Fun, Fun, Fun

This weekend has been so much fun, especially with Brad being in town.

Friday night, we had a cookout.  Everyone brought food and we sat around and ate and laughed and played two games of Apples to Apples.  I found the perfect wine glasses for Coppelia and I in preparation for Halloween....wine glasses with skull & crossbones!

Notice that we are also color coordinated with our glasses. ;)

Saturday morning, Cole had an acting class in Santa Monica which is about 45 minutes from our apartment.  After arriving at the studio we were informed that Cole was signed up for an adult class so we would have to reschedule for a child/minor class.  After 45 minutes to drive home, the boys decided to invite some friends and go to the movies.  Spencer checked movie schedule/times and we loaded up the kids and I dropped them off at the Burbank theater.  I was almost home when Cole called and said the movie was rated "R" instead of "PG13" (like Spencer thought) so could I please come and pick them up.   Then, this morning we headed to church for the 8:00 a.m. service only to realize when we arrived that the service didn't start until 8:30!  Brad said he is concerned about ALL of us and our inability to pay attention to the small details.  Guess it just wasn't our weekend for a smooth schedule but at least it was a good weekend.

Saturday night, we went over to the Shea's to watch the Razorback game.  Of course, we had a blast.

The weather was PERFECT so we all sat outside.

Kramer looks a little concerned like someone would if they were being held by the kissing bandit!

Super Ninja!

And his trusty sidekick!

We celebrated Logan and Olivia booking a commercial this week...for Oliva, it was her first booking!  Logan booked a commercial for Totino's Pizza Rolls and it will be filmed in Mexico!

Congratulations!

After church this morning, we decided to go to a Dodgers game and Coppelia decided to come with us, her very first American baseball game.

Lots of fun and the Dodgers won!

We have spent the evening getting ready for the coming week.  Brad's plane leaves at 7:10 a.m. tomorrow so he and I will be leaving the apartment around 4:45 a.m.  We hate to see him go and will be counting the weeks until he comes back.

The boys will be busy with school but you never know what kind of fun is lurking around the corner.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

"I know all the things you do.  I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance."

~Revelation 2:2

He's Here!!!!

Yesterday was so great because we got to pick up Brad from the airport!  His plane landed right on time at 11:00 a.m. and we all stuck to him like glue for the rest of the day.

Last night, we had an impromptu dinner for nine!  Kari Shea and her girls came over and took my boys down to the heated pool (at our "sister" apartments one block away) so we whipped up some grilled chicken, pasta and salad and everyone sat around the pool and ate dinner.  It was so much fun.

I was sleeping so good this morning when Brad's phone rang (I think it was 5:30 a.m. but 7:30 Little Rock time).  Ugh .  The boys worked on school work this morning and we've all taken it easy this afternoon.  We did all troop to the Ninety-Nine Cent Store.  It was our outing as a family!  You can find the strangest/most interesting things in that store.  For instance...

Strange.

Interesting.

(I got two for mine and Coppelia's wine glass!)

Just freaky.

The boys are already talking about going back next week for an inexpensive Halloween costume.  From all that we hear, Halloween is BIG here in the land of fruit & nuts so I'm sure it will be an eye-opening experience.

Tonight is our weekly cookout and Apples to Apples game around the pool.  We're so glad that Brad is here to share in it with us.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend.

"I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done."

~Psalm 9:1

A Prayerful Heart

I was going to continue with my list of things I like about LA but instead, I am asking for a couple of prayer requests.

First, my mom had surgery on her arm yesterday.  It is hard for me to be so far away when my heart is with her.  Please pray for complete healing.

Also, Sonny Shinn, a friend of ours from Arkansas Baptist fell last weekend and after complications from surgery, he was placed in ICU and then, this morning, was put on a ventilator.  Any of you who knows Spencer's story knows what a critical and scary time this is for Sonny.  He and his family have been on my mind all day and I am praying for peace and complete healing.

It seems there are so many who are hurting, whether physically, mentally or spiritually.  I have to be careful not to take the world's problems on my shoulders but to stop and turn them over to God.  It's not always easy but necessary.

Thank you for taking the time to lift these family and friends up to the Lord.  

"Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment.  For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble.  You surround me with songs of victory."

~Psalm 32:6-7

I Miss the South

We have loved having the opportunity to spend time in LA to follow Cole's dream.  It is so special to see if anything comes to fruition for him in Hollywood, but we know if it doesn't then God has a different plan for him.

So, when I say I miss the South, I don't want you to think I've got my whine on...I would just like to point out a few observations I have had over the past three weeks.

1.  These people do not know how to make REAL biscuits and gravy.  Gigi, I can't wait to get home and have you make me my own pan of homemade biscuits & gravy!

2.  If you are walking, running, or biking and you say "Hi" to anyone you pass, expect to get a very surprised look or no response at all.  Or, you get a look that is a mixture of, "Did that crazy person just say something to me?  Is she going to rob me?"  No Southern charm here.

3.  I miss driving around and seeing people I know.

4.  I miss people being nice when you drive.

5.  If you are going somewhere, anywhere, you need to allow an hour or more to get there.  

6.  You cannot just "run" into the grocery store or Target and pick up something.  It takes forever to find a parking place and even longer to check out.

7.  People wear the skimpiest clothes.  It is embarrassing not only to me, but the boys as well.

8.  I miss how Southern people love the Lord.  Even though we may all have different degrees of our faith, we believe in God.  It's been my experience that it is very unusual to find someone who openly professes a love or even an interest in God.

Tomorrow I will tell you some of the things I love about LA.

We're counting down the hours until Brad arrives on Thursday.  We are so excited to see him...three weeks is too long!

"The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand."

~Psalm 37:23-24

CRaZy Day!

This is what I am doing right now...

Finally.

Today was busy to say the least.  I did get my quiet time this morning and a nice long walk.  I started out running but kept hearing a "click click click" sound and realized after a couple of blocks that it was my knee!  Yikes, not sure what that is from but I decided my three-mile run would turn into a three-mile walk.  

Cole had a session with his acting coach at noon to go over the sides (script) for his audition this afternoon.  After I got him home, I took Spencer to work out with his trainer.  Got home and rested for 10 minutes and then Cole and I were off to Disney.  We went to their offices, not their studios, and it was very nice and very understated. No glitz and no glam.  We waited about 30 minutes before he went back and he was there for maybe 5 minutes.  He said it went fine.  We may or may not here anything from them.

After we got home, Spencer and I studied for a couple of hours for a science quiz and an algebra test.  I just love how dedicated he is to learning it and making sure he gets it right. 

Now, the boys are outside visiting with their friends and playing cards and I am relaxing and watching HGTv!  Woohooo!!

Thank you for all your sweet e-mails and phone messages today.  We appreciate you all.

"I love the Lord, because He hears my voice and my supplications.  Because He has inclined His ear to me.  Therefore, I shall call upon Him as long as I live."

~Psalm 116:1-2

Fun Weekend

Wow, Sunday already and I haven't blogged since Friday morning.  

Friday was a typical school day.  Lots of tests, not very much homework, but lots of groaning from some certain 13 year old who thought he should be exempt from algebra because it was the start of the weekend.  Um, no.

Saturday morning came early because there were chainsaws going full steam at 7:00 a.m.  When I went to investigate, this is what I found across the street...

No, that man is not standing on top of the building, he's actually standing on the side of the tree.  Evidently tree trimmers in Cali don't mess with a cherry-pickers...they run up these trees like they are a superhero.  In addition to running up the tree, they have a chainsaw dangling from one side of their belt and a machete on the other side.

When they are finished, they zip down the line from five stories up.  It's the craziest thing I have ever seen.  Of course, I was standing out there in my pjs taking pictures so I'm sure I was the craziest thing they had ever seen!


I came back in to tell the boys to come and look but they were busy with the college and NFL football schedule for this weekend.

Clueless to all the excitement going on outside.


The weather for the past two days has been PERFECT.  Sixty something degrees in the morning and upper seventies to low eighties during the day.  Cole and I didn't go for our run until 10:00 and it was still cool.  


The Shea's graciously invited us over to watch the Hogs on their big screen tv (ok, they invited Spencer over to watch the game and invited me over to snack and visit with the girls;).  We had so much fun.  They have an orange tree in their yard and it has the BEST oranges I have ever tested!  Darrin is always great about getting a bagful for me to take home.

Fun, fun, fun.


We headed to the outdoor mall after the game and look what we saw sitting at an outside table at one of the restaurants...

Meet Simon!  Isn't he adorable?!  He was on a leash and just sat there pretty as you please and watched everyone walk by.  I WANTED HIM!  I was almost willing to wrestle his parents and grab him and make a run for it but Cole said I would lose.  I'm having a really hard time without an animal. :(


Church was wonderful this morning, especially with the tribute to 9/11.  A very emotional service but very beautiful.


I thought today was going to be a day of rest but I obviously forgot that none of us had one stitch of clothing that was clean, so the day was spent doing laundry.  Oh, which reminds me, I have clean clothes in the dryer.


Logan, Allie and Olivia came over to swim with Cole.  Since Spencer doesn't like the water and because the NFL season started today, we did not see hide nor hair of him.

Crazy kids.


We had our regular rousing game of Apples to Apples tonight.  Now it's time for me to work on school schedules for next week and get in the bed early.  Tomorrow is going to be busy.


Hope you all had a great weekend!


"The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever."
~Psalm 121:8

Whirlwind Thursday

Since the first part of the week seemed to crawl by, Thursday made up for it by being a whirlwind of a day.

We were busy most of the day yesterday with school.  The boys are knee-deep in their classes and I love how dedicated they are to getting it done and making sure it is done right.  I had to laugh because Spencer reminded Cole last night that instead of playing in the pool, he should be studying for his history test.  It's nice to have a back-up parent living with me. ;) 

We got an e-mail from our Business Manager yesterday letting us know that Cole has been called back next Monday to meet with the Director & Producer of the pilot he auditioned for last week!  And it's at Disney!  He is super excited and I am super grateful to Coppelia because she is the one that took Cole to the audition when I was at the hospital with Spencer.  We'll let you know how it goes.

I made a crockpot full of Red Beans & Rice last night and shared it with everyone while they were playing cards.  I usually join in the festivities but after helping Spencer study for his Science test and helping Cole study for his History test, I was ready for bed.  I put my pj's on, crawled in bed, turned on Food Network and was just getting ready to doze off when Brad called.  It was only 7:30!!!!  So glad I didn't go to bed then or else I would have been up at 3:00 a.m.  I think I made it until 8:30 and slept straight through the night.

When I was running this morning, I noticed how many different nationalities there are just in this small neighborhood we are in.  All my life I have lived in the South and most of that time was in Little Rock (except for 12 months in Hattiesburg and 18 months in Shreveport).  I have never lived in a big city and certainly never been exposed to so many different cultures so this has been a true eye-opening experience for me and the boys.  I definitely want to use this experience to teach them that even though we are all very different, we all have the same needs.  My devotional I read everyday is written by Ellen Miller and she really got me thinking when she wrote, "We all long to love deeply.  We all need to be loved unconditionally.  We all have been hurt badly.  We all wrestle with how to forgive completely."

My goal while I am in LA is to be attuned to the needs of those around me.  I may not agree with their religion or their political views, I may not approve of how they dress or how they talk, but I know that God has put me in this particular place at this particular time for a purpose; to show unconditional love.  I plan on bringing this plan home with me, too!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

"This is real love - not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.  but if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us."

~I John 4:10-12