2012- A Year in Review: Top Ten

Wow. Another year draws to a close. Already?! Where did it go?

I think back over the year and there were some really great times, and some really hard times- as I am sure is true for you too.  So hear is a "TOP TEN" list of the most memorable and influential events of 2012.

1. My NY Resolution to Read through the Bible:
Last New Year I decided to try to read through the Bible in a year. Now that the year is over- did I finish? No. Was it still beneficial? Of course! According to my Bible app, I got 51% of the way through. I absolutely loved the challenge. I am sad, and a little ashamed to say I only got 51% finished. But I cannot tell you the number of times God fed me with exactly what I needed to hear! It is amazing the difference being in God's word can make in your life. My new New Year's resolution? FINISH reading through the Bible! Hey, I've already got a 1% lead on last year! haha.


2. Critter and Ian's Wedding:
In March my best friend got married to the love of her life! It was an awesome wedding. I am so overjoyed to see my best friend so happy. Now, my husband and her husband are best friends too. We spend so much time with these folks, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I look back on the past, and I never imagined that we would be where we are today. I am so thankful for God's work in her life.

3. Death of Granddaddy: 
In April Bobby's Granddaddy (Robert Raymond Moore I) passed away. We made a quick trip to North Carolina to be with Granny and the extended Moore family. I am amazed at how close the Moore family really is, even though they live throughout the country. My entire side of the family lives in west Michigan, so it was an adjustment for me to get used to not seeing Bobby's family all the time. Yet, every time we get together, it feels as though we never left. I am honnored to now be part of the wonderful family. We are all thankful for the many wonderful years Granddaddy had on this earth. His influence is seen throughout the Moore family, in the importance everyone puts on family.  We are rejoicing for him now, as he celebrates in his forever heavenly home.

3. Mission Trip to Indy
In June Bobby and  I went on a missions trip to Indianapolis with our church's youth group. The trip grew be as a person, and a youth leader. It renewed my passion to see children grow closer to their creator. "Look, I am making everything new." was the Bible verse. It was an amazing experience for Bobby and I, and all of the students and leaders!

5. First Wedding Anniversary 
In July Bobby and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary! I am so thankful for the man that Bobby is, and is becoming. The depths of love that I have already experienced in our marriage have already been more than I could ever imagine. Bobby truly loves me for ME. Who i am, even with my faults and insecurities. He is my support. We have been trying really hard to do devotions together in the mornings, and are growing so close in doing so. I am so thankful for a husband who can grow in their relationship with God alongside of me.

6. Sailboat at the lake
This summer my Dad bought a hobie cat. It has been a most wonderful addition to the lakehouse. We all have been learning to sail, even Abby Lou! We have had some great times together already... My favorite being the loooooong talks we have when there is no wind and we are stuck in the middle of the lake, and the time there was so much wind the mast cable broke and we had to get towed home by a jet ski!




7. Family Vacation / Granny's 90th Birthday:
In August Bobby's immediate Family and I got to take an amazing vacation to North Carolina Beach! On our way down we stopped in Big Stone Gap, Virginia for Granny's 90th Birthday party. We got to spend time with the extended Moore side of the family, and also had a more formal memorial service for Granddaddy. After a few days in Big Stone Gap we headed to NC! We rented a beach house right on the water for a whole week. Bobby and Coleman helped me become a pro body surfer, we enjoyed some Brit's Doughnuts, soaked up lots of rays, read some books, and we ended the week with huge crab boil!!

8. Eleanor Gracelyn Roer is Born!!

While Bobby and I were on vacation, my brother and Sister-in-law had their second child, Eleanor Gracelyn Roer! She was born on August 4th, a date that was already full of meaning in the Roer household. Now we not only remember this date as the day Mom passed away in 2004, but too, as the day Ellie Grace was born!

9. Job Change:
 During the 2001-2012 school year I worked as a Kindergarten Parapro at Dutton Christian School. It was a MWF kindergarten, and I only worked during part of the day. I loved it. I loved the community there and all of the staff and students. While on vacation I got a call from Knapp Charter Academy saying they would like to interview me for a full time Kindergarten Parapro position. When we got back i went to the interview and was offered a job. Although I loved Dutton, and did not want to leave. Knapp was offering me full time employment. (and was only 10 min from my house.) Financially, it made sense to accept.  Although i still long for my own classroom (someday) I am very much enjoying what I am doing now. I have made new friends, and get to influence a new set of students. I know that this is right where God wants me to bed right now. But I also hold on to the hope that He is using this to prepare me better for where he really wants me to be. :-)
10.Coleman:
In September my Father-in-law Coleman heard his doctor say, "You have cancer." The same three words that started my Mother's 4 year battle. I cannot describe to you the terrible brick that landed in my stomach when I heard this news. My mind was racing with fears and memories. My body was numbed at the thought of my husband having to loose a parent, as I had.  Coleman had gone into the hospital because of pain in his abdomen, and quickly had an appendicitis.  Routinely, they checked the removed organ for any abnormalities, and they found some strange cells inside that were a rare form of cancer. This particular type of cancer is very terminal if it gets into the abdominal cavity, and it usually travels there from the appendix, through the colon. So they approved Coleman for a surgery to remove 1/3 of his colon  and search the abdominal cavity while they were inside. In early October had had the surgery, and everything went miraculously well! They found no cancer in the abdomen, and the colon removal went smoothly. Coleman is doing very well now, and has almost fully recovered from his surgery.  Though this seems like a short period of time looking back, these we the darkest part of our year. I can honestly say, the love I felt for my husband, through the fears, was the deepest form of love I have ever felt. I (and everyone else) am so thankful that Coleman is now cancer free, and healthy. And, most of all, here to continue influencing those around him, and living out the life God has called him to.

Friend

"Friend" is such an interesting word.
You can introduce someone as your friend, you can ask a friend to be your bridesmaid, you can "friend" someone on Facebook. There are so many different types of friends.
There's the girl you label "friend" because you see each other every day at school, take all the same classes with, even play on the same basketball team. But then when you graduate high school, you never see, or talk to again.
There's the guy you call a friend, but you really kinda like him, and wish he were MORE than a friend.
There's the friend who you used to do everything with, but now you don't even want to be in the same room with. Because of that one thing she said- you can't get over. Is it your fault? Or hers?
There's that person you are "best friends" with when you want to go have a good time- but you would never actually just chill with.
There's that friend who you talk to at church on Sundays, but never see or communicate with outside of the church walls.
There's the best friend. The person you text the second you wake up, and right before you go to bed. You like all the same things, do everything together. The one you would tell anything to- and do anything for.

Then there are those people, that you really value, care for, and love. That you label friend- because no matter how many miles away you are, or how often you call or text. You know you would do anything for them. You've been through so much together, that the bond cannot be broken. By time. By distance. By silence. Nothing can change the fact that you are truly FRIENDS with that individual.

Today I got to see that friend. :-) and it was wonderful.

Did I mention I like tea?

Who am I kidding- I'm ADDICTED to tea!
I drink a whole travel mug of tea each morning, and usually one more at work. Once I get home I usually drink a cup or two to relax, and even sometimes another cup before bed!
Averaging 2-4 cups a day I might even earn the label "obsessed". I'm ok with that.
If you have heard of Teavana, you would understand why it s my favorite store! If you haven't, let me explain why. Teavana is a loose leaf tea store, that also sells tea pots and accessories. They use real pieces of fruit and other ingredients as so to create full bodied wonderful loose leaf teas. (We are not talking the dust that is put in a paper bag and sold by Lipton.) My best friend and cousin got me hooked three or four years ago when she gave me my first taste of "Raspberry Riot Lemon mate" tea. :-)
Since then the two of us have continued to drink and enjoy Teavana tea together. We have also talked many times about when we get our own houses, how many tea things we will have. We dreamed of the day when we would be able to buy cast iron teapots to keep our tea warm.

Today, Teavana had the biggest sale I have ever seen them have! Many of our favorite teas were 75% off! We were so excited to go and fill up on our favorites!!! For Christmas I received gift cards to Teavana from some of my friends and family. The gift cards were enough to cover the cost of the cast iron pot I have been drooling over for years! I was so giddy I couldn't sleep last night because I I knew we were going to the store today! Then on the way, I was driving over the speed limit to get there! When I got to the store I was even more surprised! Teavana cast iron teapots come in two sizes. Small and large. I had planned to buy a smaller teapot, which was $90, not on sale. But the larger size was 50% off, meaning it too was $90! So I got the larger size for the same amount I was going to pay for the smaller one!! I was sooo stoaked!!! I got my cast iron teapot and refilled all my teas! It was a great day!
My total savings today: $186.59!!! I love tea- and Teavana. And my new cast iron teapot.

Quilting

My mother loved to quilt. She used to go to quilting classes at the local quilt shop all the time. She enjoyed learning new techniques so much, she would start new classes before finishing quilts from old classes. As a result, she acquired many unfinished projects.
When she passed away in 2004, the lovely treasures became mine. (Including her sewing machine and many, many tools needed to complete the projects.) One thing she was very good at was keeping the projects separate. Each unfinished project is in its own box, with all the pieces and parts, and in some lucky cases, the instructions too!
I am not much of a quilter myself. I love to sew. I have been sewing since I was 7, but i mostly sew clothing and crafts. I have only made two quilts before(both small lap quilts, one sampler and one around the world). So the idea of taking on these projects has always been a bit overwhelming. I remember going with my mother to the fabric shop and helping her pick out coordinating fabrics. I also remember helping my mom arrange all of her quilt squares on the living room floor once she finished them. Needless to say, it would mean a lot to me to finish these projects, but I need help.

Luckily I was talking about this with a lady from church, and she offered to have me over for a quilting afternoon at her house! So we spent a few hours today sorting out a king sized log cabin quilt my mom had started.
It was very interesting opening up, and working on this quilt. I didn't think I would get emotional, and it's not like I cried or anything, but I did have some pretty strong feelings today. There were feelings of excitement, memories of sewing flooding in, and a return of the emptiness of missing her presence.
All in all, I am happy to have the opportunity to work on this project, and I am so thankful for the community of friends I have at church. But I know there is nothing that will fill that void created by her death. But somehow, sewing together squares that my mother had cut, felt like saying, "I love you" all these years later.

Costume Party!!

This weekend was our annual family costume party! It was so much fun. The competition this year consisted of four events:
1) Costume Contest
2) Pumpkin Carving Contest
3) Glow-in-the-dark Ping Pong Tournament
4) Beatles Rock Band Competition
I ended up winning the Ping Pong Tournament (much to my husband and brother's dismay) and my husband ended up winning overall! It was a very fun night, and we were so glad we had so many people show up!! (Over 25 people!!)

I got really into the costume making this year, and tried two different ideas, both of which I had found on Pinterest of course! For myself I ended up sewing a Mrs. potato head costume, complete with interchangeable face parts. I also sewed an Angry birds costume for my best friend's four year old son! I was really happy with the way they both turned out!!
Here are some of the pictures:

Fall fun!

Today was a perfect fall day! It was warm enough to walk outside with a tshirt on, and the colors on the trees were just beautiful. Each fall I am reminded of how amazing our God is, and how stunning his artwork of creation can be.
This afternoon I took my 2 year old niece, Abby, for a walk to the apple orchard right by our lakehouse. It was a walk full of giggles, smiles, questions, singing and dancing. This little girl makes me so happy. She is pure, explorative, cute, and fun.
We gathered various colored leaves as we walked up the hill (as well as a few flowers and a stick). When we reached the top of the hill we found the trees almost bare of apples. But we did manage to find three apples! One of which was even edible! Abby was so cute as she said, "three apples! I like apples!" in her singsong voice. :-)
Once we got back to the lakehouse we used the leaves to do some crayon impressions! It was a great day. We took lots of fun pictures too! Enjoy.

Everything New.

Everyone is feeling much more comfortable on the missions trip.
We are feeling much more comfortable at our work sites, where we continue to make more friends with the kids at the VBS and Boys and Girls Camps.
We are also feeling much more comfortable within our youth group. The past couple youth group devotions have been amazing. I am so overjoyed at the willingness to share within our group. It's a pleasure to see the natural leaders within our group stand up and open themselves up. The students that are looked up to are now willing to show their feelings and share with the group, which makes others more comfortable to share, too. We have really seen God working in the youth this week.
Our theme verse for the week is Revelation 21:5 "Look, I am making everything new." Tonight we really focused on being made new. We took time to really think about the amazing sacrifice that Jesus made for us. We are all so grateful that Jesus literally took our sins on himself. "By his wounds, we are healed." we talked about how Jesus didn't just take away our sins and sorrows, he took them onto himself. He hurt, because of us. After the session we took a long time of prayer together. During prayer many kids professed out loud their thankfulness for what Jesus has done in their lives. Jesus is making things new within each one of us. Whether that be a new commitment to him, a new perspective on what it means to be Christian, or a renewed passion for living for Him. Jesus makes everything new!

Last night we had the opportunity to go out as a youth group and have fun at Greatimes Family Fun Park. We went Putt-Putt golfing, GoKarting and played arcade games. It was a great break from the work we have been doing all week.
A few more photos:

Lilly Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis

I am so impressed with the staff of Lilly Boys and Girls Club. Lilly serves children ages 5-18, all year round. Durning the school year kids come after school until 8pm, and are given a snack and dinner. During the summer their camp program runs from 9am to 6pm, and they serve lunch and snack.
It costs $25 per kid, for the whole summer! (compared to $100 a week at the local YMCA, only four blocks away) Most of Lilly's funding comes from government grants and such. Lilly Boys and Girls Club is in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis. In fountain square the average value of a home is $15,000. Two blocks east, the homes jump to an average of $115,000. In the summer the camp averages around 135 kids a day. 72% of which come from single parent homes, and 60% are living at or below the poverty level.
Each day from 9am to 4pm the staff runs a program for the kids. After that it's usually free time until the kids get picked up. The day starts with a Rally in the gym where we say the club pledge and the Pledge of Allegiance. After that the kids are split up by ages and sent to different rooms. They spend 25 minutes in each room and rotate from one to another, with a break in there for lunch The rooms are: craft room, gym, multi-purpose room, computer room, game room, park (outside), and the learning center.
Our two crews co
E from 9-3 every day. We get to roam around and assist leaders and kids with daily activities. It has been a pleasure being able to work alongside such a great, caring, and giving staff. It's so fun to be able to build relationships with the kids there. The first day I spend the day with the five and six year olds. I felt like I was back at school with my kindergarteners. Today I spent most of my day with the 7 and 8 year olds. We had a lot of fun talking about our families and home life.
In the morning I showed up to camp wearing pink and with my hair down. I sat on the sideline and watched the 13-18 year olds play some 5 on 5 basketball. Once their game was done I asked if I could join. They all laughed at me and then said a reserved, "sure." I quickly tied my hair up and joined the game. After a few minutes I was hearing things like, "Boy!! She schooled you!" and "You can't even stop a girl!!" needless to say the teenage guys ally say hi to me now, and will have real conversations with me. I look forward to the next couple days. Hopefully I can have a few more meaningful conversations.
Here are a few more photos: one of my crew, one of both our crews and some of the kids, and some of the learning center

Organized Chaos

We are working through an organization called Group Mission Trips on their "Week of Hope" program. There are three other youth groups here this week. One from traverse City, one from the Chicago area and another from IN.
All of us have been split up into 15 different "crews". Each crew has a few members from each youth group in it. Its fun because we meet new people while we do our work. Each crew gets a different work assignment, but a few crews go to the same locations. This week there are 5 different locations that crews will be working at:
1.Global Peace Initiative at Peaceful Grounds. This group is working to plant gardens where food will be grown and given back to the community in Indianapolis.
2. Lilly Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis, summer programming.
3. LeGore Boys and Girls Club I Indianapolis, summer programming.
4. Common Ground Church, working at a VBS called Kids Games of Indianapolis.
5. First Free Methodist Church, Kids Games of Indianapolis VBS.

I am part of crew number 9!! And both crew 8 and 9 are working at the Lilly Boys and Girls Club. It is so fun.

Today I got to meet a girl named Mackenzie. She is awesome. I love her smile. Mackenzie is 7 years old and attends PS 93. She is going into the second grade next year. She has an older brother who is nine, and lives with her mother and stepdad.
I got to talk to her about Jesus. She met Jesus at Bible School last summer. We talked about how much Jesus loves her and wants to be her friend.

Here's more photos: of Mackenzie and I, Lilly Boys and Girls Club, and the morning Rally at the Club, showing how many members there are!! Also a photo of Brian Ellis and his buddy Xavier, and Ariel and her friend Michelle.

We've Arrived!!

Well the week of the mission trip is here! We met at church this morning at 8:00am and were on the road at 8:30. We had an enjoyable ride down, including singing, acting and some "Truth or Dare." We arrived at Christ Lutheran Church of Irvington in Indianapolis, IN.
Dinner in a little bit, then our opening session. We are all excited to meet our crews and receive our work assignments for the week!
Here are a few photos of the ride down, checking out the shower situation for the week, and a group shot!!