Long Time No Blog!

Wow, it HAS been a long time! We always get busy this time of year. School is in full swing and the kids have after school activities that take up our time. They are not involved in too much (we limit how much they can be involved in), but it all seems to be on different nights. Thankfully Kermit is a hands on dad who doesn't mind helping any way he can. He is a lifesaver!

Jacob has settled into his first year of high school. He has had a few bumps along the way but is coming out no worse for the wear. He has found his motivation to do his schoolwork. This motivation is called "wrestling team". He is enjoying the challenge but not enjoying the time commitment. He keeps telling himself "it's only until February".

Hannah is back in her element...school. She is playing in the band as well as being part of the newsletter club and the drama club. She is not so patiently waiting for January to role around so she can try out for the volleyball team. She is still taking piano lessons and recently filled in for the church pianist for the entire month of November.

Lily is enjoying first grade. She is a SUPER reader but will try to act like she can't read at all if you let her get away with it. She comes home everyday telling us who all got in trouble and which boys were mean to her. She always neglects to tell us that SHE got in trouble for talking, but her teacher reminds us each week when she sends home Lily's end of the week report.

Kermit is working, scouting, churching, constructing, fathering, etc., etc., etc., and doing a great job at them all!

Candy is working like crazy to finish her full month's worth of work by the 17th so that she can have off the rest of the month!! She will then be catering a Bible Conference and then traveling with the family to Mississippi for a great Thanksgiving.

CAN'T WAIT!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANDY

Happy Birthday to the best wife and friend a man could ask for. Candy turns 3X today.

LIFE time

What a great son we have. Last night (August 25), Jacob had his first go at being Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 85. That means that he basically runs the troop. Of course, the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmasters are over him, but the SPL mainly is in charge.

Jacob also got to advance in rank and has acheived the rank of Life Scout. Six down and only one more to go! If he does it right, he can be an EAGLE before his sixteenth birthday. I for one know he can do it.

WAY TO GO AND CONGRATULATIONS JACOB!!!

Happy Birthday!

Happy 40th Kermit!

What's Been Happening?

Just a few quick updates on happenings in the Ruoss household.

Jacob went to freshman orientation this week. His freshman class has over 700! He is looking forward to starting a new year with a new principal and teachers. He attended wrestling camp and is thinking about joining the team. Oh, and this week he was voted Senior Patrol Leader for his scout troop. This is the lead position for the troop so he is both excited and nervous!

Hannah is getting ready for a weekend retreat in Lake Geneva, WI. She is terribly excited to be able to get away with some of her youth group friends. She has been a little lonely this summer since none of her friends live close enough to see on a regular basis. She is getting very excited for school to start in a few weeks. She is also excited that she will be playing piano in her first wedding next month.

Lily is gearing up for school, too. She is very excited to be in the first grade. She is even more excited that she is going to be in before and after school care. It ought to be interesting as she has never been in a daycare setting before. She has spent the summer charming the neighborhood boys (no girls on our block) and fighting with her sister.

Kermit enjoyed his week with World Changers and is already gearing up for next year's trip. He is getting back into the swing of things at work and finishing up the last small details on the church remodel.

I have been steady holding everything together as everyone goes here, there and everywhere. Not that I do it alone...Kermit is a pretty good holder-togetherer, too : ) I'm looking forward to a new women's bible study we are starting since it has been WAY too long since our old group used to meet. Also looking forward to a possible trip to MS in November.

Couple prayer requests:

Tina and Daniel Gallant - Daniel is still looking for permanent work and ministry opportunity. Please pray for finances and a clear line of sight to God's plan.

Amanda McGraw's mom Diane - she is still struggling physically and is currently in ICU and needs God's intervention. Pray for her healing as well as strength for Amanda and her brother and for Brian as he tries to handle the family affairs while she is away.

My sister Elizabeth and her husband Doug - Doug is in desperate need of a job!

Buffalo Update

I talked to the guys for a few minutes today. They are having a blast in Buffalo! They spent today cleaning up a garden/sitting area at a school. It was right up Kermit's alley since he loves yard work. He said he had to keep making himself stop working since he is supposed to be supervising the kids doing the work.

They also were talking about the amazing worship times they are having and how great the overall experience is.

The rest of the week should be more of the same with a break on Wednesday afternoon to go to Niagra falls. FUN (I'm totally jealous)!!

Busy as a Bee

Well, I just thought that I would share a little of what's been going on.
Saturday afternoon saw the return of Jacob from a week of Boy Scout camp. He was soooo excited that he told us everything that happened and I think that during the conversation, he forgot to breathe. He passed all the Merit Badges that he was going for including Rifle. He wanted to earn that one so that (when things finally settle down) I can take him to the range at Bass Pro Shop. He also passed enough that he will be able to request a Scoutmaster's Conference and Board of Review so that he can advance to Life Scout. As I posted on Facebook on Friday the 17th, that means that he will be just one step below Eagle. I don't think I can say enough how extrememly PROUD I am of him for kicking it in and sticking with it.

Jake will only have a few days at home to rest up and get ready for a week of work in Buffalo, NY, as he and I will leave on Friday night the 24th heading out with the rest of the World Changers crew from our church. If you would like to follow our adventures for send Jake an encouraging note, just go to World-Changers.net. Once there, select the "Work With Us" tab. There will be a link on the left side that says "E-couragegram". Click on that and then scroll down until you find the listing for Buffalo under the New York state listing.

The remodel project at church is winding down and I can actually see light at the end of the tunnel. I only pray that the light is not a freight train coming this way. This past Thursday saw the installation of our new sound system which sounds WAY better than the old one. Comparing the two would be like comparing an early model VW Beetle (the ones with no heat), to a 1964 Shelby Mustang GT 500 (Elenore). You just cannot do that. We had an unexpected trial run of the whole system on Sunday the 19th when the Korean mission church that we sponsored had their Constitution services at our church. The PowerPoint presentation shown through our new projection system went well, but the Worship time was UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Thanks to the hard work of a lot of people in the church, everything looks and is working great. However, I have to mention that Mr. E.K. Lash has made the biggest difference because he built the new sound booth and installed three regular doors and replaced the double doors for the Sanctuary. These doors were HEAVY and not easy to deal with. E.K. did a fantastic job and I thank him bunches for his willingness to use the gifts and talents that God gave him.

Oh well, enough rambling and time for work.