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Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Veterans Day

Yesterday my Paw-Paw was recognized for his service with a specail assembly just for him! It was for Central Park school in Arkansas. I have pictures and a copy of the article in the newspaper. I know this made my Paw-paw's YEAR!

BENTONVILLE -- One by one, Central Park Elementary School students shook Lavon Chandler's hand and thanked him as they left the school's Veterans Day assembly Tuesday.
Chandler, a 91-year-old World War II veteran, responded with warm greetings.

"Are you going to get into the service when you grow up?" he asked one of the boys, who smiled and nodded.
Chandler was the school's guest of honor at Tuesday's assembly. He's the father of Central Park kindergarten teacher Deborah Baldwin.
Chandler spent part of the assembly answering questions posed by Jordan Diehl, a Bright Field Middle School fifth-grader who had chosen him as the subject of a social studies class project.
Jordan asked Chandler what he did during his time in the Air Force and Army.
"I goofed off some," he said, eliciting laughs from the audience.
"Knowing my dad, that's probably very true," Baldwin said.
Chandler got more serious, however, during a brief presentation he delivered to the students. He recalled being told, while stationed at Sioux City, Iowa, he was about to get on a train headed for Texas, where he would get six weeks of training in preparation for deployment to Europe. He later fought in the Battle of the Bulge, one of the most famous battles in U.S. military history.
The life expectancy of a soldier on the front lines in the Battle of the Bulge was 48 hours, he told students. Chandler didn't delve much into his own experience, but he spoke glowingly of his brother-in-law, Laron Smith, whom he called a "real war hero" for killing dozens of German soldiers while guarding a hill.
Smith's machine gun had stopped working during an attack, but he repaired the gun in the dark -- a skill Smith taught himself, Chandler said.
Two students presented him a bouquet of roses. The students gave him a standing ovation.
"Let's remember veterans all day today," Baldwin told the crowd.
Chandler left the students with some advice: When given a task, do a little more than is expected of you. It's a maxim he's tried to live by since elementary school.
"I was in the third or fourth grade and we were expected to learn the multiplication table through 12. I learned it through 13," he said. "So often we do something, and if we just did a little more, we'd be much better off."
Chandler called the Central Park assembly "very humbling."
"There are so many more veterans worthy of the recognition," he said.
Jordan designed a poster board about Chandler on display at the assembly. Jordan's mother, Sarah Diehl, is a kindergarten teacher at Central Park and found out about Chandler through Baldwin.
Jordan's favorite part of the project was "just getting to talk with (Chandler) and learning more about him," she said.
Also on display at the assembly were Chandler's Army jacket and a portrait of him as a young man. Chandler was part of the occupation forces in Nuremberg, Germany, at the war's end in 1945.
Chandler, a Louisiana native, moved to Bentonville last year to live near his daughter. Martha Chandler, his wife of 70 years, died in February.
Also at Tuesday's event, 6-year-old Avalon Reaves recited a poem titled "On Veterans Day." Paula Wells, Avalon's mother, said Avalon memorized the poem and practiced it at home.
"She was honored to participate," Wells said.
NW News on 11/12/2014






At A Glance
Battle Of The Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was the final major German offensive of World War II. It lasted about six weeks starting in mid-December 1944. Germans struck in the Ardennes Forest in northwest Europe. U.S. forces suffered heavy losses, but ultimately held off the Germans. World War II ended in Europe about four months later.
Source: Staff Report

 Pretty Awesome!

Friday, October 17, 2014

IF God is real then what?

I have been participating in IF. If: Table and IF: Equip and this winter and I am going help with an If:Local rather than traveling to the IF: Gathering in Austin. To find out more about If you can look HERE
I wanted to share today my thoughts and God's calling for me to participate in IF.
I can't pinpoint the moment I heard about IF, but I am sure it was through social media. IF itself is hard to pinpoint because their are so many different IF's, but I can tell you its action. We are called to be the hands and feet of the church (church being the world, not specifically A church). IF really gets me involved more than i do on my own and challenges me to step out of my comfort zone. For me, IF GOD IS REAL THEN WHAT?..........I've got to share the word because our time here on Earth is so minimal and to live on Earth without God scares me to death. If you know God, can you imagine living without Him? So many are because they just dont know and if God is real, then I am going to tell the world!

How do I tell the world? Relationships!!! I am not going to shout who God is from the roof tops, I dont believe anything would come from that expect others thinking I was crazy!
I want to allow others into my life and see that just because I love God,  I am not perfect and my life is just as messy as anothers. BUT with God, with God I can survive. I am still loved. I am forgiven. I am made new. This gets me through my days knowing that their is NOTHIHNG I can do to loose His love. I believe everyone needs to know this and thats why I am doing what I am doing!

So what AM I DOING? Ok so IF: Table is just inviting other women of for dinner and conversation. Its not a time to vent or to give advice. Its a time to listen to what God is doing in other women's lives and to share what God is doing in yours. Its simple, but such a blessing!

IF: Equip. This is a daily devotional, it equip us as women to know God and allow Him to speak to us through scripture.

IF: Gathering. This first Gathering was last year in Austin, but I didn't know of IF during that time, but I do know it was awesome! This year we are getting women from Topeka together and watching it live in Topeka while it's happening in Austin. Really excited about this!

The answer to If God is real then what? IF is different for everyone, thats what is so cool!!!!!

I urge to to start or find and IF:Table. Check out IF: Equip and plan to find an IF: Local. If you're in Topeka, let me know!!!!!


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Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Alayna turned FOUR!!

During the summer Alayna turned four. We had an under the sea tea party for her. It was a fun, girly party. She loved it!