Bible School Talk

I came across this little jewel this morning and had to share it.

This is my first year as VBS Director, and although I've worked VBS at our church for years, it's quite different being the one managing it all.

In fact, it can be a bit overwhelming.

Okay, very overwhelming.

Our VBS kicks off on Sunday, May 31, and our classes run June 1-5.

Ya'll... that's only a few weeks away! I cannot even begin to list all the must-dos that are hovering over me. And what's more- school is getting out {which is like a frenzy anyway} and then in the middle of it all we are moving.

Moving as in we have to be out in just a couple of weeks.

Moving. School ending. Mission Trip Fundraising. VBS decorations/scheduling/meetings/t-shirt sales.... Oh my!

So.... if I seem a bit frazzled... just remember to lift me up in prayer!

I cannot ask for prayers without giving praises! The Lord has blessed me with THE most amazing assistant director ever. Like EVER. In fact I only agreed to tackle this job if she would stand beside me through it all. I honestly do not know what I would do without my sweet M. She is a prayer warrior, always seeks the Lord, keeps calm, and displays grace in everything she does.

In those moments when I am freaking out over how many bandanas I need for the VBS retreat- she keeps me calm. Or when I ask her what I should do about something- she always says pray and see what the Lord wants you to do. She is constantly helping me focus on 'the main thing' and reminds me why we are doing this mission outreach in the first place.

So... if you are interested in getting involved in VBS- I know the perfect little small town country church where we will welcome you in and declare you family before you know what happened!

Oh Friday, Do Hurry Please

Here's to hoping the weekend arrives a little faster than usual. In a few short days, this will be my view at Clarkco SP.

The grilling supplies are in the camper, the fridge is stocked, and our bags are packed. I have been checking the weather hourly daily, and it looks like paradise is awaiting- aka high seventies, sunny skies, and zero chance of rain.

 We are ready to unplug for the weekend!

Friday Five

Wow. It's been forever since I've joined the Friday Five fun!

Let's get started...


One. The Age of Adaline
I am dying to see this movie!

Two. The Lost Choice
I've blogged about Andy Andrews before, but for those of you who missed it, let me fill you in a bit. He is one of my all time favorite authors. I first started reading his work about two years ago when Nanny J loaned me a few of his books. He lives in Orange Beach, Alabama and I am determined to 'run into him' someday while we are beachin' it. I just finished "The Lost Choice" and loved it. So far, I haven't read anything of his that I didn't like.

Three. Clean Out Day
This Saturday we are tackling our upstairs. This is the 'catch-all' spot in our house and I have dreaded it since our house went under contract. My mom is coming over and after the three of us {the hubby included} drink a little Spark, we plan to be super productive and get everything cleaned out and boxed up!


Four. Baby Seewald
I am the biggest Duggar fan - and no, I am not the least bit ashamed! I never miss an episode and will watch the reruns more times than I care to admit. I even stalk them via Instagram :) Needless to say, I was tickled pink to hear they are expecting a sweet little one!

Five. 19 Days
All that is standing between me and summer vacation {in my camper at the beach} are 19 more school days! When my countdown hit the 'teens' I may have done a little happy dance and heel clicks!

Happy Friday, Lovelies!

Home Is Where We Park It

I have fallen off the blog wagon, but alas I am hoping to get back on track. Hey, at least I finally blogged about Mary Grace's birthday party!

 We have so many exciting things happening right now and I want to journal about this exciting time in our lives.

First off, as some of you may know, our home is selling. We are thrilled to start a new chapter in our lives and building our 'forever home'. Although the packing and moving part is getting the best of us. We are trying to enjoy our last couple of weeks in our home.

When discussing where we would live during our time in house 'limbo', we decided we would buy a camper.

Ya'll have no idea. Is it insane to love a camper this much? We have wanted one for years and decided that it would be our best investment, rather than renting for a few months.

We took our first camping trip this past weekend and had the time. of. our. lives.

We are already booked for another fun getaway on Mother's Day weekend. And although we loved Archusa, we wanted to try out some different places and explore. Bob is also looking into booking us at Clarke Co State Park for next weekend- we've been told they have a fabulous splash pad and is very kid friendly.

And yes, we are already planning to park our 'home on wheels' at the beach the month of June.

It felt like we were in another world. My good friend Sassy is always talking about how much they enjoy camping, and my sweet Aunt B has been telling us forever to dive into the 'exclusive camping club' as she calls it.

Good times ahead!

My view :)

Good times!

Squirrel watching

Our happy place!

Of course our first time out was a learning experience. We quickly realized we needed to work on our set up and entertainment. We purchased a flat screen so on our next rendevous we will have something for little miss to do while indoors at night. We are also bike hunting. I found this little beauty and kiddy bike trailer- I cannot wait to take it for a spin with my best girl! We are still looking for the right bike for Bob.

 

We are also looking into some rope lights, grilling gear, a large outdoor rug, chairs, and small tables.  I bought this little lovely for Bob's birthday to use while we camp. It's amazing! It's very roomy and the mosquito netting was a must since MG swells up like a melon when bitten. Plus, it's nice being able to leave your food/snacks outdoors after grilling without the bugs eating it all.

But my favorite thing to shop for has been the 'sign'. Everyone at our last campsite had the cutest little signs so I have been on the hunt. I've finally found a cute design and a friend at work is going to paint it for us :) I plan to have it say "Life Is An Adventure. Just Go  - The James Family". 

How cute is that little lovely?

Seriously though, we have developed an addiction to camping! So much fun!

Some Bunny Is Three!

We had a blast celebrating sweet girl's third birthday!

Three. My baby is three! Where oh where has the time gone?

This party was much different than her first in that we had a house full of little ones! Mary Grace adores her little school friends and she was over the moon in love with having them over for her big day. They all had a fun little Easter egg hunt followed by playtime in the playroom.

Here's a little picture recap of our celebration.

The cake was gorgeous and gluten free!

Our little tradition- we cut all of  her birthday cakes with this serving set, and then she will cut her wedding cake with it.

The best we could do! It's hard to get a picture of everyone looking the right direction :)

My love

My other love

Sweet Charlie and Oakleigh

Egg hunting!

Tuscaloosa Half Marathon

It's Monday and I've decided that it's time I gave this little blog a little attention. So much has happened in the last month or so- we bought a camper, I ran my second half marathon, we celebrated Bob and MG's birthdays, I tackled my first big retreat as VBS director at church, we went on our first camping trip, started preparing for our move in May.... and so much more!  And that's just the tip of the iceberg! There is even more that I cannot wait to share with you- hopefully in a couple of weeks!

But on to the race. You may remember when I blogged about training to run the Tuscaloosa Half way back in January.

There was a time in my life when I thought it was physically impossible to run a 5K, let alone a half marathon. My sweet friend Libby Lou trained and encouraged me...and before long I was running 10Ks.

Still, it's crazy to think that I have run two half marathons so far.

My running partner, Brother J, and I had a great time running the Tuscaloosa half. The course was flat, scenic, and beautiful! I enjoyed this race much more than the Leo Run. We have already agreed that it's one we want to run each year!

Ready to run!

Finish line!

World's best running partner!

April's Verse

It's a brand new month, and you know what that means- a new verse to memorize!

Happy April!