Weekend Update

I know that this is only Sunday afternoon, and so the weekend is really only 2/3 over, but I have to take blogging opportunities as they come. And hey, look there! I can see an opportunity coming at me right now!

Friday night was the aforementioned Talent Show. It went very well, and I had a good time. Using a modest and unassuming tone I will say that I was quite funny and provided great comic relief in the midst of 4 instrumental performances, 1 dance number, and countless people singing to prerecorded tracks. My contribution was three "commercial" type sketches, one being a spoof on the beloved Chia Pet (can you picture "chia bible figurines"? And I even had visual aids!) one was for a product named The Bible Finder, which, when you whistle the first two lines of the song The B I B L E the device beeps back, letting you know right where you left it (No more being late for church because you can't find your Bible!) and one, my favorite, was based on get rich infomercials. This last sketch was for the company Parishioner/Product Programming who offers you their Premium Product Placement Package for a mere $99.99 +S&H. With this program you can incorporate products and companies into your weekly services, which helps reach the "unchurched demographic within our consumerism society" and "brings in thousands in product endorsement money each week." It had visual aids in the form of a PowerPoint presentation and audio aids courtesy of our worship pastor, Josh. It was a big hit with the crowd. I did record my parts, but have yet to figure out how to get it onto my computer and then there's getting it onto the Internet. I'll keep working on that.

Saturday morning was our Heart to Heart Women's Bible Study at church and then the girls had a birthday party at the park to attend. We went home after that, had naps and then did some grocery shopping in the evening. Nothing too exciting.

Today of course was church in the morning, and the girls and I will return this evening, as I am playing bass for that service. Steve will be leaving for work in about an hour.

That concludes this addition of Weekend Update. Tune in next time to hear about the adventures of the week ahead.

Yours 'till a Chia Pet will satisfy my girl's pleads for a dog...

Prayer Reports

First- Steve's brother, David, is at home and things are looking better. He has a pic line and is getting all of his nutrients that way so as to give his colon a nice long break. It seems to be healing itself, at least a little, as signs of bleeding have almost stopped entirely. Continue to pray for his recovery, and that this issue would settle itself without the need for surgery. They have put off taking out his colon as of yet to see if it can heal to the point of David being able to function with only a change in his diet. He should be seeing his doctor again in the next two weeks to evaluate progress and to hopefully remove the pic line which will give him his first opportunity to eat in about 3 weeks. Needless to say, he is looking forward to that.

Second- My Grandma Hetrick has been discharged from the hospital and is currently residing in a nursing care facility. It has been a difficult adjustment for Grandpa, but he seems to be taking things as well as can be expected. Pray that the coming weeks will bring peace for both of them as any change for Grandma is also difficult at this stage in her Alzheimer's.

Thanks for holding these things up to the Lord. And now I have couple more to add.

#1- Our Women's Ministries Director, Pastor Vickie Stanfill, has been struggling with what we thought was a fungal infection in her lungs for about a month now. A recent trip to the hospital led to tests that make the doctors think that it's not the fungus they thought it was, but of course they have no other ideas as to what could be causing her symptoms. She is extremely tired as severe bouts of coughing prohibit sleep and life without fully functioning lungs is wearing on her. Pray for a sure diagnosis, complete healing, and strength not only for her but her family as well.

#2- you may remember that in my first post of this resurrected blog I mentioned a mom here in West Sac with cancer. Things are pretty rough for her and I ask you all to pray pray pray. Please take time to read some of her blog. It is inspiring and will give you a glimpse into what a struggle she is enduring. Go to robynnsbattle.blogspot.com when you have time.

Thanks again for joining us in these petitions. We believe in the power of prayer and we're not afraid to use it!

Weekend Update

Our weekend was nice, I attended a wedding at church on Saturday afternoon. I was the only representative of the Hinton Huddle, as Steve and I agreed not to torture the children with having to dress up and sit quietly at a wedding for people they hardly know. We all went to a BBQ at the home of the Lytle family on Saturday evening. John and Traci have become great friends and not only do we all enjoy each other's company, but our children get along famously. A great time was had by all. Today, Sunday, was pleasantly uneventful. I filled in for the auxiliary percussion guy at our 11am service, and then stepped in on my bass guitar for the evening service. I am really enjoying my participation on the Praise and Worship Team. I made a huge crock pot of turkey chili this morning and the girls and I feasted on big steaming bowls accompanied by some yummy french bread slices. Mmmm, Mmmm good. And now, my friends it is time for bed. So...

Yours 'till my dinner wears a scarf because it's chili.

Current Plan of Action

FYI- as of now my plan of action regarding taking the preschool teaching position includes the following:

1. Meet with the Parent Board along with Mrs. Brown (returning teacher) and Ms. Renee (the one whose leaving) at their scheduled May meeting. This will be when the "official" announcement will be made that I have accepted the position, although the buzz has grown considerably over the last few weeks and I suspect that everyone already knows. At this meeting I will meet the new board for next year which has already been elected, and begin to be involved with any decisions effecting the '08-'09 school year.

2. Meet with the Principal of Yolo Continuation High School who will in effect be my boss. I will continue to be employed as a substitute teacher, which is handled by the District Offices, but the preschool program itself falls under "Adult Education" and is run out of and in conjunction with the continuation high school. This meeting will take place, I hope, in the first two weeks of May. We have yet to settle on a date when he, myself, and Ms. Renee can all attend.

3. Start visiting the classroom once a week starting in May. This will give me an opportunity to get reacquainted with the schedules and routines, and begin to develop a relationship with any returning parents. I will be able to observe Ms. Renee and note things that I want to copy and thongs I want to do differently. I am hoping to also visit with Mrs. Brown's class at least once, as I have never actually seen her teach before. I'm sure she has much wisdom to pass on to her new padouin.

So, that's it. The ball will officially be rolling in May.
WOO HOO!!!

-This is completely aside from anything previously said, but the ice cream truck outside is playing Christmas music. Just thought you'd like to know.-

Weekend Update

How did the Hinton's spend this last weekend? Well, let me tell you...

Friday night was date night. Steve and I went to dinner at Logan's Roadhouse, ate way more than was necessary, then went to see a movie. We don't splurge on the cinema very often due to the outrageous cost, but once in a while we just want to see a flick on the big screen. We shelled out $20 to see 21. Good movie. Not sure it was worth the ticket price, but then again I'm not sure any movie is worth the ticket price nowadays.

I take that back. Coming May 22 to a theater near you...
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
I would pay $20 just for myself to see that one in Dolby Digital the size of a 4 story building!

Saturday I had a rehearsal for the upcoming talent show at church. That's right, I said talent show. I will not be using any of my musical gifts, but instead will grace the stage with my charm and wit for three short "commercials" to be placed throughout the show. It is my hope to have them videotaped for private viewing by friends and family fortunate enough to not have to sit through the actual event, and so as to not give away too much I'll just say...Cha cha cha Chia!

Sunday was of course a day of rest and worship for the Hinton Huddle. It was Sydney Joy's first day in the Toddler Room. She has officially moved on from the Nursery and is now in the "big girl" classroom. She was very excited and showed no signs of separation anxiety whatsoever. I would never have expected anything different. That's my girl!

Now it is Monday and we are back into the weekday routine with school, meetings, and other activities. I do have a couple of prayer requests for you to add to your lists this week:
Steve's brother, David, has been in the hospital with ulcerated colitis. It is pretty severe and they are almost certain that his colon will have to be removed. He is 43 years old, and just got married on April 5. His new bride has been at his side every possible minute, but I'm sure she didn't expect "in sickness" to come so quickly. Please pray for healing so that his colon can remain where God put it and so that he doesn't have to deal with a colostomy bag for the rest of his hopefully long life. Also, David has just started going to church and what little belief in God that was just beginning to develop is being tested in a big way. Pray hard that he can still see God through the struggle and that this would only reinforce his faith and not destroy it.
Also, my Grandmother in Ohio (mom's mom) is in the hospital with severe kidney problems. The doctors that she may have to go home by the end of this week as she will be stable and there will nothing else they can do for her. Being stable and able to leave the hospital is great, but having to go back home with my Grandpa is a little more tricky. We're not sure if he will able to care for her alone at this point. In fact, we're pretty sure he can't. She needs to be in a care facility that can cater to her new dietary needs, monitor her progress, and has trained staff on hand should things go down hill. However, the thought of living apart from my Grandmother is something akin to death for my Grandpa. Pray for him to make the right decision, for his spirit and his heart to bear the effects of that decision, and of course for my Grandma's health.

Thanks for joining with us in these prayers!

Yours until Windex will clean up Windows Vista,
-erin

Let's Try This One More Time

OK. So I haven't been very good at keeping this darn blog up and running. Who am I kidding?! I've been HORRIBLE at keeping this blog up and running! It seemed like a good idea when I started it, I just didn't factor in my procrastination, laziness, and perfectionism. My stance has been that if I didn't have something profound, enlightening, or newsworthy to say, then why say anything at all.
Recently that position has changed. The proverbial light bulb has illuminated. I have realized that even saying nothing says something.

Two things have helped to change this perspective, the first being that my daddy has gotten an Internet phone that allows us to call each other without the outrageous transcontinental phone charges. Since this new fangled device has been up and running I find myself wanting to call to say hello, just because I can and not because it's a holiday or something big has happened in our lives. I just want to connect, even if it's for a brief moment. Could that be why people check my blog? Not because they can't wait to see what witty piece of wisdom I come up with today, but because they just want to connect, if even for a sentence or two?
The second thing that has helped to form my new blogging point of view has been reading a blog of an acquaintance. The mother of a child from Sarah Jane's preschool is battling angiosarcoma and her family has kept a blog of her life since the diagnosis. I check it everyday to see how things are going. I have found myself feeling mild disappointment when there hasn't been anything new added, while on days when there is nothing to report but someone has written to say that, I appreciate their effort and feel satisfied with that. I just want to know what's happening, even if it's nothing.

I started this blog to connect with my far away family and friends, of which I have many too many. Or rather, to help you all connect with us. And now I know that even when I say I have nothing to say, I have still said something, and that is better than saying nothing at all.
So, here we go again. And while this may not be a thrilling ride all the time, I hope we can stay the course together as I share our lives, loves, laughter, and many other things that don't start with the letter L.