Jesus Is Alive Day!

We celebrated a beautiful Easter this year! The weekend was too fast but was perfect! We spent the day Saturday morning relaxing at home with the kids, painting eggs and doing whatever they wanted. Those unhurried days are few and far between so we enjoyed the relaxed pace. We had planned to go to a few local and church events but decided just to "go with the flow" and not have a big planned out day. We went across town and used our Kohls coupon to get Bill some much needed Spring clothes for work and then came home to get ready for Easter Sunday. (Now yesterday I found 2 boxes of my things in the basement - summer clothes that are all ruined because the box didn't make it upstairs after we flooded to be washed......hopefully Kohls has another great sale soon! Mammas goona need some new summer clothes!)
I sang for both services so I was up at the crack of dawn. Bill dragged the kids out of their beds so I could see them open their baskets. We did the basket hunt - Ryan was adorable playing "hide and go seek" with the basket - and then I ran out the door. We had breakfast at the church and then stayed for 2nd service. God was present and both services were great with a lot of new faced there! After, we headed up to Bills moms in Whitehouse and spent the afternoon eating, egg hunting, and visiting with family. The weather was absolutely perfect and the kids got to romp around outside most of the day......it was wonderful!
Easter always makes me think that we, as Christans, could use another "symbol" in addition to the cross. Not to diminish His work of redemption at all but I've always thought that the empty tomb would be a beautiful thing to hang around our necks too. After all, many martyrs have given their lives but none have risen again! His resurrection is what gives us hope.....what sets us apart from all other beliefs.......what promises us that death has no sting! Jesus is risen! :)

Too Long

It's been way too long since I've posted and so much has been going on......let's see.....where to begin.......I started my part-time jewelry business in January and it has been going fantastically well. I did 14 home shows in March and I have 12 scheduled for this month. It's been a ton of fun and I'm making great money! :) Can't beat that!
The kids have been well. We've had some colds and Ryan's asthma acted up for a while. Bill had to have a root-canal, but other than that, no complaints!
Karissa started taking Zoomba once a week at a dance studio and she inspired me to give it a whirl. I saw a picture of myself the other day and thought, "Am I really that fat?!?!". Dang! I have got to do something. So this should be a fun way to get in some cardio. My sister Cherie is going to take with me which is good. I always need an accountability partner to make sure I stick with it.
We are very much ready for Spring! We had some beautiful weather this weekend and now today it is snowing like mad. Not funny, in my opinion! Hoping for nice weather this weekend for Easter. We're taking the kids to Monkey Jump on Friday and then hope to get over to see the amazing sand sculpture on Saturday and hit an egg hunt or 2!
We flooded again 3 weeks ago and now the insurance company has dropped our basement for coverage in the future. We have done literally everything physically possible to make sure it doesn't happen again......but I don't know if I will ever sleep well in this house when it's raining hard. We've been slow on the repairs because I've been doing Jewelry Shows 3-4 nights a week and the weekends have been jammed full too. Hopefully soon we'll get it all back together!

I'm a Jewelry Girl!

So a few posts ago I wrote about needing to find a part-time supplemental position. My good friend, Liz has made a nice living working with a fantastic jewelry company and she shared the company with me. Long story short, since I already have so much jewelry from them that I got for free for hosting shows, I didn't even have to buy the whole kit. My investment has not been that much and I've already earned back 1/2 of it!
So for people who know me they know that I am a jewelry nut - I used to assistant manage at a local jewelry store when Bill and I were first married and I make my own jewelry too. A lot of people have asked me to market my own line but I just don't have the funds and connections to do that. I wish I could but you're talking TONS of money. So, I've started with Premier Designs Jewelry. Great jewelry, fabulous prices, lifetime guarantee, ..... fantastic company!
Tonight is my kickoff event and I'm excited. I had 15 people who RSVP's but a few have dropped due to the flu and nasty weather but I'm hopeful for 10. If I can get a good start the rest will be easy!

Snow Days!

I remember when I was a kid I would LIVE for snow-days. Not so much now. The kids are literally climbing the walls and bundling up in snow suits to go outside for 20 minutes before they get to cold and then come back in.....it's loosing it's appeal and I am praying that the little rodent says it's going to be a short winter because I'm done!
We have all spent the last week passing the flu around. I have cleaned up more messes than I can count. It looks like everyone is fine now.....hoping we don't have any repeat offenders.

2009 Hello!

So the Holidays are past.....I always have mixed feelings about that. Sad to see the pretty lights, trees, and all the other spectacle....but happy that the insanity is over and the day to day monotony is back. Maybe that sounds pathetic, but I get WORN OUT over the Holidays and my kids are so jacked up on sugar having any sort of schedule at all is laughable!
So back to the grind.
2009 will prove to be an interesting year I think. I am optomistic that it will be a better year overall. One big change for us will be that I am looking into going back to a traditional job. I'm hoping to find something I can do in the evenings and weekends to help supplement and would be tickled pink to be able to still work and be with Ryan during the day. But if not, I will look at jobs that are traditional hours. It will kill me to leave the kids but I'm starting to feel the itch to get back out there. I love what I do, but at times find myself talking to Bill in "Toddlerese" and there are days that the poop and puke almost get the best of me. It's tough.....not sure what I'll end up doing......but the best thing is that I know that GOD DOES so I'm not stressing. If and when He is ready for me to move on, I know that the PERFECT situation will present itself.
So, blog friends, that is my biggest request for 2009 - for divine guidance as I seek His will in that matter.
My other prayers would be for health and happiness for my children and my families children. Divine healing for my niece, Alexis; Safety for my sister Hollys new baby in-utero and birth; Bills contentment at his work that He can be a Light daily there; growth in our church; unity in our small group; peace and strength for our friends Rocky and Julie as they enter a year without their son that passed away this past week; financial wisdom; an opportunity to go on a family bonding trip; increase in business for my mom in real estate; provision for Bills mom as she retired in December..........if that's not enough to keep you busy for a while I am sure I can come up with some more!

Hello New Year!

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We enjoyed a great week together relaxing and visiting with family. The kids, as usual, made out very well this Christmas and have been enjoying their new Wii complements of Pa-Pa! Other "hits" for the girls were clothes and girlie stuff. Ryan loves his new ball pit, Go Bucks recliner, and baseball stuff. Bill and I didn't really exchange much - just some fun stocking stuffers and then got each other new furniture for the office and $ towards a new computer.
Amist all the craziness of the season, we were reminded once again of the true meaning of the Season - we arrived at my moms for Christmas and were suprised with our favorite gift! BABY ALEXIS was able to come home for Christmas late Christmas Eve. She is holding her own. She will be going to Cleveland Clinic early January and they are hopeful that all necessary treatment can be done outpatient. What an unbelieveable answer to prayer. She still has a long road ahead of her but we KNOW that God is GOOD - all the time!
We now look forward to the new year and anticipate a great year. I (Amy) am looking for a part-time evening/weekend position to start slowly transitioning to working a traditional job again. My hope is to be in a counseling firm when Ryan starts Pre-K in 3 years. We are praying that the perfect job presents itself to give me more diversity on my resume!
Bill has been insanely busy at work but in this economy it is a BLESSING, not a curse! We are grateful for the Christian based company for which he works and are praying that God will continue to pour out his blessings on it!
Our kids are busy, busy, busy with school and such. We pray that this next year we will be able to get some quality time away with them away from the stresses of schedules, work, and school. We trust God to continue to bless them with health and happiness!
May God pour out His richest blessings on all of our family and friends as well. Happy New Year!

2008 Merry Meads Christmas QUIZ

Merry Christmas!
Typically we send out a lengthy Christmas letter each year but this year, we decided to take advantage of technology and post on our family Blog. So instead of a blah, blah letter that could potentially bore you to tears, here is a quick peek at 2008 with the Mead's in the form of a QUIZ! And if you score an 'A' you get a set of Ginsu Knives! (Not really - just making sure you are paying attention!)

Q - What grades are the kids in?
A - Katie is in 6th, Karissa is in 2nd, and Ryan is at "mommy-school". Katie and Karissa attend
Liberty Benton (Go Eagles!).

Q - What is Ryan's favorite sport?
A - Hard to tell - he's excelled at everything athletic so far! (We aren't sure who he inherited the
athlete gene from - it's a mystery to us!)

Q - Where did the Mead's vacation this year?
A - Orlando, Florida! And we had a BLAST!

Q - What were our favorite summer camping trips?
A - Our family reunions, of course, in Pennsylvania and Ohio!

Q - What are mom and dad up to?
A - Bill is entering his 2nd year at K&W and counts it a blessing to be able to work with so many
exceptional people! Amy is still doing a private preschool and runs around shuttling the kids to
and from activities. She's still plugging away at her Masters in Counseling as well.

Q - What new sports were added to the family itinerary this year?
A - Jump Rope Team - Katie made her school squad and Basketball - Karissa starts in January!

Q - What do the Mead's like to do in their spare time?
A - Ryan is obsessed with shooting hoops with daddy and enjoys playing with cousin Grant and his
best friend, Reagan. Karissa likes to ride her bike, scooter, roller blades (you get the picture)
all over the neighborhood. Katie has the busiest social life and is usually with a friend or 2.
Amy likes to scrapbook and Bill enjoys taking rides on his (finally!) fixed up "vintage"
motorcycle!

Q - What have we learned this year?
A - God's timing is PERFECT, even when we can't see it and life is going to fast to not slow down
and cherish every moment!

Q - What is our Christmas prayer for you this year?
A - May you have LOVE - to share with those you love; JOY - no matter what your situation;
and PEACE - that passes all understanding!

Love, Joy, and Peace for 2009,
The Mead's
Bill, Amy, Katie, Karissa, Ryan, and Casper the dog

P.S. CHECK BACK ON OUR BLOG THROUGHOUT THE YEAR! WE UPDATE OFTEN AND TRY TO POST PHOTOS DURING THE YEAR! MAKE OUR BLOG ONE OF OUR FAVORITES AND STOP BY TO SAY HI EVERY NOW AND THEN!