Okay...am going to try and upload some pictures, I haven't been able to make it work thus far...lets see!

This first picture is the 2008 Alabama Baptist All-State Children's Honor's Choir! Brooke was accepted into this group this year and she had a blast! Over 160 children! Beautiful!

The second one is the girls at home using sidewalk chalk! Oh, the joys of chalk! They traced all of our feet going down the sidewalk! Very fun!!

Where to serve?

Well, I have reached a fork in the road, so to speak, regarding where I am supposed to serve and how. After much prayer and thought I have decided to stop teaching GA's and 6th grade Sunday School at church in May.

Why? I have been very...uncomfortable in the roles I currently hold for well over a year now. I love teaching/working in my church...it was ingrained in me from an early age as both of my parents have taught Sunday School all of my life.

The 6th graders need a couple to teach...those boys are entering man-hood and NEED a strong Christian MAN to teach them! At this age, it is very hard for them to respect a woman teaching them...I have noticed this over the last couple of years and though I know it is a natural part of the growth of a boy into a man, it doesn't make it any easier to teach them.

As far as GA's...no one wants to DO anything. Don't get me wrong, the book work and learning about missionaries is great~I LOVE it, but aren't we supposed to be doing missions as well? Life is not book work, it is action filled! To tell you the truth, I don't remember very many of the actual missionaries that we studied about...I do remember the ones I met, and the impact they had on my life. I remember going on mission trips, and realizing that we are all missionaries as Christians. Don't we owe it to these future wives, mothers, teachers, missionaries to do more with and for them? Maybe I am wrong, but I really believe that we are called to action...from the oldest Christian to the youngest Christian.

There have been several other things that have happened in the last year to contribute to this decision.

Knowing that God has plans for my life, and that He will make sure they come to pass, helps. I am just praying about the next step to take here. Is God leading me to another church? Is He leading me to work somewhere else in my current church? I am looking forward to going to a Bible study with other women, and maybe even singing in the "seasonal" music! I do miss choir...

My Spring "Break"

This week has been spring break for me! Now, mind you I did anything but take a break, but a break from work was good!

The beginning of this week started with Dave's grandmother in the hospital. She is old, sick and is not much longer for this world. It is sad to watch Dave's parents hurt (Dave too) and not be able to fix it....I tend to be a bit "man brained" when it comes to "fixing" things! I think I should be able to make is all better! So, I guess it is "mommy~man brain"!! We did have some bright spots in this time...our 3 year old niece on Kaylee, on Dave's side, told her mom that she kicked her papa (David's dad, and she didn't kick him hard) because "I wike to tick people!" Now, I know you aren't supposed to condone ugly behaviour~but it was FFFUUUNNNY! And it broke the tension of the hospital blah! Comic relief!

Wednesday and Thursday were slammed! Crafts in the morning, swimming lessons in the afternoon, church on Wednesday, and company Thursday night for Brooke! I had PLANNED to do some Spring cleaning around here...HA!

I was able to do craft days with Leila's class at school in the mornings! She and I had lunch together, and her teacher let me read to her class. Ha ha, I take a break from my K-5 class only to go to Leila's K-5 class and work some more!! It did mean alot to me to be there with her! Of course, she begged to come home with me both days, but still!

Brooke has started swim team! She had clinic this week after school. She has a swimmers body, and I am sure that if she ever grows out of this lanky awkward phase she will be great! LOL! Really, I think she will do great and so does the coach. Just needs training.

I am now gearing up for Easter on Sunday! I wish you guys could be here...I would love to see the girls hunt eggs at "The Grammie's" house! Miss you much Coker Family!

Man Eating Snake!

As we came in from school today, we noticed that our cat was messing with something on the sidewalk. We thought it was a bug or something because of all the leaves...guess what! It was a SNAKE! For the record, I am not one of those "nature" lovers who think that snakes are cool, beautiful, or "neat". I HATE snakes! I am terrified of them!

So anyway...Leila steped on this thing and realized that it was not, in fact, a rope. I heard the girls scream "SNAKE!!!" and went running. By this time the snake was semi out of it because of the fight with the cat and Leila stepping on it. Looking around franticly and could not find anything to kill it with...so I used Brooke's crutch. After I felt the snake was dead, I found a stick and with my arm straight out in front of me and the snake hanging from the end of the stick, I moved FAR from the house.

Now, in the mean time I had called my father in law so he could come over and tell me what kind of snake this sucker was. When he drove up, he found me "guarding" the snake for fear that it would come back alive and try to eat me! Being the man that he is he had to find a stick of his own to poke the snake! Then he got the snake on his stick and acted like he was going to come at me with it...While he was doing that the snake turned his head to Cecil and opened his mouth! AHAHAH! I ran screaming! Again, I HATE snakes. Cecil then killed the snake for good...now it can't kill me and eat me.

Oh, and he also said that the snake was a harmless garder snake...but I don't believe him. All snakes are deadly, I kill myself trying to get away from them!

Here is whishing everyone a snake free day.

Children's Honors Choir!

Alabama Baptist All-State Children's Honor Choir was great! There were over 160 children (4th to 6th grade) from all over the state of Alabama and my Brooke was one of them! These kids had to audition and were hand picked to sing in this group!

The first rehersal blew me away! These kids have been having scattered rehersals for a couple of months now, but had not all been together...let me tell you, it sounded like they had been singing together forever! Angles!! These kids also learned sign language to one song, AND movement/sign language to another song in ONE night! I was amazed! Oh, and the director had these kids (all 160 something of them) line up from shortest to tallest without talking! No joke, they reall did it! Without talking!

All of the music that they performed was about God, and the things He has done. They sang in a mall and though there were alot of parents there, I saw many people who stopped to listen as they were walking thru the mall! This was like a mini choir tour/mission trip for these kids! Who knows the impact they could have had on someone just by singing about God and His love!? The kids also sang in a couple of other churches.

My friends Rory and Jamie Amos met us in Florence (mall show), to hear them (meaning Brooke, Rory and Jamie are honorary uncle and aunt!) and see us! It was great to see them again, but Rory and I still can't sit by each other without getting into trouble for talking and fussing!! LOL! Really, it was great to see them and it meant so much to me that they were there!

Snow + 160 kids = exausted adults! On Friday night when it was snowing (at 10:30) some of the kiddos went outside and ran around screaming with joy over the snow! Haha, too funny! I was lucky, my girls were happy to stay in the room nice and cozy! I did take their picture the next morning in the pittiful dusting that we had there! I will be posting some of the pictures...I just wish you all could hear them! Amazing, I tell you, amazing!

This trip took me back so much! Singing, no sleep, tour busses, kahki pants...and to have a child who loves this as much as I do...it was very cool!