Here it is! The story you've been Waiting For!

I't all smoke and mirrors!! Or, sunshine and ocean! This is suppose to be our boat! I just couldn't smile and pretend it was this way!!! Really!




Here I am with our REAL BOAT! I saw pitures and a huge boat on the way here. Then after you get on the gang plank, you notice you are on a much smaller boat behind the beautiful big boat! No, really!!!



When we disembarked at Nassau, we had this boat take us ashore and we took these pictures to prove to you! no...REALLY!!


Then, they stuck us in a shark tank so we couldn't tell others of our horrors! I was a-feared for my life!!! Yes...really!!!


I took this picture out of the window...I wish I could have really seen the sights!! They look like it would have been really grand!


We are finally off the boat and I fought off security to take this picture of our "room?" I couldn't believe the rooms were so small...now you can see why...they were cages!

I just can't wait to get back to the cold, snowy, rainy, freezing weather! I know my fleece jackets are missing me and I surely do miss them too! See you all really SOON-back in fleece! Oh, and thanks for your prayers too! I never would have made it back alive to tell my story without them!

NO REALLY!!! HERE'S THE SCOOP!

Cruisin'

WOW!!!!WOW!!!!WOW!!!!!! The boat is HUGE, the place is BEAUTIFUL, and the people are GREAT! The room is little, and the bathroom and shower is tiny!! The toilet flush would suck a car out to the ocean!!!! They say not to stand tooo close and I surely do believe it!!! :)

You can walk on the boat with the pools, hot tubs, basketball nets, shuffle board, theatre (it's huge!) casino, formal huge dining room, buffets, lounges, shopping and even more and not really know that you are on a boat except when you veer a bit to the side while you are walking. At first I thought my knee was acting up, and then I would see others veer too. It is quite the experience! Internet is 55 cents a minute and realllllllllllllllly slooooow! I thought my dial up was slow!

And...Yes Alicia, you were right...you eat constantly! I know that a cruise would be Brian's DREAM VACATION! There is tons of food/everywhere & ALL THE TIME!

We are back today. I will blog some pictures and more stories! I may use up all the space on blogger to share it all. It has been a WONDERFUL TRIP! Even tho I am sore and bruised! Wait till you hear about my bravery!!!!

Type to you Later!

This is the day!

This is it! I finally got to bed this am around 2 something, and now I'm running around packing for the cruise to the Bahamas!!! It is sooooo amazing that I am finally getting to go on one and I am sooooooooooooooo very excited! AND NERVOUS!! What a great son I have to take me!

I have packed so many clothes and different types cuz I have no idea what it will be like. From bathing suits & flip flops to shoes and sweatshirts with dresses, (yes I said dresses!!!) and everything else in between!

I sent a note to Brian earlier saying my favorite color is green, but I am really hoping that my face won't be that color while we are cruising!That would not be good!I was hoping to write here while we were out, but I hear it's REALLY EXPENSIVE...so, nope, I won't be!

OK...gotta get going! Type to you again SOON!

A Day at the Conference

The day started out quite early. I got up by 5am to get Sean to work before 6pm so that I could use the car to get to the conference. It was dark!


My first workshop began at 7:45am, so I thought I would get some coffee before it started. This first one was so great! This ministry had some wonderful ways to help parents keep involved with their children's spirituality beginning at birth through high school. My second workshop was about new technology to use in children's ministry, and they were having tons of technical difficulties! The third one was fun. It was showing us 20 ideas for under $30 and it was PACKED! All the classes I went into had people sitting on the floor since all the seats had been taken. I just kept thinking how great it would be to have more of our leaders, teachers, and/or volunteers here with me. It is a wonderful experience!!!

We then had lunch and I met some really great ladies at my table. People are from all over the US. Kim, from Iowa asked me tons about Kidmo. Their church is about the same size as ours but only have a Sunday School hour for their kids.

In between the workshops and general sessions we get to go in the Rescource Center. This is where all the "goodies" are! Here are some pictures of the venders they have and boy, it's great to pick up all the "FREE STUFF!" My bags were full of stuff! I'm trying to figure out how to pack everything!

At dinner I met a group from Louisiana who LOVED our 4th of July outreach! She called herself back at her church to leave a message so that she would remember. The rest of the group were really excited to try it out this year.

I got to see the Kidmo peeps, the SuperStart peeps, and BIBLE MAN...see the picture!

Then...the bestest of all...GO FISH! Jared let me download their Christmas cd on my computer long ago! Now they are doing children's songs and are still wonderful.They put on an hour concert for us tonight and also performed some during one of the sessions. All parents should check them out! I did buy their new cd...I couldn't resist. So, if you would like to hear it, just let me know!




So, now it is LATE...or early...whatever you would like to say. I got back to the house at midnight and I am totally exhausted, BUT...I have all these new cd's, dvds, books, magazines and I bought our VBS for this year and I want to stay up allllll night to see it all! It's killing me to write here instead of checking them all out, but I needed to do this first.

Tomorrow afternoon we will be going on the cruise! I am so very excited! I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures to post when I return! Until then...oh yea, and thanks for "listening"!!!

From Snow to Sun!

Yesterday, when I woke up it was not even snowing. It was somewhere around 30 degrees. By the time I went out the door to catch my ride with Mom to the airport it was covering the ground! Mom was very brave and drove me to the airport. God was watching over us, because we left just in time to not have a too awfully horrible ride!

The more we drove, the worse it got. We passed a van facing us that had spun around. We saw a couple more who had slid off the road, and right at the exit for the airport there was a HUGE backup because of a wreck! Blessed as we were, the exit lane was empty and we moved on. THANKS SOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR BRAVERY MOM!








Then, off the plane at Orlando to bright, sunny skys and 79 degrees! It is unimaginable that in 2 hours I could have such a drastic change in my surroundings! I am amazed that when I left home I ran hot water for "a while" to warm up the bathroom, and today I opened a window to get out all the shower steam! Wow!


Looks like soon I will be in the market for a new kitchen....

So, it was off to IKEA to check it out! I so love that store. Sean took me to the one in Chicago, and I couldn't wait to see this one here in Orlando! Did you know we are getting one in West Chester soon! I CAN'T WAIT!













What about the lime green dining room! It's actually Sean's...he takes after me with the lime green! What great taste!!

Today it is conference day for half a day and tomorrow I have to be there at 7:30am till 11:00pm. It sounds like a long and full day, and I CAN'T WAIT! I will try and share more later!

Type to you later!

Pictures tell the Story!

I gotta share!!! After church the fam usually goes out for lunch. This week was Toots! This HUGE meal was consumed by one of my family...I'm not saying who!


OOPS! :)







Here are the SLIME GUYS!!! Thanks so much to Keith, George & Steve who look great in LIME GREEN!!!











Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Brad Estep!





Here is my new fridge and cabinet that started this whole mess we are now in!





And...Here is my kitchen floor before all the layers were gone.Only a very small section is cut out so far. It is now down to the original wood of so long ago! (Yes, I am still sore!)


ok...that says some of the weekend events...I'll be typing to you again from Orlando Florida! Stay warm!!!!

Lots to do, Much to share!

O.K. So I downloaded all the pictures I need to share about all that has been going on, and I ran out of time to put them on here with some info, so I will warn you now...it's been very, very busy!

Today the "Jolly Ranchers" got SLIMED and it was great! Especially since I got to do the slime pouring! Thank you Alisha for your slime stirring expertise! My hand is very sore since I spent most of Saturday helping my husband rip out 3 layers of flooring in our kitchen. It was suppose to be this easy, move a cabinet and add the new fridge...but...ended up showing us termite damage and now it looks like we have to gut the kitchen. Well, it could be awhile till this new adventure sees the finish line! I have this great idea. After we tear out the last wood flooring, maybe we could just pour concrete and fill it with water for an indoor pool! Well, I think it might just work!

Saturday night I got to attend Brad & Hillary's wedding. What a beautiful couple and what great things God has planned for them both! It was a great night!

Well, that's all the time I have for this evening. I will work on the pictures to follow up this writing. I am heading to bed...it's freezing in here...even with the new windows! I kinda cheat tho...I wait till Bill is already in bed and warming it up, then I go in and bless him with my cold feet! Yes, I keep telling him in the fine print at the bottom of our marriage license it said that he had to warm my cold feet! It's the husbandly duty God gave all husbands. I haven't quite found it in scripture yet, but I'm sure it's gotta be there somewhere!?!

Goodnight all!

Still Here!

Still here, but going crazy!

This Sunday is our first ZOOM with Keith, Steve & George, come on and have a great time with us this Sunday and join us on our quest to discover more about God at 8:45 or 11:15am in NP-3! IT'S SLIME TIME TOO!!!

Hey...there's also some new stuff on the web (lovedtolove.org) for the kids...THE ALL NIGHTER IS COMING!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Check out the info and get ready for a great time!!!!

It's been awhile since I've written here...sorry, tons of stuff going on! So, here is a few pics of the "happenins!"





Trans Siberian Orchestra...Ben (my nephew) took me for my Christmas present! It was GREAT! They have a wonderful light show!!! Here are the lazers during one of the songs! It was a great experience! Thanks Ben!!



Then, I had a BIRTHDAY!!!! Oh, no!!! I received flowers from Geneva & the preschool teachers! A card and gift certificates from the Richard family! YUM YUM!!! My boss at the city took us all out for lunch! We have MANY January birthdays! Here is the cake they brought to me at Fridays! And, the pictures are the city gang hard at work! I got many cards...thanks to you all! and...roses and cards and dinner from my family! My mom, bro and sis all called and Sonny even SANG!!! wooo hooo! Mom brought some goodies too! Thanks to you ALL for a great birthday!!!



Well, I gotta get to Toni's BB game!
Type to you later!

All Things Are Possible

The following is an email I received today from Sandy. She has been battling cancer for quite awhile and I know she would covet your prayers for her today. Could you please pray for her today and this week? Thank you so very much! Holly

Today's Scripture

“Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26 NIV).

Are you facing something today that seems impossible? With man it may be, but with God, ALL things are possible! If you seem to be in an impossible situation, get with God! Sometimes it’s so easy to focus on our problems and try to solve them in our own strength. But remember, the battle belongs to the Lord. He has a plan for your victory. He has a plan to give you a way out. He is making the things that seem impossible, possible. You can trust Him today. The Bible says that He has plans for your good, not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Start believing and confessing today, “I am with God, and with God all things are possible!” Are your bills piling up? With God, all things are possible. Do your relationships need healing? With God, all things are possible. Is there sickness in you body? With God, all things are possible! As you meditate on God’s power, He will work in your life, and you will step forward into that place of victory He has in store for you.

Heavenly Father, thank You for making a way where there seems to be no way. I choose to trust You, and I believe that all things are possible! Show me Your power today. Work through me to encourage those around me to trust You more. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

I lift my eyes to the hills,
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

In His Hands,
^j^ ^j^sandy gentry