Back in Black at The House of Blues

As that whole empty nest thing is approaching, Jon and I decided to make an effort to have date nights while we still have Abigail home to take care of Sissy.  These opportunities will soon be a thing of the past when Abigail leaves for college. 

Jon had never seen AC/DC in concert and we saw that Back in Black a high energy tribute band would be playing at the House of Blues in Dallas.  They were incredible!  This country music loving girl had a blast.  

There was a Bon Jovi tribute band as the opening act which was destined to disappoint since we've seen the real thing.  It was still fun to watch, but honestly there is only one Jon Bon Jovi. 

As a venue, the House of Blues is amazing!  We had dinner before the concert and it was New Orleans southern cuisine. The menu includes iconic dishes such as New Orleans jambalaya and gumbo, Memphis-style baby back ribs, and Delta fried chicken. So yummy! 

 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” Luke 20:22

Next Time

I'm pretty sure this post should be titled, "That Wasn't Pretty" but I'm not sure that would entice any one to check it out.  One of the great life lesson in softball is that you won't win them all.  It's a life skill to lose and more importantly to lose gracefully.  The next lesson is to get up and play ball again and shake off the loss. 

The Angels were given that opportunity tonight in their game against John Paul II. But tomorrow night is another game and the slate is wiped clean. Go Angels!  

a time to seek, and a time to lose . . . Ecclesiastes 3:6

Groundhog Day

It amazes me how simple things are so amazing to my sweet preschoolers!  Today we began reading about Groundhog Day.  Indoors we used flashlights to simulate shadows before we headed outside to check them out.   

Later we made our predictions about whether there would be more winter or an early spring.  The kids voted for an early spring!  We'll find out on Saturday what Punxsutawney Phil thinks! 

For we are but of yesterday and know nothing,

    for our days on earth are a shadow. Job 8:9

Her Mission Field

Usually when I post to the blog I prefer to make a collage of pictures but today I'm going with just this one photo.  It depicts most of my favorite catcher girls softball world.  I don't think there has ever been a game when she hasn't made small talk with the home plate umpire.  

Abigail has this great mindset that she will be spending the next ninety minutes with him looking over her shoulder they might as well be able to make small talk.  We were sitting in the stands the other night at a tournament when the officials for her next game stood behind the backstop.  One of our teams parents heard the umpire say he would ump behind home plate because 'that girl' is my favorite catcher.  She's my favorite too! 

The HSAA Angels lost to Ursuline Academy but it was a close game! Next time! 

Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. Ecclesiastes 7:19

Triple Header

The HSAA Angles played a triple header in a tournament hosted by John Paul II.  We began the day with an eight a.m. game against Trinity Christian. Our pitcher didn't allow a single run as we defeated Trinity Christian 1-0! 

Next up was our game against John Pail II, which unfortunately wasn't as pretty as the game against Trinity Christian.  The girls final game was against Grapevine Faith Christian.  HSAA swept the game with a 9-0 win! Abigail had a couple of great hits and two terrific plays at the plate! You know she's getting serious when she rips off her mask! 

“Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Samuel 7:3 

Experimenting with Preschoolers

We're working on our Arctic Animals Unit at preschool.  That means it's time to break out a few more experiments.  The first one we did was an experiment demonstrating how blubber keeps the sea animals warm in the Arctic waters.  

Next up we made our own ice bergs out of Ivory soap.  OK, so it's not a perfect fit but the kids were fascinated watching the Ivory soap expand in the microwave.  I picked up toy Arctic animals the kids could use to climb onto the icebergs.  We also used trays so the kids could crumble up their icebergs.  It made a pretty good mess but my classroom smelled incredible! 

The cooler weather forced us to an indoor recess so Jon got out our tent.  My kiddos used blocks and turned the dome tent into an igloo. 

By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. Job 37:10

Glamour Shots

What a fun time in life! Prom is right around the corner so my cleat wearing, softball catching girl and I went looking at dresses.  So many of the dresses were so pretentious and fun to try on.  

She can absolutely carry off the glamorous look but my favorite picture is the one of her eating the chili cheese fries outside of the dress shop! I hope Josiah knows what he's getting himself in to!  

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4

Practice, Practice and More Practice

Today was one of my favorite Bible Bowl review games, the buzzer round.  My class broke up into four teams and competed to answer  questions over the book of John. It still fascinates me at how much information they remember! 

After church services and Bible Bowl we headed over to the batting cages for Abigail to get in a little practice.  The weather hasn't been cooperating for outdoor practices. Softball season starts up soon! 

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:9

It's an Avalanche!

We're having fun studying about Arctic Animals.  Today we had some fun with our avalanche experiment. We talked about the important role trees and rocks play when an avalanche occurs. 

We even had various Arctic Animals on our mountainside and looked at the protection the boulders and trees offered.  And of course we have played in the fluffy white powder when we were done! 

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

    so honor is not fitting for a fool.

Proverbs 26:1

Study Hard!

Our Bible Bowl class is working our way through the book of John!  Texas Bible Bowl will be here in no time! Today I had the kids work on their chapter heading cards. 

There are seventy-eight chapter headings in the book of John.  These are important for study because if you are studying scripture with someone and they want to know where baptism is required for salvation you could direct them to John 3:5; Galatians 3, Matthew 28 or Acts chapter 2. 

So many great uses for knowing where to find things in scripture outside of the Bible Bowl application.  Primarily would be that you can't teach someone else what you don't know.  Also in times of trouble it brings a ready recall to the comfort the Spirit offers us.  

These kids are doing great and I can't wait to see how the Lord will use them in His kingdom! 

I have stored up your word in my heart,

    that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119:11

Mmmbopping in Fort Worth!

My happy, happy girl!  Tonight we celebrated Frankie!  For her birthday in August we got her tickets to see Hanson at Bass Hall in Ft. Worth.  She has been counting down the days for this special evening. 

Hanson is a pop rock band from Tulsa, Oklahoma, formed by brothers Isaac (guitar & vocals), Taylor (keyboards & drums), and Zac (drums & vocals).  They are best known for the 1997 hit song "MMMBop" from their debut album. They have sold over 16 million records worldwide and have had 8 top 40 albums and 5 top 40 singles in the US! 

But, more importantly Hanson was the first concert for Frankie. Frankie, her friend Alicia and I camped out for tickets to see Hanson for two days.  We ended up with third row center stage seats for there show on September 24, 1998 at the ORU Mabee Arena.  It was a dream for the two thirteen year old girls!  They sang through every song.  Ms. Cindy and I had a blast with them!  

Tonight was such a wonderful evening to share some of that with Abigail.  The audience is a little older but they still screamed, cheered, and sang along despite the much classier venue! When MmmBop came out, brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson were 16, 14 and 11, respectively — and, were widely viewed as a prefab boy band. Now twenty years later they have reworked their music to symphonic pieces with a rich surge of strings and percussion.  But for my little girl, it was still those cute boys with the big smiles singing her favorite songs! Perfect! 

David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.  1 Chronicles 15:16

Phantom of the Opera

My birthday gift from Jon was a pair of tickets to Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" at the Dallas Summer Musicals in Music Hall at Fair Park!  It was fantastic!  I've always loved the music but have wanted to see it.  

Tonight's performance was a new production by Cameron Mackintosh.  The production, which retains the beloved story and thrilling score, boasts exciting new special effects, scenic and lighting designs, staging and choreography and has been hailed by critics as “bigger and better than ever before.”

The sets, costumes and singing were all phenomenal! And my date is a definite keeper! 

Like a dream when one awakes,

    O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. Psalm 73:20