Controlled Chaos

Why?

2008-12-10T23:16:00.005-05:00

I have to admit. I don't get it. What's the big deal? Why is Facebook so popular. For whatever reason, my wonderful and beautiful wife has been encouraging me to join. Again, I just don't get it. The people I know I talk to, either with email or IRL. The people I haven't heard from in a long time I get emails from as well... sometimes. So, this leads me to my first blog5 list.

Top 5 reasons I joined Facebook.

5. All the cool kids are doing it.
4. It's better then joining Twitter (something I understand even less).
3. Chicks dig it.
2. I wonder how many profile photos I can come up with that will make my wife cringe...
1. The sound of silence. "When are you going to join Facebook?"

BTW, my girls team is 1-2 heading into tomorrows game. I do have some insightful things to say about the team but I need time to put it all together. Brain dumps on that sort of thing never come out the right way...

2tim47

2008-11-17T16:25:00.002-05:00

One of the things I sort of promised myself was that I was going to try and blog during the basketball season. No, it's not that I don't have enough to do with my job, my family, Powerhouse, coaching girls varsity and general goof-offery. I just thought that it would be a good idea to remember the ups and downs of the season.

I have an amazing team. The only thing we're missing is a girl that can dunk. We have scorers, rebounders, defensive stoppers, speed demons and all around athletes. We have an amazing opportunity to be in thick of things come playoff time. I've implemented 2 big changes this year: man-to-man defense and the Triangle offense. NO ONE in our conference plays man-to-man full time and the triangle is a simple yet effective way to run an offense. We'll still have some sets (that's another subtle change, we're running offensive sets with plays instead of the traditional 1 play, 1 set that high school ball is used to).

My girls are troopers. They're really embracing the changes and they seem really excited about the upcoming season. Our theme for this year is "Commitment". Everything they do, they need to do it 100% baseline 2 baseline. Commitment to basketball, their team, grades, family and of course God. That's where 2tim47 comes in. I love reading about Paul and all the amazing things he did to further the cause of Christ.

In 2 Timothy he's writing a letter to Timothy. Just as a brief background, Paul is writing in Jail shortly before he is to die. He knows this. Let's stop there for a second and really think about that. This guy is put in jail for TALKING about Christ. While the Bible doesn't specifally say, it was custom back then to cut his head off as a punishment for being a Christian. Instead of the "oh, whoa is me" attitude he could have had, he starts writing letters to fellow believers. Again, not the "I'm about to die, feel sorry for me" stuff... no, he wrote words of ENCOURAGEMENT. Dying to himself to help those who need it most.

He writes in 2 Timothy 4:7 "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." In the face of adversity he gave 100% to get the job done. He could have stopped at any time and succummed to the evils of the world. He could have given it a half-effort and he would have lived longer and some people would have been saved. A decent number. A number that would have been considered good by some traditional churches that are happy with half-efforts. Not Paul. He took his commitment to God seriously and completely SOLD OUT to Him.

How would the body of Christ transform if Christians, true Christians whose heart it is to seek out the lost and to show love and compassion like Christ did, if true Christians would embrace this mindset of fighting the good fight, of finishing the race, of keeping the faith. The mindset of seeing things through to the end. Not giving up. Putting every ounce of effort into loving your neighbor.

That's what I want from my girls this year. At the end of the season, at the end of the game, at the end of practice, at the end of the school year, at the end of the day I want them to be able to say, "I have done all I can. I've put my whole heart into task, I've given my all."

That's all I'm asking for, everything.

Hurricanes Rocked

2008-09-13T13:51:00.002-04:00

We just got back from Christian and Caleb's first soccer game. Their team name is the Hurricanes. They did awesome today. They were down 1-0 at the half and came back to win 2-1. Christian scored a goal and he was soaring afterward(it was extremely cute). This is the first time he is playing on a full size field. So, needless to say they were very hot and tired after the game.

Way to go Hurricanes, keep it up.

Internship Update

2008-09-10T17:07:00.003-04:00

I have to say I am really enjoying my fifth grade class. They are so well behaved, eager to learn and participate in class. My supervising teacher is super organized and anyone who knows me knows I love that about her. The only problem that I am facing right now is the fact that my supervising teacher just got hired as a vice Principal at another school. This totally stinks for me. If the teacher that they hire does not have the qualifications to have an intern in their class, I am going to have to be moved to another class. The school has said they really want me to stay in the class because they think it will be an easier transition for the students but I guess I will have to see what happens.

So things are crazy right now but my volleyball team is now 5-1!!!

The New Semester Begins

2008-08-27T17:18:00.003-04:00

Today I spent most of the morning at UCF for orientation for my Senior internship. I am so excited that it is my last semester (at least for my Bachelor's). My coordinator is so nice and he will be a great help throughout the semester. The only thing that I was disappointed in was the fact that I will be teaching 5th grade. I had requested K-2 and I was hoping for 2nd or 3rd grade but I got 5th. I know it is still going to be a great experience and maybe teaching 5th grade will be my new passion. I start on Tuesday and I will still be coaching volleyball after school. Life should be very interesting in the Jacobson house for the next three months. Who am I kidding, life is always interesting in the Jacobson house=)

How Much Does She Love Me?

2008-08-08T08:51:00.003-04:00

This much!

So, this past couple of weeks I asked the advise of a lot of friends. Darrel warned me of a V8, high gas prices, the soon-to-be-released new Camaro and the impending doom of the american automobile. I re-read Barry's 4 part series on buying cars. Talked to a bunch of friends about the hard choice of an older model with a bigger engine or a newer model with a smaller engine. You know, 'cause a $30K new 'stang just isn't in the budget yet... Poured over the numbers to figure out how much it would affect the budget (well, Jennie did anyways, I occasionally peered over the computer screen with my car searches on it). I also had to explain to my wife why you couldn't call my car "pretty".

My car is a 2004 Ford Mustang GT Convertible with a 260hp V8 engine and manual 5-speed transmission. The kicker is that it has 18,000 miles on it. Yes, like every used car I've ever bought it was only driven by a little old man to and from the grocery store (when will they think of something new to say...). The color is perfect. The inside is perfect. It sounds perfect.

Happy 3rd Birthday Sara!!!

2008-07-25T16:11:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday, it was Sara's 3rd birthday. It is hard to believe that she is three years old. Since we are not having her birthday party till Sunday we took her to Chuck-E-Cheese that night for dinner. She had a great time and is looking forward to her Tinkerbell party on Sunday. Happy Birthday Sara, we love you very much.

Family Blog?

2008-07-20T08:23:00.003-04:00

I know this is suppose to be a family blog. Has anyone seen any posts from my wonderful and talented husband? He is a much more creative writer than I am. Maybe he will show up someday=)

Super Excited!

2008-07-17T10:25:00.005-04:00

So Amanda, my niece/sister, called me Tuesday night and said she was engaged! I am so excited for Amanda and Mikey. He is a really great guy and he treats Amanda the way she deserves to be treated. I can honestly say this is the first time I have seen Amanda in a relationship that she is content and not scared of commitment. Mikey is so good for her and they compliment each other well. My kids are more excited about Mikey becoming a part of the family than Amanda getting married. Sorry, Amanda=) They're moving back to Florida from CA in two weeks. I can't wait to help Amanda with the wedding plans. She will be the most beautiful bride. Congratulations Amanda and Mikey, we love you very much.

Packing Again

2008-07-08T09:08:00.002-04:00

Tonight I have to go to my Dad's house and help him pack. He sold his house in about two weeks and he is moving in with us next week. I am so thankful that his house sold quickly and that he is going to come live with us. This year has been the hardest ever for our family. Losing my mom is the the worst thing that has ever happen to me in my life. Now today I have to help my dad go through everything in thier house and help him pack. I feel like I am going to be starting all over in the greiving process while I do this. Please pray for me this week that I can handle this process.

On a good note my kids are so excited that Pop-Pop is coming to live with them. They have been really worried about him and they are happy he is coming here. They are also happy that when Pop-Pop goes with us to the grocery store they get donuts that Mommy won't buy.

Toes and One on One Time

2008-07-04T15:46:00.004-04:00

I have to write about the best part of vacation. On Thursday, Emily and I got to go and get a pedicure. Yes, I had my first pedicure in my 20's and my daughter had her first when she's six. Something is just so wrong about that. She watched me as I got mine done and she just kept getting more and more excited and giddy about it. When it was her turn she was so stinkin cute. She was smiling and laughing and talking to me about everything. When they were scrubbing her feet she was trying so hard not to laugh and giggle because it tickled her so much. We had a great time.

At the end of the day she told me it was her best day on vacation because she got to do something just with me and no one else. This really made me feel like I was so special to Emily and it also made me think how one on one time with our kids is so important. We try to do so many things together as a family and we try to individual things with our kids but so often it is as a family. The time I spend with each of my kids along is so awesome. They have your individual attention and they will just talk your ear off but it is wonderful. So my goal is going to make an extra effort to set up time with my kids individually and it doesn't have to be a big deal it could just be taking one child to run errands and stop to get an ice cream on the way home. Right now they love spending time with us and if make an effort now maybe when they are teenager they won't hate us as much=)

Vacation Ends

2008-07-04T12:56:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures from vacation. We have had a great week! The kids have had a blast at the beach and the pool. We have spent most of the days outside in the sun and working on our tans. We are getting ready to come home tonight and sleep in our own beds. The kids are looking forward to the benefit concert on Sunday night. We will see you all there=)

Fishing Success

2008-06-30T14:55:00.004-04:00

Vacation has started off great. We spent the day yesterday at the beach and the pool. The condo we are staying in is beautiful. The kids had a blast playing in the sand. The water in the ocean is a little chilly so I watched while daddy played in the water.

The boys and grandma went on their fishing trip this morning. Christian caught the most fish bringing in three=) He said two were fish bait and one was a keeper. Gramdma won with the biggest fish so we are having snapper for dinner tonight, YUM.

Vacation Begins!!

2008-06-28T09:21:00.002-04:00

We are getting ready this morning to leave for vacation. We are going to Palm Coast to stay at a condo on the beach with Don's mom, step dad, brother, his girlfriend and their 6 month old baby boy. The kids are so excited to spend the week at the beach with grandma. We have not gotten to see our new nephew, Tyland, yet so that will be fun. Christian is very excited that he will be going deep sea fishing on Monday with the boys and Grandma. The girls are going to get their nails done which sounds so much better to me and Emily than being suck in the middle of the ocean all day. We will post pictures throughout the week so check it out.

We will miss you all at C3 tomorrow while we are laying on the beach=)

Last Class

2008-06-23T21:25:00.005-04:00

So tonight I started by last class for my BA in elementary education. After this class all I will have is my internship in the fall then I FINALLY graduate. I left the class with my head spinning from all the work I am going to have to do. By Wednesday night I have to do a two page paper, a letter to parents about language arts, study the sunshine state standards for language arts for a quiz and read four chapters for another quiz. So needless to say, I will be glued to my laptop until Wednesday night. I also will have to drive back from vacation next week to go to class so I do not get behind. (Don, will say I do not have to come back because I do not HAVE to get an A=)

I also started Volleyball camp with my team today. I have a coach and her daughter who playes for Clearwater Christian College coming in to do a four day camp from 9-12 each day. It was a lot of fun and I had a good turnout. Emily is excited she gets to come with me tomorrow. She loves volleyball!

Anyway, off to homework.

Soccer Camp and Girl Time

2008-06-20T18:13:00.003-04:00

We had a very busy week. Christian went to soccer camp at UCF with Caleb and Luke. He went last year for the half day program but I decided I probably should let go and I could handle a full day this year. He had a blast! The first day the shuttle forgot to pick up the campers and take them to the pool so they had to walk over two miles to get there after they had played soccer all day. Needless to say he was very tired on Monday night. Overall it was a great experience and anything he can do with Caleb and Luke he is "all in." I went today to watch him play and he was doing so good. He got to play goalie which he loves and he was really good at it. After camp we went to the Chinese buffet then back to the house for an afternoon in the pool.

While Christian was in soccer camp, Emily, Sara and I had quality girl time. There is nothing better than going to the Philly Pretzel Factory and a trip out shopping to make a girls day. We went to the library for story time and Emily got her own library card. We spent a lot of time in the pool singing "Fabulous" from High School Musical II because there were no boys to tell us to stop singing=)

Tonight Christian and Emily are off to the Conrad's for the "Camp Rock" premiere. Have fun Ms. Sandi!

Happy Father's Day and Happy Anniversary

2008-06-15T20:23:00.005-04:00

Happy Father's Day! Today was a great day. The kids were very excited to make Daddy's day special. They were not able to see him this morning when they woke up because he was at church setting up. When Sara saw him in the hallway she was so cute, she ran down the hallway yelling "Happy Father's Day Daddy" and gave him a great big hug. We spent the rest of the day relaxing around the house. My dad came over to spend the day with us. I know today was hard for him without my mom but he had a blast with the kids, they always keep him smiling. My dad and I have become so much closer in the past eight months and I am thankful for that. The kids finished off the evening by playing in the sprinklers while Daddy picked more weeds from our lawn.

Today is also our 12th wedding anniversary. I know people can not believe that I have survived 12 year married to Don=) Happy anniversary honey! You make me laugh every day and make me feel loved. I am proud to be your wife and look forward to many more happy and exciting years with you.

Let the Summer Fun Begin

2008-06-13T22:17:00.004-04:00

We are having a great beginning to the summer. The school year ended smoothly and we are ready for the summer fun to begin. Emily had some great things happen at the end of May. She was baptized with her best friend Luke and she was very excited that Mr. Travis was the person to baptize her. Christian and Caleb were also baptized together by Travis last year. We are so blessed with friends are who totally invested in our kids. A couple of days after getting baptized she graduated from Kindergarten. She looked so cute in her cap and gown.

We have had a great week! We went to the movies, bowling and spent a lot of time in the pool. We are loving our new house and having a pool.

August 5th!?!?

2008-05-12T11:59:00.004-04:00

Wow, It's been a long time since Jennie has posted in her blog. Luckily, I figured out her username and password and I am doing a "guest post" just to let everyone know that she is indeed still alive and I'll be pushing her to post more. Maybe we'll have to do more of a "family" blog where we both are regular contributers and then she can have more of an excuse to not work on her blogging. :)

-Don

C3 Rocks

2007-08-05T14:57:00.000-04:00

We had another great day at church today. I did not get to go to service because it was my week to teach my three year olds. We had two new little boys in our class today. The mom was worried because this was their first time at church and she was not sure how they would do. They came in the room fine but I could tell they were a little nervous. I have a little boy in my class who is so cute and is so sociable and kind to the kids. The first thing I did was to introduce Hayden to the two new boys. Of course Hayden loved that and was so sweet to them. By the end of the class the new boys were so excited about coming to church and when I asked our kids if God loved them then both raised their hands. God is so good and even a three year old little boy can make a difference in the lives of others with Christ's love. Why can't adults love new people in the church as quickly. I think we could all learn a lesson from Hayden.
I am so proud that our church is reaching unchurched families for Christ. So many Christians say they believe in the great commission and leading others to Christ but do they really. I think Don said it perfectly when we were talking about this very topic. He said, " is it really fishing men if the fish you are fishing have already been caught, I think that is just stealing church members from other churches." I am thankful that God gave us a pastor who wants to reach the lost fish and not just the ones who have been caught already.

Happy Birthday Sara

2007-07-29T16:08:00.000-04:00

I know it has been forever since I have blogged. Things have been crazy. My nieces Kaleigh and Jessica have been here from CA. We have been busy playing, bowling and going to Universal. My camera is broken so I did not want to blog without pictures!
Sara turned the big 2 on Monday! It is hard to believe. When you ask her how old she is she tells you, "I two" and she holds up one finger. It is very cute. On her birthday we took her to the play land to play with her cousins and friends but she was scared of the tunnels and would not go in. I was a bad mother that night and I had to go to class on her birthday. She spent the evening with Dad, Emily, Christian, Grandma, Grampa and Uncle Mike. They gave her a little party and she had a blast. The next night my family came over for dinner and cake. She got lots of Dora presents and had a great time. The best part of the night was when she was so excited about her Curious George panties that mom-mom bought her she put all three pairs on over her clothes. Happy Birthday Sara. I love you and welcome "offically" to the terrible twos!

God is good!

2007-07-17T09:44:00.001-04:00

My life has been full of emotion and craziness for the past few days. Don spent all of Saturday and Saturday night stuck in an airport trying to get to Dallas. He finally got there on Sunday morning just in time to rush to the hotel and take a shower to go to the church he was visiting. Since Don was going to be gone on Saturday night I had three of my high school girls spend the night with me and were coming to check out C3 with me in the morning. I was up late with the girls talking and my mom called me about 12:45 a.m. to tell me that I needed to come to her house because she called 911 and she thought my Dad was having a heart attack. I quickly left the house and took my mom to the hospital. We were there all night in the E.R. then they moved him into the open heart ICU. I got home at 5:00 a.m. to find my high school girls waiting up for me because they were worried about me. God knew that I needed them there that night. If they were not there to watch my kids, I would not have been able to go be with my mom and dad. They also were there to listen to my worries and concerns. God used those girls to show me that He will always work things out for His good for those who love Him. My Dad is home now. They had to do a stint in one artery and the others are also 60% blocked. He goes back in three weeks for a check-up and to see if they will have to put another stint in. The ball is in his court now to make changes to take better care of himself. I was bummed that I missed church on Sunday. I was telling Sandi that I knew that God put the girls in my house that night for a reason and that God would not give me more than I can bear and she told me that is what the sermon at church was about on Sunday. God is good all the time!

My Hubby

2007-07-12T12:25:00.000-04:00

I was sitting here think about my hubby. He is going to Dallas this weekend to visit a cool church like ours. He is going to check out the Children's ministry because were are using their curriculum in Power House. When I think about Don's ministry is Power House I am amazed. If anyone had been in Power House you will see what I am talking about. He is so good with the kids and he makes it fun and makes Jesus real to our kids. Many times I have seen a new child come in very shy and by the end of Power House they are dancing and begging their parents to come back. I am so proud that Don shows an example of what Jesus would be if he were in our Churches today. I don't think Jesus would stand in front of the kids and read them a story. Jesus would be right in the middle of the kids dancing and singing praises to His father. I am thankful that my children can see their Daddy making a difference in lives for Christ. Honey, you rock!

Beach Fun

2007-07-09T15:19:00.000-04:00

Today we went to the beach with the Conrad's (of course). When we finally got to the perfect spot with a shower to clean off afterwards(just for Sandi). We started to make our way down to the beach and we had walk down the steps to the beach, Sara saw the sand or in her words the dirt. She decided she did not want to go on the beach because she does not like dirt. I had to carry her across the sand to find a spot. Th rest of the kids were ready for sand and boggie boards. Sara finally warmed up to the beach which is a good thing since we are going to the Keys in a few weeks for vacation. After lesson from Mrs. Sandi, Emmi did great on the boggie board. Christian stayed in the water the whole time. We had a great day and I think we are going to go back on Friday.

4th of July

2007-07-04T21:39:00.000-04:00

Today we had a 4th of July party at our house with our home team from C3. We had a bounce house slip and slide and a kiddie pool for the babies. We had 10 kids ranging in age from infant to 8 years old. All in all we had a great day. I was so afraid that it was going to rain because it has been raining in the afternoon all week but it was so nice out. Sandi brought snow cones and of course they wre a hit with the kids and the adults. After dinner we were all sitting outside watching the kids play and I said, "I am so glad it did not rain today." Then the heavens opened up and it began to pour. Everyone ran inside to get out of the rain but Christian, Caleb and Luke stayed outside and played on the water slide. They had so much fun. It was so nice to spend the day with friends and to relax. Thanks guys for a great day!

Universal

2007-06-29T18:12:00.000-04:00

Today me and the kids went to Universal even though is was a 70% chance of rain. We had a great day. We waited in line for Cat in the Hat, Sara's favorite ride and as soon as we sat on the ride they made us get off. Sara was not happy she kept saying, "I ride cat, I ride cat." We did get to ride and it was fun. We went to see the Barney show. Sara loved it and Christian and Emily were tortured. We stayed most of the day. We had a blast and we only got sprinkled on and it cooled us off.

Emily's Big Day

2007-06-29T17:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Emily had a big day. She has been asking me for months to donate her beautiful long hair to locks of love. She heard about locks for love and really wanted to give her hair to someone else who needed it. I think she was also tired of me brushing her hair. I kept putting her off because I really did not want to cut it. (If any of you know my children as babies they are bald and take a long time to grow hair.) Emily has only had a trim to her hair but I finally let her cut it. We went to get her hair cut and she was soooo excited. She donated 16 inches to locks of love. Then Don and I decided that we would surprise her and let her get her ears pierced. O.K. it was me begging Don and him finally giving in=) So when we walked in the store she asked me what we were doing there. I girl at the store asked us if she could help us and I told her we were there to get Emily's ears pierced. Emmi was so excited but the first thing that came out of her mouth was "but Daddy said no!" She was so brave and looks so cute with her new "do" and her earrings. She is definitely a cute and caring girl. I know she will always remember the day and so will I.