wow, what a weekend!

Well, if we were living in Michigan this weekend, we would have had an incredibly BUSY and FUN time at the Richmond Good Old Days festival!

Instead, we are living in Brooklyn, and we had an incredibly BUSY and FUN time here!

Friday after school, the girls hunkered down to get their homework done. Alli has been getting a minimum of 2 hours homework each night. We aren't used to that! So, it is a challenge for her to finish it before dinner! THis week dance class starts, so it will be her challenge to complete it before dance class in the evening.

Anyways, they got it all done. THen , we hosted our first small group. Emphasis on the small :) It was just us and two of our friends. But, it was so so so great to have them, and I hope we continue to grow! We enjoyed pizza and bible study and chatting.

Saturday I went to a women's prayer breakfast and had a great time connecting with the amazing women God has placed in Communitas.

After that, I came home and prepared food for our "block party". It was great! The weather wasn't the best, but they didn't cancel it, so that was good. We had some of our neighbors and about 10 friends from church all hanging our for a bbq. The kids had an absolute BLAST taking over the street with their bikes, scooters, skateboards, sidewalk chalk, etc. Of course, Olivia and her new neighbor friend had to draw pictures with marker on paper and then try to sell them! It's her thing lately. Alli even had a friend come over who she met at school this week! That was great.

Alli discovered that out of the 17 students in her class, she is the only one who speaks English as her primary language in the home! She is the only one who has parents who were born in America. How interesting! I love Alli's adventurous spirit. She isn't the slightest bit intimidated by that. She thinks it is totally neat.

Anyways, after our sat night festivities, we awoke Sunday morning and loaded into the van to head to our very first visit to our new church location! PS40, an elementary school in Manhattan. We picked up some freinds and sound equipment on the way. We were there from about 9am-1pm. Timm was the master of sound! He was learning all there is to know about transforming the auditorium into a place of worship with a band and all that goes with that. ANd, what was I doing? What I do best, of course, PLAYING! I am going to attach a few photos of our "children's ministry" at Communitas. It consists at this time of my two girls and one other little sweetie pie. When I walked into the area that is available to us for our children to gather on SUndays, I had goosebumps. I was literally near tears. Praise God! We have an awesome gym, and an amazing courtyard that is going to be so fun on beautiful mornings like it was this Sunday! It was the absolute COOLEST thing on SUnday to look around and see who God brought together to form his church. Each person has a unique personality, skill set, passion area, spiritual gift, temperament, and style! And God uses EVERY SINGLE person to make up his body. And I can't wait to see who he brings in the future to add to his body. It is breath taking!!!!! We were PUMPED UP!

So, we came home for a little rest, then headed back to Manhattan in the afternoon for our "second sunday" party on the rooftop of our friend's building. Let me just say it was glorious weather, delicious food, and so many people enjoying time together. What a way to complete our crazy weekend! We stayed long enough to see the sunset behind the city landscape and watch the lights come on! Our favorite view! THen, home we came to get in bed to start the school week.

THis morning, I had "meet the PTA" meeting in the morning. YAY! I'm officially signed up for just about everything I can be signed up for at the girls' school now. ANd, I met some fantastic moms (and a couple of dads). I am so excited about serving in their school.

But, for today, what will I do with my time? Well, I've had an upset stomach (couldn't have anything to do with the massive amounts of potato chips I ingested the last two days, as well as donuts, dessert, etc, ugh!) But, I'm feeling a little bit better and may have the confidence to venture away from my home (and bathroom) for a bit. SO, what will I do? More shopping of course. Seriously, I have NEVER shopped so much in my entire life. Literally. Not in my entire life combined! But, it just seems that there is one little thing after another that we need. ANd, it takes time to get to the places. TOday, I am going to ride my bike. I won't get everything on my list, but I have a plan to get a few things.

One thing I need is one of those carts to push from the grocery store. I haven't been able to commit to one yet. But, my arms are pulling out of the hinges trying to carry bags from the grocery store. No need to give myself permanent ligament or joint damage! I just need to decide what kind I want...one more thing to shop for!! See what I mean? Ridiculous.

OK, enough. I will attach the pics of SUnday morning.

What are you going to do with all your time?

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OK, I understand this question. What AM I going to do now that both of my girls are in school ALL DAY LONG???

My answer? I'm not sure.

However, God has shown me his faithfulness in opening doors of opportunity if I can just patiently allow Him to take the lead.

For now, I am taking care of the home, waiting to find out how I can volunteer at the school, running errands (which takes 4 times as long in this city than they did in MI), and realizing how much work it actually was to homeschool last year. Wow. Shout out to the mom's who are home schooling! You are amazing. I loved it and it was SO fulfilling, and SO busy and all-consuming!

So, today is the first day of school for my sweeties.

I have been on my knees, praying for God to give them peace, strength, joy and perseverence to work hard and make great choices while they are at school. I have been praying for each of them to make a good friend. ANd I have been praying for each of them to be used by God.

Happy first day of school!

Labor Day a new way

Happy Labor Day.
Timm is getting ready to take our guests to the airport for their departure back to Michigan. What a great visit we had! I'd post pics, but my power cord for my computer died and I'm on Timm's computer. Anyways, we have had the ideal weather. The girls have had a blast hanging out with their pals, and it was so neat to be a part of the wedding on Saturday in Central Park. Long story, let me just say that following Jesus is not always easy (actually it is never easy). So, a friend of ours struggled SO MUCH in his pursuit of listening to and following Jesus and understanding what in the world Jesus had planned for him. And, we all celebrated the fruit of his obedience and perseverance as he exchanged vows with his new wife on a gorgeous day in the park.
Last night we enjoyed a casual church gathering where we celebrated labor day weekend NY style. We shared some friend chicken, potato salad and leftover desserts (from the wedding) at our normal Sunday night gathering. It felt so good to have the Pfeiffer gang hanging with us at church. Bittersweet, as we wish they were living here with us, but that is not God's plan (for now).
Today, we plan to take a road trip to Long Island and just do some exploring of the area since we've never been out there. Our destination will likely be Jones Beach, as a handful of friends are hanging out there today. So, labor day is definitely being observed in a new way for our family.
I haven't updated this week, but much has happened. Many friends ask me to keep this updated with new happenings, so I'll give a quick update.
We visited PS130 where the girls will be going to school! We registered the girls, met some staff (including liv's teacher) and saw their classrooms. Ahh, it felt GREAT. I'm so very excited for them, as GOd has answered my prayers for peace about sending them to school! More to come, as they start school in two days.
We went to a beach called "far rockaway" with a friend and it was a perfectly gorgeous day. We also had those friends over for a visit and dinner. Very nice.
We met our neighbors! We have a family across the street who have 3 boys. Age 9, 6, and 6 weeks. The girls hit it off right away with the boys and had a great time playing. I really enjoyed visiting with their family and they even invited the girls to watch a movie, and I LET THEM! Timm was working late for a parent meeting and didn't get home until 9:40pm. He walked in and was shocked to see that the girls were not here. THey are the Gonzales family, and they informed me that there aren't a ton of kids on our street that are the age of our kids. So, I was very happy that they took the initiative to come over and introduce themselves. Look forward to getting to know them better, as they seem like a great family.
Went shopping for school supplies. I'll just say that shopping is always an adventure.
The girls had their new friends over (the girls they met at the church we visited). That was a nice afternoon. We had rented a movie from blockbuster last week (chrissa-american girl). They shared that movie with their friends. We definitely got our value out of that rental. I think the girls watched it 5 times.
What else? Oh yah, I found a doctor and I liked her.
We had a visit from our pastor from our "mother church" Kensington. He was able to see first hand how different ministry is here compared with the suburbs. It was nice to have him here.
So, here we are in September. We start our small group this Friday night. This Sunday we start meeting on Sunday mornings at our new location. ps40, an elementary school in Gramercy Park. We will use the next three Sunday mornings to "practice" setting up the school auditorium with our sound equipment and stuff, and setting up the gym with stuff for kids. We will still continue to meet in the evenings for our worship and teaching from the bible for the next three weeks. THe first weekend in October, we will "officially" open our Sunday morning services to the public and we will stop meeting in the evenings at the Estonia house.
We are updating the website, so check it out as it is revised and transformed. www.communitasnyc.org
Thanks for the prayers. Keep them coming! I am feeling the excitement of anticipation for fall. I know God has plans for our family, and I can't say exactly what that looks like. So, we continue to wake each morning and ask God to direct our steps and to be present in every encounter we have. He is opening doors to relationships and revealing opportunities all the time. He has called us to "be the church" and we are humbly trying to carry out that call.

Countdown is on...

So, the countdown is on. My little Livvy will be heading to school a week from today. She will start 2nd grade. She will be gone for about 7 hours each day. Ouch. That really hurts.

When Liv was one, I quit work to be home full time. I dabbled in a few part time gigs, but I mostly used my niece and nephew to babysit and tried to time it so that I was gone during her nap time. We did homeschool for preschool. She went to Kindergarten from 8-11:30. Then, last year, we homeschooled again.

What I'm saying is....I have never had to send her away for seven hours a day. This is the first time. Ugh.

This past weekend, Daddy took Alli out on a Sunday afternoon date. So, I got to hang out and have some one on one time with Liv. These pics were taken in prospect park, near our new home. We rode our bikes, did a craft and explored the audobon building, read a book on the grass under a tree, climbed a tree, and enjoyed the lake. It occurred to me as we enjoyed our hours together, how much I just love being with my girls! And, I have been SO SPOILED by hanging out with Liv. It's going to be hard for me to say goodbye. We have had 7 years of hanging out together, and I absolutely LOVE IT. She is so smart and cute and witty and silly and inquizitive and affirming and loving.

I am confident that school is going to offer her some great challenges and opportunities. ANd, I am sure that God has clearly answered my prayers reagarding what to do with my girls for school. I know that we are making the right choice in sending them to school this year. But, that doesn't make it easy.

I cried a bit on Alli's first day of Kindergarten. I cried a bit more on her first day of first grade. THat was a LONG day. I don't know if I will shed tears next week, as God has taught me to trust in Him and not to worry. But, the emotions involved in missing my girls are real, and I wouldn't doubt if some tears fall.

OK, since I always feel that I need to be "fair" I better include a pic of Alli! This is a self portrait of her that I found on my phone. A little blurry, but cute. I actually can't even go into my emotional state about Alli going into 5th grade. It is more than I am even ready to articulate. I'll just say that I thank GOD for her strength of character, her amazing personality and her mature view of many social situations. And, I will be PRAYING like crazy for her strength to be the little leader she was created to be, and to not give into any pressure to comprimise herself!

A spledid Saturday

What a splendid Saturday for the Kelly family.


Started out by heading out to St. Joe's soup kitchen. We helped set up the "restaurant" that would serve 200-300 meals to those in need. We set up tables and chairs, cleaned, cooked, wrapped silverware, did dishes, and more. And, my little girls rolled up their sleeves and dove right in to help. For 2 1/2 hours, they worked non stop and never asked for a break, a snack, or anything! It felt so right to spend our family time together serving. Thank you God for giving my girls such serving hearts. We look forward to MANY opportunities to use our time, treasure and talent to honor God by serving the needs of his precious people.
Next, we split up and Alli and I went shopping in Manhattan. We were looking for shoes for her, and we had a great time! My little girl, who has feet the size of a woman, has learned that sometimes the shoes that LOOK good do not FEEL good. With all of the walking we do now, she has to be practical in her choices. So, the little strappy cute things she was desiring didn't work out for her. Although she tried many on, she knew they just weren't comfortable enough to walk in. But, she is thrilled with what she found, so that is good. And I was happy too. Because she ended up finding them at payless and we were able to do the bogo 1/2 off. So, she got two pair.
Meanwhile, Daddy and Livvy went to the green market in Union Square to get some produce. They spent some time walking around and enjoying a Saturday afternoon also.
When we all got home, we rested and relaxed. Ahhhh. So nice.
The girls watched a movie, Timm read and napped, I read and took a bike ride. Then we enjoyed our fresh sweet corn for dinner. It wasn't bad, but you must understand that we are spoiled. We have enjoyed a lifetime of the BEST sweet corn anyone will ever taste....for free. Because my family grows it, we've always had a supply. This is the first harvest season of my entire life that I don't have a supply of my Dad's produce! And, for those of you in the Macomb/St clair county area, you must check out the "corn mobile" on Gratiot at 30 mile rd. If you like sweet corn, just dew it! IT is the BEST!
A splendid Saturday indeed.
Life is good.

take 'em to the zoo

So, the last couple have days have held a more relaxed pace. The girls seemed to be craving some time to just play and rediscover their toys and be creative. So I was able to get a bunch of little things done like hook up my webcam and skype aunt KT. Yay. We're ready for the Jetson-type communication now for whoever is equipped! And, loading and ordering photos, and organizing the printed ones into albums, and bunch of other little things that have been on my to do list.
Last night we went to our bible study group. Every other week is a study, then the next week is a time to reach out together to serve. So, last night we took garbage bags and walked the streets surrounding the neighborhood our church services will be in and we cleaned up garbage while praying for each person God will put in our path as we start our proclamation of the gospel there on Sundays. The girls were so awesome. THey truly are little servants.
Today we are going to check out the Bronx zoo. Wed is "pay what you wish" day. So, we are making the one and a half hour trek up there to check it out. My friend babysits a 3 year old boy on Wed and she is going to meet us up there. It is a high of 90 today, but there is not humidity. So, it will be fine.
Oh, I haven't even posted yet about my friends coming to visit!!!! What the heck!??!
I can't post all about it, becuase I'd be writing way too much. I will say that it was so wonderful to have them here visiting. It filled me up beyond measure. I loved seeing the city with them and showing them around Brooklyn. What else can I say? I love them and it was so awesome to see them. I thought I'd cry when they left, but I didn't. I think that everything is still fresh and new and exciting and exhausting here. I have not yet reached a point where it is mundane. That is when I will feel a void and miss my friends and family. And, like Timm pointed out, you don't really miss them until it has been a while since you've seen them! Duh. That makes sense.
OK, gotta pack some lunches for the zoo!

holy crap, it's HOT

Man, is it HOT! High in the mid 90's and low in the high 70's. whew.
A little storm is blowing through right now and I can feel the temp dropping just a little.
TImm isn't home from a board meeting yet, and the girls and I made it into the apt just in time to miss being caught in the storm. We were coming home from our bible study group, walking from the subway, and the wind picked up and the lightening and thunder started. I haven't seen Liv trot along at that pace yet since we got here. She was trying to play it cool, but I know she was about to start running to avoid getting caught in a storm.

Well, we did visit a nearby church Sunday morning. It is a great community of people who are doing some neat things to expand the kingdom of Jesus and demonstrate his love and "be the church" in their community. The girls made friends with a couple of girls who happen to be the Pastor's daughters. And, their mom was running the kids program. THe church has a coffee shop and we made plans to meet up with them there today so that the girls could play. We ended up hanging out there for a while, then walking to their apartment and eating lunch, and then their mom had to go to a meeting and the kids wanted to keep playing, so I hung out with them (their girls are 11 and 9) for another couple of hours! How funny. Here I was, haninging out in this apartment of a family I just met several days ago! And, of course the girls didn't want me involved in their play time, so I was just hanging out. I wasn't prepared to be gone that long, so I didn't bring anything to occupy myself. So, I ended up reading one of their magazines. It was just kinda funny to me. But, I'm already thanking God for new friends.

Hmmm, the storm has passed. Maybe it dropped a few degrees, but not much. I think tomorrow's high is still forecast around 92. holy crap, that is HOT!