The Claw!

For our last night before Manny gets home, the boys and I went out to dinner. We tried a new place called The Sandtrap near our house. It's a family friendly establishment with a row of arcade games to keep the kids occupied playing or begging for more quarters to play. Jonathan had his eyes fixed on the Buck Hunting Game (yes, we're definitely in the south) so I gave him a couple "bucks". Little Manny and I watched him make a beeline for the game until he spotted....

The CLAW MACHINE! Jonathan has inherited his father's predisposition towards blowing insane amounts of time & money on the Claw Machine. Somehow the possibility of winning the prize overrides the fact that there's nothing in the glass box that anyone would actually want or buy in any other circumstance. But today, that neon red dog/bear/rabbit (we really can't distinguish) is the ultimate symbol of accomplishment.

Insert quarter. We watched as Jonathan maneuvered the claw directly above the prey and pressed the drop button. Nothing. Insert quarter. This time the claw caught something! But, alas the momentum of the sway overpowered the weak grip of the claw and the object is again out of reach. Insert quarter. Refining his joystick skills, Jonathan tries again. Victory!

We came home with the red mystery animal and a ball thanks to the generous Claw but my favorite prize was the look on Jonathan's face when he pulled the treasure out of the mouth of the machine and ran over to our table to show us. Eyes wide with excitement. Chest thrust forward in pride. "Look what I got!" Priceless.

R.A.O.K.- The Ripple Effect

A gentleman I'll call "Joe" came into my office this week wanting to anonymously pay rent for one of our tenants. He had encountered the woman at church and she shared with Joe and his wife how she was "in a bad way". She was behind on her rent and other bills. Her income as a newly single mom was not adequate to support her family and her ex wasn't paying child support. He and his wife were moved with compassion for this woman and felt God's prompting to help.

They had been saving up for their annual family vacation but when their doctor discovered that Joe had heart problems, they put those plans on hold. Turns out he has to have heart surgery this September and they are unsure how long the recovery will take. So, they have this money and no vacation plans (except the questionable 3 star lodging at the local hospital with the world renown green jello chef).

Using God-logic it was obvious that He'd provided the means to help this woman through them. Their "loss" would be her gain. Their unexpected health issues would serve to benefit one of God's daughters.

God is so masterful at how He orchestrates these situations. Not only did this woman witness God's unique provision in answering prayer but this man and his wife were blessed in obeying God's leading which in turn strengthened their faith and mine! Now, I'm sharing this story with you and...it just goes on and on! God's work always has exponential impact for His Kingdom and His glory!

Show Your School Spirit! (for a small fee)

Jonathan has been hounding me all week about "Hat Day" this Friday at school. Here are parts of our conversation.

Johnny: Mom, can I wear a hat to school on Friday?

Mom: I need more information.

Johnny: It's Hat Day on Friday, so can I?

Mom: I don't see why not, as long as it doesn't distract you or your classmates from accomplishing what you're there for...

Johnny: Okay, I need $.50.

Mom: What for?

Johnny: (Huff) Hat Day!

Mom: What? They charge you to participate?

Johnny: Yeah, it's $.50.

Intermission: Is this strange to anyone else? When I was in school, I walked barefoot in the snow, uphill both ways and the purpose of spirit days was to promote involvement and unity in the student body. When did it become a fundraising opportunity? Jonathan's already brought home packets for cookie dough, scented candles, wrapping paper, magazine subscriptions and we're only in the 3rd week of school! Where's my tax money going? Back to the conversation...

Johnny: So, can I have fifty cents?

Mom: Yes, get it out of the coin jar.

Johnny: (impatiently)Mah-ahm! That's MY money!

Mom: YOUR money? If I recall correctly, that is the same jar that I empty my change into when my cup holder in the car and change purse get too full. Do you have a job that I am unaware of? Have you started contributing to the coin jar? When did it become yours?

...Apparently he found the jar in the cupboard and since it didn't have someone's name on it, he claimed it for his own. I guess this is the mentality of most children toward their parents, "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine." (I hear echos of seagulls. Quick, Nemo, swim for your life!)

Lifelesson: (I get a lot of these from Jonathan) Many believers have that same attitude towards God and His financial provision. Everything I earn is MINE and everything God gives me is MINE. I determine how it gets spent, saved, invested, or given away. I! ME! MINE! I must confess I've been guilty of this attitude. It creeps in almost imperceptibly until I take inventory of my heart, behavior and spending patterns. Instead, I should recognize that everything I have is His and seek His guidance for how to steward His stuff.

Auburn vs. UNC

Jonathan (#20) made several great tackles on Saturday. In the second picture, he flattened the running back- WAY TO GO JOHNNY! MAKE HIM EAT DIRT!...I mean uh, nice tackle. Be a good sport and help the boy up. (Oops, sometimes my maniacal, competitive mom-fan alter-ego kicks in and I get a little carried away.)

Rent-A Pet

My friend Taryn stopped by tonight to hang out. She was dog-sitting so she brought her canine companions with her-Cha-Cha & Bruno. This was a wonderful surprise for the boys since they luuuuv dogs. It dawned on me that there could be a real business opportunity here.

I imagine that there are many people out there like me who fancy the idea of owning a dog. We imagine the strolls in the neighborhood. Playing fetch in the park (slow motion image of dog jumping to catch the ball). Memories of "Where the Red Fern Grows"- a boy and his faithful hounds. There's no one as loyal as man's best friend. But those warm thoughts are quickly replaced by carpet stains and missing shoes. Barking, begging and..what's that smell? Eeew! Where's the pooper-scooper?

What if there was a way to achieve all the benefits without the sacrifice or commitment? RENT-A-PET! DOGS-FOR-LEASE! They do it with appliances and furniture, why not pets? This is a better idea than my Armpit Sweat Pads! Now all I need are some saavy investors...

Getcha Mota Runnin'...

Manny left this afternoon for a 1 week motorcycle mission trip around the Southeast. I know what you're thinking- which bike is Manny riding? Answer- none! He's driving the support vehicle- a large, comfortable, and safe(in comparison) Suburban. I am sure when he returns home he'll have a million reasons why he needs a motorcycle-better fuel economy right? Would that mean he'd have to wear those leather chaps? (I'd pay to see that!)

In the meantime, I think I'll rent "Wild Hogs".

Dinner & A Movie

Manny is leaving for the Motorcycle Mission Trip tommorrow so we spent some family time together tonight. There's a great Japanese restaurant around the corner and since we all love sushi, we stopped by there. The restaurant is always empty but I discovered how they stay in business- my husband! It turns out that he and his buddy are regular patrons. The owners know them on a first name basis and always give them a little something extra. Tonight it was a wonderful cream cheesy-crab-tempura delight. We had chopstick wars over the last few pieces of sushi-SKADOOSH! Now we're home about to change into pj's, grab the coveted supersoft micro-fleece blanket, plop on the couch and watch a movie...

The Project

So, we're finally laying down some scratch trax of my songs in preparation of the "real deal" starting in October. This pic is from Dillon's studio at home.

Go Tigers!

Jonathan's football team kicked off the season on Saturday. He's on the Auburn Tigers playing both offense and defense. Their team won the first game 13-0 and the second game no one scored. Jonathan made a couple great tackles. I got one on video but Blogger seems to be having problems with video uploads... He also got to run the ball for 2 plays and gained a few yards. He's definitely a natural athlete.

Even though he's been playing for 4 years there's one thing he can't seem to grasp the concept of... teamwork! In his mind, unless he touches the ball during a play, he hasn't really played. He doesn't understand how all the players work together towards a common goal (touchdown) and each person's role is important even if they aren't running the ball. We are trying to help him see how a block or a tackle can be the key to winning the game, etc...

Lifelesson: Just like in football, not everyone gets to run the "ball" but everyone is vital to the outcome of the game. Every player gets credit for the outcome too, win OR lose! Are you in the game and are you in it to win, even if you don't get to run the ball?

See you on the other side

This photo is about 3 1/2 years old. My grandpa on my mother's side is the guy in the wheelchair. He passed away this morning.

When I received the call I was shocked. Shocked at what little emotion I felt. I felt sad that I didn't feel sad. I wasn't overcome by any great sense of loss...let me explain.

I can count on one hand the encounters with my grandfather as a child. There was the time we met him in Santa Cruz for lunch and I ordered blackened fish, the morning we woke to a box of donuts on our kitchen table with a note from him (how he got in our house is still a mystery), and of course the infamous Christmas packages filled with loads of second hand treasures that always made for a good laugh-mom where did you put that sweater dress?(I think it's back in style!)

None of us knew him well. He was a mysterious character that would occasionally stop in for an unannounced visit and be gone just as abrubtly as he came. He was an American nomad. A drifter and a recluse. He eventually made his way to Georgia where he and his wife settled at a trailer park in Stone Mountain. This is where our lives intersected.

When we moved to GA my mom mentioned that was where her dad lived. I figured it must be a God thing that of all the places we would move to, he was just around the corner. So I figured I'd give him a call, maybe bake some cookies to drop by and see what might come of it. When I tried to contact him I ended up getting a hold of his stepson who was called into town because his mom (Grandpa's wife) had a stroke and wasn't expected to live much longer.

As it turned out, it was a God thing but not in the grandaughter-meets-long-lost grandpa-and forms-a-wonderful-bond-redeeming-the-years-of-absence, "happilyeverafter" kind of way. My grandfather's wife passed away within a few days and my grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and sent to an "old folks home".

We would visit him on a weekly basis. We were his only family and he didn't have any friends. He rarely recognized me. Sometimes he'd light up as if he knew who I was and then he'd introduce me to his Bingo buddies as Carol (my mom).

When my parents moved into town we took turns checking in on him. That brings us up to today. So, here I am with lots of questions to ponder like, "Lord, what was his purpose for the past 6 years? What is the value of a human life when it's no longer productive to society? What was the point of bringing us together?"

I don't think I'll get the full answer to each of my questions. Just fragments until God puts the pieces together in eternity to make sense of things. Until then, I will rest in the confident hope that my grandpa is in the arms of his Father and that somehow I was a part of God's plan to heal his mind and spirit.

Summer Book Review

I was on a C.S. Lewis kick this summer and read "The Great Divorce". It is an allegory about how Christians tried to mix a little of the"world" into their lives thinking they could bring it with them into eternity but were met on the horizon of Heaven and couldn't enter unless they let those things go. Sadly, many of them would not.

The book challenged my thinking with reminders of how God has truly set us apart for eternity. We can't take even one little piece of the world with us to heaven. Neither can the world retain any true form of heaven-only cheap counterfeits. The two are mutually exclusive. The challenge came to evaluate my life by that standard. Is there any piece of the world I am holding on to? Something I've let creep into my thinking or behavior? How do I make decisions- big or small? Is it with eternity in mind? I want to live a life that is so consumed with God that when my time comes, there won't be anything to let go of. From glory to Glory, baby!

You have reached...

...the Collazo's. Thanks for stopping by. Unfortunately we have been unable to sit in front of the computer long enough to post anything new this past week. Please leave a message and we'll get back to you soon. BEEEEEP!

The Final Bite

Eric won...

- Manny
(Sent from my MotoQ)

Is betting a sin?

Tonight we had a Children's Ministry brainstorming session. Eric (pictured above) & Robyn Oldfield were there. After our meeting I invited the Oldfields out to dinner to Fuddrucker's. I bet Eric $5 that he could not put down their 1lb. Burger. Ill let you know who wins.
- Manny
(Sent from my MotoQ)

Welcome baby Isaac

We stopped by the Sagraves to drop a meal and check out the future guitar genius. He is an adorable squirmer!

- Manny
(Sent from my MotoQ)

Our Upper Classman - 1st Day as an 8th Grader

- Manny
(Sent from my MotoQ)