Borden Tribe

A rain gauge for Zoe

2009-11-10T08:04:00.004-05:00

Zoe's math class has been studying about measuring things, including rain. So I thought we would make a quick rain gauge for ourselves since we're supposed to get a lot of rain over the next few days. Very easy and very simple but she enjoyed helping. And it will be fun checking it when she comes home.

Family Vacation Photos

2009-08-22T11:41:00.003-05:00

We headed down to Cape San Blas for a family vacation right before school started back. We had a great time together and had plenty of time to just sit back, unwind and relax.

Here are some photos

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022188&id=1414930099&l=e4c844857d

Hope everyone enjoys!

Rescue Atlanta - Wrapping it all up

2009-07-13T22:16:00.002-05:00

It suddenly occured to me that I never did a last post for our trip to Atlanta. Between being busy and tired it totally slipped my mind. let's see if I can remember most of what happened Saturday and Sunday...

Saturday was our free day - we slept in a bit and then cleaned the church. Afterwards we went to Atlantic Station and hung out all afternoon. Saw Up (SO SAD!!!!) and ate some fantastic Thai food.

Sunday it was up and at 'em - had a very early start. I was fortunate enough to be able to help Amy and some others in the colthes closet. What an experience. But I really enjoyed it. Some of our kids got to ride the buses to go pick up people for church. That is always a very fun ride. After a few hours of work it was time for church. (I was actually able to sqeeze in an alignment with some pain specialists before church started - they donate their time on Sunday mornings - I was a new person...) We had an amazing speaker and great praise and worship - all in all a great morning.

Afterwards we got on the van (we literally ran to it) and headed home. Just in time for youth service - which turned out to be incredible. We were tired and some stayed home but there was just a sweet presence of God in our sanctuary - in The Right Place.

Anyways, glad to be home but glad to have been a part of something great.

Finish Strong.

Rescue Atlanta - Friday

2009-07-10T21:39:00.007-05:00

As I'm sitting on my bunk typing this it is hard for me to believe that today was the last day of ministry that we had today. It is also hard for me to believe that I am still awake. Different people go on missions trips for different reasons - we came to work and work we did. And we didn't stop working today. We did get to sleep in an extra 45 minutes today which was a plus - and boy did we need it.

We started the day out getting ready for our first block party here at the church. We had snow cones and popcorn and big inflatables as well as a full blown power jam. We bused in about 60-75 kids and just had a blast.

While all that was going on Carrie, Ashley, and Candy were in the clothes closet sorting out a TON of clothes.

After that it was dinner and then immediately over to Carver Homes for another block party and a power jam. This time we had so many kids - over 150! Praise God for a great turnout!

After that it was time for some fun. We headed downtown to Centennial Park to play in the fountain.

Well, that was all for today. Tomorrow is a free day - we are going to the zoo and then a movie! And I get to wear makeup and feel like a girl again (and smell like one too)!

Rescue Atlanta - Thursday

2009-07-09T22:40:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday to me...happy birthaday to me! What a great way to spend my birthday! Today our team got to go downtown to do some witnessing/street ministry. It was awesome. Our kids did a great job inviting everyone to the revival service tonight too.

Service tonight was great too. We had a really powerful altar service where we were able to pray with the people.

After service we put up chairs and brought out some tables so that we could feed everyone.

After all that was over Ashley, Candy and I rode on the bus to take some of the homeless people back to where we picked them up. I got to sit next to an adorable little 5 year old. We made lots of funny faces and he told me I was his girlfriend. I was good with all of that until I realized we were dropping him back off at one of the parks downtown with his mother. And they are homeless. I couldn't believe that he was going to be sleeping somewhere on the streets tonight. It just broke my heart and after they left the bus I just broke down and cried in one of the bus seats. Thankfully him and his mother are regulars here at RA so at least Mel and Teresa are in their lives so I feel confident this child has a good chance. Just a day in the life for the people up here I guess.

Please pray for strength for our teams. A few kids from the Columbus church have started throwing up but we are believing that we will have health. Long, hard day tomorrow but we are ready!

Now for sleep...

Rescue Atlanta - Wednesday

2009-07-08T20:49:00.007-05:00

All is well here in Atlanta. Finished out a great day yesterday by feeding the homeless.

We had a great time and we were able to pray for some people too as well as feed them. Today was pretty much of the same. Up/breakfast/prayer/devotions/leader meeting. Then we had the normal Wednesday morning Bible study. There were probably about 50 or 60 poor/homeless people at the church being fed by the word.

We left early to get ready for the first of 3 Power Jams for the day. After a massive downpour we finally got started and pretty much went ALL DAY LONG!

But we had such a great time today! The kids were so awesome and precious. I really feel like the work that we have done so far this week is really going to pay off in the next few months for this minstry.

Alright - now for some video!

Rescue Atlanta - Days 1 and 2

2009-07-07T14:33:00.006-05:00

Well, we made it to Atlanta. It has been an intersting couple of days for us. Monday was ok - just a travel day. We stayed in Macon for a while to eat. After getting to Atlanta we found out the teams we are on then we went to "Spy out the Land."

After that it was on to the Varsity for a gut bomb - uh, I mean chili dogs and an orange freeze.

This morning we were up at 6:30 for breakfast/prayer/devotions/praise and worship/and a leader meeting. That was all before 10:30. Then we loaded up and went to the Capital Building for a worship rally.

It was awesome. The weather was fantastically cool and breezy. And we did our thing on the steps of the courthouse. You wanna talk about freedom - there is nothing like praising God right in the middle of the city.

After this we went over to one of the poorer neighborhoods near the church - Rebel Valley. We canvassed the area for kids for one of the Power Jams we are doing in the area tomorrow. It was a lot of fun - some of the kids in the area helped us out and we got to hang out with them some. I found out David Sellers has a heightened fear of dogs but he has no problem getting candy from perfect strangers houses. :) Then it rained and we got really wet.

Now we are waiting on dinner after which we are going out to help feed the homeless tonight. Really praying for an opportunity to be able to speak into some peoples lives. The kids are doing great - we are working them hard. They should be exhausted by lights out tonight.

A few of my favorite things

2009-06-18T22:48:00.003-05:00

I left a little piece of my heart at the beach...

80 percent chance of rain? Not on my watch...

2009-06-04T13:39:00.002-05:00

Well, the youngest was up again at 7 this morning. Doesn't she understand anything about vacations? I did make her go and wake up Grandma though - that's what they get.

We were out of the house early and on the beach at 9:30 this morning. It was supposed to rain badly so we thought we'd go early and at least get some ocean time in. Needless to say it was a gorgeous day. Both the girls had a blast running in the water and jumping over waves (don't worry Jonathan - I got lots of pictures and videos). I only got slightly burned on my back. Woo-hoo. After a couple of hours we bribed them off the beach with promises of hotdogs and frozen lemonades. (Worked like a charm too - and anyone who says that is bad parenting obviously has no children)

I think I'm going to force (yeah right) them into the pool for a couple more hours this afternoon so they can get good and tired. Then it will be an early bedtime for them and some shopping at Bass Pro (I hope) for me and my mom. Keeping my fingers crossed, anyways...

Ahhh, summer...

2009-06-03T15:47:00.002-05:00

Hello summer. I have waited so long for you...

Today has been a very quiet and uneventful day. Which is exactly what I have been needing. The girls were up at 7:15. Ate breakfast and immediatly went into the pool. Swam for a bit, then we walked about 4 blocks to the neighborhood playground. Played for a long time. Walked back to the house, ate lunch then swam again for about 2 more hours. And now? Now, the kiddies are asleep. The first nap so far this week. Hopefully they will continue on through the week and on into the summer. That may be asking for too much.

Not too sure what's on tap for tomorrow - beach I think. Wish I had some pictures to post - unfortunately I forgot my camera cable. So lots of pics and videos to come next week.

The last day is of school is feeling like the end of childhood

2009-05-29T13:42:00.003-05:00

Ice cream party at school

So this last day of school crap is for the birds. I am very excited and happy to have my Zoe back for the summer but now that Kindergarten is over I am starting to realize that she really is growing up and there is nothing I can do to stop it. She also had the best teacher. Ever. Seriously, no complaints at all (which I think is rare). So long Kindergarten. It's been a fun ride the past 9 1/2 months. I guess we'll go through all this again when Jessi moves up. I hope the school will be ready for that.

Dance like nobody's watching

2009-05-23T20:20:00.003-05:00

The best part of the wedding for the girls was the dancing as you can tell...for me the best part was getting all my "kids" together for a group photo.

the old 'faith gang'

There's nothing like a long drive to clear the ol' noggin

2009-05-23T08:01:00.002-05:00

And drive is just what we did yesterday. Not too terribly long - just up to Warner Robins. But a long enough drive it was. I feel like a load has already been lifted off of my shoulders.

We came back to War-town for a wedding. And not just any wedding. This will be the first of our students that Jonathan gets to marry. Very exciting. Haley and Justin have been a part of our ministry for over 7 years now. I remember the very first time I saw Haley - she was just a little 7th grader with braces. They have both come a long way (and I feel depressingly old).

I did get to check out the new Kohl's in town. But only because I had to find shoes. Mine broke at the rehearsal last night. And I am hoping to get some sushi for lunch today. I miss some good sushi.

It has been fun seeing old friends again. I'm really hating that we'll have to leave tomorrow morning (really dang early in the morning...). But, God knows what He's doing (imagine that!) so I will just do His will. I guess I should quit complaining about it, though.

My Craz-ar is working overtime today

2009-05-17T09:19:00.003-05:00

What a wonderful and exciting time to be working in the kingdom. That was said with much sarcasm. It truly is a great time to be doing God's work but sometimes I wish my husband and I could go to a remote island and do it there. Possibly alone. Well, not alone but maybe with only our closest friends - that would be about 3 people total.
I have been wondering lately why God chose us to come down here to work in this church. After this weekend I can see why we are here. The enemy is at work. Hard. I think we are fighting against things now that have never been fought against in years past. I hope that we are up for this fight because it's at full force now. Maybe that's why we're here - because we are strong enough to fight this thing out for God. In the words of Jimmy Buffet "If a hurricane doesn't leave you dead, it will make you strong." Blow wind, blow.

Did I mention I signed up to ride 120 miles on a bike?

2008-12-02T13:31:00.003-05:00

Yes, I have been putting this blog entry off for quite some time. I think reality has actually just set in. I did sign up for the annual Bama and Back bike ride that our district hosts each year. It's over the Silver Comet bike trail up in North Georgia and it's supposed to gorgeous. But it's also going to be cold. Very cold. And possibly raining as well. If everything turns out as planned we will ride 70 miles Thursday and then 50 Friday. Believe it or not Jonathan and I have been training pretty fiercely. So far this week I've put in almost 30 miles. I can barely walk but I think I am doing pretty good. And all the money raised goes to Speed the Light which buys vehicles for missionaries. All in all it will fun - so long as my butt can hold out.

Hair station central

2008-11-14T10:06:00.006-05:00

I got really frustrated the other day at all of the hair accessories that my girls have acquired over the years. Something had to be done so I got a little creative.

It's amazing what you can do with ribbon, safety pins and shower curtain clips.

Eating grapes

2008-11-06T21:22:00.007-05:00

Everyone knows that eating on the kitchen counter makes your food taste better...

Proving that the best (and most fun) costumes are those you make yourself

2008-11-01T10:47:00.004-05:00

Was anyone else as unprepared for Halloween as me? All week I kept putting off making costumes for the girls. I guess maybe I just wasn't as into it this year. Who knows. Of course the day of Halloween I found myself sitting in front of my sewing machine trying to conjure up images of pirates and cowgirls. And because I am super mom I whipped together a pretty nifty pirate costume for Jessi in, about 2 hours time. Yes, I even amazed myself. And honestly, it was so much fun and I think she looked adorable.

Zoe looked great too but really, how hard is it to whip up a cowgirl outfit? A gun here, a hat there...but I think she looked great too.

After the sewing and pictures and oohs and aahs it was time to head on over to the church for our Fall Festival. There is nothing better than free games, free candy, free food, free entertainment, free train rides all within the safety of the church. It beats driving from neighborhood to neighborhood for all the good candy!

A rude awakening

2008-10-14T17:43:00.003-05:00

3:00 am came mighty early. Oh, I wasn't up because I wanted to be. I was woken up by Zoe. Now usually when one of our girls wakes up early like that it's because they had a bad dream or maybe fell out of their bed. Not this morning. In my sleep induced coma I swear she said "I fell off." To which I replied "OK sweetie, just climb back into bed and go to sleep." This was not an acceptable answer. I had to go to the bathroom anyways so I thought I would just put her back in her bed. As I walked out of our room I noticed that the bathroom light was on. So I figured she must have fallen in the bathroom. As I started making my way toward the bathroom I realized that she wasn't saying "I fell off." She was saying "I threw up." And it's not like she made it to the toilet. Oh no. It's a miracle I found it before I stepped in it. Needless to say it was a rough morning. Between 3 and 5 am she threw up 4 times. Awesome. And she didn't make it to the bathroom once. Just a day in the life of a mom I guess.

Down by the Lake

2008-10-12T13:15:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was one of the most laziest days I have ever had. Our church hosted a fishing tournament at the lake and our kids had a blast. Plus all the money donated went to a great cause.

Daddy and his girls

cleaning fish

sitting with Daddy

Thank you God for free veggies

2008-10-10T16:03:00.004-05:00

Someone was generoud enough to give us some fresh grown okra and eggplant today. YUM! Can you guess what we'll be eating for dinner tonight?

Quite possibly the best Bible Study ever

2008-10-10T10:51:00.002-05:00

About twice a year the ladies in our church do a group Bible Study and a few weeks ago we started 'Daniel' by Beth Moore. I had never done a study of hers and I now find myself asking "Why the heck not?!?!" It's quite possibly the most intense book of the Bible - and she doesn't hold back any punches either. I leave our group on Thursday mornings almost emotionally exhausted. I don't want to give much away in case anyone wants to do it in the future but you will definitely learn a lot of history and so much about yourself. I think that is the most painful part. So worth it though - who knew I had so much crap I needed to work through.

Summer's End

2008-09-22T16:06:00.004-05:00

Well, I guess it is official. Summer is no more. And to celebrate we had a big End of Summer Party with the youth kids of our church. A family in our church was gracious enough to let us hang out on their property all night. This is the kind of place that you dream of owning for yourself one day.

fishing

just can't wait to get in that last swim

playing on the beach

around the fire

A Perfect Weekend

2008-09-14T13:46:00.007-05:00

This weekend we had our Youth Pastor Summit at Jekyll Island. Needless to say, everything was just perfect.

Zoe making lines in the sand

Friday was spent a the beach where Jonathan and I got majorly sunburned. But we still had a great time just hanging out with some great friends.

Jessi jumping

This weekend also gave me an opportunity to get back to working on some landscape photography. And the beach is just the best place I think for taking amazing pictures. It's not that I'm a great photographer - the place is an beautiful testament to God's handiwork.

Surf breaking

Zoe's first gymnastics class

2008-09-06T20:38:00.002-05:00

Ever since the Olympics Zoe has been wanting to try her hand at gymnastics. So we decided to sign her up at the YMCA to see how she would like it. She had a ball and we had a great time watching her as well.