1 Year @ Sun Kissed Tanning

There are times in our lives when things can be bitter sweet.  And this is one of them.  In October 2007, Dave and I open D&J’s Sun Kissed Tanning in Brighton, Michigan.  I have always loved tanning since I was young and as most girls grow up believing “Tan fat is better than White fat!”, so we tanned!  (Which is SO true BTW)

Have you ever had a dream that you thought was silly?  Or maybe unreasonable?  Well, mine was owning a tanning salon.  Who knew that I would be able to actually own a salon?

The Sweet Side…
Actually living a dream, that  I once had
Being your own boss (Definitely a plus)
Loving what your are doing
Helping people “Look Good and Feel Great”

The Bitter Side…
Long Hours
Being your own boss (Who said it was easy?!)
Making tough decisions
Closing the doors

With any dream you  get to live out, it’s bitter sweet and with  my dream I’ve had my share of laughter, tears, happiness, frustration, etc.  With all of this said…   D&J’s Sun Kissed Tanning is closing the doors…  Bitter Sweet, right?!
So what’s your Dream?  Are you living it?  Is it bitter sweet?

Today I’m choosing to keep dreaming dreams, reaching for the prize, I know that there are great things in store…

If you are interested in attending this Girls Ministries Training, please leave your contact information in the comment section below before March 15th. Thanks!

The ROCK is our Sunday morning ministry for kids.  We are so excited to share our logo with you!

 In November we challenged our ROCK kids to “POP OUT” for missions.  If they raised so much money they would be able to go out to lunch with Mr. Dave & myself.  A lot of them took the challenge but 3 of them met the goal! 

Last Sunday we took the “POP OUT” winners and visited our good friend Chuck @ Chuck E Chesses.  I will never forget how Samantha gave Chuck a kiss on the cheek, how Luke would run out of tokens the fastest, every time!  And Brandon…  He was so serious trying to get the tickets.

 I love our Kids.  They are amazing.  I think I had more fun than them.

Christmas Eve Dave & I delivered present to Tina and her Dad.  Watching Tina smile as we walked in was priceless.  Having all of Tina’s teddy bears & stuffed animals line up & waiting for our arrival was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. 

Thanks to all the kids in The ROCK, and with the help of the adults they made CHRISTmas possible for Tina & her dad. 

No, we didn’t preach to them, We didn’t tell them they had to be in church next Sunday, we just loved them and showed them Jesus in a tangible way.  They had a need and we met it. 

Being an instrument of God’s love was the greatest gift I could of ever recieved for Christmas.

Getting all the presents ready to wrap

My dog Job had to help wrap the gifts!

Almost done wrapping...

Tina and a new teddy bear

A whole lot of presents

Unwrapping a gift or two before Christmas

Tina & Myself

This year, Bethel Assembly of God put on an awesome Christmas play, written by our very own Kevin Simonye! 

The play was about families who had their own idea of what Christmas was.  Some thought Christmas was all about getting together with family, going on a trip, and even having the best decorations in the neighborhood.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have family around and to be able to go here and there but what happens when these plans fall through, is our Christmas truly ruined?  Or was your Christmas ruined by something similar?  With today’s economic status, I know this play hit home for many people.  At times we can get so caught up in what is going on around us that we lose sight of what Christmas really is about.

They play went on to tell us the true meaning of Christmas, how Jesus was born to us, a baby!  That baby eventually grew up and saved us all, by dying on the cross.  A real superhero.

God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son
for you and me.
 John 3:16

Take a look at some of these Great Pictures!

Thanks to everyone who made this Christmas Play a huge success!

I am so excited to start this new series Sunday mornings in The ROCK.  Starting in January, I will be sharing with the Kids about the ROCK, Jesus!  As you can see we named our kids ministry on Sunday mornings the ROCK.  After many weeks of brainstorming with Pastor Owens, we came up with the name.  We wanted a name with significance, something that the kids would be able to take hold of.

We knew we wanted to make kid’s ministry at Bethel Assembly of God a SAFE place; A safe place to grow, a safe place to ask questions, a safe place to just be YOU, and a safe place to minister.

Everyday kids younger & younger are faced with huge issues in their life.  These issues are not even issues some of us had to face when we were their age!  We want to offer a SAFE place, with a REAL God for kids to overcome the odds set before them.

 As we head into January we are praying that God would reveal himself in an awesome way, that He would make himself SO real to these kids.  As we learn who the ROCK is, I believe that they will NOT BE SKAKEN in the days and years to come!

Stay tuned for more updates on this series in January!

     I will not be shaken.  Psalm 62:2.     

I Love You!

Angle didn’t thinks I would do a video about her, so here it is!  (Yeah, I know I’m a dork ~ hee hee)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8rxtsMo4II

A few days ago Angel mentioned she was thinking about applying to be a federal agent.  How cool would that be?!  Part of the FBI?! And NO where not talking about Frankenmuth Bavarian Inn.

Angel, Eight years later, you’ve earned your Bachelors Degree.  So the big question is, are you going for the MASTERS?

Post your comment below about what Angel should should do next.  Should she continue to go to college & earn her Masters?  What career should she seek out?  Or simply just give her some words of wisdom!