Enraged Parent.......not really that enraged, but still!

(this is an email I sent to all the local news channels this morning. Now I know that on the scale of things, this is no big deal. This is not doing anything to solve world hunger or save the environment, both of which I care very much about, but it is something that matters to Raegan and it's worth my energy:))

I am outraged and don't know anyone better to vent to than this news station - hoping for justice!

You've seen stories popping up all over the country, about enraged parents looking for tickets to a Hannah Montana concert, only to be denied. It is not the "being denied" part that I am so furious about. ...that's just life. However, when the tickets go on pre-sale for fan club members, the tickets should ONLY be available for FAN CLUB MEMBERS!

I was on ticketmaster at 9:59 this morning, and again, immediately at 10:00, when these pre-sale tickets became available. (I was there earlier, but you get the point) I entered my daughter's fan club access code, but was told, at 10:00, that there were no tickets! How is this possible?! I ask myself this question because when I do a google search for tickets in DC I get sites like: StubHub offering me tickets - that I just tried to buy for $66, now for $400+; or TicketsNow that have 54 tickets available at this venue alone? The list goes on.

Surely Ticketmaster has a way to monitor where these tickets are going. If I couldn't get 4 tickets at 10:00 then how did TicketsNow have 54 tickets, minutes later?! Even if TicketsNow, for instance, had 14 agents ready to log on at 10:00 and purchase tickets (4 tickets at a time is the max), how were they able to get through and have ticketmaster approve this amount going to the same address, which must be verified before purchase is complete?

This doesn't add up. It's more than just not being able to get tickets. It's the principal behind maintaining a moral, upstanding business acumen. This is nothing short of shady. I would love to know if any actual fan club members were able to buy tickets this morning, or if they all went to brokers? What's the point of having fan club pre-sales if brokers are the majority ticket owners by the end of the ....minute?

I could understand the price gouging on the sale of tickets to the general public. But it is crossing the line when you intentionally are deceptive (posing as a fan club member) in order to make a buck. Why would I encourage this business by buying overly priced tickets from a broker? I would pay more than $66, easily, to go see Hannah Montana, but I am not about to pay some broker that is in for an easy buck. I WON'T encourage that behavior.

I would love to see one of your investigative reporters do a story on the shady business of ticket brokers. How exactly do they go about cheating little children out of seeing one of their heroes? It's not right.

A concerned parent,
Emily Long

Crown of Thorns

So I must say that I am a hard sale when it comes to worship meetings, bible studies, etc. Not that it's hard to get me to go - I love worship and studying the word - but I'm usually pretty skeptical about the depth of the content.....does that make sense? I have approached this Beth Moore study with equal caution, not wanting to expect too much. I am already really pleasantly surprised! Really!

Today was our first discussion about the text we studied this past week. These kind of biblical discussions are always difficult, I feel, when you're with a group just getting to know each other. Everyone is kind of on edge trying to figure out where you come from, spiritually and biblically. But they are a very nice group of women and I'm so happy to be a part of it.
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The subject that occupies my thoughts today is the account of Abraham and Isaac. Anyone who was raised going to church - at least Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian - knows well the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, in order to show his faithfulness to the Lord. You know that just as Abraham was raising the knife to kill his son on the alter the Lord stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice instead. Abraham was rewarded for his faithfulness, being willing to give up the most important thing to him in the world. Isaac also represented the covenant God had made to Abraham, promising that he would be the father of many nations, that his descendants would outnumber the stars. Abraham had enough faith to trust that God had a plan bigger than he understood, and obeyed with wreckless abandon.

This is an amazing story in and of itself. One can clearly see, through the Christian lens, that this was a precursor to the plan already in motion of God sacrificing his only Son, Jesus, as the ultimate and last sacrifice. It is fascinating, troubling, amazing, and precious all at the same time.

In this study, however, Moore digs a little deeper regarding the way God provided a sacrifice that day Abraham found himself standing over his son with his knife drawn. Beginning with the fall, God tells Adam that, as part of the curse, thorns and thistles will grow from the ground. Thorns are evidence of the curse.

...a little side note: on their way up the mountain Isaac basically says, hey dad, we have the wood and things for a fire, but where is the lamb? Abraham replies back, "God will provide himself a lamb". God didn't provide a lamb. He provided a ram. For the first time, I wondered what was the significance of a ram vs. a lamb. So a ram is an adult sheep - sadly I had to look that up. You may have already known that, but I thought it was very excellently significant, and should be noted.

The ram was found in a thicket, caught by its horns. Moore suggests that a thicket in the Middle Eastern terrain was normally a thorn bush. So the ram, an adult male sheep, was caught in the thorns by it's horn...

"Luke 1:68-69 says, 'Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because
He has visited and provided redemption for His people. He has
raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant
David' (HCSB). Blessed be the horn of our salvation! Jesus
Christ was the Ram whose head was wrapped in thorns to secure
God's blessing for all who would receive it." -B. Moore, A Woman's Heart

Wow!!! Jesus wearing a crown of thorns takes on a whole new meaning for me now. I don't know if that hits you as hard as it hits me. It may be my simplicity, but to think of how that ram, caught by it's head in the thorn bush, was symbolic of the sacrifice our Lord would make, humbling himself to literally wear the curse of sin on his head, a crown of thorns, levels me. Wow.

some pics of the girls

You can see Rae's adorable dance outfit, and both of the girls gymnastics leotards:) oh, and there are a few of elle...:)

(thanks, Anna, for the slideshow idea:))

Ministry of Reconciliation

I've just begun a women's bible study at RBC (Reston Bible Church) on Thursday mornings. I'm very excited about it. I tried to do this last year, when we had first moved, but too many things were going on for me to commit the time and effort it requires. (btw, I can't believe it's already been a year?!?! What?!!!:)) So when the opportunity presented itself ...they've been doing this women's bible study ministry at RBC for over 20 years ...I jumped at the chance.

Childcare is provided for Elle, and Roo and Raegan are in school, of course. I am pretty sure that I'm one of the youngest, if not the youngest woman attending among the 50+ women, but there are several little babies in the nursery with Elle. The church gets older women from an assisted living facility near by to come and watch the children. They all love the children dearly and it is a wonderful little side ministry. The women get paid, too! It's a great idea. The older women are always sad to see summer come because they miss the children. I met all of them last week, as we all came in at the same time. They are really precious women.

I am participating in a Beth Moore study called "A woman's heart", based on the study of the Tabernacle in the OT. I'm excited to do a Moore study as my mom and sister have done several and always rave about their time spent doing so. I'm several days into the first week of study and I am intrigued. Not only is this the first time, in a long time, I've been challenged to really dig into the word on a daily basis, but this topic of the Tabernacle is not one I have studied since college, and then only briefly.

I'm sure I'll be writing a lot about what I'm learning through this study. The first thing to have caught my attention is the verse, 2 Corinthians 5:18: ...[God] reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation...

The ministry of reconciliation... I think of this, much like I do of chapter 1 in 2 Corinthians, a passage I have clung to for many years which says that He is the great Comforter who has comforted us so that we may comfort others. We have been reconciled so that we may be bring reconciliation to the world. ...priesthood of the believers. ...which takes place, not through an individual, but through the BODY of Christ, us, His people. We have been given a ministry of reconciliation.

Though this may seem a trivial discovery, it took me aback. I don't recall ever hearing about this ministry before. I'm not really sure what it means...practically speaking. It certainly does make me think a little harder about my relationships and what it really means to share the life of Christ with others.

It seems this thought of "bringing reconciliation" is much more than being evangelical, though the act requires such a heart. Evangelism has taken on a connotation of an apologetic delivery of the gospel message. In other words, to be evangelical means that you "present", in argument fashion, the gospel of salvation. Whether that be through a brief explaination of the 7 Spiritual laws, or through many conversations, it is still a presentation of some form. ...it seems cold and distant, though delivered with the absolute best of intentions, no doubt. The word "reconcile", however, denotes a sense of healing. It carries a warmth that surpasses information or knowledge.

After three years of marriage, Gavin and I went through the most traumatic thing either of us had ever experienced in our marriage/life, and we understood the words "restored", "redeemed", "reconciled" in a much deeper way than we had ever imagined knowing. These words were personal. They were healing. Their realty was a blessing full of joy and new life.

Reconcile means:
To reestablish a close relationship between.
To settle or resolve.

This is our ministry to the world, through Christ, who has reconciled us, so that we may bring reconcilation to others. It's personal; it brings healing and, to participate, is a blessing full of joy and new life.

Lord, please continue to work this out in me. I still don't really understand what this looks like, but I want to.

thoughts?

Old Murphy

Yesterday was quite eventful! We started out the morning just like any other. We got out of bed at 7am. The girls used the potty, got dressed and met me downstairs for breakfast. I had their food ready and was popping some left over omelet in the microwave for me. Music was playing throughout the house. Everything was relatively peaceful - as peaceful as busy mornings can be - and we were on schedule. ...until I hit the "start" button on the microwave.

As soon as the microwave started, or rather tried to start, I immediately knew something weird was going on. The light inside the microwave was very dim, much more so than usual, and it started making a funny buzz noise. I quickly stopped it and tried again, thinking maybe it was a little glitch. This time it did the same thing, and the speakers in the living room blew out, and the ceiling fan knocked off.

....OKAY!! strange! The speakers are new, so maybe there was something weird with the wiring, so I take the girls their breakfast, because there's no time for stopping. The very tight ship must go on:) I went to turn the light on in the dining room, which are set on a dimmer, and they wouldn't come up past a low dim. As I did this more things began popping around the house. I immediately yelled for Gavin and Nick and went around the house unplugging everything I could get to.

The night lights in the upstairs hallway were as bright as spotlights, when they are normally very dim, things were popping left and right! AGGHH!!! What is going on?!

Nick shut the breaker off and the three of us gathered in the kitchen to figure out what in the world just happened. The girls were still eating breakfast, as Gavin called the electrician. He referred us to the power company, saying that if it is house wide it has to do with the power source. The power company was out a few hours later discovering that when Verizon had come down our road months ago, installing a new fiber optic line, they had cut part of our neutral line, which stabilizes the ebbs of flow of electricity coming into the house. Over time the line had finally completely severed.

After getting the girls to school I decided Elle and I would stay out while they were trying to get the power back on. They had to dig up the road to install a new line. Thankfully, Gavin and Nick decided to turn around and come back home to be there when the power company got there, otherwise I don't know that they would have been so thorough. ..by now they were heading, once again, toward work.

On Monday's, in Virginia, the teacher's get out at noon. For Kindergarten, since it's only until noon, usually, they get out an hour early, at 10:45. I know this. But this was no normal day. Murphy was visiting and was making our lives ____, um, interesting for the afternoon:) I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE EARLY PICK UP! The school was able to reach Gavin, who was still on his way to work, and he and Nick turned back around, for the second time, to go pick up Rae.

I went ahead and picked up Roo and then we met Gavin, Nick and Rae at home. By this time the power was back on and we were assessing the damage. We lost the dishwasher, the double ovens, the washing machine, our IHome, the new dvd/vcr combo that was downstairs, both garage doors......that's all for now, but we're still looking. The surge protectors we had did their jobs and saved us from an electrical fire that would have burned the house down, no doubt. They were fried so we've already replaced them. A must, in our home.

Well. Thank you, Lord for surge protectors, and for being the great protector of our lives. I'm so thankful that it wasn't any worse than it was. It could have been devastating!! God is good. Murphy is evil. And we're just fine:)

I hope everyone else is doing wonderfully! We're all healthy, happy, safe, and extremely thankful:)

Today, is already a MUCH better day! Lots of fun. Today is gymnastics and dance:)

Be safe out there!:) ...get some surge protectors if you don't have any already.

First Week of School

Well, we did it!! I have to just praise the Lord for a wonderful week.

(this last picture was just before bath time - typical Roo - she came in completely naked except for her socks. Gavin ran to get the camera because it was just too perfect - that's me censoring the pic, with Elle's bald head making a cameo:))

Raegan started school on Tuesday. She did great. Raegan made lots of new friends. One of her best friends, already, is Megan who also takes dance at her ballet class.

Dance is a wonderful blessing. I'm going to get pictures of her uniform - so adorable. They all look the same - all the students wear a maroon, long sleeved leotard, light pink tights, and a pink headband. The teacher is very good. She demands a lot of the girls, and isn't exactly warm and fuzzy, but the all the girls love her. She's originally from Russia, if that gives you a better idea of what kind of personality she has. She's really great. I'm happy with how that is going.

Reece began her first day of school on Thursday and I was completely shocked at how well she did! She didn't hesitate a bit. She walked right in and got busy working on a project.....!!!! Wow! ...not even a pouty face!!:) I waited and observed her for a while to make sure that she would be okay - she was. Her teacher Mrs. Rous (from France:)), said that you would have thought she had been going to Montessori for years. I'm so proud of her! I can't believe it!

Gymnastics was also on Tuesday. I'll get pictures of that, too:) Also a really wonderful activity for the girls. The gym is owned by a family that is wonderful. They've been doing this for over 20 years. The dad, mom, and daughter all teach and are wonderful, along with the other teachers.

We are so blessed!

What a week!

Wow! This week has already been full of firsts for our family. First on the list of firsts...:), Rae started Kindergarten today! We spent a lot of time talking about what the day would entail as we prayed together last night. She had lots of questions, mainly about what she would do if someone was mean to her. We prayed for God to give her strength through her fear. We went back over one of the previous devotionals from our princess book, about how she is chosen, and that crowns and jewels don't make a princess, but sharing God's love and the light He has blessed her with does.

As we walked into her classroom this morning, I did get a little misty eyed, but mostly I was so happy for her and proud. I knew she was ready and that this is going to be a great experience for her. She's strong.

Roo, Elle and I picked her up and she was beaming. She made lots of friends today, and was sure to tell me about one very sassy boy - who we prayed for tonight:) hahaha my little Rae, she is quite the evangelist:)

After school we headed home for a quick lunch and an even quicker nap. It went very smoothly - thank you, Lord!

We then headed out to our first day of gymnastics at NVGA (Northern Virginia Gymnastics Academy). Wow!!! It was great. Roo was a little nervous at first because she forgot that we weren't going back to the Little Gym, but then warmed up quickly and had a fabulous time. Raegan loves it, too. Elle and I spread out on the matted floor and played together. Fun was had by all:)

Next, we piled in the car and headed back into Great Falls for Rae's first day of Ballet at her new school, Margaret Haddad School of Ballet. Rae didn't skip a beat. She couldn't wait to get into ballerina mode. Roo, Elle and I played in the lobby together. I think next time we'll go across the street to our favorite library:) All of the other parents dropped off their daughters and showed up again when it was time for class to be over. So I think we'll try the library to pass the time. Although it seemed to go by very quickly today.

We got home and crashed! What a day! Thankfully this is only a Tuesday thing. I had the option of doing gymnastics on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but dance is also twice a week on those days, and I don't think I'm strong or sane enough to try another day like today twice in one week.

The other really big first, as you can see, is that Elle had her head shaved this week! Don't worry! Even though this is a first for Elle, it is also her last. Gavin and I used team work to get this one done. As we were shaving her head, I couldn't believe that I had shaved Roo's head all by myself, when she was six months old! She looks adorable. We used the electric razor first, then "bick"ed it.

Though the kitchen is quite messy right now, I am proud to have come through this day having had fun and enjoying my precious little ones. They were amazingly wonderful. It was a blessed day:) ...and one I'm sure to remember for years to come.

Fun with family

Over our vacation we spent lots of time with family, some that we haven't seen in years. We had a great time catching up with so many of my cousins and their families. One such occasion was the celebration of my Nana's 80th birthday (my dad's mom).

We had a wonderful time playing in the pool and chatting up my very wonderful cousins, Jason, and his wife, Janet, and Marnie, and her husband, Dave. Gavin and I got really close with Jason and Janet when we lived in Cary, just before Roo was born. They are wonderful friends. Jason and Gavin have a lot in common and share a very sweet bond - the Carolina fanatic bond....;) So, it was great to see them and really catch up. I loved being able to spend time with Marnie and Dave's adorable little Jack, and Jason and Janet's cutie pie, little Anna.

Of course, we spent lots of time with my brother and his family, too, which was really fantastic. I love my brother very much and we've become much closer since getting married and having children. I still vividly remember the first serious conversation I ever had with my brother. Gavin and I were living in Boone, having just left Boston the first time, and were celebrating our sister's graduation, when he asked me how I knew Gavin was the one. He then began to describe a very beautiful, and strong woman, who I now know as my sister-in-law, Stephanie:) His girls and mine are about the same age. Macy and Rae are two weeks apart. Abbi and Roo are more like a year apart, but still play great together. (their son Hayes is the oldest grandchild and we had a great time with him, too. He is a very talented musician and he got to show off a little for Gavin and myself while we were home. We were both extremely impressed!)

They were at the party, too. We had so much fun being all together, and seeing our little ones play together. We did, however, greatly miss our little sister Jenny. It's the first time we've all been together in years and we all greatly missed her presence. (She's away on a year long mission trip)

The girls and I also got to spend several days with my cousin Elizabeth. She also has three girls. Hannah and Rae are three years apart. Roo and her second little girl, Mckenzie, are only two months apart in age, and her most recent little one, London, and Elle are only two weeks apart in age. Everywhere we went we got SO much attention. I guess it was quite a site to see the two of us girls, who look young for our age anyway, being followed by six little girls! We felt very "girl power"-y when we were together! They all played so great together and it was the most time I've ever spent with her precious little girls. We even got to spend the night one night!!! We had such a great time.

I am very blessed. I love my cousins, dearly. We never spent that much time together growing up, but it is wonderful to be friends with them now. My sister and I have always been friends, but it's also a special blessing to be friends with my brother and sister-in-law. We talked about real things on this trip, shared some of our dreams, went out on a double date. It was wonderful! We all have children and are coming into our own. It is a special kind of friendship, unique to my other relationships. I'm very thankful for each one.

getting my feet wet again:)

It has been over three weeks since my last post!!!!! THREE WEEKS! I was doing so well there for a while. Vacation took a huge toll on my blogging, and then this week has been packed full of getting the girls prepared for school and tying up loose ends. School begins next week for Raegan, on Tuesday, and for Roo, on Thursday. Dance and gymnastics begin this coming week, as well. Life is about to get a little crazy, but I'm ready and excited! I'm looking forward to seeing how this will work.

I have lots of pictures to upload and lots to share, but I thought I'd begin slowly for tonight (this will probably show up as tomorrow's blog, but it is currently Saturday night as I write this.) So here are some quiz results that I found from one of my friend's blogs. Enjoy:) ...and stay tuned for much more to come:)

You scored as Martin Luther,The daddy of the Reformation. You are opposed to any Catholic ideas of works-salvation and see the scriptures as being primarily authoritative.

Which theologian are you?
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Which theologian are you?
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Martin Luther		80%
John Calvin		73%
Charles Finney		60%
Jonathan Edwards		60%
Jürgen Moltmann		47%
Anselm		47%
Paul Tillich		40%
Karl Barth		33%
Augustine		33%
Friedrich Schleiermacher		27%

Which theologian are you?
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