The Ignition Room Reinvented

After BigStuf the leaders came back and decided that we needed to overhaul our youth group room.  We started by getting two TV’s donated and those were setup for video games near the entryway for the kids to play before and after service.  The middle school kids have gone nuts over it.  The next step was refinishing the stage to make it all one level and even the finish.  The last big step was building a custom cabinet/bookshelf for the stage to use for props for Matt’s talk and to have visual interest points up on the stage.  I designed the cabinet and I am thrilled with how it turned out, big thanks go out to David for his hard work building it.  My favorite feature is the lights in the bottom section.  Then I brought in items for the shelves which reflect the kids, our church, and the upcoming series we launched this week. 

Weight Loss Challenge

Life continues to make me aware that I am an all or nothing person.  The recent example is with my fitness and weight loss.  I am either super disciplined or incredibly lazy about diet and exercise.  In order to maneuver myself back into the first category and kiss the lazy category goodbye I decided to sign up for the weight loss challenge with my friend Joanna at our gym. The kickoff was yesterday and we had our first challenge exercise which was running outside at 1 PM in the afternoon.  I was able to finish my mile in 11:35 which is not great but not as terrible as I was expecting.  Joanna and I are really excited about it and I think it will be a great thing for us to do for ourselves plus it’s always easier when you have a friend and accountability partner.  My goal is to work out a minimum of 30 times in the next 8 weeks and really focus on healthier eating habits.  I created a Google documents spreadsheet so we can keep one another in the loop and plan our workout schedule.  I’ll keep you guys posted on the progress. 

Kyle's Graduation

I had the joy and honor of attending Kyle’s second college graduation.  He graduated with his master’s degree from the University of Georgia, go dawgs!  It was a long two years but he handled it so well.  He managed to balance teaching, piloting the new studio class, football, and graduate school with a grace and ease that honestly astounded me.  I am so proud of him and I know that he will continue to do great things in his teaching career.  Here are a few pictures from the ceremony and celebration afterwards.

This month will be crazy. . .

I am still trying to figure out how in the world it is possible that it is already August 2^nd.  This month is jam packed with so many fun and exciting things but it’s going to be extremely busy.  Here is the outline for this month:

·         August 5^th – Stephanie’s Bachelorette Party

·         August 6^th –Kyle’s Graduation (UGA Masters Program), Family Celebration at Our House, & Joanna’s Birthday Party

·         August 7^th – Alyssa’s Wedding Invitation Stuffing & Mailing

·         August 13^th – Amy’s Bachelorette Party & IHAP Release @ T-Mobile

·         August 14^th – Deployment Status Reporting

·         August 13^th – Erin’s Housewarming Party

·         August 19^th through the 21^st – Alyssa’s Bachelorette Party in Miami, FL

·         August 26^th – Stephanie’s Bridesmaid Luncheon, Rehearsal, & Rehearsal Dinner

·         August 27^th – Stephanie & Juan’s Wedding Ceremony & Reception