From Faith to Mrs.Bilyeu

I am getting old. I am going to be the big "35" in less than two months! I still feel young and hip in my everyday life (wink). However, in youth ministry I am now considered "old". I am "Mrs. Bilyeu", which is respectful and I do appreciate it, however it emphasizes how old I am. Meg, my 21year old friend and BOB co-leader, highlights my age.

[Meg: If you ever read this, I am not saying you talk about my age, I know it isn't your fault. I love you, my young hip friend]

Most of the time I can go along, being fine with my age and that I am not the cool one that all the girls run to when I walk in the room. But sometimes, it gets to me and I get annoyed about it, plain and simple. Awhile back, the girls had a sleepover at Meg's house. The girls went through Meg's closet and tried on her clothes. It made me think about the Celebration days, when I was in my early twenties and would have clothes swaps (remember Amber?) and sleepovers with the high school girls. It was so fun! I miss being young and cool! Wait, maybe I just thought I was young and cool back then?? {shudder}

Youth ministry changes as we age, and it isn't bad . . . just different. Oh, and by the way, I am still waiting for the old and wise part to kick in, I should at least get THAT perk!

Sarah Mclaughlin - World on Fire (DJ I-TEK Remix)

We are back in the saddle again . . .

Getting back into the swing of things here. I am going to aerobics 2x/wk, and doing some Pilates on my own with a video at home. If I can be consistent with working out for one month, I plan to reward myself with a new workout outfit! That is good motivation for me, because shopping is one of my favorite things to do! ;-)

Becca has to be at school at 7:35am. Neil takes her to school, then runs before work. We carpool with some friends so we don't have to pick her up after school, instead she is dropped off every day at 2:45pm. She loves school. She also started gymnastics at a new place, the YWCA. She goes every Tuesday night from 6-7:30pm. She is so excited about learning on equipment like the bars and beam. We also carpool to her class (carpooling is a fabulous thing!) so I only have to drive them every three weeks.

Evan has "Mr. Svencer" as his fourth grade teacher. Mr. Svencer is the "cool teacher" at school that everyone wanted so Evan was thrilled that he got placed in his class. They do a lot of sports- themed learning, which is great for Evan. We are happy, too, as Mr. Svencer is a Christian and has attended our church in the past. He is a great guy and makes a good fit for Evan. As far as activities go, Evan is excited about playing basketball this fall.

Spencer is enjoying Kindergarten. He is in the afternoon class, and has lots of friends. I love that the school is right behind our house, so I can walk him over the the school and then walk Ava home and lay her down for her nap. He is only at school for a half day, and it works out well that he is in the afternoon class because that boy loves to sleep in (just like me, I suppose).


So that is what is happening here, school-wise.

First Day of School Pics (from last Tuesday)

Evan is in fourth grade this year, and Becca is in sixth. Wow does time fly! *I think most of you know that we decided not to homeschool her after all. For anyone else, I will just say that it didn't work out for now. I am a little disappointed, but I know that this was the right decision for our family. Maybe someday!

Spencer (with Ava) started Kindergarten! He is in the PM class so it works out just lovely, I take him to school and then put Ava down for her nap. It gives me a couple hours to get some work done, which is so nice!

We have discovered geocaching!

" A clue! A clue!"
When I told the kids we were looking for the cache, Evan thought I said "cash", and got so excited. I had to break it to him that there wouldn't be money in there. They loved finding the stash, and had fun digging through the trinkets. We left little finger puppets.


We began our adventure in geocaching on Monday in Philly. It was a blast! We picked the easiest ones to start with, and borrowed a GPS from a friend at church. We found four caches in the historical Philly area--but there were many more that we didn't get to because of time. The kids loved going on a "Treasure Hunt" and we loved that this is a FREE activity that is not only fun but encourages good exercise . . . we walked a lot but the kids didn't even seem to notice. If you want to get started in your area, visit http://www.geocaching.com/. Tell me how it goes!

The last day of Summer, in Philly

Gotta have a Philly cheesesteak!
Lunch at Benny's Diner
Visiting the sites
Philly, the city of Brotherly Love



Ava, singing in the van. She is quite the performer!