready. Titus and Jordin came over for a visit. It was good to catch up.

After they left, we got the kids ready for bed and I did a quick grocery trip.


Tuesday:

Lydia had a meeting after classes, so I got the kids and came home. They helped me make supper. Macaroni & Cheese with tuna and diced tomatoes. It looked gross, but tasted great! WIth them helping me, the cross factor was cool to them. We ate, watched Sonic on Netflix, then got showers before Lydia got home.


Wednesday:

Tonight was church. I was able to sing one of my favorite songs as a special, "Sin Will Take You Farther". We also had Master Clubs meeting in preparation for next Wednesday.


Thursday:

This evening was almost an exact repeat of Tuesday, except that Lydia stayed at college to get some homework done. I re-heated the leftovers of the mac & cheese...

Once Lydia got home, we put the kids to bed and packed our stuff for our trip this weekend.


Friday:

We woke up and quickly tried to get things ready before heading out. Mysia didn't have school but went to the club. Lydia and I both got off work by noon, packed up the van, grabbed the kids, and headed to Junction City, Kansas. It was a long drive, over five hours, and Isaac (former tropical storm and hurricane) followed us most of the way. I had to keep from using the cruise control, but still found the van hydroplaning a few times. It caused traffic to slow down and we seen about 5-6 accidents on the way there. After several pit stops and potty breaks we finally made it.

We spent the evening visiting with Silas & Kristi and our new nephew Gideon!


Saturday:

We were able to sleep in a bit, but the kids made sure that it wasn't too long. We got up, got ready for the day, and ate a great breakfast. We then headed over to Silas and Kristi's church. They were doing a flyer blitz, and we got to help out. The ladies went to one neighborhood, and we went to another neighborhood. We were able to hand out quite a few flyers before lunch.

Back at their home, the kids and I took naps... or tried to. When one would fall asleep the other would wake the other up! Ugh!

We visited and played Wii games. After the kids got their showers, we put them to bed and played Apples to Apples as we visited some more. Then it was bed!


~Matt

Week Rundown! (08/19/12 - 08/25/12)

Sunday:

This morning I had a sick kid on my van, and didn't know it until I was a few miles away from church... not fun! ;) Today was Promotion Sunday in the Sunday school classes, with many of the kids moving up. Malachi got a reward for saying Bible verses over the past months!

This afternoon, we took naps, played games on Wii, and  worked on some Lydia homework for in preparation for classes tomorrow. We attended evening services, then came home for bed.


Monday:

Lydia started classes for the fall semester. She was excited, but also a bit nervous over trying to keep from being stressed out.


Tuesday:

I picked Mysia up from school and she got to spend a few hours with me at work before we headed home. We played some games on the Wii this evening, and the kids also worked on picking up their rooms.


Wednesday:

This evening was a quick supper and then off to evening services at church.


Thursday:

Mysia got to spend a few hours with me at work before I headed home. After dinner the kids spent most of the evening coloring and drawing. Lydia made treats for our weekend away in Branson. My siblings and I had "Steppin' Out" practice in preparation for our singing on Saturday evening.


Friday:

After I arrived at work, some of my co-workers left for Silver Dollar City. KWFC has fans that we hand out at the beginning of the Southern Gospel Picnic festival. I got to stand by the Boatworks Theatre and heckle people to get a free fan until 3pm. Like last year, it was fun!

I hung around the park until Lydia and the kids showed up. We then let the kids ride some rides and ate a snack before leaving. We also bought Malachi a pop-gun. It was his prize for not wetting the bed in the middle of the night. Believe me... this was an epic accomplishment!

We spent the evening at Splash Country Inn... it was great!


Saturday:

Actually got to sleep in! We had stayed up so late swimming that we were all tired! We got up and went to breakfast and got to go for a quick swim before meeting up with Titus, Jordin and Lycia at Silver Dollar City. We rode rides and watched the dark clouds come in. We were able to take shelter before the downpour hit! We had lunch and got to visit while waiting for it to stop. The rides were closed but we got to go through "Grandfather's Mansion" before saying goodbye and heading back to the hotel.

The kids watched tv and rested. Lydia started into some homework, and I left for Crane to sing with my siblings at the Broiler Festival. I got to visit with friends and the singing turned out pretty good! I have more fun singing Southern Gospel music than just listening to it.....

When I arrived back at the hotel, the kids were ready to go back to the pool! So we swam until 11pm!!!!


~Matt

Criminalizing My Beliefs - Vol. 2

This is part two of my thoughts on the ordinance that has been talked about for Springfield City Council. Like always, my intent is to share my opinion in short posts to provoke thoughts in those reading (you). Which is, of course, one of the ideas of this blog... voice my thoughts and opinions!

Anyway, before I ramble on too much...

The addition to the ordinance is not a 'civil right', but a moral issue. I should not be allowed to discriminate someone for race, etc. However, if it's something that I think is morally wrong, then yes.

I'm a freelance graphic designer. If someone asks me to put together a poster for an event that promotes something that I believe is morally wrong, I should have the right to refuse service. If this ordinance passes, an individual can then sue me. I admit that it would have to be someone with an agenda to do me harm... but hey, everyone has enemies.

Some may argue that "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity" is not a moral issue. Yes, it is. Those who believe in the Bible (and what it says), believe that homosexuality is a sin.  Why? Simple: it is defined as sin.

Here's a multi-thought to ponder...  how do you feel about lying? Do you like being lied to? Would you not agree that it is a moral issue? You can get fired for lying. No one can call it discrimination.

How is lying like homosexuality? Both are considered a sin, and an abomination. Now, if only Christians would take lying just a serious, we may have better politicians and wouldn't have to worry about issues like this- but that's a blog post for another time. If we actually believed what is called sin is sin, and lived by it, that would be easy.

Proponents for the change say that we now live in a 'modern civilized society' and not fall back to primitive thinking. However, they fail to see that putting laws in that criminalize moral issues is not civil. Look at other countries that have laws on moral issues. They wouldn't want them here in America. Adding "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity" as a discrimination is doing just that.

Don't criminalize my beliefs!!!

~Matt




More info can be found here.

Criminalizing My Beliefs - Vol. 1 (UPDATED/EDITED)

UPDATE: Changes made to original post before published!

I had planned to make a several posts over the next few days on my personal thoughts about Council Bill 2012-226 being put forth to the Springfield City Council. Last night, I worked on the post for today... however, there have been some things happening today that has made me re-think some of my wording.

With that in mind, let me at least leave you with some quotes to get your minds working:

From the "Springfield News-Leader":

Councilman Tom Bieker said fear that the ordinance could fare poorly with voters is one reason he suggested sending it back to a committee or task force for further discussion.
“What I’m worried about is if this gets to the polls it will fail miserably … and we’ll take a 20-year step back,” he said.

Instead, Bieker said he plans to renew his call that a task force review the issue before bringing it back to council with possible revisions.

Bieker said he supports the ordinance but doesn’t think opponents had an opportunity to weigh in as it was drafted.

 From "@sgffreedom"

City Attorney Dan Wichmer just confirmed: If you act according to your personal religious beliefs in your business, you can be legitimately sued if this ordinance passes!

For more reading, you can visit: http://www.cobycullins.com/2012/08/council-bill-2012-226.html


There are so many thoughts on this matter, that I'm trying to compile them in a way that I can covey them in the best manner.

~Matt