Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Show in Merritt Island, FL

We had a great time in Florida. The show was great! Lots of people came and lots of people got saved. What a wonderful thing.

Yesterday, we had a leisurely morning at our favorite hotel in Orlando. I sat out on the patio off our room and read and ate my breakfast. Then, I ran for 45 minutes down I-drive. After that, we spent time at the pool. Then, we went to one of our favorite restaurants...the Columbia. It's Cuban food. They have the best dessert that I've ever had...white chocolate bread pudding. It was everything I remembered and more!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

On the Road Again

We are driving to the airport to catch an early flight to Orlando. We have a show in Merritt Island, FL tonight.

I've spent the majority of my time the last few days getting things done after our big TX trip and getting things ready for this trip. However, we did squeeze a few fun things in. We went to a music video shoot for Stephanie Smith. It was fun! Steph was a natural in front of the camera.

Also, Brock and I went on a date yesterday. We went to see a matinee of Bill Cosby and ate dinner at a great restaurant in Nashville. Both were wonderful! Bill Cosby was just like I expected. I felt like we were listening to our funny grandpa tell stories. It's strange how you feel like you know him. He went for over 2 hours and he is 71! Then, he did another show last night. We were impressed with that. Brock and I get tired out doing multiple shows in one day and we are in our 30's.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Wreck

Yesterday, we were heading into town when we saw a wreck on the interstate on the opposite side of the road. Since there were no emergency vehicles there yet, we pulled over to see if we could help. It wasn't good. A lady hit a tractor who was mowing on the side of the road. The tractor driver was fine, but the lady was trapped in her car. She had 3 girls whom were sitting on the side of the road. They seemed okay with some cuts. The lady was conscious, but the problem was her little boy. He was probably around 2 years old. There were people working on him, but he wasn't breathing. They did get a pulse, but he never breathed on his own.

Finally, the emergency people came and they put the baby in the ambulance. Later, they cut the woman out of her car, and took the family to the hospital in helicopters. I still don't know if the boy lived. We sure were praying for him and the whole family.

We've come onto the scene of many accidents before the emergency vehicles show up. We help as much as we can, but our main purpose for being there is to pray. Continue to pray for this baby.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Busy, But Done

Yesterday, our meetings went well. We had our meeting in downtown Franklin. We ran into so many people down there. It was fun to see a bunch of people as we ran errands and had meetings. I got everything done except for washing our clothes. It took all day yesterday, but we got everything ready to go for when we leave again on Sunday morning. Now, we can just chill out today. I need it! I slept for 10 1/2 hours last night!

Tomorrow, Brock is planning on riding his dirt bike in the morning. I'll wash clothes and pack up our clothes for this next trip. It will be easy since we are flying to Florida to do a show Sunday night and then flying back Monday.

Then, at 4pm tomorrow, we are going to see a matinee of Bill Cosby! That's going to be so funny! Brock and I are going on a date to see Bill Cosby and then eat at one of our favorite restaurants in Nashville.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Meetings

Pray for us today. We are meeting with people to discuss doing missions. Also, I have so much to do before we leave Sunday. I have errands to run and emails to attend to. It's so good to be home, but I'm not getting any time to rest yet...at least not yet.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Show in Picayune, MS

We performed at a high school auditorium in Picayune, MS. Last year, when they had a similar event, they had 400 in attendance. They were hoping for 300-400 this year. Well, we had over 1,200 people! It was standing room only in an auditorium that seated 1,200. Over 200 people gave their lives to Jesus last night! Thank you, Lord!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Show at Louisiana Tech

They had a little over 300 chairs set up for the show last night. At around 6:40, we opened the doors and people began pouring in. I saw some of the leaders grabbing chair after chair from a closet. They pulled out extra chairs for a good 20 minutes. By the time everyone came in, there were over 600 people at the show last night. It was great!

Before we began, I told someone that we probably wouldn't sell many dvd's because the audience members were college students whom don't have a lot of money. However, I told her that we would have a bunch of Compassion children sponsored. We had 15 kids sponsored last night! That's huge! Brock said that he wasn't surprised because college students care.

The show was so fun. College age people really get Brock's sense of humor the best. Everyone was laughing and having a good time. Instead of giving an invitation, Brock gave a survey. He had everyone write on a card where they were spiritually. We've found that this works best with college students. He had some great conversations with people after the show. Lots of people were thinking about the Lord.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Show in Ruston, LA

We said goodbye to my in-laws and our niece yesterday morning. Then, we drove 5 hours to Ruston, LA. When we got there, we hit the ground running. We set everything up onstage. Then, I ran to the lobby and set up the merchandise. This is taking up so much of my time. We've decided that from now on, when we drive to a show, we are going to take someone with me to help me. It's too difficult to set up everything myself. When I have 4 suitcases to keep up with, it's manageable. A whole truck and trailer is a different story!

The promoter for the show last night was Brock's best friend from high school and college, Brian Britt. He did such a good job promoting the show that the show was sold out. They've never had a sold out event in this civic center before. The show was amazing! It was a great crowd, and we all had a lot of fun. Brock had many old friends and even some family in the audience. He began telling a story onstage about back when he was in math class. He heard a few snickers in the audience. He then realized that his former math teacher was there!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Miracles Show in Cleburne, TX

The show was tough last night because it is new and it's been a while since we've done it. It's a lot of work. We began setting up at 11:30am and sat down to eat dinner at 10pm. I think that was the only time I really sat down.

However, several of our friends and family came, and they all loved it! There was one comment that made it all worth it. A 62 year old lady whom never talks about religion or goes to church said that the show cleared up every doubt she ever had about Jesus.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Lots of Shows

This morning, we are driving over to Cleburne, TX which is about 45 minutes from Ft Worth, to begin setting up the Miracles show. Pray for that show tonight. Then, we drive to Ruston, LA tomorrow morning in order to do a show there tomorrow night as well as a show at LA Tech on Monday night. On Tuesday night, we have a show in Picayune, MS. Therefore, we need prayer because we are doing four shows in four days in 3 different states. Pray for strength and power that can only come from the Lord. I'll let you know how the shows go.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Time with the Fam

We have both families here right now. My parents came up to Fort Worth, TX Wednesday as well as Brock's parents for different reasons. My parents were planning on coming up this weekend, but since they had no electricity, they decided to come up early. (By the way, they just got power back in their home. Yeah!!! That was a lot quicker than they expected.) Brock's parents are here to help his sister and her family move out. They are moving from Fort Worth to Kansas City, MO Saturday. Plus, our show is in the Fort Worth area Saturday night and Brock's brother and his wife live in Dallas and are coming to the show as well. So, we are getting to see Brock's whole family and spend some time with my parents as well. Yesterday, my parents, Brock's parents, and us took our niece, Eva, to the zoo. Since she is about to move, we want to spend as much time with her as we can. This video shows the good time Brock had with her:

She kept going back for more every single time. After about 10 times, I told Brock that he would just have to pick her up and take her into another room. It worked!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Back to Work

We are back from Vegas. It was wonderful! I saw 8 shows while we were there, and went to some fabulous places to eat. If you don't gamble in Vegas, you really win. We stayed in a five star hotel on the strip for less than we would pay for a Hampton Inn. My favorite shows were Ka Cirque show, Jeff McBride, and Carrot Top. My favorite places to eat was a Filipino place, Tao (asian cuisine), the crepe place in the Paris hotel, and a Brazilian steakhouse. We walked so much while we were there that I feel like we worked off the extra pounds we might have gained with all of the food we ate.

I felt very badly that I was sitting at the pool everyday while my parents were going through Hurricane Ike. Luckily, their phones still had service, so I kept in close contact with them. They still don't have electricity. They are guessing that they will be without it for at least another two weeks. Ugh!

Last night, we did a show in Carrollton, TX. It was fun! We were actually excited to be onstage doing our own show. The crowd was packed out, and we all had a good time. By going to Vegas, I learned so much about how to improve our show. However, the thing that I noticed during the show last night is that there was one thing that our show has that no other show had that I saw last week...the powerful message of Jesus Christ. When it comes time for the message and invitation, I always tell the Lord that this is His part of the show. Well, He outshines everybody! He's the only One that can make a "show" life changing.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Lighting

I am a little particular about lighting. I don't like harsh lights like halogen or fluorescent. I prefer sunlight during the day and lamps at night. I rarely turn on the overhead lights in each room. I'd rather turn on three individual lamps than one switch on the wall.

I never really thought about it until we went light shopping recently. Brock likes lots of light, whereas, I like a soft glow. Bright lights just seems so institutional.

I'm going to have to get used to the new energy saving halogen lights, though. They are the way of the future. Am I weird about lighting or are some of you as particular as I am?

Monday, September 15, 2008

Goose Bumps

Goose bumps are such a funny thing. The dictionary.com definition of it is: a rough condition of the skin, resembling that of a plucked goose, induced by cold or fear.

I get them often...probably once a day at least. I'm usually cold, so I'll get them even in the summer when I walk into the air conditioning of most buildings. I get them when I hear a moving part of a song or movie, or whenever the Lord reveals something so blatantly in my life. What causes you to get goose bumps?

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Little Mexico

We've been going to a restaurant that we just discovered right near our house. It's a Mexican restaurant which I cannot pronounce the name, so I call it Little Mexico. This is fitting, because it's just like a place we went to in Baja, Mexico. We are the only white people there. Plus, they don't speak very much English. Brock is getting better and better with his Spanish. He likes to go there once a week while we're at home in order to learn Spanish better.

The food is great, too...very authentic! They have great plantains when they are ripe (plantains have to be black before they are ripe). It's so good!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Excercise

I have been running 3 miles at least twice to three times a week for a while now. I have some good running shoes. I run 6-1 intervals meaning I run for 6 minutes and walk for 1 minute over and over again. This really helps me to not be so sore or injured.

I actually really enjoy it. I found this out on Labor Day. For Labor Day, I decided to do whatever I wanted to do. I gave myself permission to eat whatever and go wherever and not HAVE to do anything. Well, I still ran. That told me that I wanted to do it.

It makes me feel good after doing it. I even run while we're on the road. You would think that it would make me feel more tired after running (especially when we are on the road with a tough schedule). However, it gives me more energy after I run. It's a nice time to yourself with your own thoughts. It's a great time to pray. It's all around healthy for me!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Missions

We have many missions opportunities out there. The problem is that all of our ideas take a lot of time and cost a lot of money. I don't know what ideas are God ideas. I also don't know when we should do these mission trips. Basically, I need to pray through a few opportunities and would like it if you would pray through some of these as well.

We possibly have an opportunity to go to China in November. We want to go to Mexico sometime next year. Brock almost went to Haiti this last weekend, but the trip was canceled due to the hurricanes. Also, I want to go to Bolivia to see my sister after she has the baby. If there is any way that I can go to a Compassion project while I'm there, I might do that.

Just pray that it will be obvious which ones if not all of them and when the Lord wants us to go. Pray that the money and the schedule will be available.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Avoiding Burnout

Well, I avoided burnout. Two weekends ago, I began to get sick to my stomach everyday. That lasted for 4 or 5 days. I was beginning to think that my ulcer was back. However, it went away by about Wednesday of last week. Then, I told you about how much I slept last weekend.

I was talking it over with one of my friends who is a mother of 4 and runs the woman's ministry at her church. I told her that I was the only follow through person around. Therefore, I have to make sure that every detail gets done in our ministry and life. I'm Brock's personal assistant in life and our ministry. I plan and execute Parties with a Purpose as well as chocolate tastings. Brock is visionary. I see his visions to completion. However, as a mother, she had to know what that was like...taking care of the details for the people in her life. I told her that I felt like getting away for a few days by myself. She said that she feels that way sometimes, but she doesn't burnout every year like I do.

We decided that it had to be the shows. With live show comes so much pressure. Plus, it's draining emotionally, spiritually, as well as physically. This was the same time of year that I burnt out last year. We think that maybe the summer is still catching up to me. This year, we've had a lighter schedule after the summer than we usually have. I think that's why I was able to beat this burnout before it took control. Plus, Brock is learning the warning signs of when I'm about to burnout, and he's helping me get through it.

We are going to Vegas tomorrow because Brock is going to a magic seminar. Therefore, I'm going to go to the pool and see a couple of shows while he's in the seminar. It's going to be perfect! It's going to be like a vacation by myself, but I'll have Brock there at night. By the end of this break, after having tons of time to myself, and after getting so much sleep last weekend, I think that I should be good as new!

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Brock's Witness

As Brock was running near our house on Saturday (I was too lazy to run that day), he saw a sketchy couple carrying a couple of beers come out of the woods and begin walking his way. When they passed each other, the guy asked Brock if he had a chain. Brock made some comment like it was in his other pants or something. The couple basically said that they were kidding since they knew that he had nothing on him while he was running. However, they were stuck in the mud down in the ditch.

Brock told them to give him 10 minutes or so. He ran the mile and 1/4 back home and got his 4 wheel drive truck. He took his new tow strap out of the package and pulled those people out like it was nothing. Brock was so excited to be able to use his 4 wheel drive and actually pull someone else out for a change.

The guy pulled out a stack of 20's and wanted to pay Brock, because it would have cost him a lot of money to get a tow truck. Brock simply told him that he didn't need to pay him. He said that his life had been changed by Jesus some time ago, so now, he puts his money where his mouth is. The guy hung his head down in shame immediately. Brock didn't say anything more about it, but obviously the guy was convicted. The Lord must have been doing something in his life, because what Brock didn't preach at the guy or anything. You never know what the Lord is doing in others.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Sleep, VMA's, and Beignets

This weekend, I slept so much. Friday night, I slept 10 1/2 hours. Then, I took an hour nap on Saturday. Actually, I stayed in bed for most of the day Saturday and read and watched a movie on TV. Saturday night I thought that I would have trouble sleeping because I'd slept so much...not at all. I even took another nap yesterday. The only thing that I can figure out is that I woke up every night last week for some strange reason or another. The other thing is that maybe the summer finally caught up to me. Whatever the case, I feel very rested now!

Yesterday, we ate at this place after church and the cook talked with Brock for a long time. He liked Brock so much that he gave our whole table some free desserts. Then, he gave Brock a bag of beignet dough. We hung out a some friends' house yesterday and watched the VMA's and ate beignets. The beignets were amazing. The VMA's were not. I'm ashamed of this culture right now. Sex, fame, and riches are all they talk about. Plus, the talent pool is very shallow right now. I will say that Haley from Paramore did an excellent performance. I was very proud of her!

Friday, September 05, 2008

Hands and Feet

I cannot get Hands and Feet off of my mind. It looks as if Hurricane Ike is heading there with all of its fury. Please pray for the people involved in the Hands and Feet and for the buildings and land itself.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Pray for Haiti

The show went great last night. Lots of people were saved.

Pray for Haiti. I've told you a little about the Hands and Feet Project that our friend, Mark, has started. Basically, it's an orphanage in Haiti. Haiti's government is so corrupt that its people are literally starving. Recently, the poverty has been so bad that mothers are feeding their children mud pies, because that's the only thing they can find to eat.

Hands and Feet have 36 children whom they've taken in. The problem is Gustov and Hannah. Gustov created a rock slide which knocked out the buildings where the kids sleep and live. They have a bigger building that's okay. Everyone happened to be in the larger building eating when it happened, so nobody was hurt. However, they are all crammed into one house with 6 or 7 kids to a bed. Then, Hurricane Hannah hit it. It was all over the news that Hannah was hitting the Dominican Republic. Haiti and the Dominican share an island yet Haiti is always ignored.

It's the poorest country in this part of the world but always gets overlooked. It's in the top 10 poorest countries in the world. Their national religion is voodoo. Hands and Feet is trying to break this horrible cycle in some lives. They need help though. They need our prayer and support if we can give it. Someone asked if they had any sort of insurance down there. Mark's wife just laughed...I guess that's a "no." www.handsandfeetproject.org

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Superhero Parade

After lunch, we decided to have a parade in downtown Franklin...










On another note, pray for our show tonight. We have a show in Smyrna, TN which is only about 20 minutes from our house. That's nice!

Superheroes at El Guadalajara

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We had cupcake superheroes

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Confusia and Syncia (or something like that)

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Brock was chocolate rainman (if you haven't seen chocolate rain, go to youtube and search for it)

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After we told everyone about the ministry in Africa that we were supporting, we each stood up and told about our superhero powers.

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We had several other superheroes. I was Mrs. Freeze. Whenever the horn blew, everyone had to freeze.

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We all voted on a girl and guy superhero. Brock and Lindsey Little who was Chef Humble Pie won!


They both happened to have a song that went along with their superheroes. So, we had them both sing at the same time.