Time's Tickin' Away

They say...There's ever enough time ~ Time Flies when you're having fun ~ Time in a bottle

Where does the time go? Don't ask me. I personally cannot believe that only yesterday I was bloggin' about 9 /11. Now it is September 26 (just days way from October 1st) and now I find myself contemplating the holidays. Eeegads!

I know what you're thinking. HOLIDAYS! "Yes", the holidays.

Now don't go getting all depressed. There is a positive to the negative. The holidays are a time for friends, gatherings, yummy foods, religious celebrations and so on. What could be interpreted as negative, you may ask? Well, before you know it we will be hussling around trying to gather up gifts for wrapping, trying to fit 30 hours into a day and wondering why we don't have time to take care of ourselves.

Taking care of ourselves is another blog topic that I find compelled to revisit later. And more than likely I will also blog about the holidays.

For now (today) I am catching you all up on the past few weeks.

Labor Day Weekend

My parents - the travelin' duo of Ron & Sylvia Graske (standing up in the pic). They are so retro - you might consider them "Hip". Okay...maybe more like "HIPpies of the new Millennium.

My folks sure know how to celebrate retirement. We should all be so lucky in our twilight years to enjoy retirement and have as much energy as they do.

Jim and I laugh about it. My folks travel around in their Lazy Daze RV from one gig to another, "Pickin' and Grinnin".

If you find yourself wondering why I chose the word "Gig", I'll explain.

My mom & dad belong to the "Song Makers". It's a group of everyday people that have a true passion for music. Whether a musician or vocalist - these people LOVE music. And they travel from city to city, state to state, gig to gig (as my dad fondly refers to the gatherings) doing what they love.

My folks have been asking Jim and I to join them on one of their many musical adventures and we've turned them down over and over again. Finally on Labor Day weekend we agreed to join them at one of their evening of Song Makers. Jim practiced for almost a month to perfect the song "Norwegian Wood" by the Beatles on his guitar, and I sang. Yep! I can't believe it either.

Prior to Labor Day weekend we were able to torture, I mean play in front of Jerry, Jim's brother and Jill, Jerry's girlfriend with our song (Norwegian Wood). They didn't run, or seem to mind, so we felt fairly confident we wouldn't embarrass my folks. All in all, it turned out well.

I think Jim is hooked. He's been practicing "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton and expects me to sing it. Funny thing is, I don't even get a say in the song selection. He just comes out from the backroom and says, "Babe, sing this". I sure do love my husband. He obviously has great faith in my ability to sing (pretty much anything). Gotta love that!

Also, over the past few weeks we've been a part of a new bible study with our small group from Saddleback Church called SHAPE - an acronym for Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experiences. It's a thought provoking study and we're excited to start using our spiritual gifts from God to help those less fortunate or in need. Especially those who don't have a personal relationship with Jesus.

There was a Ministry Expo after service this past Sunday that helped us explore the serving opportunities at Saddleback. As we've learned in the message series, we are uniquely shaped by God for a life of purpose. No one else has the same combination of spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experience. It was interesting and we may have found some ministries to get involved with. I'll keep you all posted.

We also spent some time on Mission Viejo lake over the weekend (crusin' around in an electric motor boat) with friends. It was very relaxing and a nice way to spend the day.

So there you have it. The past few weeks in our life. We hope all of you have enjoyed your September and we look forward to catching up again real soon.