Rain & Fire

It once again has been a while since I have blogged anything. Life has been a bit busy but it has been good.
This past weekend I held my annual bonfire at my parent's home. I was hoping for a rain free Saturday night but the rain came along with 80 of my friends and family. Yes, you read that right, 80 people came out to the house on Saturday. I was thankful for the six tents I either owned or borrowed plus the fact that I live in a big house.
The evening(aside from the rain) consisted of lots of good food, two bonfires, laughter among friends, me having to change 2 times because I got soaked, dominoes, and just good fellowship. I was also able to meet the family of my boyfriend, Scott. What an evening! Everyone had a great time at least that is what I continue to hear.
Today I went to the dentist to get my wisdom tooth pulled. He loaded me up with Novocaine and pulled as best as he could to no avail. My tooth decided it did not want to come out. So now in November I will be going to an oral surgeon. Yeah Rah! At this point the novocaine is wearing off & I have taken ibeprophen to ease the pain in my jaw.
That is all for now! God is Good and He is still in control!
Blessings~~

Pool Party

Last Sunday a good friend of mine hosted a pool party at her house. Between the hours of 12pm to 2pm it looked like we were not going to be able to go swimming. We had torrential downpours. Thankfully around 2:30 the rain stopped and the sun came out. God provided a perfect afternoon for friends to be in a pool.
Kim had about 20 people over to her house. Everyone got in the pool. Some of us were doing summer saults, hand stands, diving, water bombs, or just plain relaxing on a raft. The water cooled everyone off, especially because it ended up being a hot afternoon.
Another part of the afternoon included Mark Weber & some to the women giving us a singing performance. All who participated have wonderful voices, so it was nice to listen. There were some funny moments when I was trying to take candid photos but Mark would not be candid. He kept making sure he was in the photo. Oh, well! I tried to get candid shots!
Kim provided dinner for everyone with others bringing snacks or desserts to share. What a blessing it was to have good fellowship and food. Kim also invited a couple from her church to come and share the Word with us.
The whole afternoon was enjoyable. Thanks Kim for your hospitality!

Presque Isle 2009

Yesterday, I traveled with friends to Presque Isle state park in Erie, PA. Considering it was the first really nice day of summer, it was a perfect day to hang out with friends on a beach. My day started out with a two hour tennis drill clinic at the Village Glen. I had a great time but boy was hot and tired when I finished. I was thankful that I could take a shower at a friend's house before I left for Presque Isle.
Jeff, Mark, Karla and I headed to PA around 10:45am. On the way we stopped at a Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Mark made us laugh with his antics about being one of Chick-Fil-A's number one fans. He made us all laugh with his photos and his purchase of 4 children's toys in that were cows with placard boards. Very Cute!
Well, when we finally got off the exit to Presque Isle it took us 45 minutes to drive 5 miles. There was some construction or an accident. It was very frustrating. We did finally arrive at the beach only to have a full parking lot. We did get in unload our belongings and then headed out to find a parking spot. It seemed like everyone and their neighbor decided it was a good day to head to the beach.
The afternoon consisted of relaxing on the sand, frolicking in the water, tubing off the back of a boat or jet skiing with a friend. Oh, yeah, there was also a lot of food, fun & fellowship. For me it was just fun to relax with friends. I had a couple great conversations with some new friends and old friends. I tried to take some photos to capture the day. Everyone who went seemed to have a great time.
The group stayed at the beach until right after sunset. The sunset was beautiful. God is such an Awesome God to bless us with such picturesque beauty.
Until next time!
Blessings to you~

Baby Showers & girlfriends

This past Saturday found me, along with my sisters and mom, at my best friend's baby shower. Her sister & sister-in-law put together a beautiful shower for Wendy. About 25 friends and family came together to bless Wendy & Nate with gifts for the arrival of their new baby girl.
The first gift opened was from Wendy's grandma, who passed away a couple years ago. She had given Wendy's mom a quilt to give Wendy when she had her first baby. The gift brought tears to Wendy's eyes. It was a precious gift, which will be cherished for a long time.
After the shower we all got together to take a few photos. There was a lot of laughter in trying to get six women to look at a camera.
Once the shower was over some of the girls went over to Jenn's house for an afternoon of relaxation. We were supposed to lounge around in her pool. That did not happen due to rain & the pool being cold. We sat around and chatted hoping to get to Jackie's later in the evening to go hot tubbing. Once again our plans had to be changed because of the rain.
Over all it was nice to hang with girlfriends.
Until next time!
Blessings to you~~

Winter in July

About a week ago, I went to a party at a new friend's home. She invited a large group of people out to enjoy the afternoon but only a handful came out for the afternoon/evening. The weather was chilly, not what was expected for a July evening.
Throughout the evening some of us played different games to keep us warm until the bonfire started. I played Bocce ball with a large group. Throwing a large ball at a small ball is an interesting experience. I came close to winning the point for my team a couple of times but in the end the other team had the better throwers.
I also tried to do cartwheels, hand stands and head stands. It has been a while. I did get up but let me tell you the next day I was very sore.
The evening ended with a nice bonfire and smores. Who could ask for anything better?
Well, until next time!
Blessings to you~~

Summer Life

Over the past couple of weeks the weather has not been as hot as some people would like it to be but for me I have enjoyed my summer. For one thing, it has been nice on the days/evenings I have needed it to be. Secondly, cool nights mean great sleeping.
Well, a couple of weeks ago a good friend of my rented a cottage up in Barker, NY. The second day she was there she invited a bunch of her friends to join her for an afternoon of food, fun, fellowship and relaxation. It was a beautiful day. The cottage was right next to Lake Ontario.
During the afternoon different games were played. Some people played a washer game, while others played Ladder golf. Later in the afternoon, a few of the kids and me went into the water. It was a bit cold. It took a little while to get Samantha out in the water. Ryan went right in and Brittany came in reluctantly. Once out in the water we all had a great time.
Dinner consisted of hamburgers, hot dogs and sausages, plus many different dishes that people brought to share. I had a plate that I proceeded to dump (accidentally of course), so I had to prepare a second one.
After dinner a I played hackey sack with Bill, Mark, Tim, Tyler & John. This time I actually did better. By the end of the evening I was extremely sore. Ugh!
Overall the day was a lot of fun. It always is when you are hanging out with friends.
Until next Time
Blessings to you!

Time with Jesus

I've just finished reading some of the blogs of a good friend. She has such a heart for the Lord that is shines through in her short blogs. I was blessed by the reminder that God is a Good God. He is a Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. He is concerned about the little things in our life. He desires such a close intimate relationship with us that He is always gently calling our name.

The problem lies in the fact that sometimes we don't listen. We say we want to be close to Him, yet we shut our ears to hear His voice. We get side-tracked. Whether it be a good book, a talk with a friend, a good movie on TV or even doing a job for Him. We need to stop and see what is taking our attention from a Heavenly Father who loves us more than words can say.

In my own life, I've let expectations of others sidetrack me from seeing what He really wants for my life. Sometimes those unfulfilled expectations have caused tears. I do not want to put any expectations on my friends that would cause them to pull away from me. It is my desire to really be Jesus to those I come into contact. I find it challenging when the expectations get in the way. When I forget to spend time with Jesus, my life gets to focused on me. When my life is focused on me, I am miserable.

It is my hope that I truly can be more like Jesus, so that when others see me they see Him and not me. I truly want to be a reflection of His love.
Blessings to you,
Until next time~~

Choices

Life is so full of choices. Choices in what to wear, what to eat, who to be friends with, where to go to church, what movies I should/shouldn't watch and so many more. Sometimes the choices are not easy to make and take much thought. Other times the choice is as simple as choosing vanilla over chocolate. I've had choices to make and they have not been easy.
Lately the choice I've been struggling with is, do I truly trust God for His Best in my life? That is an every day choice. Do I choose to live in His Presence or do I take control? I want to say that I always choose His Presence but that would not be true. There are times I take everything into my own hands. When I do that, life is good for a little bit but then it comes crashing down around me. In my head and heart I do want to be in His Presence always. The question then becomes what am I doing to be in His Presence always? Am I reading His Word? Am I talking with Him (not only at Him, but am I listening to Him)? Am I seeking wise counsel?
I know the answers should be Yes, but honestly I have not been as focused on Him as I should be. I am thankful that I can make a choice to change and make those answers a Yes.
Until next time!
Blessings to you~~

Dare

"Dare"

Learning to live a life that is humble.
Unless you lean on Christ, you will stumble.
Christ will give you the strength on which to stand.
If only you will take His outstretched Hand.

Undivided devotion He asks of you.
So what is your choice, what will you do?
Open your heart to what He has to give.
No turning back, you've made the choice to live.

Bring your dreams to Him, place them in His care.
Remove any doubt, you have nothing to fear.
Understand His love for you is without end.
Now and forever, He is a Faithful Friend.

Dare to be the man He created you to be.
Always willing to get on bended knee.
Give Him your life, your all in all.
Even now, you will not stumble or fall.

Tracy L. Stone
May 9, 2009

Fearfully & Wonderfully

"I will praise thee: for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works: and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14

I can choose to praise God for how I am made or I can choose to complain about what I think are imperfections in my body. There are days when I feel not so beautiful and complain about being overweight or my complexion is not smooth. How does that make my Creator feel? It most likely saddens Him because He made me just who I am.
I have to remember feelings come and go. I also have choices about the food I put into my body. Overall I have to remember that my God loves me and He fashioned me to be who I am. I will choose to Praise Him because just like the Psalmist wrote, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
Blessings to you!

A new day

"This is the day that the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it."
I am so thankful that I have a brand new day to do the Lord's work. It is my prayer that He use me in ways that are beyond my imagination. I want to be willing to serve Him in any capacity. Writing that down scares me a little, but I have to remember He equips those He calls. He will be with me every step of the way.
Blessings!

Moments

It has been a busy month for me. I've celebrated a friend's birthday, my sister's birthday, took in a Sabres Hockey game, played in a volleyball tournament, traveled to Ohio, played a little tennis and took a lot of photos.
Back at the end of March, I helped my friend, Kim, celebrate her birthday. It was a fun evening. Only the girls were invited and we did manicures and pedicures. I've never had a pedicure but it was a lot of fun. Kisha's mom, Andrea, (what a sweetheart) did my pedicure. Her and Kim, the birthday girl, did the pedicures. There was a lot of wet feet and tons of laughter.

Next on the calendar of events was the volleyball tournament. It was a fund raiser for a mission's trip to be taken at the end of September to Juarez, Mexico. Ten teams signed up at $150.00 each with all the proceeds going to the missions trip. The day started at 9am and lasted until 5pm with the winning team being unbeaten the whole day. It was a successful tournament and I only heard good reports from everyone who participated. They are looking forward to the next tournament.

The day after the volleyball tournament the family celebrated my youngest sister's 24th birthday. I can hardly believe she is 24. It just seems like yesterday I was going to see her & my mom in the hospital. She is a wonderful little sister and I am blessed by her presence in the family.

Taking my friends Jeff & Karin and my sister, Cassandra, to the Sabres game was a lot of fun. We all met at Jeff's house to head downtown to HSBC arena. The traffic close to the arena was horrendous. It took us over 15 minutes to go less than a mile to a parking ramp. Once we arrived we had a lot of fun watching the game. Going into the second period the score was 0-0 but the Detroit Red Wings decided it was time to score. After that it went down hill for the Sabres. They lost the game 4-1.

Now off to Ohio for Easter. It was a nice get away. I traveled with my two sisters on Friday evening and we stayed until Monday morning. During our time in Ohio we watched my two cousins play soccer. It was a beautiful sunny day but with a very bitter cold wind. I did not dress warm enough so I ended up being very cold for most of the day. Also the wind was so cutting it made my eyes water to seem like I was crying. Thankfully my cousin had sunglasses and it helped. In the afternoon, Cassandra & I went shopping and out to dinner with Amy & Janiel. Sunday morning, I went to church at Oasis of Life (my uncle is the pastor). It was good service. After church we headed over to my brother, Ryan's house for dinner and an egg hunt. The kids had a great time hunting for candy filled eggs.

This week has been busy with Lifelinks, Mosaic, Murj, Lockport Alliance church's coffeehouse and tennis.
I am grateful for the blessings God has given. He truly is Jehovah Jireh!
Blessings to you~~~

What A Weekend!

This past weekend (starting on Thursday night) was packed with a lot of fun activities. I am glad this week is quiet for me. I've been able to eat at home two nights in a row. How I love Mom's cooking!
Well, Going back to Thursday night. MOSAIC held its annual Spring Break Out dinner with barbecue chicken, baked beans, salad & cole slaw. I can't say that I enjoyed the meal because I have had better. After dinner Kurt Coffed & his band played for 45 minutes promoting his new CD. The music was good and it is some we sing during praise & worship.
Friday was a long work day. I was glad to come home around 7:30pm and be able to rest for the evening. I played on the computer and sorted through my 30 scrapbooks. It was interesting to see all that has happened over the past 10 years.
Saturday found me up bright and early at 6am to be able to play tennis at 7am at the Village Glen. For two hours I get drilled on how to play a better game of tennis. It is worth it. I will be glad when the normal coach comes back. After tennis I headed out to South Buffalo to get my car's oil changed at my Uncle's Automobile shop. It is always an experience because several of his friends show up to help however when I am there all they do is give each other a hard time. This time I told my Uncle to let his friend, Max, know I would be there and would be expecting a doughnut. Well, I am happy to say Max brought me a jelly doughnut and hot tea. It was delicious. Once the oil change was done, I headed over to Sam's wholesale to get some Oatmeal Raisin cookies for a party I would be going to in the evening.
Once home I waited for my mom and sister-in-law to come home so I could take pictures of my new nephew, Ezekiel. They finally arrived home around 2:30 and I had 45 minutes to get the pictures I wanted. I also took a few of my youngest niece, Phoenix. What a riot!
At 4:15pm I left home to go out for the evening. I headed to my friend, Karin's for dinner and then over to the Lockport Alliance church to their monthly coffeehouse. This month the band "Paid In Full" was the feature band. They were great. The music was loud and the fellowship was sweet.
After the coffee house Ted invited the group to hang out at his house for a couple hours. When we got their he showed Kisha the Ipod and then the dancing started. What a blast. Thankfully the neighbors did not hear us because it was loud. Everyone had a great time dancing and laughing and just plain having fun! I finally left around 1:30am.
Well, Like I said it was a jammed packed few days.
Blessings!

A month Goes by

I always think about blogging and then never sit down to gather all my thoughts to write. It really does take thought to sit down and let others know what you are thinking or the happenings in your life. For me there has been a lot going on in my life and in my thoughts. Some of which I don't know if I wanted to gather and put in written form. One of my friends is always concerned because he knows how I process and sometimes it has caused me not to sleep well. He has now come to the point of telling me to take the DVD out before I go to bed. (It is not a DVD in my player but in my head)
A couple weeks ago my dad fell and broke his ankle. He was trying to replace a light bulb outside. He proceeded to stand on a stool on the steps. Thankfully it was only his ankle that was broke. Last Friday he did go in for surgery to have a pin put in his ankle because after a weeks time the ankle was not healing as the doctor thought it should. He is teaching us all how to have servant's hearts and sometimes causing us to jump because he trips over tv trays in the dark. I thank all who have kept him in your prayers.
This past weekend I had a birthday party for a friend. I made homemade chicken enchilada's for dinner. I am not the world's best cook. Actually I am trying to learn this year. I am starting out with simple recipes. My sister has already had her say on a couple things I've not done properly. I just say I am learning. I think she finds humor in my learning. Well, anyways, the enchilada's were delicious and the party was a success. My friend was very blessed by the friends that came and showered her with gifts.
At the end of March my brother Ryan and sister-in-law, Tammi, gave birth to a healthy 10 pound 22 in little boy at home. My new nephew's name is Ezekiel. I am hoping they will be coming up this weekend so we can meet the little man.
My nieces are growing up. Phoenix (1) is just starting to walk. She is a little cutie pie. Dakota just turned 5 and Anna (3) is always looking for snacks. Just the other day Anna and Kota came looking for me. They asked Nana where Aunt Tracy was and she told them I was by the computer. They ran over to where I was sitting and said, "Can we have a snack?" I asked them what kind of snack they wanted and they both shouted "Sugar" You have to understand the sugar they were asking for is the Lick a sticks. It made me laugh and love them for their child like enthusiam.
Well, I think I am going to organize my scrapbooks and photos tonight and then head off to bed. I have to get up early tomorrow to play tennis and then get an oil change. Yeah!
Well, until next time. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Blessings!!

Good intentions

Tonight I am a bit tired. At work I was busy doing payroll and other stuff. Everyday is something new. After work we had a small party for one of the tellers who will be moving to Mississippi in the next couple of weeks. It was a surprise for her. Most of her coworkers contributed to get a gift card to JCPenney's since she will not have a lot of room in her car. It was a nice party.
Now I am home. I was going to scrapbook but instead got on the computer and was on Facebook for a little while. It is always interesting to see who is on and what they happen to be doing at anytime of the day. Now I am writing this blog. I don't have much to say because my mind is tired and I am not thought provoked right now. So maybe in a few days I will write more and have something interesting to say.
Until then,
Blessings to you~~

Random Thoughts

I know I had thought I would be more consistent in my writing but I let other things get in the way. Plus it takes a lot of thought to put my thoughts down in written form.
January was a busy month for me. Last time I wrote I was telling you about Christmas. Now it is past Valentine's Day and a lot has happened.
Most up to date yesterday I went to see the movie "He's Just Not Into You." I would not recommend the movie. It did however give me a lot to think about. I found it sad that marriage is not sacred anymore. It is portrayed as a negative. Relationships consist more of who I can get into bed with the next time I am looking for someone. How sad! There are rules to the dating game that are so complex that nobody is interested in the truth. It truly is a game and the game is not much fun.
After the movie I went to dinner with a few friends. We tried a restaurant in Niagara Falls called Shorty's. I had the Ultimate Shorty's wrap with chicken. It was delicious. I should have just ordered the wrap and not the fries because by the time I was finished I was more than full. The food at the restaurant was inexpensive and delicious. I would recommend the restaurant.
Since the beginning of the year I have been playing tennis on Saturday mornings. It has been invigorating. The clinics have consisted of 7-10 players. We are drilled on different aspects of the game. This past weekend the coach had us all working on our slices. I am not very good at a slice but I am improving. After the two hours of tennis, I was whipped. I plan to head back this week for some more. Yeah!
The past month God has been speaking to me about different areas of my life that I need to work on namely Pride and control. In some ways, the two are intertwined. Pride believes "it's all about me" and control means "to have things my way or no way." God doesn't want me to be like that. It has been neat the ways He has used conversations, devotions or sermons to confirm the changes He wants to take place in my life. I am always excited when He uses 3 different ways to show me His plans. He is still working on those two areas and when I have more complete thoughts on the changes needed in my life, I will let you know.
Please pray that I will always have an open ear to what He wants me to hear. I just don't want to hear, I want to listen and apply the instruction He is giving me.
Thanks for listening!~
Blessings to you~~~

After Christmas (Yes, It's me part 2)

The way these blogs are posted I want to make sure you realize that there is a blog before this one, so make sure you scroll down so you don't miss any of the events. LOL
I left off on Christmas day. On the Friday after Christmas I had to work until 5pm. I was going to play volleyball but received a text from my friend, Jenn, inviting me and a few others over to her house to play Wii Rock Band. I decided to go to her house instead of volleyball and asked if I could just stay the night (it is a long ride to her house.) When I arrived Mark, Jeff, Karin and Jenn were playing. Mark was singing and Karin was on the drums. It was interesting to watch them play. Karin took over the mike but was trying to sing all prim and proper (doesn't work with Rock Bank.) I got on the mike and mocked the song and actually did well. At one point, I was singing, Karin was on the drums and Jenn was on the guitar playing the song "29 fingers" by the Konks. What a hilarious song! We did great! We had Mark take photos of us and we all had a good laugh. The evening was a success with much music and laughter.
The next day I was going to go home but instead hung out with Jenn all day. She went to her weight watchers meeting and then we went shopping. She had never been to Kohl's so we stopped and were there for about hours. We found many great deals. Who can pass up a shirt for $2.00. I was trying on clothes I might have otherwise passed by. Jenn got a lot of good deals also. After Kohls we went to lunch at Panera Bread and then to Best Buy to find Wii games. We headed back home to be there in time for the gang to arrive around 4pm. We got to her house just before 4pm and I still had to take a shower. Ugh!
Mark, Jeff, Karin, Bill, Jenn and I were there for the party. We prepared spagetti for dinner and then got back on the Rock Band. We had a wonderful time. There were many good laughs. This time I did go home at the end of the evening.
I am so thankful for good times with good friends, even if at times it can be embarrassing. :)
Until next time!
Blesssings to you~~~

Yes, It's me!

Yes, I am blogging again. Like I said in my last blog, I always have good intentions of writing down some thoughts but then get too caught up in other things. Plus blogging does take some thought and by the end of the day, I am tired and do not want to think anymore for the day.
So just the other night my friend Mark was commenting to me that I haven't blogged in a while and he misses it. My mom was sitting next to him and said she missed it as well. So this blog is for the two of you. I am thankful people read and find pleasure in my life and thoughts. I find it amusing but also a bit intimidating. Oh, well!
Since it has been a month since I last wrote, I will try to keep to the highlights of the past month. Christmas this year was better than I expected. I was under the impression that my family would not be celebrating until the Monday after Christmas which had me a bit bummed. However, that is not how it turned out. On Christmas Eve I had to work until 3pm. I was going to go to the 6pm service at the Chapel but was extremely tired from being up late the evening before for my family's annual open house and having to be at work early. Also it was raining and I was concerned that it would turn to freezing rain before I got home. So instead of going to church I played with my sisters and nieces on the Wii. My niece, Dakota, kicked my butt in the fishing game and my sister, Cassandra, kicked my butt in the cow racing. It did not matter because we had a great time.
On Christmas morning, I was able to sleep in and when I came downstairs my mom and dad gave me their Christmas gifts. I was not prepared for this because like I said I thought we were not celebrating until the following Monday. The rest of the day was relaxing. Some of my brothers and sister's exchanged gifts and we watched my nieces open a couple gifts. Have little one's around at Christmas is wonderful. They have so much excitement and it passes along to everyone in the room.
In the afternoon, my brother, Ryan, sister-in-law, Tammi and my nephews, Michael and Matthew arrived in town from Newark, Ohio. Then the festivities really began. Everyone gathered in our front room and we exchanged gifts. It was like a tornado came through the room. It was a wonderful experience to share Christmas with family and start new traditions.
I am glad any expectations I had where crushed and the actual happenings hold many great memories that cannot be erased.
Until next time!
Blessings to you