We were meant to live for so much more....

The Year--1988
The Driver--me
The Passenger--my friend Debbie
The Car--Volkswagen Rabbitt (Belonged to the Belknaps)
The Situation--a tree fell on me!

All the Emergency personnel could not believe that we lived through it. I was meant to live for so much more....not sure what my purpose in life is, other than to live each day for God and do His will. I don't know that I am destined for greatness but I do know that I have been given each day since that day in 1988 as a gift. Each day that you wake up, you are given the gift of that day. What are you going to do with you day?








By the way--the Belknaps were pretty cool about the whole situation. Mr. Belknap wanted to get rid of the car anyway!

The Lord works in mysterious ways!

Not so sure about this

There is this product out on the market for women. It promotes "fewer periods for women". They state that women don't need to have a period every month.

I am not so sure about this. Our bodies are made to do this. It is part of being a woman. I think we can blame Eve for all the "joy" we get every 28-32 days.

Doctors say it is safe. I know that some of my friends are on this medication due to complications they have every month. So I can understand that reasoning but to promote it to women who are totally fine...I am not so sure about.

I think it is like playing "God" a little bit. The Jury is still out on a full fledge decision but I am curious as to what you all think about it. I have read websites and medical sites. What do you think?

This is why we stay....

When I first posted, it only contained the picture. Then I thought people might be confused by the title, so I feel like there needs to be an explanation.

Jay and I have lived here since we were married in '89. We tried very hard through the years to move becuase we have always lived paycheck to paycheck. We NEVER get a head financially. We save up to only have to spend it within that year. We don't make alot of money. Over the past 8 years, Jay has been offered jobs in places that are not in VA. He has been offered ALOT of money to move us away. We have decided to not take them, knowing it would hurt his chances for promotions in some companies. The reason is...well look at the picture above. We wouldn't have that if we lived far away. We feel it is worth the sacrifice financially for us to be close to our family. I don't say this to seem "better than you". It is our choice. We choose to live in a townhouse and drive used cars so that we can have that picture. Jay grew up military and never was around family. I was never really close to my aunts, uncles and cousins, except for the ones who lived here. We wanted both things for our family--choices have consequences. This is a kind of consequence we will gladly accept. It is as the commercial says "priceless".

Mi Hombre

1. Who is your man? James Jay Sergio III
2. How long have you been together? Married almost 18 years
3. How long dated? 1 year
4. How old is your man? He'll be 39 on Nov 19th
5.Who eats more? He does for sure
6. Who said "I love you" first? um, he did but man that was almost 20 years ago~ so I think it was him and then I confirmed!
7. Who is taller? Jay
8. Who sings better? AH--me! Jay was in a barber shop quartet in High School but age does things to people's voices.
9. Who is smarter? As I always tell Jay--I am.
10. Whose temper is worse? Jay :)
11. Who does the laundry? For a very long time Jay did but now that he is working 7 days a week...it is either me or Chelsea.
12. Who takes out the garbage? I would prefer Jay to and as long as I remind him every Sunday evening and Wednesday evening he'll do it but he can never seem to remember on his own. By the way--for our whole married life the trash has been on the same day!
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Jay, I'm closer to the bathroom.
14. Who pays the bills? I do!
15. Who is better with the computer? I am
16. Who mows the lawn? We don't have a lawn--that is the reason we bought a townhouse.
17. Who cooks dinner? Me.
18. Who drives when you are together? Jay does.
19. Who pays when you go out? He does
20. Who is most stubborn? Um--I would say Jay BUT I am really stubborn too.
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? hee hee--seeing as I am always right, who do you think?
22. Whose parents do you see the most? Mine
23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me first!!
24. Who asked who out? He asked me out.
25. Who proposed? Jay did but we had talked about it for a while.
26. Who is more sensitive? Me for sure! But the older Jay gets the more weepy he gets.
27. Who has more friends? Maybe Jay--he can be friends with anyone
28. Who has more siblings? I do
29. Who wears the pants in the family? As long as he hears my side he can wear the pants.
30. Who makes the bed in the morning? Usually Jay because he usually gets out of bed after me.
31. Who is a morning person? hmm......neither of us!

I tag Tanya and Ramona. This way I can learn more about my brothers!

I know! I know!

It's been two weeks since I last blogged....what a 2 weeks it has been! Between school, church and being sick...I just don't know what to blog about.

So here are random thoughts...

*I have thought a couple times while driving and watching people do the DUMBEST stuff because they are on their CELL phones and NOT paying attention, that I should post about those people but then when I get home...I lose my momentum.

*I have cooking every night! yeah me! I am trying to save money because we have a wedding in Fl in March to go to. Oh yes, Jay's brother is getting married on March 15th. All I can say is....FINALLY! :) She is such a wonderful person and we are blessed to add her to our small but lovely Sergio family! Carrie is her name, she is an elementary school teacher and she loves Chris very much! We got to spend time with her over labor day weekend! The kids love her, we love her! he proposed in front of Cinderella's castle at DisneyWorld. He told her that some of his best memories are with his family at DisneyWorld and he couldn't think of a better place to ask her to be a part of his family and to start their family than at Disney! AHHHHHH isn't that sweet!!! Made me tear! So March 15th here we come a wedding on the beach in St. Pete, FL! Spring Break! Uh Dido and Tony...we will want to see you!

*Jay's mom has been praying for a while now that she needs God to help her move on. It has been almost 3 years since Jim died and she just needs help moving on. When she started praying that, Chris called her and asked to have Jim's truck because his car died. Then Chelsea's car died and she wanted to give Chelsea her car so now she's bought a new car....she didn't think God would answer her in that way. So be careful what you pray for. God is showing her how to move on!

*Alex will be 14 in Oct. He had his dr. appointment this week. He is offically 5'10 1/2 and I said...so he has grown 7 inches in 18 months. Do you think he's done? She laughed and me and said "no...he's only beginning! He doesn't even have facial hair yet!" She guesses him to be about 6'3!!

*We have our pictures to be taken tomorrow at the church for our stupid pictoral directory! oH sorry did that not sound supportive? What are we in 1983? I have no idea what to put us all in. I have a great new haircut but I need to have it highlighted and I have nothing to wear.....

Ok that is all the random thougths this clogged, stuffy head can come up with!

Calling all prayer warriors!

This was just posted from Travis and Kelly--



Family and friends, I know we've said this before, but now is the most crucial "hour" for our precious boy. The next several hours and throughout the night will determine many things.

We just met with the wonderful team of doctors again. His lungs have responded better than they thought they would to being temporarily taken off ECMO. The lungs haven't responded anywhere near perfect of course, for they are still too weak. But the lungs did respond, so the decision has just been made to remove Bennett permanently from ECMO. There were a few other reasons why they wanted to take him off ECMO, including the fact that the machine had a major clot in it, but the main ones are because his lungs are functioning a little better now and to reduce his bleeding. Once he is off ECMO, he cannot return. This will significantly reduce and/or eliminate his bleeding, but it will also significantly reduce the assistance he was receiving. It's now entirely up to his lungs and heart.

So, can you see where we need prayers right now? Two main organs: his lungs and his heart. They now have to carry the burden of sustaining him, so please pray for the strength of his lungs and his heart. His heart is also of major concern because it now has to start acting like, well, a heart. But his heart has been hibernating over two weeks, so there is significant concern about how his heart will respond to the "shock" of having to work again. They will be giving his heart several drugs and steroids soon to try to kick it in gear.

The surgery option right now is still just an option. If his lungs continue to expand and strengthen, then surgery may not be needed. This would be ideal. But even if surgery is performed, the risks are much lower now because the heparin and excessive bleeding should no longer be issues. As you can imagine, so much is happening right now, and it's happening very quickly. Essentially what it boils down to is the healthy functioning of the lungs and the heart.

Before the doctors re-entered the NICU to head over to Bennett, we told them that we and several hundred people around the country are praying for them and for Bennett. They thanked us for that, and reminded us that faith is essential during times like this because their expertise can only go so far. Your prayers are sustaining us, the incredible medical staff here, and our precious son, and we ask that you once again join us in prayers for the doctors and for Bennett's lungs and heart. His has fought like a warrior, but his strength will be tested now more than ever.

We will most likely be here for the majority of the night, and as more updates become available we will let you know. As always, thank you for all your love and support.

Love,

Travis, Kelly, and Bennett

Specific prayers

I believe in the power of specific prayers. If you have been following the trials of little Bennett Speck who was born a very very very sick little baby, on August 20th; then you will see from his websites that his lungs are still filled with infection. The Doctors remain hopeful that antibiotics will work their wonders and clear out the infection.

I am asking all who read this to please pray specifically for the infection to leave his poor little body!

Then don't forget to page their prayer pager and let them know you are praying! 703-331-4825.

Thank you.

Praying for Bennett--UPDATED

Travis, Kelly and Bennett Speck are in need of our prayers. Sweet Bennett was born a very very very sick boy on Monday, August 20th. He has currently undergone an ECMO (lung/heart bypass) to keep him alive so that his body has the best chance to recover and beat his illness.

Please pray for them and then page their prayer pager to let them know you have prayed. 703-331-4825, then you will hear a series of beeps, then press your zip code so that Travis and Kelly will know how far the prayers are coming from, then hit "#" and hang up.

We are holding a prayer vigil for him at our church, Fairfax Church of Christ.
We know that he is a gift from God and that God is faithful and hears our prayers.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SIGN UP FOR A TIME SLOT TO PRAY FROM MIDNIGHT, SAT 8/25-MIDNIGHT, SUN 8/26. Please email Lisa Bosley, lisa@fxcc.org, and she will put your time request down.

You can also go to the 2 websites set up for Bennett to get updates...

1. www.prayingforbennett.blogspot.com
2. www.totsites.com/tot/bennettmitchell

Travis, Kelly and Bennett--We love you!

Urgent Prayers needed!

http://www.prayingforbennett.blogspot.com/


Please see this blog and pray for sweet baby Bennett!!! He did not do well last night and he has his own round the clock doctor team working on him.

We know that our God is faithful.

Momma said there'd be days like this...

Life is not fair. God doesn't promise us that. He promises that He will be there for us.

My daughter had to learn that lesson last night. This past week was tryouts for volleyball at the high school. She has played freshman and JV. She didn't think she would make Varsity but we all thought she would make JV. We were wrong.

Last night, I answered the phone and through tears she tld me she didn't make the team at all. My hear broke for her. The pain in her voice was gut wrenching.

She was living my worst fear....not making the cut. I have always been so proud of my children to be like their dad when it comes to trying out for things. I never had the self-esteem to be able to do that. I was so afraid of the rejection, of not making the cut.

She came home and cried. I cried with her. She went over everything with me and it just came down to numbers. There were a lot of Juniors trying out and coachs don't want juniors unless they are going to play Varsity. They only had a small number of Juniors on the JV team. So she got cut. She felt like she played the best she could have.

She went thru all the emotions and questions that people go thru when they are rejected. After a while, I told her that I loved her becuase of who she is not because she plays volleyball for the high school. I told her that even though her pain was great right now, God has a plan for her. We can't see what that is and we don't like that is seems to not include volleyball but there is a plan and we have to wait and see what it is.

Her friends have been very kind to just give her a warm hug and not talk abut it with her. She is gone this weekend on the hs retreat....it is a deeply spiritual retreat, spending a lot of time in prayer and in the word. She said that she was looking forward to getting focused for school.

This is the crappy part of being a parent. It was hard for me to not to call the Coach and give her a piece of my mind!

Well, we will see what a weekend away and days at the beach can do to make the pain subside!

Why isn't life a musical?

Just saw Hairspray! I was once again reminded of how happy I am when I see a great musical! Chelsea and I had a girls evening. We went out to eat and then went to see a movie and even though Chelsea had seen Hairspray already, she told me she would happily see it again! Now I know why!!! LOVE IT!

So here is a list of some of my favorite muscials....

1. Les Miserables
2. Phantom of the Opera
3. Sound of Music
4. Hairspray
5. Grease
6. High School Musical--yes, I love this! I sing it all the time and on August 17th. I will be sitting in my living room watching High School Musical 2!

Oh saw a preview for the movie called "Becoming Jane". It is about Jane Austen!!! I love her novels!!!


I still need to see the current Harry Potter; Live Free, Die Hard; Bourne Ultimatum; and Ocean's 13. So many movies, so little time and money. But none of them will make me as happy as a good ole song and dance!

What are your favorite musicals?

Give me your best!

Ok, I have read two books this summer. I don't get time to read during the school year, so I soak it up during the summer. I started and finished book #2 today. So I need another book...preferably one I can find in the local library. So I need suggestions. I want to read something light, romantic, funny, a good mystery. Nothing sad, depressing or real life(unless it meets the qualifications of the above mentioned qualities). I am trying to escape for a while! I don't want to watch t.v. I don't want to read anything job/church related right now. I am burnt out.

So please please please give me your suggestions! I will add them to the post and hopefully others can enjoy them too! Now, I haven't read Harry Potter #5, 6 or 7 but I don't know that I really want to either....it doesn't matter, I know how each one ends anyway.

So here is my list so far--

1. "Before I wake", by Dee Henderson
2. "The fourth Traveling Pants book" by Ann Brashares

Suggestions
1. Confessions of a Shopoholic--Shayna
2. Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair--Tanya
3. "The Secret History of the Pink Carnation" and "The Masque of the Black Tulip" by Lauren Willig.--Jacque
4. "The Book of Jane" by May Vanderbilt and Anne Dayton.--jacque
5. "Legends" by Robert Littel--Mike
6. Life is So Good By Richard Glaubman,George Dawson --Dave

Some of my other favorites are Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers the story of Judah set in teh gold rush era. Also by her is the series of books about the 5 women in the lineage of Christ! LOVE them! They are quick reads! Happy reading! I am treating myself to a mani/pedi today but I am going to stop by the library first for a book!



WOW! Now I am excited to see what you all have to say!

finally the end of the trip....

when last we meet....we talked about san fran. So here's the rest of the story....

We headed for Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park. Again--God must of had such fun with those GINORMOUS trees!!!









We got to drive thru the auto log. It is a giant sequoia tree that has fallen over and you can drive a mini van thru it! There are no words to describe how big these trees are!

We headed off for our final 2 days in Vegas. We were tired of being in the car, tired of walking, and it was freakin' hot!!! We saw a magic show! They were filming it and Brian, Lisa and I got to be a part of the show! We started to walk around Vegas but it was so hot and we were so tired that we jsut went back to hang out poolside at the hotel. Vegas is called sin city for a reason! We had to ahve all the boys walk with their hands in their pockets so they wouldn't be handed stripper cards and there were stipper cards all over the ground, so thye had to walk looking up! :) Everywhere you went you had to go thru a smoke filled casino. The lights, the smells, the sounds....it is sensory overload!

We ended our trip at the Bellagio hotel/casino (made infamous from Ocean's 11) they have a fountain show that runs every 15 min. The fountains move to the time of music. The song that we were there for was Lee Greenwood's "Proud to be an American". It was a PERFECT ending! Here we had seen some of the best that America has to offer and we were so proud to be American's. My friend Lisa and I sang loudly and with pride!



We were happy to fly home! We all had such an amazing time! The vacation was perfect!

not suitable for children?

Why you ask...well apparently for my use of death (8x) and hell (3x)....oh well! :)

Thanks Leann for the site!

I left my heart in San Francisco...

Well not really.....being in San Fran was an experience in itself. The reason why? It was beginning of Gay Pride weekend!!!! My kids have seen things that they have never seen before! If you know what I mean!!!
Before I continue on....

Here is the answer to the gas question.

Now we were blessed to be able to see the Golden Gate Bridge every day that we were there. San Fran is not a hot place....we all wore long pants and brought a jacket with us. The first night we ate in the restaurant called "John's Grill". That is the setting for the famous book/movie, The Maltese Falcon. I have to be honest...I have heard of it but never read it or seen the movie.

We went to Chinatown and down a sketchy alley to see 2 old Chinese women making fortune cookies! They charged us .50 to take their picture!!! We got some free fortune cookies.

The next day we went to Alcatraz and I have to tell you that was very cool! We took the audio tour and it was EXCELLENT!!! We met a real live ex-inmate. He wrote a book and he was signing the books! Too cool!!! It is about his life and how he got to Alcatraz and then how he gave his life over to God! He was missing fingers!!! eeekkk!




Anyone know what famous row of houses this is from....hint....major sitcom of the 90's on ABC on Friday nights....."Whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paper boy and evening t.v.?......"

We took a trolley car to Pier 39 and ate at the outdoor markets there. We saw the sealions of Pier 39. We drove down Lombard street...America's most narrow and crooked street! I have a picture on a cd but I can't get it to turn right side up.....
Then we headed to the Pacific ocean! Our kids had never seen, felt, or tasted the Pacific Ocean. It was the end of June and only 60 degrees that day! There was some wading into the ocean but no swimming! It was very windy too.....you don't swim in Northern California....too cold!!!

I don't know about you but I think I can sum up the last 2 destinations of our trip in one blog...so tomorrow is Sequoia and Las Vegas!

Happiness is Death Valley in your rear view mirror!

I am just kidding about the title of this blog. Death Valley has it's own beauty and wonder. One of the most fascinating things about this trip is that we have seen so much of God's imagination and creativity!

We have met people who are VASTLY different that us. I mean one girl we met in Death Valley, grew up in Utah (a.k.a. she is mormon) and left that life to come and live in Death Valley. There is a story there and if I was a bolder person, I would have asked her more questions. But she choose to leave and live in a trailer with her boyfriend in literally the middle of nowhere!!! People don't just do that for no reason!

For a group of Americans going to see America, we Americans were few and far between!!! LOTS of Asians and Europeans! But almost no Americans...weird huh?!

So we left Death Valley (below sea level) and headed to Yosemite (10k feet above sea level). Once we hit Tioga Pass and headed up....the view was well amazing doesn't do it justice. I just wanted to get out of the car and sing "I stand in Awe of you" or "Great is our God"....I was overcome with emtion at the beauty that this part of our country holds! Pictures don't even do this justice. If I haven't already said it, I will now....God must of had a GREAT time creating all of this! I don't know who could look on all of what we have seen and think that it happened by chance.

Once in Yosemite, we unpacked and ate good food. The next day we headed to the Merced River and rafted 3 miles down the river among THE most beautiful scenery, you have ever seen! The water was FRIGGED!!!! Seeing as that water comes off the snow pack...it was cold!!!!! We saw beautiful birds and HUGE fish! The water was crystal clear! After that we hiked to waterfalls. The kids had a BLAST hiking up the rocks to the waterfalls!!!

The Picture at the heading of the blog is a picture taken of the 4 of us in Yosemite, outside the Awahnee Hotel. It is a beautiful hotel...reminds me a lot of the main hotel building at Mountain Lake!
Yosemite is the home of the famous El Capitan and Half Dome! They are just ONE GIGUNTA rock formation! There was this group of elderly people who were hiking to the top of half dome! Yeah we all felt like fat slobs when we heard that! Lisa got to see a bear eating behind a tree. Other than that we saw no real wild life BUT in all the "dons jons" in the park there are warning signs that the area is bear habitat and to be careful! We never saw a bear.

At this point we are 1/2 way thru with our trip! We have San Fran, Sequoia and Vegas to go!

Day 3--Hit the Road Jack

After our day of fun in the Grand Canyon, we got up early and headed to the golden archs for a quick breakfast. We had a long day of car riding ahead of us! We were quite shocked to see that our breakfast cost us $45!!! That is until we saw the sign that said "Our prices are high due to the fact that we pay for the housing and utilities for our employees". I guess good help is hard to get in the middle of nowhere! So they bribe them with a paid apt. and utilities!

We were on our way to Death Valley!As we got close, the temperature started arisin'!

We got out at the scenic spots to see the beauty that is the desert! It was so hot that the moisture was being sucked otu of you and your skin started to immediately peel! It was very windy but it was a very hot wind! We all had water bottles in coolers with ice but they were HOT within just a few minutes!

We entered the National Park and headed for Badwater--it is 282 feet BELOW sea level! It is also the hottest place in the USA.
Yes, my fellow bloggers, that says 122! We couldn't keep up iwth the temp gauge and it did read 124 for a few minutes! One of our party asked if we were in hell and Jay said "No but you can see it from here!" We, the parents, thought we would take the moment for an object lesson and talk ot the kids about hell...."If you think this is hot, then make sure you have your life right with God...." Just kidding! But it would have made a GREAT object lesson!!!
This is the sign they have on the side of the mountain at the lowest point in America, to show you were sea level actual is!

After our few hours of driving around Death Valley, we headed to our "resort". Panamint Springs Resort to be exact. Let me just say that I don't what we were thinking because this place was an hour and 1/2 from ANY town!!! It was 10 tiny shacks with a bigger shack in the front that was the office and restaurant! They didn't have a/c, instead they had swamp coolers!!! That doesn't really count as any kind of coolant! There were road runners all over the place....and bats! When Alex sat on the bed...it touched the floor!!! We had a window in the bathroom with no curtain over it! Yes it was a see-thru window! But I don't knokw what I was worried about....I mean the trailers that the owners lived in was right behind our window! They only get mail like once a month!!! There is NO mail service there... they have to go into town! And no, there was no t.v., no clock, no phone...I mean who needs that stuff when you are in HELL!!!

I do have to say that they people and the food were GREAT! They really were! But we were so glad that we were staying only one night!!! The only gas station for another hour and 1/2 was right next door....guess how much the gas was....anyone care to guess?!! I will let you know the answer tomorrow!

Day 2--Grand Canyon

Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon late on day one. We headed off to bed and got up the next day to conquer the Grand Canyon. It was Father's Day and we had a little time crunch because we had reservations at the El Tovar Lodge for Father's Day dinner!

We took the shuttle bus along the south rim of the Grand Canyon and what we saw was amazing! At times it almost didn't look real! It seemed hard to believe that people just "stumbled" upon this marvel!




We finished eating just in time for sunset! It was breathtaking!

Day 1-Serleykin family vacation

We landed in Vegas, it was 110 degrees! We got our rental vans (2007 Chrylser Town and country) with only 262 miles on them and headed to the Grand Canyon but first stopped at Hoover Dam!



The kids are in 2 places at once! One foot in Arizona and one foot in Nevada!





The men!

Since this is the 2nd vacation (the Disney Cruise was our 1st) our 3 families have taken together, we proudly blended our names/families and called ourselves the Serleykins! (Sergio,Bosley, Watkins)That is how we addressed each other on our walkie talkies and when we were on public transportation, we called the kids "little Serleykins" to make sure they got off when need be!

We arrived later that night in the Grand Canyon and it was 55 degrees! That is a drop of 55degrees!!! We found on this trip a part of God's world that we had never seen before AND satellite radio!!! We thanked God for his handiwork AND satellite radio. Let me tell you now, we were in some REMOTE areas! Like nothing for hours from where we were!

Tomorrow--Grand Canyon

We're baaack

The vacay was EXCELLENT! Everything about the 10 days was perfection!!!! The new picture you see now at the top of the screen is a family photo taken at the Awahnee Hotel in Yosemite. If anyone knows how to maek the picture smaller....I would appreciate the heads up. Right now you get to see us up close and personal, until I figure out how to change it!

Pictures to come soon! I am jet lagged by spending 10 days on California time! We got back home at 1 a.m. Wednesday morning.

We are busy getting Chelsea ready for her mission trip to the Dominican Republic.

And we get the G's for the weekend so that James and Ramona can take one last trip before baby R comes on July 16th!

Got Alex new shoes for the trip....he was wearing an 11.5 and now he has 13!!!! He stands at about 5'11. He wears a 30 inch waist pant with a 31 inseam.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have pictures.

p.s.--the insurance caved and paid for the appropriate meds for Jay! Patience IS a virtue!