Don't Let Me Go - A book review

"Don't Let Me Go" by David W. Pierce is an excellent book talking about the relationship between built between a Dad and his daughter. After reading a book about a mountain adventure, 15 year old, Chera announces she want to climb a mountain-with her dad. He looks at her and sees at that moment the memories of her growing up and the short years before she leaves home and decides to do it! They start with Pikes Peak and end up climbing 5 mountains and running in two marathons.



David Pierce is the husband of the fantastically funny and heart warming comedian Chondra Pierce. I loved this book. He is an excellent writer and I felt like he was "one of us". You know - the common every day parent. His daughter came up with an idea and he said "yes" versus the easier "no". He agreed to climb a mountain and then did nothing to prepare other than call his friend two days before they departed to Pikes Peak. His friend gave him a reality check about the climb, which he rationalized off and up they went. Half way up his daughter opened up to him and made him realize why he was doing this - relationship.



David Pierce makes enough money that flying somewhere to climb a mountian with one of his children is a possibility, but I really felt that the heart of what he was telling his readers is possible for each one of us. There needs to be a "connection point" with us as a parent with each one of our children.

I looked at the relationships I have with our 7 children and realized I can have connection points with them without even flying anywhere, but I do need to take advantage of the opportunities I have.

• My connection point with Drum is his CAP commitment. When I drive the two older boys to CAP, and help them get ready for an event - thinking it through with them and giving to help them in their interests, I'm building a relationship that will last.


• When I spend an hour helping Deer get through a project in Awana, and work with her as a supporting member of her effort to finish her gold and silver in her Awana book - we are building a relationship.


• When my Dh works with her on her Derby car, he is building a relationship not just a car.
• When Dh takes one of the boys with him on a service call, he is relating over work and a soda pop.


• When my Dad takes his older grandkids out for supper Wed nights and talks with them, he is building a relationship that will last.

And relationship is what God is all about. We are modeling how to build a relationship with God.
This book helped me to see our parenting efforts and the activities we are involved in as opportunities for positive ways of building relationships. It also made me think of certain children and realize they need more connection points.



Would you like to get encouraged in reading about a Dad & Daughter friendship?



To purchase the book online visit: - www.Amazon.com - www.ChristianBook.com - www.FamilyChristian.com


Or comment by March 26th for a chance to win a book right here!!

Update

I need to do a book review, but I thought I'd do a quick update first. Although actually, you'll read this last after the book review. Which needs to be because the book review needs to be on the top. Which is about how well my brain has been working lately. Slightly below the working level of my computer which works fine unless we want to send or receive e-mail messages, and then it jams up and goes into hyper slow mode, til we shut it down (which takes awhile) and restart it. Are we talking about my brain or computer? I forget already.

Last Friday night we went to an Awesome production of Frog and Toad!! It was excellent!!! The whole family went, plus 2 kids had friends with, and G & G W's went, and Papa K went. A crew! Darling was a bit of a project while watching it, but thankfully I had about 3 sticks of PEZ in her bag that she went through.

Friday night and Saturday morning we finished Duke's Derby car. His original plan didn't work, so we had to come up with plan B - An aquarium car. It was a hit at the Saturday morning derby, which was fun for him. Middle kids don't get to have tons of attention very often. Here are pictures from the Awana Float-a-Boat and Derby. Dh didn't spend much time this year with aligning the wheels, so they weren't quite as fast, but the kids had fun, and they still have the cars and boat for a memory. :-)

Dessert being the wind behind his sail:

Dessert and his patriotic boat:

Duke's Aquarium Car with a live Driver!:

A close up of the driver :-)

Deer's Button Car:

Deer's Driver interview:

Saturday afternoon I caught up on laundry and kitchen cleaning. Boy, can 9+ people make a mess in 24 hours. Whew! Then Dh and I went to drop off Dime at a friend's house, Drum at Papa K's to work, and planned to look for some lost paperwork, which turned out to be back at home. Oh well. It was nice to get to talk with no interruptions.

We had alot to talk about, because my Dh told me he got laid off his job on Friday. Oh, brother, or bother, or bummer. He's 450 on the union list - not likely to be going back to that job. Dh's looking for work out of state or a different job, or anything that pays enough to live where we are. What are we going to do? I don't know. Sometimes this week it feels like I got hit in the stomach, othertimes I feel just fine because I know God still cares for us, and I'm grateful for the most important things in my life - Him and family. I know there are so many other families out there who need jobs, and want jobs to support their families, so I feel almost guilty for just wanting a job for us so we can keep living like "normal." I hate other people knowing he is out of job, because I want to be the one blessing others, not feeling like I'm needy. I hate the feeling like others are critiquing what I'm buying or wearing or doing or spending money on. Besides these frustrations, our washer has been spilling gallons of water occasionally (it doesn't stop filling), and I am missing an important piece of mail that I might have lost or might never have received, and Darling has been sick and not sleeping well (but we got an antibiotic yesterday, so hopefully that will be turning around soon), I still can't kneel on my knee-cap, no push-ups (Dr. says - when I was there with Darling - might be patella fracture or bone bruise - not much can do - should heal in 9 mo. to year). Not really major issues when I think of others who deal with death of a family member, and huge marital problems, etc.

Last night we had our end of the year speech party. Which the kids enjoyed immensely. Dot did a musical slide show presentation. It was a hit! She is always coming up with some interesting learning project she does on her own. ie-let's figure out how to make a mini-movie (pictures and video clips set to music.) Her wireless thingy broke last week, so they are sending a replacement, but until then we had to get creative to figure out how to get the pictures from off the e-mail and web and onto her computer. But!! Due to amazing technology and a friend's suggestion - she and I did it!! with the aid of a flash-drive. I am still amazed at her techno, computer knowledge. Great job, Dot!!

I better get that book review up, and then get to my long list for today. I took Darling up the hill to Grandma's for a break (for me), so I better get this done soon, so I can get to my laundry and cranky washing machine (don't tell it I said that, I don't need it doing anything else!!), and school with the darling children (did I really type "darling", maybe I should use "daring" or "dish-washing".)

Speech Tournament Weekend!

Wow! What a week last week!! I feel wiped out and run over.
We had school the beginning of the week, and on Tuesday I took Drum, Dime, and Deer to get their pictures taken at JCP. They turned out great!! Drum took his Civil Air Patrol BDU's and airplanes from his room, Dime took his new electric guitar, and Deer brought her flute for some extra shots. We were so pleased with the results. We can hardly wait to pick them up next Monday.

Wednesday we cleaned house, Dime had guitar lessons, we grocery shopped, practiced speeches, and got ready for a family from Nebraska who came to stay with us during the speech tournament. They arrived after 8 that evening. Dh, I, and Darling had a nice time getting to visit with them until the kids arrived home from Awana and youth group. Then we all hit the hay for the busy Tournament ahead! The girl stayed in Dot's room, and the Dad and three guys stayed up the hill with Gma & Gpa W. Very nice!!

We had to be up at 4:30 Thursday to leave in time for the Speech Tournament. I was on registration so we needed to be there early. We got home that night about 9:30. It was a full day! Deer did alot of timing, Dime did his duo interp. with his friend, Drum did his expository on dirt bike safety, and Dot did her persuasive on predestination.

The three younger kids stayed with Gma & Gpa W until the Papa K picked them up. Then Dad picked them up from there, and they came home. Darling had gotten up at 5:15 before I left that morning. I thought she'd nap well during the day - nope! She napped one hour. So I thought she'd go to bed easy - nope! She tossed and kicked. I finally got back up with her and we trucked around a bit. She finally hit the hay about 11:30. Ridiculous!!!!

Friday, I thought it started at 7 again, so I got up at 4:30 to be ready to go in time. Well, at 5:30, our guest mentioned she thought it started at 8. We got out the schedule and she was right!! We were an hour ahead of schedule. I couldn't believe it!! The kids visited with Gma & Gpa W who were down to watch the younger ones til they woke up. I putzed until we were ready to leave. Another busy day at the Tournament. I think we got home about 7:30 Friday night. We planned to visit with our company no matter how late, because we had hardly had a chance to see each other with how busy everyone was at the Tournament. We visited, listened to speeches, and laughed our way through the next couple of hours. They were so fun!!

Saturday I got to sleep until 5:30!! I arrived at the the site by 7:30 for judges training. I judged debate - hard! Then I got a break for an hour or so.
At home: Dh, Dime, and Drum left for the CAP volleyball tournament at 10, and the younger kids were picked up by Gpa K at 11. Dot and Deer were picked up by Gma & Gpa W at 11:45 to come join me at the Tournament in case Dot broke into finals in her persuasive. (She didn't.)

W's had a great time listening to speeches! They laughed and laughed!! They left about 4:30. Dot and Deer stayed for the first half of awards. Their good friend, Tori, finished 3rd in her OI!!! They cheered for her, and then left at 6 with a friend who took them to the CAP lock-in.
I stayed until the end, collected the kid's ballots, helped clean up a bit, and then left for home after 7. I picked up some supper and a much longed for coke. My Dad brought the younger three home (They had had a blast of a day with cousins!), and we headed up to bed to read until not even coke was going to keep me awake. You would think everyone would sleep like a log - but nope! Darling was up every two hours until 5 am. She finally slept sound until after 11 am. I heard the older four and Dh come home just before 7 am from the Lock-In. They just crashed.

We slept sound most of the morning, then slowly putzed our way throughout the day. I was just as happy for bed last night. (Darling finally slept well.) I lost my much favored charm that goes on the necklace I got fixed on Wednesday for $18, so I went through 6 bags of garbage last night trying to find it. Nope. It was in a kleenex, which I meant to put in a baggie, but forgot with everything else on the brain. I thought I might have tossed in the garbage inadvertantly, when I cleaned out my purse getting ready for the weekend. I didn't cry about it, since I'm not a crier, but wish I could. I would shed a bucket. It said Faith, Hope, Love on it, which is what my close friend in China has on her necklace in Chinese.

We decided to take off school today, so we get to catch up on sleep and laundry, etc. Well, Dime has school to finish from last week, then he's going to a friend's house. We have CAP tonight and Drum & Dime are promoting. I need to pay bills plus laundry. So I guess it is really not a day off in that sense, but at least I got to sleep in and had time to blog!! Right!! :-)

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger - A Book Review

Imagine getting an invitation to have dinner with Jesus! What would you ask Him? What do you think He would say? The concept to this book is unique. Nick Cominsky does receive an invation to dinner with Jesus of Nazareth. He thinks it is a joke from colleagues, but goes anyway to see what they've done. He ends up having dinner with someone who answers his soul questions, and asks him questions that challenge his views of life.

I found "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger" to be an excellent book!! What a great gift. No wonder it is a best seller. If I could, I'd buy extra copies of these to leave in malls and restrooms - like an extra thick, well-done tract. It touched on the world religions in a way that was ingenius and sicsinct.

I was also given the book to review called, "A Day with a Perfect Stranger." This time it is Nick's wife, Mattie, who gets a chance to meet the man who turned her husband around and made him obsessed with Jesus. She takes a trip to get away for awhile, meets a stranger on the airplane, and has a fascinating conversation with a man who ends up knowing more than he should. "She begins to wonder if she's misjudged not only Nick but also the God he now claims to believe in.

David Gregory is the author of the best-selling books Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and A Day with a Perfect Stranger, and coauthor of two nonfiction books. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning graduate degrees from The University of North Texas and Dallas Theological Seminary. A native Texan, David now devotes himself to writing full time.

To learn more about or purchase these books at RandomHouse.com visit:
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781578569052&ref=externallink_wbm_dinnerwithaperfectstranger_eaj_0129_01

Day with a Perfect Stranger:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400072422&ref=externallink_wbm_daywithaperfectstranger_eaj_0129_01

Would you like your own copy of "Dinner with a Perfect Stranger"? Would you like to have a conversation with the Man who hung the stars in place, and also wants to visit with only you?

Leave a comment by March 8th, and I will have Darling pick a winner.

Last weekend the four older kids and their cousin N were at Arctic Blast with their youth group. (They did have a blast!!) (Blast stands for Big Loud Awesome Spiritual Thing)

We wanted to have some fun with the kids at home, and my folks were watching two of my brother's kids for the weekend. My Mom picked up Darling to have some fun with her cousin K, and L went with us roller skating with us. They loved it!! We figured we might be there no more than 2 hours. We were there for almost 3, and they didn't want to leave!! L started out just barely able to skate with us holding on to her, and ended with being able to skate all over.

It was fun to watch!!

Dunk and Dessert zoomed around and around.

Dessert won the limbo!! (with 2 others)

The sweet taste of victory.

When we left, L stated in the car, "I want to stay there forever!"

Last Wednesday, Deer and her friend initiated their "Penny Drive for Joel" at Awana. They read some information about him, and then handed out the bottles. Now they have 2 weeks to encourage the participants, then they will collect them and hand out prizes to the biggest donators.

I took this picture of Darling the other day. I can't believe how big she is and looks in this picture.

Where is my baby going?! Friends at church have had new babies, and Darling is definitely no longer a baby. She loves to do things herself, except for "Read da book!" One of her favorite activities lately is playing with play dough. I went through all the old stuff, bought some more, and need more. It always ends up cut up and pieces drying out. She can take it out all by herself, so a couple times she had taken it out before bed, and I remembered it in the morning as I looked at the little colored rocks on the table.

Thursday morning we had a big snowstorm. It was really pretty, if you are into snow the end of February. Somehow it looses its appeal later in the winter. So I didn't spend a ton of time oohing and aahing. It dumped 4-6 inches on the pond, so we've been working on shoveling it out again. Or I should say the kids are. I helped after the last 4-6 inches we got, and after just finishing and skating around enjoying the ice last Tuesday, I "toe-picked" and landed on my knee. Wow! Pain!! I am so grateful I didn't break my knee-cap. It's feeling a ton better, but nobody bumps it!! Did you notice I said "just finished" on Tuesday, and it snowed again on Thursday!! It's hard to motivate the kids to shovel after that. That much snow is heavy!!

Yesterday, Dime got a new electric guitar!! He was so happy!! He doesn't have an amp yet, so it was funny to hear him talk louder than the guitar can sound. He is in general as a kid or teen in the loud category. He's learned a ton about guitars, and has big plans for this one. :-) I love it.

We've been having some problems with the computer, which we are working on and having someone help us get fixed. This morning I was finally able to post, but I'm not sure when the next time will be. The good news is this week is crazy busy, so it will give me some blogging material. The bad news is this week is crazy busy, so I won't be blogging til it is over.

So adios until then..... :-)