Mark and I were (are) both sick today with upset tummies. Please pray that we feel better soon. We had some experiences that would have been embarrassing had we not been at home and had changes of clothes and toilets near by. =) Other then that Kim and I worked on the bathroom today. She had taken down the wallpaper while we were in Iowa but it still needed to be spackeled and painted. We painted it today only to realize that not only did the color look awful in the bathroom (it turned out to be more of a dirty turquoise then a fresh green) but also it was a satin finish which showed every imperfection in the wall! So we looked in the basement and found some leftover paint from my bedroom. (a prettier green) Kim started applying that late tonight and we hope to finish tomorrow. We found a real cute curtain at target that will look great with the paint color! I hope to eventualy get a new shower curtain as well! I'm afraid I will have to wait for Mark to approve me spending another $29! I can't wait to have another room in the house done!

Here is a photo of Malachy's build a bear that we got on the way home from Iowa. It's a dog named "doggy" he roars and moos...Malachy's favorite noises! (Malachy also likes to Baa but they didn't have that noise! ) Doggy is a big Cubs fan and he is very pleased with their win today!


In other news we went to the Animal Shelter yesterday in hopes of finding a puppy for Malachy! But they only had big dogs and pitbulls so we decided to wait.

Who's the favorite....MAMA is!

music thoughts

Some songs just bring out the somber in me....Nights Swimming is one of those songs. It comes on and no matter what mood I'm in I'm transformed to this strange dreamy almost sad almost happy state of mind that I can't explain. I made a "Steph's Reflective" playlist on my I-pod of some of the songs that are in this catagorey. Here is a random 10 from that playlist

1. Night's Swimming- REM
2. Listen to your Heart- DHT Acoustic version
3. The Boy in the Bubble- Paul Simon
4. Dreams to Remember- Ottis Redding
5. The Chain- Fleetwood Mac
6. The Blues- Switchfoot
7. Space Oddity- David Bowie
8. Ring the Bells-James
9. Blue-Jayhawks
10. Father and Son-Cat Stevens

In the past month or so...Noah left, my super friend has been facing challenges, Mommo died, work has been crazy, I have been tired and grumpy...and I have been finding myself in quiet moments going to my I-pod and putting on my "reflective playlist" looking for some peace. I don't know why I expect to find peace in my I-pod...but I do! There is comfort in the music. Maybe because they evoke memories, maybe because they tell stories that distract me from myself, maybe because they tell stories that remind me of myself...I'm not sure. But I'm glad to have my I-pod it feels like a long lost friend.

Crazy day!

So Mark, Malachy, and I are going to Iowa for 5 days! Mark's Mom had knee surgery and thought it would be nice if we came out and helped her around the house while she recovers. She's already well on her way to feeling better. She spent the first week or so at her sisters house and now she is back at home.

In prep for going out of town Kim helped me tackle a mammoth to do list today! We had to buy Malachy something to wear to church in Iowa. The old t-shirt jean combo isn't as acceptable there as is it is at Willow. We picked out a super cute outfit at Target and then had to go return it because it was too big! I gave Malachy a bath and then he peed on my bed during the drying process! We had to pay bills and go to the post office to finally mail Noah his Harry Potter video. Then we went to the Home Depot to get some paint for my bathroom. (Kim may paint it while we are away) We also had to go to Willow so I could finish up some work. We stopped by Michaels to get some Art supplies. WE cleaned the entire house because Mark brought his friend, Andrew, over to see it. We did 2 loads of dish and 4 loads of Laundry! The most impressive is we did all of this with Malachy! Yikes! I think I may pass out! No wonder Kim is looking forward to us leaving! =)

Well tomorrow morning we leave for Iowa and we will be back Wednesday! See ya then!

HAPPY!

These pictures are from several weeks ago but I knew you would all want to see them! They are so fun!

Happy Anniversary

This picture was taken at the anniversery party last year

Today is Mom and Dad's 26th wedding anniversary!! Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! Last year for their 25th we had a little party at the Milk Pail with immediate family and 5 couples who have been good friends to Mom and Dad over the years! It was a great time. Seeing as 2 of those people are no longer with us I'm really glad we took the time to be together, love, and appreciate eachother! Mom and Dad are a beautiful example to us of what LOVE looks like. They have really supported eachother in sickness and health, good and bad, and they have created a family that not only is devoted and loyal to one another but actually really enjoys to be together. Way to go Mom and Dad...Well done.

Here is our family at the party minus one Noah who was at AIT...I think.

This is something Dad wrote on his Blog a couple months ago, and I thought it was really beautiful:

"A couple of years ago I saw a TV show and they had done a survey and announced the most important ingredients in a successful relationship are compatibility and a shared dream. Isn't that precious? Give me courage and kindness every time.It takes courage to decide whether to buy groceries or get the brakes fixed, courage to go to work when you messed up and the boss isn't happy, courage to sign on the bottom line for a mortgage or business loan, courage to go to the doctor when you don't want to hear what he has to say. And always kindness. Because kindness preserves and enhances the dignity of both. Our beloved cannot be what we want them to be without our kindness, to appreciate, to sympathize, to encourage.
So always practice courage and kindness, good luck."

Willow Creek's Promiseland Conf.

So it's over!! I think I worked nearly 50 hours before even hitting my weekend!! Yikes. It was fun though...I can say that now that it is over. I certainly feel like I was stretched as a stage manager. It wasn't so much that anything came up that I didn't know HOW to do so much as I just didn't have the confidence to feel like I could pull it all off as smooth I wanted too. Also, I'm not use to working with the TD who did the conference so I think there were times where we were mis-communicating how a transition was suppose to go. I made a few mistakes but nothing major. I think for how insane the schedule was and how ridiculous a few of the transitions were I did a great job! I'm just glad I won't have to do anything that crazy for another year! =)

Some of you know I wasn't looking forward to Rebecca St. James coming and I have to say I was wrong! The reason for my lack of enthusiasm was that she came to Willow in 97 to participate in Impact's Senior Night. I remember at that time I got the impression she was more "performance" based then authentic. I now feel like that was an un-fair and un-loving judgment. I can't imagine being in her shoes at that age. Maybe she was "performance" based at that time but most teenagers are, regardless of whether or not they are in some sort of spotlight. How is it possible to really know who you are at that age? She was very successful at the time (with the whole "God" song) and I can't imagine the pressure of being that successful at that age. I'm sure it is challenging making your faith your own when you have a whole team of people managing and marketing you.

From the little interaction I had with her at the conference I was really impressed. She was not only professional, kind, and talented but she was also very authentic. I really enjoyed her music too! While she was rehearsing I was thinking how I would like to own her new album and then her father (manager) gave our whole team a copy of her latest album as a thankyou gift! Her entire team was a pleasure to work with and I hope they come back! Matt Redman was also fun. His team is really great as well. He was here earlier this year with Tomlin and I remember then how nice he was.

For your enjoyment...here are some fun "Promiseland" links.
This is a newsletter that Promiseland is doing with Christianity Today
there is a fun article by Kerri. =)
and
This is our new Late Childhood CD where some of our vocalist teach you how to do the motions. (you have to click on the Have You Heard CD and then motions to see a short video...it's fun! So far we only have one up but they will all be up soon)

The previous post is some fun pictures from day one of the conf.

Why I haven't ben blogging...

I have been working 12+ hour days the past few days at the Promiseland Conf. and it's not over yet! AGGGHHHH! One day left. Oh wait...then I have my weekend! I'm looking forward to Monday!

This is a picture of our stage set. It is pretty awsome!

Here I am "mic"-ing up my favorite Sandy!

Here are our Outloud Kids rocking it!

Mommo

Mommo died yesterday. I know I haven't taken the time yet to understand what I have lost.

Mommo was the only grandparent I ever knew. To those of you who have never meet her it's hard to explain her she is unlike anyone else I have ever meet. She was not your typical Mrs Claus sort of Grandma...you know the sort that bakes cookies and spoils you on holidays. She was however full of love and grace. She had dignity and confidence that I have never seen matched. In all the years I knew her I never heard her speak one un-kind word about anyone. She found joy in the little things...like a piece of chocolate for "pep", kids playing at the park down the street, or the wind making the leaves dance. She didn't place much value in material possessions. She did however, care about how she carried herself. When I was young I remember her often telling me how it was important to stand up straight and keep my chin up, to look people in the eyes, and that red was a good cheerful color...especially when we get a little older. I can never really know what she felt inside but to me she always portrayed a confidence that I found not only encouraging but to me it was almost like a safe place. (I don't know how to explain it better, but there was comfort in her confidence) She was confident in her faith, confident in her character, confident in her love, confident that there was joy to be found and hope to be had. It's sad to me that she is gone because to say it simply she was all good. I know I will never encounter anyone like her again. I only hope that in some small way I can live with the same character, grace, dignity and strength she had and pass those qualities along to Malachy.

I love this picture of Dad and Mommo. Mommo loved Dad so much it's crazy! She would light up when he was around. Dad thought maybe because he was born soon after her sister had died that Mommo had a special affection for him but for those of us who know Dad we know that he is just special. She often would tell us the story of how when she would be out shopping kids would run up to her with big smiles all excited just to tell her,"I know Andy" I have heard all the other stories too and I know Dad wasn't the easiest child =) but none of that seemed to matter to Mommo she loved him for who he was! So so I Dad! You are the best and I feel so lucky to have you as my Dad, I love you!

I just like this picture. Kim and Mommo shared a birthday, July 7th.

Here is Mommo with some of her Children and Grandchildren.

Here is Mommo with some of her grandchilden.

Mommo with Malachy, she really enjoyed him...she said he had intelligent eyes like me. She loved that we had named him Malachy.

2 amazing hours of 24 tonight...makes me happy!

Work, work, and more work...

When will my life be normal again!

Noah should be in Afghanastan at this point...scary thought...keep the prayers up!

Noah left this morning...

I borrowed (stole) these pictures from Laurens blog. This one is of Noah and Lauren

obviously.

Noah left this morning at around 9 am. Please pray for his safety in travel. I'm sure Lauren is dealing with many emotions right now and so is my Mom so please remember them in your prayers as well. I plan on sending out an e-mail to all my friends with Noah's address so you can all support and encourage him that way if you wish. I don't think we are allowed to post his address on our blogs...I will ask Lauren. Pray that he would not get sick from the water, food, or living conditions. Noah has some asthma so pray the sand would not aggravate that. Pray that Noah and the men in his company will not allow the stress to tear them apart but that they will be able to encourage and support one another. Pray that God would not allow their spirits to be broken and that they will all remain safe and find comfort in God's amazing grace and love.

I'm assuming this is the company getting packed up and ready to hit the road.

And here is my favorite Noah with a big grin! I love this picture Lauren thanks for sharing it!

Here is Malachy and I supporting Noah in our Army wear! Malachy's shirt is super reflective it practically glows!

Emily Update

I posted this for Crystal on her blog:

Hi, this is Steph, Crystal's friend. I'm posting for Crystal because she is having issues with her internet. Crystal is at home "resting" tonight. Frank and Madi are not feeling well so she still has her hands full at home but I know she is glad to be able to spend some time with them.

Mainly she wanted me to communicate that she is "beyond thankful for everyone's visits, phone calls, gifts, cards, and PRAYERS." I got to visit Emily, Crystal, and Scott at the hospital tonight and the first thing I noticed when I walked in was a ceiling full of balloons and a whole wall of gifts and get well wishes. I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with the out pouring of love towards Emily!

Crystal said that Emily's calcium levels are still low and she will not be able to go home until they stabilize so keep praying for continued healing. The hope is that she will be able to come home tomorrow so please pray that all will go well so that can happen. Emily is doing well. She got the drainage tubes taken out this evening and she is feeling more comfortable. She got up and walked around some and is talking more.

I'm so glad I got to visit them today. I have to tell you that Emily is being so brave. I could tell she was extremely tired but she was still trying to be kind and polite. She even gave me some candy! She was so sweet to all the staff that came in and I'm sure she has been a blessing to her doctors and nurses. Crystal and Scott must be so proud, and they should be! Emily is a remarkable little girl!

I have to finish by saying THANK YOU again because that is the one thing Crystal kept repeating when she asked me to do this post for her.

My favorite Emily

This is Emily and Frank (not Frankie-doo) at their B-day party this fall

I posted this as a comment on Amy's blog:

Hi, this is Steph, I'm a good friend of Crystals. I just called their home and talked to Emily's Grandma, Carrie. If you are like me I'm sure you have been checking the blog all day in hopes of some news and I know Scott will post later tonight and share all the details if he can manage to stay awake. =) But I thought Crystal would want you all to know that Emily is out of surgery. Your prayers were and continue to be appreciated. It sounds like Emily is recovering now which is good but the surgery was more complicatd then expected and was 9 hours long. I can't imagine poor Crystal in the waiting room that long. I'm heart broken I couldn't be with her but she has an amazing family that is supporting her right now and all of your friendships and prayers have blessed her and Emily more then words can communicate. I don't want to mis -communicate anything so I will leave the details to Scott but I got the impression from Carrie that we are still confident Emily will make a full recovery but the day wasn't as smooth as expected. So please continue to keep everyone in prayer.

Thank you so much.
In Christ,
Steph Stanger

Student Ministries Conf.

Sooo...day one went well. I may have blown my ear drum out at the Third Day concert. Mark asked me to grip for him (wrangle cables for his shoulder cam) and Mark was stationed right in front of the 4 stacked sub-wolfers, stage left, that Third Day had brought. It was like full blown gusts of wind, Yikes! The concert was great, I wish I could have paid better attention.

Husband said he saw Novelli talking to the band in the green room, so apparently he wasn't lying when he said he knew them. =) I myself got to talk to Mac when they walked in the door but didn't even realize it was him until I heard his voice...these things happen to me.

The earlier part of the day went well! Crowder was great! I missed the messages because I was trying to get some work done but I hear they were great!

Here is a picture of Husband and I on the LED's while video and lighting got squared away in between sessions.

Noah and Lauren

Please remember Noah and Lauren in your prayers this week. Noah will most likely be leaving this week and he only gets one hour notice! I can't imagine the stress of having to be ready at any second to leave like that! Pray that they would have peace and be able to enjoy the week. Also OBVIOUSLY pray for continued safety for Noah while in Afghanistan!

(I don't have a photo of just the 2 of them from the wedding on my computer, so you get to enjoy seeing Mom and Dad all dressed up too!)

Learned something new today...

Sandy and Alan are super good to me! They knew I was feeling a little blue so they bought me some iris to work today to cheer me up! We had talked several weeks ago about how those are my favorite flowers! Sandy is also having a stressful week because of conference madness and broken foot!! (that she keeps dancing on!) So I felt super special that despite her crazy life right now she took the time to show me love!

So later on at home I was putting the flowers in a vase. Malachy really wanted one so being the sucker I am I gave him one. He ran all over the kitchen with it laughing and sating flawa as best her can. Then Kim said what's wrong with Malachy's face and I said nothing. Upon close look it was pretty red and splochy but I ignored it. A few minutes later I picked him up to change his diaper and he still had the flower. I noticed his face was all broken out, his eye lids were puffy and the veins were popping out. (Malachy was fine though...he showed NO sign of discomfort) Mark says maybe the boy is allergic to pollen so we take away flower and he slowly got better! Strange huh!?? He's allergic to flowers! I wonder what this will mean come spring! He didn't seem to have any problems last spring. Neither Mark or I have any allergies. I should ask the doctor if it is something I need to be concerned about.

after work

I was so frustrated after work today I had an anxiety attack! ( I was not upset over anything that happened at work just some "personal" stuff that was stressing me out and hurt my feelings) Anyhow, that had never really happened to me before. It was like needles pushing into the back of my throat and there was nothing I could do to make it stop. I was coughing and my eyes were watering and it hurt really bad. Yuck! I hope this does not become a pattern!

This week is a stressful one for sure. It is the Next Gen conference mon-wed. Which means I will be working 12 hour days AND skipping my days off this week. I also have to prepare for the Promiseland Conf. Which includes having my stage layouts done by Thursday. Stage layouts I make on a program I barely understand, Visio. Also, I have to prep for my weekend( the "real" part of my job). Emily is having her surgery Tuesday and I really wanted to visit her and Crystal at the hospital. Noah is leaving between now and Friday. I HAD hoped to send him a "pre" care package before he left but there is NO time to put one together and make it to the post office to overnight it.

UGGHHH...could this explain the anxiety attack...no, it was actually something else! But, I can see more coming!

Oh. My point! My point was....after work in an effort to distract myself from my self pity and anxiety we took Malachy to Chuck E Cheese's (where a kid can be a kid). Kim, Mark, and Dad joined in on the fun. We got a little more "fun" then we bargined for. The place was packed and pretty crazy. It was a good time though. Malachy enjoyed some pizza and all the "rides". Here are some pictures:

Where I'm at

So I haven't kept up the last few days because I have been busy and sleepy! It's 10pm now and I need a shower and bed I will have to save the tape of American Idol and Survivor for tomorrow!

This past week has been strange! I have been super mood swingy...I'm not sure if it's hormonal, seasonal, lunar or what...I always try to explain my moodiness so I don't have to accept the fact I might just be nuts! This week I have even considered post-poning my efforts for baby 2 so I could get myself on some happy pills (the legal sort)! With Noah going overseas I know my anxiety is going to shot through the roof! Anyhow, with all that said...every time I have focused on God's love this week it has made a huge difference!! I went to work super grumpy Wednesday and in a staff meeting we looked up bible verses and it changed the course of my day. God's words really are life to me! (it works...The Bible) The truths I posted earlier this week have stayed with me and have sustained me and given me joy. I feel like it has been a good week despite my own lack of emotional stability! I know I'm extremely blessed and I never want to take that for granted.