Long Time No Post

Last time I posted was when I was in Germany. We got home ok. We nearly missed our plane. It was a good flight back, but much culture shock. I discovered that I have a lot of European in my personality. I miss Germany. If I wasn’t married I so could have moved over there. Thinking about it makes me sad. The countryside was great and so were the towns. Shaune and I made some friends there and one of them *Max* we three became very close. Shaune still laughs about the Cosby kids (inside joke). Hopefully we will be back in Germany with friends in a year or two.

My gosh! We came back on a Thursday night and Shaune and I both went back to work on Friday. The very next Friday, we married off my sister on January 13th. The wedding was done in black and white and it was BEAUTIFUL! I now have a brother-in-law who is almost 7 feet tall. Blake, you are so cool. I am glad because my sister married into a great and godly family. God is the center, which drives them all. I'll post pictures when we get them back.

The Monday after the wedding, we started school. School is REALLY kicking the tar out of me. I know I have said it before and have whined about school, but all the other semesters are nothing compared to this. I am taking 5 classes (15 hours) and am working three days a week. I and writing curriculum for a Summer camp, and have 50 hours of observation and volunteer service to do. I almost quit my job, which was making me very sad for a few weeks. I love my job and do not want to quit. I was blessed to have opportunities open up and my boss is working with me. Apparently, I am valuable to them and I am being given opportunities that not many people have been given the luxury of having. I am truly blessed. My days and night are now filled with TONS of homework. I am taking a break at 1:35 in the a.m. from doing homework to post this. I have 20 four to five page papers due in April. LITERALLY. This does not include the regular schoolwork, or online work, or service and observation hours that I have to complete. Blogging may be slow for this semester, but I want to try to keep up with it. I laugh at myself sometimes. So close to graduating, but yet so far away it seems.

We are going to look at buying a house again either this summer or in the winter. We finally were able to get the guy downstairs to turndown his TV. News on my grandfather: his prostate has enlarged. They did a test to see of he would be a candidate for radioactive seeds, but they can't do it because he has an enlarged prostate. A prostate should be the size of a walnut or a little smaller. His is the size of a tangerine or a small orange. Prayer is needed for this. My grandpa is 80 years old and the only option left is radiation. I don't think this is a good thing at all for his age. My family is worried.

Women's retreat decorating is going great! I am really excited with our theme this year and look forward to not being sick, or having my bathroom flood the suite downstairs. I have deepened some friendships as the retreat planning goes on. Will post more later!

Pictures

These are pictures of us in the Swizz Alps and down and around Badenwilder Germany. The picture of the street is what Robyn sees out her bedroom window! Here the castle is lit up at night!

Germany Days 1-3

On December 23rd at 7:50 a.m. we arrived in Zurich Switzerland. We drove from there to Robyn’s flat in Badenweiler, Germany. It is like living in Vail Colorado. It is so beautiful being tucked away in the mountains of the Black Forest. The town is closed down for three days for Christmas. In Germany, they celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and summon people to church by ringing the large bells inside the bell tower. They go off at all times during the three days and they hold several mass services. When we came today we took a short nap and were invited to tea. Unfortunately we could not go to Robyn’s friends house because we had jet lag. (Just a tiny bit.) Later on during the day, *Max*, a friend of Robyn’s who is around our age came to meet. He made us WONDERFUL (I can’t say wonderful enough!) vegetable soup which was made Kosher because he is Jewish. *Max* is very cool and fun to hang out with. Robyn and *Max* bought a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree and decorated it before we came. Because we had the tree we had to wrap gifts as soon as we got there. Robyn was VERY shocked when she realized how many presents were under the tree. She opened some Christmas cards from her family and friends as well as her food gifts. We were going to go to mass, but we ended up crashing early.

We woke up around 11:30 on Christmas Day and had chocolate filled scones (bread) for breakfast as well as German coffee. Starbucks has no idea how to make coffee after you have tried the coffee they have here. It is delicious. It took us about three hours to open gifts. Robyn said this was the most presents she had received in her entire life. It was a very emotional time for her and she cried a WHOLE LOT! This picture was of her face after she opened her large gift, which was a new laptop computer, sent from a very dear friend. We had her shut her eyes and pulled off the blanket that was covering it. She stamped her foot on the floor and screamed “OH MY GOSH!” This is very big because everything in Germany is quiet. There is even a “no running electrical appliances after 9:00 p.m. and between 12:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.” clause written in the apartment units in her town. This is how seriously Germans take their peace and quiet. Right after she opened the computer, her friend called and they chatted for a while and she cried some more. God is so amazing. She cannot believe how he has provided for her. God is so good. We milled around for the rest of the day and Shaune got to work setting up her new computer and transferring her files to it. This was perfect timing because she though Shaune was going to come and fix her old computer which only had 4 gigabytes of hard drive left on it. This new computer has over 100 gigabytes of RAM. So not only did God provide a new computer, but he send someone who could fix her old one and set up her brand new one. God has really made his presence known. Tomorrow we are going to Colmar, France. WOO HOO!

Today is *Max*’s birthday! He turned 22 today! For his birthday we went to Colmar France. We visited the Weihnachtmarkt which has little carts parked in a square and sell their wears. There were tons of Christmas item, and a lot of stuff that looked American. Well, at least I knew I could get it in America for a cheaper price! We ate at a French café that we were lucky enough to find open. What was strange about the experience is that all though there are tons of Christmas decorations around and everyone wishes each other Merry Christmas and goes to Church, so many people do not know God. Over half the people who come to mass on Christmas do not know Jesus and who he was. It is so unbelievable. But when Robyn translates, or you hear people talking it is very apparent that Christ is just another person to talk about. Movies like “Nativity” and “The Passion” are not big here because since religion is not big here, it is not a big deal when the movie comes out and there is nothing to argue about in the papers. After lunch, we drove back to Germany and into the Black Forest mountains. You know the post cards that show pine forests covered forest and every branch is dripping with ice? That is what the mountains looked like. It was so BEAUTIFUL! It was breath taking to think God has set this scene. We drove to a restaurant in the mountains glittering with ice and had black forest cake for desert. I did a lot of thinking in the mountains. After dinner we drove home and walked to Belvedere castle just up the street. At Christmas time they outline the castle in white lights. We walked up into the ruins and look out over the top of the castle you could look all the way into France from the top. The sky was black but the cities were lit up with lights and you could hear the church bells and make out the outline of all the church steeples. It was amazing. Switzerland, France and Germany are beautiful. Tomorrow we will be going to a Roman bathhouse with *Max*. He loves to swim. It is only 17 Euros to spend the day have a hot spring bath, sauna, and swimming. I am so excited! Shaune and *Max* have come fast friends and have a lot in common in mannerisms and dreams. Both are passionate about what they believe in. They are great conservationists. Will write more about Germany and the bathhouses tonight as well as publish pictures!


*Names have been changed to protect the innocent incase of a court of law*

5 Days and Counting

Getting ready to go to Germany has been wow. I never though getting ready for Christmas and getting ready to go on vacation would be so tiring! It is a good tired though. In 6 days at this time I will be on an over night flight going to Zurich Switzerland. I have never been anywhere out of country for this length of time before. I am so excited. I will miss my family and friends and the together time that we send at Christmas. But I will be with another family member for Christmas. I am truly bessed that God is giving me this chance. God is so good. What can I say . . .

I plan on blogging while in Germany and posting pictures, so stay tuned!

Six days and counting . . .

Celebrate!

Today I feel, happy, sad, joyous, relief, and excited. I have finally made it past my crunch week and have a week to myself. I have things I still have to get done during the week, but I can do then whenever I want. There is no set time for when I have to do homework, or when I have to lesson plan. I can do it when I want this week. I can also focus on other tings ahead of me such as getting ready to go to Germany! My family is so excited for me and my grandparents took it quite well. This will be the first time I have NEVER spent Christmas with my family. I will be in beautiful Germany with a beautiful friend and my husband. Maybe even skiing in the Alps. Who knows, I still have to go and buy an exploration book to see what there is to do! I am really looking forward to seeing what God has created behind these American walls. We live in such a free world with loads of privileges where we can see and speak about God freely with our friends. I have never been to a place where the majority of people do not know God, or where I do not speak their language. It is hard to fathom at times being in a sea of people where I am the only one of the few to know Christ. This excited me very much. For once, I get to be the stranger. I am excited to me different people and have a guide who can speak German. We will have to go different places and try out her translation skills! Ohhhh I am so excited to see what God has behind these walls. This country is all I have ever known and I LOVE to travel and long to see the world that God has created. 27 days and counting!

I have decided that there are several distince "friend" gaps in your life.

1) When you get married and all your friends are still single. They never call you anymore, or you get married, waite three months, call your friends and they do not return your calls or want to peruse a relationship further than what it was.

2) When you move from being married to being married and having kids. There is a lifestyle change here. When you don't have kids it is hard to be around couples with kids because they treat you different. Or, it is hard to be couple friends because they are just at a different stage of life than you are and you stop hanging out with one another.

3) When you go from elementary school to middle school, or middle school to highschool, or highschool to college. Any of the friends that you have made that are in a different grade fade away because of the different times school starts and gets out, as well as it is not cool to hang with someone from a lower grade.

4) Moving to a different city and then moving back. If you do not keep in contact with your friends when you are not living in town, then when you move back the person may or may not assimilate you back into their life.

It seems hard to have close friends, especially when a person is not a phone person. I hate talking on the phone. I like going places with friends, e-mailing, or talking on the phone every couple of weeks. Small talk on the phone is ok, but I do not like long conversations. I just don't think much gets done when you are on the phone so long. There are friends, whom I consider friends, that I do not see anymore because of these life gaps. It seems when you lose touch for a little bit of time and you talk to someone that they do not have an interest in being close friends as it was before.

Don't get me wrong there is always the other side of the spectrum where the above is completely wrong. Sometimes life just seems so busy. It is always nice to have a couple of close girl friends. I think that why I love blogging so much. I know I don't type much sometimes, but I love being able so look online and see how my friends, and my old friends are doing. Life is always changing.

Birthdays and WEIRD thoughts

Shaune and I celebrated his 28th birthday on October 18th and mine on November 1st. I am now 25 and it hit me that if I live to be 100 then I am already 1/4 of the way through my life. For some reason I have been thinking of this a lot lately. I know I have said, You're only as old as you feel." and "I will never grow old" ... but today I start wondering if I have used my 1/4 of my life to serve God as best as I could have. I mean, everyone can always be better at something, but sometimes being an imperfect being and always falling short can be SO tiring at times. When I look at what I wrote it sounds so funny, its like a mini midlife crisis. There are loads of things I could have done better. . .

1) Be a better daughter
2) a better wife
3) a better student
4) better house keeper
5) better listening
6) better at keeping my mouth shut
7) better at letting things go
8) better at spending my tome wisely
9) better servant
10)better friend
12)having more patience
13) better at being on time
14)better at not keeping track of my mistakes. . .

Sometimes I wonder at the things God will show me in heaven that I did not recognize here on earth. And then I remember not to think of things such as this. Worry about fruitless stuff like this will only keep me from the tasks at hand. Proverbs 11:28 says a life devoted to things is a dead life, a God shaped life is a flourishing tree. Romans 8:6 says Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open , into a spacious free life. Is there such a thing a being to God focused? Can you try to focus on God so much that you learn not to listen? Obviously that if the person is truly focused on God the right way your cup will never empty. If the person is worrying about being to focused on God the the problem lies within ones self, not with the focus on God. Does a mind ever rest? Does the body? Life seems to happen so fast that we keep wanting more. The more one task masters the more time one will have to do good. But what good will one do if one does not rest? Life is filled with double edge swords. The mind is a funny thing is it not? So many rabbit trails, so little time. Thinking of things that one could do better or thinking of all the sacrifices one has made for the good of another is not a wise thing to do. Being bitter is a human bodily emotion. It amazes me that the body can still feel this but the soul feels so differently knowing you have given up something to God. See Brit . . . Christians have problems with the mind too. We are not perfect beings. But you know what? I'm ok with that. People post your thoughs on my weird comments. What do you make of them?

Cool Things About Family

It is a traditional Saturday morning her at the Corbett household. Shaune and I went to go watch the Southlake Carole Dragons play football last night. We left at halftime when the score was 31 to 7 in favor of the Dragons. I have had two BUSY weeks of nothing but non stop homework. I had 4 tests, 3 HUGE projects, and many late nights due this past week. Friday was such a relief. Saturday I get to spend cleaning the house up. But what was cool was waking up. Yep, this is me you are talking to. I have been dubbed the nickname bearcat because if you wake me before I am ready to get up, or if I did not ask you to get me up, I am moody. But today was cool. My dad called me on his cell phone from Seattle Washington where his whole family is. After I talked to my dad a while he passes the phone of to my uncle George. George is my dads twin brother. In pictures when they were children you couldn't tell who was who. George is very funny and loves to make people laugh. He is always fun to be around. He teased me about "The Early Bird Gets The Worm" because he and my dad wake up at 4 in the morning while I get up at 10. Everytime I talk to my uncle I remember all the fun things we have done together. We toured his base that he works on, had dinner at Anthony's where I ate muscles, camped in the mountains where the real bathroom was hidden and he tricked my dad into going to the bathroom in a God forsaken outhouse (THAT WAS HILARIOUS!), magic tricks, the pink pig who walks and scrunches his nose (they have a huge stuffed animal collection) which I am now the proud owner of one too, and my wedding which he came down here for. I love it when my dad and George get together.. They are so much fun to talk to. He also lived in Germany for nine years :) and was excited to see the blogg of A Mutating Missionary and all her wonderful pictures. Waking up with a smile on your face is so much fun. This morning has been so cool. I am so blessed to have such great family.

Reality Check . . .

Its hard to face those moments when God lets you know just what your life is looking like at a certain moment in time. This week I realized how negative my emotions can be when I do not relieve stress from my body. Last week, after our return home from Hot Springs Arkansas, I got a massage on Wednesday. The woman was WONDERFUL!!! (massage envy in copell, ask for michelle) She could see how in pain my body was and as I was lying on the table we were talking. During this time I began thinking. After the massage I felt so relaxed . . . the most I have been in a LONG TIME. I felt relieved, happy, mellow, and not so negative. I started seeing how negative I can be when my soul and body are in pain. This coming week is going to be spent in time with God. There are those weeks when I just need to be held by my father and repair and recuperate from all of the worldly things around me. It is amazing how the outside world can affect our attitudes.

On a happier note, my younger sister is engaged! The date is January 13, 2007! Congrats to them and I'm proud to say that my soon to be brother in law is a great Christian man! We're lucky to have you in the family!

Just Thinking . . .

Today begins my long day of classes. It is 4:00 and I have been here at UNT since 9:00 this morning. I will be here until 8:20 tonight. Good news today. Our investment house sold!!! Woo Hoo! Next investment? A house for us to really live in. More good news. The cancer has not spread. My grandpa has a better chance of surviving prostate cancer. Even better news! I am going on vacation to Hot Springs Arkansas and I am hoping to see the passion play there! (provided that it is not sold out)Read a good book called "Perfect Trust." Very short and to the point on trusting God to handle your life. It was really good tabernacle material (2:00 a.m. bath tub reading for a week straight)Everyone had a special place where they like to curl up with a good book. The environment must be just right inorder to sit, read, and reflect. My place just happens to be the bathtub between 12:00-2:00 a.m. Where are your special places where you like to sit, read, reflect and talk to God.

NEED PRAYERS!!!!

This is the first time I have revealed this to anyone besides Nancy's answering machine today at church. Three days ago I found out that my grandpa (who just turned 80 in July)has prostate cancer. The doctor did a bone scan on Wednesday to see if it has spread. We get the results hopefully on Monday. This is a crucial test. If the test says it had spread, my grandpa will only have a few years (maybe) to live. If it hasn't spread he can get shots which will shrink the cancer and he could live over 15 years. The doctors have decided that he is to old to operate on, so the shots are his only hope. My family is very tight knit, so this is affecting everyone in their own way. My grandma cried a lot right now, she is still recovering from a knee replacement in April. What horrible timing for this to happen. My mom is trying to be strong as she is the one in our family that is in Texas that can come to their aid and watch over them. This puts loads of stress on my mom with work, and trying to move her mother down here. (Grandparents are divorced) Me, I think today it finally has sunk in. When I was talking to the answering machine it was the first time to really talk about the reality of the situation. Shaune knows, of course, he's been keeping up with this who ordeal, so we have never really had to talk about it. But today was my first time to really hear myself speak the words and face the reality that my grandfather may be dying. (*tear*) I guess I just always imagined that my grandparents would be here to see their great-grandchildren and watch them become toddlers before they passed on. Please pray for the recovery for Charles P. Lewis. I added him to the prayer chain today, and with radiation treatments and such I will be helping my family again and staying on my toes forever moving. Just when I though I would be getting a break too. Thanks for your prayer everyone.

New Job?

Somehow I seemed to have developed a small business on the side of ESD. I don't really know how it happened. One wedding led to another wedding and before you know it, I am helping 3 people plan their weddings and have another possibly on the way (my sister). The last job that I undertook I am being paid for. I have really enjoyed getting to express my creative side in many different ways, (and I get to do a bunch of crafts and don't have to pay for them!) and help people get what they want for a steal of a price and a small fee for me. Shaune is helping me to develope a business contract for future clients that I might have. Could this really be a side business? I don't know, I guess we'll just have to find out.

Business is the Way of America (and me)

August is Minichurch month in my church. Its also start up new bible study times. One thing that I do not like is all the women biblestudy times are during the middle of major college class hours. For the past 3 years I have only been able to participate in 5 short term women's bible studies. No Joy, no classes offered by CBC. This is sad, I wish they had a class time offered on Wednesday night or Sunday morning for Women. Shaune and I were flipping through the classes offered and we found a few offered for men on Sundays, but none for women. Kinda strange, kinda sad. Oh well you can't please all of the people all of the time.

Shaune and I have decided to try out a new class on Tuesday nights. Monday night we usually attend minichurch, but the last summer semester we have had to take off for school, and sadly, we will have to take off for school for the Fall as well. School makes everything so difficult. The class being taken: Love and Respect It ends around Thanksgiving and it on the only day that both of us have nothing going on. I'm looking forward to it and I think he is to. New people to meet and get to join his soccer team.

Wedding Planning may be in my future. I have my hand helping to decorate two weddings and had someone in ESD ask me to be her paid wedding planner. I think that is way cool. There might be another under my belt before to long. My sister graduated from SFA last weekend and her boyfriend of forever (Blake) just got a big promotion. They live almost 2 hours from one another. Wedding bells may be in their furure (I say spring or Summer). SO much to think about so little time. I haven't decided to accept the planning job yet, but we'll see. You know, I just now titled my blog so maybe by looking at it I will take a break from all extra curricular activities.

Been cleaning the house for a week now. Almost done. Few more days yet! Mom is excited to see the photo book from Germany. Will show her this weekend!

Girlfriends

I am almost done with summer school. I must say I have never had this many papers due in one class before. Thank GOD when it is over. I love my life. It is like one big amusement park ride that I can ride over and over again. This summer I have made some new friends. When one gets married, one discoverer quickly that all your single friends ditch you quickly and you life becomes something new. Being married and not having children at our age does make it hard to get together with couples our own age. I love kids, don't get me wrong, but the good old days when you can go out and have a good girls night out are long gone. Thus, when you are young and married, without single friends, girls' nights out are a thing of the past. Well this summer, I made some good friends. Suprising, it is my morning staff at Summer's Cool. They are around my age and each different. One is trying to brake into being a P.E. Coach. She would make a dang skippy one at that. (Did I just say dang skippy?) Another is a teacher this year out in Frisco. She is such a gentle woman with a great creative streak. The third is a blond bombshell who looks like one of those girls in high school who you would never talk to because she was a popular mean girl. She is so the opposite. And did I mention that she went to A&M! On Thursday I had my first girls night out since my batcholrette party! We went bowling down in Denton and had lots of laughs. I an not that great at bowling, but WOW! I HAD AN AWESOME SCORE! I made a new friends the other day. Her name is Kelly and she just happens to be dating a friend of mine. She is beautiful and so much fun. I look forward to getting to know her more in the future. I realize now how important good girlfriends are and how they play an important part in peoples live. I am thankful for my minichurch group. I don't make it lot of the times, but, they have been my friends for a long time. They all have kids which are growing like weeds before my eyes. So many new babies are coming into my life in the next few months. Four to be exact. I'm taking my time though. I have a lot of this world to see (especially Germany) before I have babies of my own one day. Sorry dad, your stash of stuff that I found in the garage will have to Waite a few more years....

Here are pictures of some of my friends who know how to have a great time!
P.S. The picture of Germany are great Robyn. My mom is living vicariously through you!

Almost The End

The summer is almost at an end. Next week is the last week of camp. I am so sad. I was spoiled with a team as great as mine. I will miss all of our kids too. I really look forward to the summer each year because we have such as great group of kids. Being a Site Supervisor was great experiece. It really opened my eyes to myself in terms of strengths and weaknesses. I am talking in blah sentences that really convey no feeling at all. Maybe this calls for a vacation after graduation.

To Whom It May Concern: Marilee has had her baby on Monday. Gracie Mae is her name and she is BESAUTIFUL!!!! So beautiful. *sigh* I can/ can't waite to have kids!

Back in Action

VBS in now over. The day after setup, I ended up with a virus that was acting like a severe sinus infection. Oh joy!! I am still recovering from it. Now I am able to enjoy Sumer's Cool!I love my kids, they are so great! It is hard not to laugh when a pathalocial liar hands you a library book and tells you that the boy in the picture is his brother and his name is martin. The only problem with this is the book is on South Africa! I know his family and they are from around here. Its things like this that make the days so much fun.

Summer school is has started back up and I am taking a class that is EXACTLY like the class that I took last semester. Same book, same notes, same power point, same material, same UNT that is making me take it and won't let me comp out of the class. Oh Well! I am glad I am taking this class over the sumer and not in the fall. The class would be so boring then.

Shaune and I have started planning our vacation to Europe next year. I am so excited! I am hoping to fly over and stay with a friend who is close to our family. :) She knows who she is... Guess I better get the ball rolling and call her and see when would be a good time to come visit!

Open House for Summer's Cool is on Thursday. The slide show that I am preparing is way cool. I am nervous speaking infront of all those parents though! There will be over 60. Guess if I am going tp be a teacher I have to start sometime!

Life and God is soooo Gooood!

Pride

Today is my push week for VBS. There is much to be done in final prep, mostly little things, but I have one week to get them done. I was downstairs in the basement hanging the coral paintings on the walls by myself, in the heat because there is not air conditioner in the church. Some woman whom I did not know paid me a complement on all of my work and was impressed with my talent. The downstairs is starting to look great and all I could think about was it was a shame that in a weeks time, all the decorations that I have spent HOURS making will be torn down and tossed in the trash. At the thought of this I got a little angry. All this work just to have it torn down. Then a little voice went off in my head. It said to me, "WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT! This is not about you. It is about the children this is benefiting! Many children could be lead to Christ through VBS and I am blessed just to be apart of it!" I feel shameful now for my thoughts at that moment. This was never about me and for some moment I had turned it all around. I'm glad the voice spoke to me and reminded me of what is important. Pride stinks! I am glad to be back in my right mind. All the hours spent will be worth it to seek the kids faces light up next monday. Things like this is what childhood memories are made of!

A Man and his Boy

Here is the newest member of the Corbett family . . . Jasper! He lives with my father-in-law and Dylan. Here we are two weeks after Jasper came home on a MS Walk in April.

Internet Owner

Today the internet guy can and installed it in our apartment. We also got cable. I think I am really enjoying this! I can watch T.V. and type on the computer at the same time. I hope this does not affect my ability to get things done around the house. I know when I had cable before, I would watch it and not get a lot done. It is distracting.

My cat has found his first toy that appeases him. It is a bee that has crinkle plastic inside it. He loves it. More tomorrow! Hurray for the internet!

Finally I can blog!!!

So I have been trying to get to my parent house to blog. I really miss it. Camp has been giving me the run around. I love it!! I have great kids, moody parents, and a GREAT STAFF!!!! It took me about two days before I was able to get into my groove and be a natural leader. When I am nervous I do not take charge of people like I know I can. Camp is going great.

Shaune and I finally broke down and will be getting internet on Tuesday night. He realized that as a teacher, I need the internet for various things, and conveniently, we found a note on our door that said Comcast (which I hate) would be in the area on a Saturday to offer special deals on Internet and cable. So we got a package deal on the internet and basic cable. I am excited and cannot wait to blog regularly again! Will post again on Tuesday night or Wednesday after the internet has been installed. I have so many cute thing to journal about my children and great staff!