FLASHBACK: It's a Broadway Spring! (Volume 2)

Shortly after purchasing our tickets to see Jersey Boys at the Orpheum in Memphis, I discovered Wicked would be touring near us! It would be in New Orleans at the Mahalia Jackson Theater. We still had a few months before the tickets went on sale, so I noted the day and started talking it up with Kris. We decided it would be great fun and we'd make it a trip for my birthday/Valentine's Day (we'd be celebrating about 2 months late, but that was OK!).


When the day came to purchase tickets, I sat at the computer ready to go. It was so stressful! I kept trying to buy 4 tickets on days that we had talked about (and ones we knew we would have childcare) and they were all SOLD OUT! It was very frustrating. I kept trying and looking at my calendar and asking Kris and pulling. my. hair. out. Are you that way? Once you find something you want, figure out how you can get it done, wait and wait for it, only to be told NO? Do you then have a huge desire to make it work!?! That is where I was. It had to work out. It had to!

After a couple hours of going back and forth, four tickets finally became available. Kris and I hurriedly discussed the pros and cons and agreed to do it. I made it through the purchase before Ticketmaster could count down - whew. YAY! Success! We were going to see Wicked! Woohoo!

Only have to wait four months and we have ourselves a little getaway!

I was flying high on such a feeling of accomplishment. After all, I got what I wanted ;) I pulled out my calendar to write in the approaching FUN day only to find out...I had purchased tickets for Easter Sunday. DOH!

It was done now. We would be traveling to New Orleans on Easter Sunday to see Wicked. I felt so bad. How could I have made such a mistake!?! But, it all turned out good...Kris responded with, "Hey! Don't worry about it. Easter is every day for us!" (He is a good man, isn't he?) and, our friends were good with it.

Easter Sunday came and by mid-morning we were on our way. We stopped and ate at Copeland's in Slidell and then made our way across the bridge. We found the theater without too much of a hitch and were eager for the performance!

I was not very familiar with the story line of Wicked before buying the tickets. I just knew it was widely popular and a "must see" from everyone I knew who had seen it! Our friends, Jaimee and Michael (who were with us), had seen it in NYC and owned the soundtrack. They knew which scene was coming next and the words to every song. Between them cluing me in on the way down and from watching a few videos online, I knew to be EXCITED!


It was super! I am always taken by the theater. I am just in awe by these peoples' talents. This performance was no different. Top notch! I enjoyed the plot and even recognized a few songs ("Defying Gravity" I had heard on Glee!). Many songs captured me, but I remember "Popular" because it is so catchy and "One Short Day" because it is so fun.

Once again, we walked away saying "So, what are we gonna see next?"!

FLASHBACK: It's a Broadway Spring! (Volume 1)

What wonderful fun! Last fall I heard that Jersey Boys was coming to Memphis in February. Kris and I had seen the musical while we were in NYC and there was no doubt I would enjoy seeing it again! After scheming with my sister and sister-in-law, we surprised my mother with tickets for Christmas. I was beside myself excited! My mom (or sister for that matter) had never seen a Broadway performance, and I was sure this show would be the perfect introduction to the incredible talent it offers.

image found using Google image search of "The Jersey Boys"

So, we pulled together a "Save The Date" to wrap for Christmas morning, and the waiting began.


The performance was at the Orpheum in downtown Memphis. To make a "day" of the event, we made reservations for the jazz brunch at The Majestic Grille. The food was yummy, the conversation enjoyable, and the jazz entertaining!

images found with Google images search of "The Majestic Grille"

The Orpheum is located less than a block from the restaurant, so we walked over and joined the line of fans waiting to enter. Being my first time to the Orpheum, I was taken with how lovely it was - lots of red velvet, gold, and marble - and full with people of all ages anxiously awaiting such familiar tunes!

My sister, myself, my mom, and my sister-in-law after the performance

It was no surprise we found ourselves over and over clapping, singing along, and smiling to such fun music. Especially my mom, who was coming of age during the stardom of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons! There were several moments of holding back tears of joy over the opportunity to share such an incredible moment with important people in my life!

We left the Orpheum asking ourselves "what are we gonna see next?"!

FLASHBACK: Upward Basketball

We were excited to participate in Upward Basketball with our church this past Winter. We love the values this ministry supports while teaching the skills of the sport. Wes was pretty excited for his first game!


Upward programs encourage spiritual growth with all players through weekly Bible memory verses, devotions at practice, and prayer.


One of our favorite things about this ministry is the character building opportunities. The coach determines which characteristic the player demonstrated during the game and awards them with a star. Kris does a wonderful job in telling each kid specific reasons/examples as to why he is being awarded Best Effort, Best Sportsmanship, Best Offense, Best Defense, or Christ-likeness.


They had a lot of fun learning drills and playing fun games while learning the rules of Basketball.

Wes, in blue, going in for the goal!

Several Upward seasons ago, Kris realized that he could not coach alone. With 5-10 little boys running around, he needed extra eyes, ears, hands, and feet :) With Kris working at BSU, there is usually a college student he can ask. Coach Rob did an excellent job mentoring these little boys this season. Thank you for your time, your example, and your willing heart! It was a fantastic season!

Wordless Wednesday

Bankston Hays, March 2010

It's in the bag!

My friend with lots of style, Kelly, tagged me for this fun meme. You simply tell about your purse and what you can't be found without.

I recently retired one of my favorite purses of all time. It was a square, leather bag with one thick strap. It was silver, but not too shiny and closed with one single snap. It was perfect for this stage in my life because it was multi-functional. At times it served as a purse, other times a tote bag, and even a diaper bag. It was just the right size for a notebook and Bible, a few diapers and wipes container, or a wallet and calendar. While in NYC for our 10th anniversary, I purchased it in China town. So that alone made it special!


This summer I noticed it beginning to show how much it was loved. The strap was peeling and it had a few pen marks on the outside. I really was not interested in finding another bag. I am not a big shopper, nor do I like to spend much money on myself, nor did I want to give up old faithful. However, while running errands with my mom I came across a lone bag on a sale shelf at Belk. The bag caught my eye because it was covered in ruffles that formed a flower. I also liked it because it was yellow leather (I hear bright fun colors are "in" in the bag world)! I gave it a good look over and it met my requirements. But, when my mom offered to make the purchase, it was SOLD!


I am pretty simple. A lot of "stuff" can make me feel claustrophobic! So, I tend to have one purse that gets the attention and generally holds four things: my wallet, my calendar, a bag of colored pens (my calendar is color coded - yes, I have issues), and my cell phone. A few other things that occasionally take up space would be my sunglasses, lip gloss, receipts, and keys.


There you have it...the life of a purse in my world!

Will you vote?

Now that my story is over, I hope you may beinspired to vote. Please support this ministry and help other children in our area who need a home to be served. We can't all give lots of money or even lots of time, but every vote counts. Let's get a second cottage built soon!


You can click on the word "vote" above and go directly to Homes of Hope for Children's voting page. You may place one vote for this ministry per day, per e-mail address.

Thanks!

Moving In

Before I end this story, I want to recount one more God-orchestrated meeting. Remember this trip? Kris and I went to Baltimore on a vision tour for a Southern Miss BSU mission trip. He was planning a return trip to work with Embrace Baltimore. The team planned to work alongside New Hope Community Church and the pastor wanted us to see first hand the needs of the area.

Kris had taken a team to Baltimore for Spring Break '08 and through a series of events he was put in contact with Jaimee, an employee with Embrace Baltimore. Through her contact they were able to complete some good work in the area and connect with other big needs for the future. When we returned for the vision tour, I had the honor of meeting Jaimee at the Saturday night church service. As we talked I felt the urge to ask her about her future plans (I knew her position with Embrace was only two years and her term would be up in the Fall). She began to tell me that she and her husband really had a heart for foster children and were considering becoming house parents for a children's home or some other similar outreach. Granted this was January and it was many months before their service was up...but I had to tell her. She had to know about Michael! So, I proceeded to tell her about him, a little about his journey, and the status of the new children's home. She was receptive and said I could share her information with my friend.

Wouldn't you know that about a month later I ran into Michael at a local restaurant and had the opportunity to tell him about Jaimee and her husband!?! He was super excited as house parents are very hard to come by. Another month passed and he contacted me asking for Jaimee's contact info. Well, I started to get nervous, fearing that Jaimee would think I was crazy...this random girl she had met once for an hour or so, calling her up about a job in South MS. I talked it over with Kris and he insisted that she would not think I was crazy...so I did what any other human being would do...I sent her a message on Facebook! A few exchanges later and she and Michael were in touch. After phone interviews, an on-site visit, and much prayer - The deal was sealed. Jaimee and her husband were hired as the house parents for the first cottage and would be moving to Mississippi in the Fall with hopes of accepting their first children in the summer of '10. God has a plan. A good and perfect plan!


In July the first children to benefit from Homes of Hope for Children moved in to the cottage and settled into their bedrooms with fresh paint, new bathrooms, their own closet, and desk to decorate...all donated/purchased by supporters and Pepsi. What a great day!

Since that initial move-in, they have welcomed a total of 5 children ranging in ages 5-17. We had the privilege of taking supper to them and meeting two of the children (who are precious!). You couldn't help but leave knowing that the wait time - for the site to pull up and the sound of the can to pop open, every day for 30 days - was worth every second! For these children have a beautiful home and loving house parents to nurture, protect, and provide for them...all amenities they deserve.

Ten years later

Fast forward about 10 years. Kris and I are at church dropping off our two kids (at the time) in the preschool area and I see my friend, Michael, in. the. hall. In a few minutes we were catching up during Sunday School and I was seeing first hand where his journey was landing. He had gone on to graduate from college, obtain his doctorate, marry a lovely gal, and have a lively son. Life was moving on and he was securing a position to return the love extended to him. The big news? They were moving to our town to begin a grass roots effort and develop a children's home in our community!


Since that initial run in at church - Michael, his family, and his supporters have worked tirelessly raising funds, locating and purchasing property, mobilizing volunteers, raising funds, hiring staff, accepting referrals, raising funds, educating our community, making presentations, and did I mention raising funds?!?



In March Homes of Hope for Children was accepted to participate in the Pepsi Refresh Project. They were in the running for $250,000. They solicited voters with e-mail addresses to go to the website every day and vote. They wanted/needed the money to finish building the first cottage in hopes of being ready to serve children during the summer. After 30 days of signing-in the tallies were totaled and Homes of Hope was notified they had won! What a day of rejoicing. The reality of a finished cottage was on the horizon and children in need were going to have their needs met!

This story will take several posts to tell...please stay tuned to see how it turns out!

**The details of this story are told from memory. I did my best to recount the way the story unfolded.**

Summer of 1997

Can you remember the summer of 1997?

It proved to be one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding summers of my life. (Funny how those two words: challenging/rewarding often go hand in hand!) I had just completed my senior year of college and had been selected to serve on Lifeway's Centrifuge camp staff at Union University in Jackson, TN.

I was pretty excited for a number of reasons. One reason being that it was a different experience. I had served as a lifeguard and swimming instructor in my hometown for five summers and as a lifeguard for Gulfshore Baptist Assembly (our state convention's resort center - later to be destroyed by Hurricane Katrina) for two summers. A second reason being that it was out of my comfort zone: different place, different people, different requirements, etc. And a third reason being that I was excited to share about the many ways God had proved himself to be true in my life in the last few years.


Upon arriving on campus and getting acquainted with roommates, Bible Study rooms, and Track Time expectations, we set aside time to share our testimonies with our "would be family". We spent a few days listening to the journeys each of our lives had taken to bring us to this summer. Every story was weaved with sadness and heartache, happiness and joy, and confusion and knowledge. It was clear that God had brought us together for the summer of 1997 for more than teaching and leading youth to know Him more. He had brought us together to teach and lead US to know Him more through seeing each other in a real live way!

*I am fourth from the left, standing, back row*

As one guy from my staff told his journey, I was overcome with how different our lives had been. I was overwhelmed with how small my heartaches were, my fortune in being provided for, my stability in my family...and the list goes on. For my fellow staffer was telling a different story. He and his siblings had a single mom who loved them, but just couldn't meet their needs. Thus began the saga of foster care. They were split and tossed from home to home. Foster homes that were kind, foster homes that were abusive. Foster homes that were caring, foster homes that were neglectful. His biological mom still wanted more, wanted better. After seeing the system fail over and over in caring for her children, she signed them over to the Louisiana Baptist Children's Home. And as a pre-teen my new friend, Michael, found love, provision, stability, protection, and oversight all while remaining close to his siblings and in contact with his biological mom. Years passed and his mom would not only see him graduate from high school but attend college.

This story will take several posts to tell...please stay tuned to see how it turns out!

**The details of this story are told from memory. I did my best to recount the way the story unfolded.**

How did this happen?

I have a second grader AND a kindergartner! Where did they come from? I just held them in my arms, rocked them to sleep, and pushed them on the swings. Now, they are dressing in uniforms, toting lunchboxes, and making friends with people of whom I do not know their last name.

Mister time, slow down, PLEASE!

Ann Elise before Registration and Meet the Teacher with her "groceries" :)

Wes before Registration and Meet the Teacher with his supplies



We now have four days down of big school with two children. So far, so good. They both are loving their teachers, classrooms, and classmates. That spells first week success all around!

Wes and Mrs. Yawn:


Ann Elise and Mrs. McCay:


Upon picking them up on the afternoon of their first day their responses to the completely unique questions, "how was your day? was it fun? anything hard?":

WES: "Good. Naw, nothing is hard!" (as if totally baffled that school could be difficult)

ANN ELISE: "I love naptime. And lunch. And, snacktime was great!" (she later added that her teacher played a Book on CD while they rested - whew, it sure was going to prove to be an expensive way to get to eat and sleep! HA!)

Remember me?

Maybe I should begin by re-introducing myself.

My name is Presley and I am a horrible blogger. I have come to accept this and other things about myself. I like lots of things and want to be great at all of them. The short list would include: made beds, mopped floors, blooming flowers in the flower beds, organizing, scrapbooking, reading, swimming with kids, exercising, coloring with my kids, blogging, cooking, Facebook, reading blogs, Twitter, and learning. And that is the short list. My problem? I can't be great at all of them. So, most get neglected. And this blog took the front seat of neglect for the past, ooohhh, 6 months!

I am sorry. Very sorry to those still interested in the Five Dubs.

In trying to do better I struggled with what to write about and where to start(should I have a more consistent theme? should I express myself more and expose my inner thoughts? should I skip blogging about the past 6 months? do people even care about what I have to say? am I doing this for others?). I finally decided to just do it. Just sit and type. And, if it turns out that catching up on my blogging ends up being Flashbacks for the next 6 months, then I'll just blog Flashbacks about the 6 months that have passed while I blogged Flashbacks. Ok?


And, if no one continues to follow the Five Dubs, I will completely understand and accept that this will just have to suffice for my desire to be a great scrapbooker, seeing that I might have to sell a limb in able to afford all the pictures I need to print so that I might get caught up on my scrapbooks!

So here it goes...let's begin with none else, a Flashback!

*image taken from Google images results for "flashbacks" search*