Set the World on Fire

Jesse, Marshall and I had the wonderful opportunity this past weekend to assist with summer camp for the youth group at our church. The theme was "Set the World on Fire" and these were our team bracelets. We camped for three days and two nights at Huntington State Park. There were 20 teenagers ranging from 13 to 18 years old.

In spite of Debi's tire blowing out on the way down and the church van overheating on the way home, it was great. They were such neat kids and I'm so glad I got to know them better. Jesse brought his acoustic guitar and we led the worship music for the weekend. I have to say, it is really cool to sing praises to our Creator in the midst of His creation.

I was really nervous about going. One of the biggest issues I was worried about was Marshall. I was concerned about him getting too tired and throwing horrible fits. I prayed about it so much before we left and God totally answered my prayers. Marshall was really good. There were a few times he got tired and fussy but for the most part he did really well. He took great naps, stuck around camp and, as you can see, had a way with the ladies. Here he is with Rachel, Ashlie and Shawnee. He loved all the kids and they loved him. They were such a big help. In the mornings when we were getting ready in the tent he would say "See the kids, see the kids" because he wanted to get out and play with the kids.

In this picture with Nate you can also see the monkey on his back. We bought that before we left because the monkey has a "tail" that can be used as a leash. Marshall loved the monkey and even kept asking us to put the "tail" on the monkey. Ha, Ha! Looks like we successfully tricked the 20 month old. This is Braiden and he was so cute with Marshall. He kept trying so hard to get Marshall to like him and I'm really glad that Marshall warmed up to him toward the last half of camp. He taught Marshall how to pound it (meaning his fist, not a beer, it is church camp) and shake hands. It was really cute. Here we have Julianna, Alyssa and Broudy. Alyssa and Julianna are sisters and I taught both of them in my Children's Church class. I am so happy to see the beautiful girls, both inside and out, they are becoming and the ways in which they have chosen to follow Jesus. I must put in a picture of Tommy, our fearless youth pastor. This is Stephanie, Josh, Tommy, and Dadiri. Tommy did a wonderful job leading these kids and I have a new found respect for what he does with the youth on a weekly basis. Ladies, he is single if your interested! I have to highlight my beautiful friend, Stephanie, a little more. I was worried about the midnight curfew Tommy had made. I thought "I can't make it until midnight! I'm going to be passed out by ten." Well, Steph and I stayed up until 12:45 am discussing all kinds of stuff. She was asking a ton of deep questions about God and the Bible and it was such an honor to be the one to help her with the answers. I didn't have all the answers, no one does, but that's what makes Him God. If we could completely understand Him, He would no longer be God. Steph is leaving for college in August and I wish her the best with everything. This is Stephanie's younger sister, Tiffany. Tiffany was so much fun and was so great at making everyone feel welcome. And yes, she is a little crazy but we love her anyway! On a side note, the lake was down and the mosquitoes were horrible. Here's proof from Jesse's legs.He had over 200 mosquito bites by the time we got home. Like I mentioned before, the van overheated and here are the smiling faces of Rick, Tommy, Dadiri, and Jess who were taking care of the problem. We ended up having to leave it on the side of the road with all the luggage piled in it and call for a tow truck.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and I'm so glad we were blessed with the opportunity to participate as a family. I was so glad to meet such a wonderful group of kids. Thank you, God, for answering my prayers, in more way than one.

Four things

1) Four places that I go to over and over: Work (Midvale City Hall), Church (Discovery Christian Community), My Parents' House, My In-laws' House
2) Four of my favorite places to eat: La Puente, Famous Dave's, Red Robin, Rubio's Baja Grill
3) Four places I would rather be right now: Home with Jesse and Marshall, a cabin next to a lake, at the playground with Marshall, hanging out with my mom
4) Four TV shows I watch: (In the summer) Last Comic Standing, Wipeout (Marshall loves this one), Primetime Crime, reruns of Friends
5) Four people to tag: Jill, Stef, and two other people reading this blog that would like to do it!

Copy & paste then put this in your blogs!!!

Jonny Lang Concert

Jesse and I were able to go to the Jonny Lang concert at Red Butte Garden last week. Best concert ever. He is my favorite musician and it was wonderful. The weather was perfect and it was such a great evening. It was fun to go on a date with my husband again. We don't do much without the kid. Marshall had a sleepover at my parent's house that night and I'm happy to say he was a very good boy for them. We ran into a friend of ours at the concert and were able to sit with him. This is the second time we have seen him in concert and he was even better this time. His whole band was incredible. My favorite part of the concert was when he came back for his encore he picked up his acoustic guitar and played an instrumental version of the song "I Love You Lord". I love that song and I think the words are beautiful.

I love You, Lord,
and I lift my voice
To worship You,
O my soul, rejoice.
Take joy, my King,
in what you hear:
May it be a sweet,
sweet sound
in Your ear.

Amen, Jonny!

It's a Start

I've decided it's time to start a blog. I've been stalking my friends blogs for some time now and started to feel a little weird that I knew so much about their lives but they knew nothing about mine. So here is my attempt to share my life with anyone that is interested.

We'll start with Jesse. We met at our church, Discovery Christian Community, but really got to know one another through a Bible study my brother, Richard, was teaching at the time. Jesse started out as my brother's friend but Richard soon played matchmaker and I have to say he did a good job. Jesse works for Fisher Masonry as a brick mason. He loves music and taught himself how to play all kinds of instruments. His favorite is guitar and he's really good. I remember when I first found out he could play guitar I asked if he was any good. He said he was okay. He was being humble. Very humble. He uses is musical gifts to serve the Lord through playing in the band at our church. He is a huge fan of University of Utah football. If there is a home game you'll find him tailgating bright and early. He's even been known to sleep in the tailgate lot the night before the big game. A little extreme, I know. Our first date was actually tailgating with his family at one of the Utah games. He is an incredible father which has made me love him so much more. Even more importantly, he has committed his life to following Jesus and I am so thankful that I have a God-fearing and God-loving man in my life and my son's life.

I (Christa) work for Midvale City as the Administrative Assistant for Community and Economic Development. Long enough title. I graduated from Westminster College in 2003 with a degree in Accounting, which has nothing to do with my current job but that's okay. I'm happy where I'm at and my schedule works good for my family. I am a mom and, therefore, no longer have any hobbies. Just kidding, kind of. Every once in a while I get the chance to cross stitch or read. I haven't made a homemade card in years but I still consider it one of my hobbies. I enjoy working in the yard with Jesse and Marshall. I'm usually the one behind the camera so this was the only picture I could find of me. Good enough. I am having so much fun being a mom and I'm so thankful God blessed me with such a wonderful husband and son.

Now on to Marshall. He is 20 months old and is a total boy. He loves to play with any kind of ball and unfortunately has chosen to take a liking to basketball. I don't like basketball so I've been trying to push any other sport possible. He has recently shown some interest in baseball but eventually I may have to give in to basketball. He loves to play catch with is dad and can throw and catch really well. He likes to play with our two dogs and insists that they are both named Luke. I guess I should mention something about our two dogs. Luke is our insane Border Collie and Viggo is our German Shepherd. They are very good with Marshall even when he is not so good with them. We're working on that. Marshall is very active and does not like to sit still for more than a few seconds. He is starting to talk really well and repeats everything. He is happy and healthy and has brought so much joy and fun to our home.

That's it in a nutshell. This blog will be a place to put down memories for my family since I don't scrapbook (I don't even have Marshall's baby book up to date) and also to give my thoughts and opinions on things. I'll do my best to try and keep it current and interesting but I make no promises. Until next time.