Daraja Children's Choir of Africa Tour 2009

click here to donate: http://store.410bridge.org/store/page3.html

If you follow our blog, you know that the Daraja Children's Choir is extremely close to our family's heart. Tori got to visit some of them last year at their home in Kenya and then we were blessed beyond measure to host 3 of the girls, Rahab, Mercy and Gladys, and the tour coordinator, Christi, in our home last October. See the side bar to find out more about how Mercy has been forever connected to our family.

So, I wanted to give you the opportunity to help the choir on their upcoming tour. Each year, the choir children arrive in America with pretty much only the clothes on their bodies. They need everything from swim suits to toothbrushes, from socks to suitcases. We can help them by purchasing the clothes and supplies they need with a little bit of our cash and the click of a button.

They will be blessed and you will be blessed as well!

BTW - if you live in our area, they are scheduled to be back at our church at the beginning of August. We'll be in Singapore so if you go, enjoy it for me, please!

"You're sitting in a chair in the sky!!!"

I thought it would be a good day for a video. Here's a good one about the spoiled generation we live in.

Go watch it.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

Fun With Friends

So, what do you do at your small group bible studies??? :)

Shot Day

This was the only picture I got. Due to lack of caffeine and nutrition, no one was in the mood to have their picture taken while being punctured with a needle.

Today we went to get our physicals and shots for our move to Singapore. We got to go to the company's health center which was awesome! Mostly because it was free! They told us to fast for 10 hours for blood work and stuff so we did. I was dying from lack of coffee! I had such a hard time driving the hour+ it took us to get there, not to mention that we left at 6:30am. Of course, we had to get up earlier than normal cause the house had to be show ready in case we got a call. It stinks to have a house for sale! The kids were dying from lack of food! THEN, they didn't even take bloodwork so we fasted for nothing!!! And on top of that, no one called to see the house.

Jakeb and Anna each got one shot, I got three, Tommy got none. Lucky dog. I have one more in a month and two more in six months after we get there. Jakeb will go back next Friday to get his other shots he needs for his Kenya trip this summer. Since those are for personal travel, it won't be free but it will only cost us a $10 copay. I love that place. Tommy's company is very good to their employees.

We were done at the health center at about 10:25 and went to find a place to eat. Nothing around there opened for lunch until 11 so that was the longest 35 minutes ever! Chipotle and diet coke never tasted so good. I'm sure everyone in the restaurant thought we hadn't eaten for days. They might as well have given me a shovel instead of a fork. I don't even remember looking up.

Singapore Update March 2009

Plans are well underway for our move across the ocean in June. We’ve been thinking, dreaming and planning about this for almost a year now. It’s all becoming a reality. We’ve had our long list of things to do and buy before we leave and now we are at the place where things are finally getting checked off. The list, however, continues to grow like a bad weed.

The school issue is settled. We’ll have things to purchase and do once we’re there like placement tests, purchase uniform (the kids are real excited about that) and buy Jakeb a Macbook. This is required for high schoolers. That offsets the uniform issues for Jakeb! Getting school taken care of was a huge relief.

We’ve found a realtor there and have been communicating with her via email. We think we’ll like working with her. The economy is being affected there too so many expats are having to leave so we shouldn’t have a problem finding something, it’s just a matter of location.

We’d love to sell our house here. We’ve had a few bites but no real offers. One offer came in but you couldn’t call it real at all. We’re selling our house, not giving it away! We know that God wants us to go so He’ll do the right thing with our house we just hope we notice what that right thing is and that it happens fast.

We’ve also been packing up stuff that’s not going with us, finding homes for a few things we won’t need to keep but don’t want to store, getting Tori ready for college and figuring out exactly what is necessary to take with us. Like my dishes. I love my dishes but I don’t want them to get tossed into the ocean and I think they may be too big for the cabinets there so do I take them or just buy some there. Do I take my Kitchen Aid or will it blow up if I try to use it even with a transformer? How much deodorant and medicine should we take/can we take? We hear the deodorant there is not as good (which makes me wonder if everyone smells bad) so we need to take our own among other things that aren’t readily available or are just super expensive. These are the types of things we think through on a daily basis.

Larger sized clothing and shoes are not available there so we’re stocking up on running shoes for the guys and pants and jeans, etc. It’s just money, right??? We’re also buying some things that will get us through the first few months, like make up, toiletries, etc. This will give us time to find out what’s there and make it a smoother transition.

We’ve also been gathering copies of all of our medical records, making all the dr. appointments we will need to get everything in check for about a year.

I think what I’m finding most difficult right now is balancing all that there is to do with keeping my family together, doing things that the we want to do before we go (we call it our Singapore bucket list), getting enough rest, spending the time we need to/want to with friends and family and keeping some margin. If we have disappointed you, it was completely unintentional and if/when we do, it is still unintentional. Please give us grace and understanding as we walk through this unchartered territory. We’re trying…

In all of our correspondence with those who are there and those who have been, someone ended their email to me by saying, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.” This is not easy by any stretch of the imagination but we know it’s what we’re supposed to do and we are super excited about this adventure God is blessing us with. So I hope this didn’t sound like I was whining. I’m definitely not whining. This is exciting to us! My goal was to just post an update on where we’re at.

Tomorrow, we go to get physicals and shots. That will not be exciting at all…

The passenger seat is empty...

The passenger seat is empty... Jakeb got his REAL driver's license today. What a bag of mixed emotions.

Congratulations, Jakeb! God is watching you. :)

Space Center Houston

We had a super fun time at Space Center yesterday. Anna, Jenny, Jackson and I spent the day wandering, watching, playing, touching everything germy, shopping, eating and visiting. I remember going there several years ago when Anna was little. And I watched parents with all of these little kids trying to keep track of them and keep them happy. They could have spent much less money and gone to Chicfila or McDonald's for the play area and the kid wouldn't have known the difference. I treasure those years but I don't miss that craziness. Parents with little kids in Space Center can get rather cranky.

Here are a few snapshots of the day. Jenny has some good ones on her blog. I've included a couple of video clips too of the dive show. Not sure what the diving has to do with Space Center but it was enjoyable. I took my new little camera and I guess I didn't realize that you couldn't video sideways. Death defying dives and gravity defying as well as it would appear.

Anna in the flight simulator. She and Jackson had fun crashing their planes on purpose. Hope they never become real pilots.

Jackson took this one of Anna. Not bad!

"hmmm... no matter that I'm responsible for the people who are in orbit. i wonder what i should have for lunch?"

Watching the dive show.

I think the sideways video's are funny.

Wanna get away?

I did. More like I needed to get away. So I did and I'm grateful that things worked out so I could.

Before this school year started, I didn't really find it difficult to grab some "me" time here and there. Even though I worked, the kids were in public school so I could usually find a few hours here and there to just be me. Now, with homeschooling and the kids being home 24/7, cleaning alot since the kids are home 24/7, planning an overseas move, selling a house, cleaning alot since the house is for sale, and normal wife and mom routine, there is very little time for me. I very rarely get to leisurely shop, not even for groceries, read, or even think about things that aren't on my list. I know, somebody call a "waaaah"mbulance...

When we started home schooling I was a little disillusioned to think that I'd get to leave once or twice a week for a coffee break with friends but that has maybe happened two or three times. I thought I'd get to go to the gym or go for a walk alone, read a book, or focus on my health. It's not like I'm a prisoner or anything, it's just that if I want things to run smooth around here, "me" time and God time gets pushed to the back burner and it's just not easy to make those things happen. Plus, I'm just plum tuckered out by the time the necessities of the day get done. Life is just going at a furiously crazy pace these days and it's often hard to organize the priorities.

So, I got away. For a few days. To Georgia. I lived a couple of days in the life of the Bennett family and enjoyed every minute of it. We joked about me being on a decision making vacation. It was funny that things kept happening in their home that I thought would make a good blog post, only it wasn't my family :) It was nice not to have to figure out what's for dinner. I slept, I read, I sat, I watched the rain, I watched kids cartoons, I visited with my friend, shared stories and caught up. I just was. And it was nice.

I'm glad to be home. I love being with my family more than with someone else's family. (No offense, Suzanne.) When I missed my kids, kissing someone else's kids on the forehead helped. It wasn't the same, but it helped. I certainly didn't try it but I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way with husbands. :)

It was good to hug my grown up girl at the airport when she picked me up. It was good to sleep in my bed. It was good to kiss my kids on the forehead and my husband on the lips. (My kids are grossing out now if they're reading this.) I love being in my home. There's nothing better than being home but sometimes it takes getting away to remind me of that.

It's okay to "wanna get away". I'd venture to say it's necessary to get away, at least it is for me. Getting away makes me want to come back.

Now, I'm going to fold laundry and make my bed and probably scrub a toilet or two. For today, I'm thankful that I'm home and it's a privilege. It'll probably wear off in a couple of weeks. :)

Thanks, Suzanne (and family)! I love you guys!!



Suzanne's 4 yr. old took this! A little crooked but not bad...

Happy 16th Birthday, Jakeb!!

www.jhintze.com

Wow! I can't believe our son is 16! I can't believe we'll have another driver! I can't believe how blessed we are to be his parents!

What an incredible young man you're becoming. What an incredible musician you are. What a great student you are, dedicated to God, hard worker, friend, brother, and let's not forget how much fun you are to be around. You've always kept us laughing.

Happy Birthday, Jakeb! Please drive safely and don't do anything that would make your mother worry! That's the question you need to ask yourself from now on, "Is this going to make my mother worry?". Yep, that's it. (Ok, I guess you should ask if it honors God first, I'm sure that's more important.)

We love you, Jakeb!!

Bayou City Classic 2009

Tommy, Tori, my sister, Gwen, and I walked/ran this fun, early, freezing cold and windy 10K this past Saturday. Jakeb was signed up for it but ended up with a better offer to go camping with a friend. It's the fourth time to do this race for me and probably the last for a few years. It's my favorite race and I finished it with a sense of pride and sadness. My right foot is injured so I hurt but weighing the pros and cons, I knew I couldn't bail. I also got to walk with Gwen on her first BCC and with Tori, my daughter, which is always a fulfilling experience.


Enjoy the pics! And maybe one of you might consider doing this race next year so I can live vicariously through you. :)

Tommy was sharing his tunes with Tori. Some banjo folk song with Chinese words. Yep, he's weird!

Yes, belly dancers! They are there every year. That alone should make you want to sign up.

I'm sure Tommy hates that I'm putting this one up but oh well. He should have posted first and I took the pictures so.... Isn't there a song about men in tights?

I think every Honda owner should put mirrors all over their car.

Blog Vacation

Well, I know all 12 of you readers are anxiously awaiting what's next on the Stunz blog!! Sorry to disappoint you but I got nothin'. Mostly just cause I'm out of town and can't post the pictures that I want to of the Bayou City Classic we did last Saturday and also because I'm pretty sure those other family contributors aren't going to post anything either. :)

So we're on a little mini blog vacation. Be back in a few days.

Bella-Full Dog Treats - Pay Day!

The final payments for Jakeb and Tori's Kenya trip were due this week so Anna decided to hand over the money she's raised for them selling her Bella-Full homemade dog treats. She was able to give them each $99.50!! Way cool!!! I'm so proud of her for her heart, her generosity, her time and effort, her love for her big bro and sis and desire to help them fulfill their passion and her mean cooking skills. It has been a great experience for us all.

Anna wants to continue to make them for local family and friends if anyone wants some. She plans to take her supplies with us to Singapore and see if there's a market for them there with our new "family" and friends. We hear there are a lot of spoiled pooches there too. The money she makes will just go into her savings account. Probably for one of those Cavalier King Charles Spaniels when we get back to the U.S. :)

Texas Independance Relay 2009 Photos

Photos as promised. Check out Jakeb's blog or Tommy's blog to hear what they had to say about it.

If you're reading this on my facebook, you'll have to go to the blog to watch the picture video.

Texas Independance Relay 2009

Tommy and Jakeb left at about 3am to head to Gonzales, Texas where they will be running the Texas Independence Relay. It's a relay run from Gonzales to the San Jacinto monument. 203.20 miles total. The team starts the race together and finishes the last bit of it together. They'll finish on Sunday, late afternoon.

Jakeb and Tommy will each run 4 legs of the race and each leg is about 4 miles or so and at all hours of the day and night. The team of 11 (suppposed to have been 12) travels in three vans. They'll put their sweaty running clothes in a ziploc and wash off with wet wipes. Nice, huh??? They do get a brief stop at a hotel for about an hour or two nap and a shower.

Here's a link to the race updates if you want to follow. It's race specific, not team specific, but we might see an occasional picture or two of someone on their team. Their team name is The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic. Here's a fun interactive race map.

Tommy is running legs 9, 20, 26 & 40

Jakeb is running legs 8, 19, 29 & 38

Tommy did this last year but this will be Jakeb's first time to do a relay race. He had no trouble getting out of bed at 2 something this morning. Pray for their sense of reason to be in full working capacity (this is something I often worry about with the two boys), for their safety and health and for them to have a really good time! I think the last thing I told Tommy this morning when he was leaving was to not do anything that would give me a reason to worry. :) Like sleeping in an open field with wild animals. Yes, he did that last year.

I sent the camera with them. I hope to be able to put some pictures up on Monday.

2009 Birthday Post

All three of our kids have birthdays very close together. On top of that, they are right after Christmas! We didn't plan that very well.....

We had a great time this past weekend celebrating and relaxing at the beach. It was cold and we hadn't planned on that but it was still better than being at home. Plus the heater worked in the beach house, you have to jiggle wires to make ours work. We've spent a small fortune trying to figure out what is wrong with it over the last 4 years with no success. I guess we did nail down which wires to jiggle. I digress....

So I'm posting pics of our weekend but it also occurred to me that I never posted pics from Tori's 18th family party. We had fun with some temporary tattoos to commemorate the occasion. Some had more fun than others. I think Anna ended up with over 20.

On Friday night, we had family out to celebrate Jakeb and Anna's birthday's. It was actually Anna's birthday day so she got to pick the cake she wanted for Friday. This year was Jakeb's big party year (we rotate years) so Saturday was all about him. 8 or 9 of his friends came out for a few hours and had a good time playing out on the beach (and unfortunately in the beach). We played games, ate way too much junk food, watched movies and had an overall good time.

(I put in all the pictures in reverse order and it would be a pain in the you know what to reverse them so I'm not going to. So go to the bottom and scroll up if you care.)