Catching Up
Well, a cold front has finally came to Texas and believe me, no one is complaining. I think that our highs are in the mid 60's and lows are in the low 50's. Feels good, hope it lasts.
Casey came home last weekend. Came in on Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday evening. I loved every minute he was home, though I really didn't see him that much. He came home to be a brother. Praise God, I've got the best kids.
Friday afternoon my heart just melted when I saw Casey walking into the shop while I was working, that great smile on his face when he saw me, and we just walked into each other's hug. He then went home to get Charlie and took him to the movies to see Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. I've never seen it and have no desire to, but they liked it very much. They came home after the movie to get me and we went to get something to eat before they dropped me off and Casey took Charlie back to Denton (UNT) with him. Casey plays dodgeball with a group of students on Friday nights at 11 p.m. Charlie wasn't thrilled with the idea of playing dodgeball, but he ended up enjoying it a great deal, then they spent the night in Casey's dorm room as his roommate had gone home for the weekend. Charlie told me they stayed up till 7 a.m. playing guitar hero and slept in till about 4 p.m.
When they got home, I took Casey shopping for some clothes that he needed and then Casey took Charlie to Thrillvania (haunted houses and all that) in Terrell, Texas. While there, Casey bought Charlie a tee shirt (glow in the dark werewolf, which is pretty cool if I do say so).
Sunday morning I made orange rolls (the boy's favorites) and we headed off to church. Church is now The Potter's House in Dallas. We've attended Fellowship Church in Plano since they opened their doors about 3 years ago. I've had to drag Charlie there (and every where else) as he's simply not a 'church person'. He calls himself agnostic. It's okay, I was an atheist until I was 26, I know what God can do. Anyway, I love Fellowship. I love the teaching, the music, the people. So changing churches is NOTHING against Fellowship. I've been drawn in the spirit to The Potter's House for awhile, but because of the distance, I've put it off. Well, there was a reason I was being drawn there.
The first Sunday we attended, I saw Charlie participating in the praise and worship. Even though at Fellowship the music is Christian rock, Charlie has never sang or done anything but looked bored. When I saw him singing and clapping his hands, my spirit soared. Later, when the teaching began, and if you've never seen T.D. Jakes, the man teaches, I was taking notes and I saw something spring up on my left and when I looked up, I saw Charlie standing up, clapping like his hands were on fire and a smile from ear to ear on his face. I started to cry. Joyful crying. For whatever reason, Charlie was touched here. He 'got' it, and he 'got' it all throughout the service. It was the most awesome thing I've ever seen. Casey asked to be baptized when he was 7 years old. He was baptized again at 17 during a church retreat because he wanted to renew his dedication. I've never known Casey to not love the Lord. So, seeing this happening with Charlie, well, it's indescribable. Did Charlie accept Christ? No. But he's opened the door that he's kept securely locked all of his life. Sunday I got to go to church with both of my boys again, which I've missed so much since Casey went to college, and for the first time, we all were not only in church, but we were having church.
I had to be at work at 5 on Sunday. The Potter's House starts at 11:30 and we're getting out around 2:30. Seems like a long time? No, it's wild how you never once look at your watch here and that is honestly something I can't say about anywhere else I've been since moving to Texas. Y'all know how I have no sense of direction. I can get lost walking to my mail box. Well, I got lost coming home. Took about an hour to find my way out of a 10 mile radius. Mark ended up having to help us by phone with his atlas. But finally, we were back on 635 working our way to 75 North (Texans, y'all know what I'm talking about) and back to Plano where we stopped to have lunch...uhhh, dinner.
When I got to work, still thrilled with having done 'church' with my boys, and Casey and I seeing the way it's touching Charlie, my manager told me she needed me to start working Sunday mornings/afternoons. I work 6 days a week, any and all hours she needs me, asking only to be accommodated Sunday church hours. So, I told her no and that this was not open for discussion. She wanted to "discuss" it anyway. She told me that she could not let me have those hours off every Sunday anymore. :) I won't go into all the details, only to say that I refuse to argue and I have an annoying habit of remaining calm when others heat up. At the end of it all, I assured her that regardless of what she scheduled me for on Sundays, that I would not come in until after church. You know, when God's opening doors Satan will do everything he can to keep you from going through them. Satan is not going to close this door opening up for Charlie. So...we'll see how much they want to keep me there, huh? I understand that they want me there at peak times. I won a contest the company had nation wide among it's top sales, and I've only been in retail for 5 months. God blesses me. But I will not compromise on this.
I'm going to give you some photo's the boys and I took from this weekend and a little video I found on youtube of T.D. Jakes. Enjoy.
Oh, and please continue to keep us in your prayers. Love you all.
Charlie relaxing with Danny
Charlie being Charlie
Casey relaxing with Danny. Yup, Danny is loved. :)
Charlie asleep with Danny.
Bobby has decided she likes paper towels. This was a brand new roll. First time she's ever done this...better be the last.
Danny and Porter playing...on my bed.
Butchie is bored with it all. :)
Casey came home last weekend. Came in on Friday afternoon and stayed until Sunday evening. I loved every minute he was home, though I really didn't see him that much. He came home to be a brother. Praise God, I've got the best kids.
Friday afternoon my heart just melted when I saw Casey walking into the shop while I was working, that great smile on his face when he saw me, and we just walked into each other's hug. He then went home to get Charlie and took him to the movies to see Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. I've never seen it and have no desire to, but they liked it very much. They came home after the movie to get me and we went to get something to eat before they dropped me off and Casey took Charlie back to Denton (UNT) with him. Casey plays dodgeball with a group of students on Friday nights at 11 p.m. Charlie wasn't thrilled with the idea of playing dodgeball, but he ended up enjoying it a great deal, then they spent the night in Casey's dorm room as his roommate had gone home for the weekend. Charlie told me they stayed up till 7 a.m. playing guitar hero and slept in till about 4 p.m.
When they got home, I took Casey shopping for some clothes that he needed and then Casey took Charlie to Thrillvania (haunted houses and all that) in Terrell, Texas. While there, Casey bought Charlie a tee shirt (glow in the dark werewolf, which is pretty cool if I do say so).
Sunday morning I made orange rolls (the boy's favorites) and we headed off to church. Church is now The Potter's House in Dallas. We've attended Fellowship Church in Plano since they opened their doors about 3 years ago. I've had to drag Charlie there (and every where else) as he's simply not a 'church person'. He calls himself agnostic. It's okay, I was an atheist until I was 26, I know what God can do. Anyway, I love Fellowship. I love the teaching, the music, the people. So changing churches is NOTHING against Fellowship. I've been drawn in the spirit to The Potter's House for awhile, but because of the distance, I've put it off. Well, there was a reason I was being drawn there.
The first Sunday we attended, I saw Charlie participating in the praise and worship. Even though at Fellowship the music is Christian rock, Charlie has never sang or done anything but looked bored. When I saw him singing and clapping his hands, my spirit soared. Later, when the teaching began, and if you've never seen T.D. Jakes, the man teaches, I was taking notes and I saw something spring up on my left and when I looked up, I saw Charlie standing up, clapping like his hands were on fire and a smile from ear to ear on his face. I started to cry. Joyful crying. For whatever reason, Charlie was touched here. He 'got' it, and he 'got' it all throughout the service. It was the most awesome thing I've ever seen. Casey asked to be baptized when he was 7 years old. He was baptized again at 17 during a church retreat because he wanted to renew his dedication. I've never known Casey to not love the Lord. So, seeing this happening with Charlie, well, it's indescribable. Did Charlie accept Christ? No. But he's opened the door that he's kept securely locked all of his life. Sunday I got to go to church with both of my boys again, which I've missed so much since Casey went to college, and for the first time, we all were not only in church, but we were having church.
I had to be at work at 5 on Sunday. The Potter's House starts at 11:30 and we're getting out around 2:30. Seems like a long time? No, it's wild how you never once look at your watch here and that is honestly something I can't say about anywhere else I've been since moving to Texas. Y'all know how I have no sense of direction. I can get lost walking to my mail box. Well, I got lost coming home. Took about an hour to find my way out of a 10 mile radius. Mark ended up having to help us by phone with his atlas. But finally, we were back on 635 working our way to 75 North (Texans, y'all know what I'm talking about) and back to Plano where we stopped to have lunch...uhhh, dinner.
When I got to work, still thrilled with having done 'church' with my boys, and Casey and I seeing the way it's touching Charlie, my manager told me she needed me to start working Sunday mornings/afternoons. I work 6 days a week, any and all hours she needs me, asking only to be accommodated Sunday church hours. So, I told her no and that this was not open for discussion. She wanted to "discuss" it anyway. She told me that she could not let me have those hours off every Sunday anymore. :) I won't go into all the details, only to say that I refuse to argue and I have an annoying habit of remaining calm when others heat up. At the end of it all, I assured her that regardless of what she scheduled me for on Sundays, that I would not come in until after church. You know, when God's opening doors Satan will do everything he can to keep you from going through them. Satan is not going to close this door opening up for Charlie. So...we'll see how much they want to keep me there, huh? I understand that they want me there at peak times. I won a contest the company had nation wide among it's top sales, and I've only been in retail for 5 months. God blesses me. But I will not compromise on this.
I'm going to give you some photo's the boys and I took from this weekend and a little video I found on youtube of T.D. Jakes. Enjoy.
Oh, and please continue to keep us in your prayers. Love you all.
Charlie relaxing with Danny
Charlie being Charlie
Casey relaxing with Danny. Yup, Danny is loved. :)
Charlie asleep with Danny.
Bobby has decided she likes paper towels. This was a brand new roll. First time she's ever done this...better be the last.
Danny and Porter playing...on my bed.
Butchie is bored with it all. :)
posted by kathi | 8:57 AM
17 Comments:
That little brown dog looks like a little bully! :)
Stick your guns about Sunday. If they let you go they're foolish...and I'm sure you'll find another retail job easily. Especially with the holidays coming up and when you tell them you won a sales contest.
I worked two jobs for a while. My regular Monday through Friday one, and a waitressing one - Also five days a week. When I was hired I told them no Sundays. I was no good to anyone without one day off from everything. They respected that. I worked a lot of 12 hour Saturdays, but I never ever worked a Sunday there.
Wow, lots going on! That's so awesome that you & your sons have this incredible strong connection and bond.
It's great to go to service/church, but it's so wonderful when you finally "get it"----the Spirit. That's what moved him, because he's a believer....and you have everything to do with that due to how well you've raised him.
You're a special woman Kathi! I just love ya for it!
xxoo
P.S. Charlie looks so handsome!!! These photos are great!
P.S.
*hiding*
This video scared me!!!! Flashes of my life ---oooweee! But I do disagree of course, with the homosexual aspect of it. ;)
dabich ~ thanks for that encouragement, meant a lot to me. LOL, Danny is not a bully at all, such a little lover. They play like that all the time...guess he's gotta play the "part" with his mere 14 pounds up against our 70 pound Porter.
deb ~ I am so blessed with the relationship I have with my boys, and I never take it for granted. I love them so much. Thanks for your sweet words, missed you a lot.
I'll tell Charlie you called him handsome!! And, you scared?? I highly doubt that!
I hope he's still playing his guitar! Too talented! Tell him I said hello!!! And yes, ME SCARED! :) That pastor---wooo weeeee----had a few words to say boy!!!
deb ~ oh yeah, he's still playing and he's into funk (and the red hot chili pepers). He's awesome, I just leave his door open at night and listen to him play till I fall asleep. He's amazing. He's also writing a screenplay about resource kids, he's writing a horror film, and he writes his own music and songs too. He's got his mind set on going to LA Film School when he graduates, and I'm gonna make sure he goes if I have to sell the house. I believe in him completely.
You should see the Nightmare Before Christmas. It is a really good movie.
Stick to your guns. Do not give up.
LOL Poor 3 Carnations, just got called DaBich ::giggle::
ANyhoo...I agree with 3 C's. Stick to your guns about Sundays. I'm also thinking that your boss made this move BECAUSE you won the sales contest...to use you for all you're worth. Screw that!
P.S. Ask her for a raise now! LOL
3 c's ~ I'M SO SORRY!! I must've just visited dabich's blog or something! Sorry, sorry, sorry!!
dabich ~ I think she's unknowingly being used by 'the devil' to keep me from being where I need to be. She did talk to me about a raise if I'd commit to being there for her and committing to staying at the shop for a long time. I told her I couldn't do that. Seriously, she'd have to offer me over $3 an hour to even make me think about 'committing' to retail. Never ever gonna happen.
I admire your faith and your strength so much. Another thing I admire is that you expose your children to what you believe is important and respect who they are and what they believe as they are on their own journey.
That sounded cornier than I had hoped, but I wanted to stay it. Good for you for standing your ground as well. Aren't there some legal issues with denying an employee a couple hours to attend church? I would think there are.
Good read, thanks. Staying calm while others get angry isn't annoying. It's a refined life skill. Well, maybe its annoying to the less refined.....
nancy ~ thank you, your words made me tear up. For the record, right back at'cha. As for the legal issues, I was thinking the same thing.
6 + 1 ~ I like the wording there. Geeze, one would almost think you're a writer. HUGS~
@Kathi
Stand! Stand! Stand! Don't budge for Sundays. If they cannot compromise, I would ask to speak with the HR department, immediately. In fact, I would ask for that information prior to your next chat.
Remember, we aren't ignorant to the enemy's schemes.
Alleluia for Charlie! God is wooing him and I'm excited about what's to come and what's currently at work.
TD Jakes is so anointed! I could listen to him for hours so I can see how time isn't an issue during church.
Keep the praise reports comin'!
PS I thoroughly enjoyed video! :)
Well, I just came to look at all of the comments and noticed that the one that I wrote 2 days ago isn't there. Oh well, I guess Blogger didn't like what I had to say. :)
Like everyone else has said, hang in there and keep sticking to your guns!! I am so proud of you for excelling in your job, what a boost of confidence that must have given you.
rosemarie ~ way to back me, hon. Thank you! Yup, I'm excited about Charlie...I've got a first hand seat to the show, very cool.
I love Td Jakes, it's AMAZING being in the middle of it, very cool!
michelle ~ bad, bad blogger, I'm sorry it was sooo rude!
Thank you for backing me up too, I appreciate you! And thank you for your kind words. I do like the job, just wish it paid enough to live on.
It amazes me how the devil can start some stuff to try to derail folks from loving and hearing God's Word. I can't believe your company expects you to be available 7 days when you are giving them six. Stand by your guns...God will bless you.
As for the boys, I think it is great that they have such a good relationship. You raised them well. Finally, I can't believe you got all those excellent pictures of your animals. They are great!
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