**Ouch**

I sprained my ankle last night! :(

Too many items at the bottom of the stairs + clumsy mommy = sprained ankle.

Thankfully it's just a slight sprain!

Answered Prayer

For the almost 2 years now we've been praying for God to provide ALB with a new job. Praise God! He answered our prayers in His perfect time. Today is Al's official day at his new place of employment. He is now a Kaiser Permanete employee.

This has been a long trial. And even though there were times that our trust in God seemed to slip a bit, the Lord continued to be faithful to us. He kept reminding us that He is our Great Provider.

Thank you to those who've kept us in your prayers. The Lord has heard you!

Psalm 34: 17-19

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all."

Stranded at the Drive In...

When I think of drive-ins, I think of the 50's, I think of Grease. I never would have thought that I would be able to experience it! We found out about the West Wind Solano 2 Drive-In, a.k.a. Concord Drive-in through my sister. We've watched Speed Racer, Kung Fu Panda & Iron Man there. Last night we had a chance to watch The Incredible Hulk & Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull with my brother and his family.

I can't believe how many blockbusters we've already watched this summer. Usually we watch maybe 1 or 2 movies a year! With the movie theaters being so pricey, we figure we'll just go watch the REALLY good ones then wait for the rest to come on DVD. Another reason why we didn't frequent the big screen was well...it's a bit much for some of our children. The little one won't sit still in that seat. I end up just bringing her to the side and watching standing up. The answer to that problem was easily solved by the drive-in. We get to enjoy the movies with all the kids, they don't have to sit in a chair for 2 hours, we get to bring our own food. And did I mention that it's only like $7 ($6 something) a person and we only pay $1.00 for the 2 older kids?!! It's just so much fun!

If you haven't had a chance to visit the Concord Drive-In, I highly recommend doing so. Tuesdays are family nights so the admission is only $5.00 ($4 something)!

Bring some friends with you it doubles the fun!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!

Taken during our mini vacation at Pier 39 (June 7, 2008)

Happy Father's day to my beloved, the father of my children, their hero....ALB! Most of you who know us, know that Al is a ham. He enjoys making people laugh. But what most of you don't is that Al has a really shy side. WHAT? How can a man who does the helicopter with a 103 fever be shy? Well he is. He's also very sentimental. He used to have 5 boxes labeled "Al's Sentimental T-shirts". He has most (if not all) of the song books, music sheets and notes from when we were serving in the Youth Choir (Battle Cry), Adult Ensemble (Joyful Sounds) and the Adult Choir. Not to mention birthday cards from years ago! He just can't find it in his heart to let those things go.

Another "gettin' to know you" fact about my husband is his gift of singing. He may lead vocals in rock songs during Youth Ministry events but my most favorite is when he sings slow, yet powerful songs like "My Redeemer is Faithful and True" by Steven Curtis Chapman and "I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy" by Michael English and the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir . God has definately gifted Al with strong vocals. Ooohh, have you ever heard him sing "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera or "Who am I" from Les Miserables? He's awesome!

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To my love, I am so thankful to our Lord for blessing me with such a loving, kind, sweet, handsome husband like you. You are a wonderful father to our children. I love how you are their best friend and hero.

The Lord sees all the sacrifices you have made for us Al! I know that these past few years have been tough on our family, especially for you but you kept pressing on! Thank you for not giving up, for reminding us that our dependance is in God's provision. Thank you for constantly reminding me to love. Thank you for loving me and the children when we are unloveable. Thank you for being the peacemaker. Thank you for always putting a smile on our faces. Thank you for being so patient (he is one of the most patient people I know). Thank you for always reminding us that all things are fleeing and to keep our hearts focused on Christ. I can go on and on.

So my love, I'll leave you with this..."Did I thank you? I will..."

Your rib, Chone

1-2-3 CROSSCOURT!!!

Last Friday (June 13th) was the first night of our Youth Ministry's 22nd Annual Summer Volleyball Outreach. ALB has been coaching Crosscourt for 17 years now and I joined him when we got married back in 1996. This year we have the honor to, once again, coach with fellow Youth Staffers, Cindy and Mario.



During the summer months, our Youth Ministry holds a volleyball tournment for the youth of Solano and Napa Counties. "It is the desire of this Youth Ministry to challenge the young people in our community spiritually, socially, and physically. It is our purpose this summer to tell of the good news of Jesus through Bible studies, make new friends, and provide a competitive volleyball tournament. " (that comes straight out of the letter we send out to the players parents.

Every year the players play on the same team. Once they graduate, though, no more volleyball (at least in our tournament). Last year we "lost" a lot of players because they graduated. So we were anxious to hear which 7th graders was going to be placed on our team. That's done to give balance to our tournament. So that one team isn't always having to forfeit due to lack of players and another team has too many players. Anyway, I'm really excited this year because we got students who aren't familiar with the game. That means there's opportunity to teach them. If anyone can coach a rookie to play volleyball, it's my beloved! In my opinion, He's got to be one of the best (if not the best) coach!

More importantly, we have an opportunity to build relationships with these students. Again, our desire is to see them to come to a saving knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ. That's why we do this year after year.

Mark Munoz's WEC Debut

Mark Munoz is a familiar name in our city. He's a wrestling champ, a coach, a husband, a father and now he's an MMA fighter but to me, he'll always be like a little brother. We weren't able to go to his WEC debut this past Sunday but here's the video clip of his fight (parental discretion advised). We're proud of you Mark! Praise God for your victory!

I love the way he says "Hi" to his mom during the interview. That's so Mark!