New Orleans Here We Come!

Ted and I were blessed to be able to get away for our Anniversary this year, without kids . . . YEA! (A huge thanks to the Matheny's for graciously watching our children. We love you all!!)

We decided to go to New Orleans. Ted has been there several times and fell in "love" with the great food and the ambiance of the French Quarter. He really wanted to share it all with me, so off we went. We left the cold weather of Paducah behind and arrived there to beautiful weather. We ate and ate and ate! We walked and walked and walked! The best part of our vacation was the frequent trips to Cafe DuMonde for Cafe Au Lait, hot Beignets, and people watching. We walked the entire French Quarter and took in all the tourist sites. We ate appetizers at one restaurant, the main meal at another, and dessert at yet another. We listened to great street performers, got a glimpse of Chef Paul Prudhomme, strolled through the French Market, and occasionally got a glimpse of some interesting people. One such person was a man that had hot neon pink hair, beard, and eyebrows. I didn't take a picture of him so I'll let your imaginations take care of that!

Overall we had a great time and would love to go back again...for the beignet's and coffee of course! Well, also for the time alone and the romance... ;)

Cell Phones and God

My cell phone has become such a part of me that when I am without it I feel lost, incomplete, and disorganized. I realize that this has become a problem for me and am currently looking into starting up a cell-phone anonymous group. Anyone willing or needing to join me?

Last week, when Zach and I were out running errands, I realized that I had forgotten my cell phone. I thought about going back home to get it but I was already running behind and had an appointment that I had to keep. So I kept my car pointed in the direction of my destination and tried to shut off the voices screaming in my head that said, "What will you do if you get into an accident and can't make your appointment?" or "What if you get lost and need to call for directions?". The rational side of me knows that there are simple solutions to those questions but the irrational, addicted to my cell-phone, side of me couldn't think of any. After muttering to myself for the 10th time about how I really should have just turned around and gotten my cell phone Zach asked me, "Why is not having your cell phone such a problem mom?" I could have thought of a million and one reasons right then but it made me pause long enough to think about his question. There was a time that I didn't have a cell phone, and obviously didn't miss having one. His question also brought to mind another question, "Is God more important to you than your cell phone? Can you live without Him easier than your cell phone?" I decided then and there that I could live without my cell phone for the day but I couldn't live without God. I used this opportunity to teach Zach about the importance of putting God first in my life and how I can let things take His place if I'm not careful. I am so glad that I forgot my cell phone that day, and that God reminded me what was most important...HIM.

Happy 2008!

I can not believe that it is already 2008! Last year seemed to just pass me by in a whirlwind of activity. I can barely remember setting New Year's Resolutions for 2007, but I can tell you that I didn't achieve a single one of them. Not for a lack of trying. It seems to me that when I set a goal I start out really hyped up about it but about 3 months into it I start putting it off and by 6 months I wake up one day and remember that I had started out the year with certain goals in mind but can't remember what they were, so I start the whole process over again, and (you guessed it) by the 6 month mark I have forgotten again. I keep telling myself that this year will be different, I will make a New Year's resolution and stick to it. But I fail to keep that promise every year. I almost didn't want to set one this year but at our New Year's Eve Eve Party at the Darling's house Mike asked us to think about a goal we wanted to set for ourselves for the coming year. I thought about ducking out of the room and hiding in the bathroom until they had gone around the room but I knew that my husband would have called me on it. So I stayed put. When it came to my turn I'm pretty sure that I had the deer-in-the-headlight look. I don't like speaking in front of a group because what I am thinking and what comes out of my mouth can sometimes be so different that I want to crawl in a hole and hide. However, the words that came out of my mouth this time I know had to come from God, otherwise I never would have said them (out loud for others to witness anyways). I said; "I want to learn to listen more (to God and others) and talk less." Well the words have been spoken, and I can't take them back. Not even If I wanted to. You see, God has already pointed out to me several times when I have talked too much and listened too little. Now, if only I won't forget...

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! We love you and wish you a happy and safe Holiday season.

Love,

The Deecke

Family

Namesake

I must apologize to everyone for not blogging in a while. Trust me when I say that I have been thoroughly chastised. Truth is I haven't had much to say. (For those of you who know me you can pick your jaw up off the ground any time now.) Every time I logged on to write on my blog I have had to log off again because I couldn't think of anything to say. OK, anything noteworthy to say. I am still struggling with atrophy of the brain. I attribute some of this to the fact that I have done nothing for the past week accept sit on my couch watching HGTV in a semi-vegetative state. I guess Pneumonia will do that to you. On the rare occasions that I have ventured off the couch, and yes, some even out of the house, I have been left drained and feeling like I just ran a full marathon. Thankfully to some really good meds and a lot of sleep I am starting to feel like myself again. Pity for my family. I think they rather liked the comatose side of me. Oh well, you can't always get what you want. ;)

Last night I watched a really good movie called, "The Namesake". The movie is based on a couple (Ashoke and Ashmi) who leave Calcutta, India to move to New York. It is about the blending of their Indian culture with their new American culture. It is also about their son whom they named Gogol. It chronicles his journey to find out who he is based on both cultures, and ultimately about what his name means and why his father (Ashoke) names him Gogol. You'll have to watch the movie to get the rest of the story but it got me thinking about my name and what it means. So I looked it up. ( I actually looked up what all of my families names mean. It was very interesting to see how they all blend well with each other.) My name, Christina, means "anointed, follows Christ". My sister Stephanie's name means "crowned". When I told her this she asked me if that meant that I was going to dethrone her. Ha. Ha. (You better watch out little sis, I just might!) My niece Samantha, who is the poster child for "The Strong Willed Child" , name means "listens well". That is funny! Maybe someone ought to tell her that. :)
I asked my mom why she chose the names for us she did and she said that she just liked them. I liked the names I chose for my children, but I chose them because of what they meant. Victoria means "Victorious", Kevin means "Gentle, loving", and Zachary means "God has remembered". Amanda's name, although I didn't name her, means "worthy of love". To me a name should be chosen as a reflection of your love for your child. My childrens names reflect who they are, my love for them, and, I pray, who God will call them to be.
As a side note Ted's name means "Gift from God", you can imagine what he'd say if I told him that! (Although, I must say, to me he is a gift from God!)
What does your name mean?

Victoria, Wisdom Teeth, and Drugs...

Question: What happens to an intelligent teen girl when you apply the effects of post-oral surgery pain medication?
The answer: Humor! Lots of it!
When you ask her how she's doing, 45 minutes after taking her pain meds, you might get an answer like, "Good! I feel like I can fly!" or "I don't know, but did you know that the ceiling is moving?" It is cause for laughter. Normally Victoria is a very funny girl, but when you add pain medication, she becomes down right hilarious! I know that I shouldn't make fun of her, but I just can't help it.
Apparently the moon has waves coming off of it, the plant hook in Kevin's room moves across the ceiling, and she can't recall her boyfriend coming to visit her after the surgery (The only evidence that we have to convince her of this is the card he brought her). She said that the psychedelic affects of the meds are keeping her amused while she lays on the couch with bags of peas on her cheeks to help with the chipmunk cheek swelling. I would take pictures, but the Mom in me has enough compassion to draw the line somewhere. However her dad keeps threatening to take pictures and plaster them all over the Internet.
For now though, we'll settle for blogging about it...

The Strong Willed Wife

I will have to say that God surely does have a creative way of getting my attention at times. The title of this book, for instance, being one. I have been told more often than not that I am a strong willed person (imagine that!) so when I came across this book I had to take a second, third, and maybe even a fourth look. I was more than curious as to what the author would have to say... so I read the back cover, decided that it sounded too much like me and walked away from it. But wouldn't you know it, two days later I got a flier in the mail for this very book. I ignored that to. But then my mother called and we were talking about my strong will, a subject that comes up often with her, and as soon as I got off the phone with her I spotted the flier for the book. I felt God gently said to me "So when are you going to get the hint?" I would like to say that I dutifully went out that day and bought the book...but I waited a couple more days, 4 if you must know, to get it. Hmmmm must be the strong will in me that "made" me resist doing what I knew I should do. Anyways, I finally got the book, but of course I put off reading it until last night. Did I mention that I bought the book 3 days ago? Well, I read the first chapter, and lets just say that I was offended. Really! It described me to a capital T! I almost put the book down and went to bed, but I decided to skim through the rest... Fast forward 2 1/2 hours later and I finally put the book down. The point of this book is learning how to use my strong willed personality to honor God and my husband with a little thing called submission. A biblical concept that I am not good at! The author Dr. Debbie Cherry writes that "We are all experts at making excuses for our behavior". And boy did she hit the proverbial nail on the head when she wrote that. I am good at making excuses for why I am the way I am, none of them are good mind you, but I am good at making them. But she also explains what submission is and is not. It is not surrendering my identity, being a quiet " I'll do whatever you tell me to do" wife, not ever expressing my opinion, or giving up my dreams, goals, or needs for my husbands. But submission is the process of putting off my selfish desires and putting on "one flesh" so that my husband and I can do the things that are necessary to reach the ultimate goal, having a God-honoring marriage. Now, if I can just remember the steps of, " How to Relinquish Control" from chapter 15...

God opened my eyes last night and I know that, with the help of my strong will, my husband, and God, I can make the changes to myself I need to make. I realized that I really do want to honor God and my husband, and I can do that without surrendering who I am. Now if I can just teach my daughters before they make the same mistakes!

Homeschooling Week 1

I was pretty sure that I had prepared myself for every scenario, but I know now that I was definitely kidding myself. The first day we had a major meltdown. The second day we only had a minor meltdown (this one mine). And, thankfully, by the third day things got a little easier. We are still trying to find a comfortable routine that works for us, but I have faith that by the end of our first month we will have settled into one. This being the first week, I also realized that I was a little rusty on some things... but I am happily relearning everything that he needs to learn. Zachary is a very smart "little" guy, and I am enjoying watching him get excited about learning something new. He really loves history and science, they are his favorite subjects, and I am enjoying putting together fun ways for him to learn about both subjects. I can't express enough what a privilege, and how much fun, it is for me to be able to help shape my sons future in a more hands on, active way. We have a long ways to go if we are both going to make it through 4th grade, so I ask for your continued prayers and encouragement on our behalf. And if you happen to have some ideas about how to teach in fun ways please pass them my way. I am willing to lean too!

Camp Barnabas was probably the most memorable experience I've ever had. Although I attended last year as a "Barnstormer", this year being a C.I.A. impacted me much differently, and at a deeper level. This year I got to work one on one with the camper specifically assigned to me for the week. And I have to admit that at first, I was dreading it. I honestly didn't feel up to the challenge of surrendering every moment of my week catering to the specific needs of someone that I didn't know, with a disability I wasn't sure how to handle. This being the first year I would have individual contact with the campers, I was unsure what to expect and a little scared. The next day I met my camper, Heather. She is 17, non-verbal, and mildly autistic. Most of my worries went away when I figured out she could understand me, she just communicated back with fewer words and gestures (her favorite two were "I love you" and "loser"). She could also do most everything herself, with verbal encouragement. But as the week went on I got to know Heather better, and I came to realize that she was more than just the basic list of disabilities that they give you at the beginning of the week. She was very smart, had a lively personality, a great sense of humor, and interests very similar to my own. She made everyone laugh, and she always had a smile on her face. I had so much fun spending time with her and the being her best friend for the week, that I often forgot she (or any of the other girls in my cabin) were there because of a disability. They all laughed and payed and complained like everyone else. I realized near the end of the week that I had come to Barnabas with certain expectations and ideas that were all drastically changed by the time I left. I realized that these campers were no different than you and me, and they are people with personalities, interests, feeling, and opinions. Their disabilities were only a small fraction of the amazing people God made them to be. More often than not, their disabilities could be considered a blessing. Camp Barnabas helped me realize that God doesn't care if you are paralyzed, blind, deaf, autistic, have Down's Syndrome, or are "normal" by the worlds standards; He has a plan and a purpose for you that nothing can hinder. It also made me think if complete submission and self-sacrifice to Heather could be so fulfilling and rewarding, what would it feel like to do that in our walk with the One who created her. -Victoria Deecke

Welcome to our new blog! Since most of our family (well actually, all of our family and a lot of our friends live out-of-state we thought this would be a great way to share what was going on with the kids, Ted and I. We hope to keep you up-to-date with family adventures, sagas, comings and goings, and photos. I can't promise weekly updates but I promise to at least up date you all monthly.

To start I'll share what has been happening this summer...

Ted, the kids (minus Amanda), and I spent a week at Palmetto Bible Camp in June. Everyone had a great time, especially Zach since this was his first year as a camper. Then we all spent an adventurous time in Chicago, and by adventurous I mean not-planned-mishaps everyday, but in the end fun was had by all. Kevin and Tori then went to camp Barnabas (a camp for special needs children)Iin July, where Kevin spent his week as a "barnstormer" and Tori was pared with a special needs camper. I will post a copy of her article for our Church bulletin as soon as I figure out how to... They both came back blessed by their time there. During that time Zach and I had some great one-on-one time while Ted was off on another whirlwind job throughout Ohio visiting 4 of their offices. If you all are wandering what has happened to Amanda, no, we have not forgotten her. She moved out into her first apartment with 2 of her friends and is finally experiencing the "Real World". We see her about once a week when she gets a craving for a home-cooked meal, other than frozen pizza and ramen noodles. She seems to be adjusting well, but between work and her now loaded school schedule we won't see much of her.

This next week Tori (who is now in 11th grade!) and Kevin (who will begin his freshman year, I can't believe he is this old now!) will start school, which they are so "happy" about, while Zach gets to have one more week of vacation before I start homeschooling him. I know that this is the right decision for us and I am looking forward to being able to play a more important role in his education both intellectually and spiritually, but I also am nervous about my decision because it is my son's future that I am taking into my hands. I would appreciate your prayers for he and I. I have no delusions that this will be easy but I have a peace about this and know that we will do just fine, with support of family and friends and God's guidance.

I pray that eveyone is doing well and that we will be able to see everyone soon. We love you all!