Karaoke Night at FCY

Maddie was at youth tonight, and it was karaoke night, the latest gimmick to bring some more fun - and more youth - to services on Wednesday nights.  Maddie went to service, and after worship and the message and an altar service, there was time for the after service party, with free food and karaoke.  First, the food - waffles are apparently a new staple for youth services.  Yes, waffles.  In fact I had one too because why not.  They were delicious!  After that, it was time for karaoke, and that was occasionally hysterical.  Some kids ... well, let's just say they have a lot more courage than actual vocal talent.  But it was super fun, and that's the point.  Also, despite Camille's effort to get Maddie up there on stage for a musical performance... Maddie wasn't quite ready yet.  Next time around though, I'm sure she'll belt something out... sort of like she does in the shower!

It was another day of work, setting up for various things at KidPak, including this weekend of course.  We're doing this message on "Encanto," and that should be fun.  Beyond the "At the Movies" series, we're repeating our "Kung Pow" series, although with a new label from Summer Xtreme, one called "The Path of the Warrior."  Camille finished up the booklet covers, and of course I'm wrapping up the wording on the inside, which is largely what we did last time, a few years ago.  But it's going to be great to revisit.  We certainly have enough video material, and we'll have new skits and games too.  Beyond that, we talked about returning to the Indiana Jones theme with five weeks of "The Quest" in October.  We'll hopefully have a new set after that, one where we can hang out with pilgrims and Indians for Thanksgiving, and then following that, we'll be in Narnia for a brand-new series that I'm already thinking out how to do.  The messages should be easy, as we'll go to each book of the Chronicles of Narnia for a different message.  But the skits should be interesting and super fun.  I actually can't wait for something fresh like that, as it might be just what I need.  

Mom was with Nana today, of course, and Nana was pretty restless by the time I got home, so she and I went on a grocery shopping trip.  It was a lot of fun looking for some new gluten-free options for Mom, new things she could try out.  Some of these new crackers I've found her are a good item that she'll want more of, as are some fig bars that she's grown attached to.  Other items may not be hits, but at least it's fun trying out new things.  That's actually how we wound up with the rambutan, and this time around I got this tuberous vegetable called a jicama.  I'm interested to see what we can do with it!  We also got a few other new items, and got back in time to drop off Nana, then head off to the youth to go get Maddie... and a waffle.

The last episode of "Ms. Marvel" was tonight, and it didn't disappoint.  Despite it being late after FCY, Maddie was anxious to see the episode, and honestly so was I.  So we all sat down on the couch and made sure we caught this season finale.  It was worth the wait, with a few super fun surprises at the end of the episode.  We'll probably be watching this all over again from the start soon enough.  Maddie really liked this one, and so did I.  

We've been reading this second adventure of "The Mysterious Benedict Society," and it has really been picking up lately.  The Ten Men are pretty unique and super threatening villains, and we haven't even met Mr. Curtain yet.  The kids have used a Salamander vehicle to escape, and despite the chapters being longer and longer here, we're still reading on and on because it's hard to put the book down!

We prayed afterwards, and we got to sleep early.  Lots going on in the world.  The inflation has been crazy, with prices rising on everything and rising significantly.  Particularly with gasoline, which of course affects everything.  There has been a slight drop in prices lately on gas, but the news lately hasn't been good.  We're glad to be in our house, where we want to be and with our vehicle paid for and everything okay for the time being.  God is blessing us even in this difficult season, and despite the fact that we're still pretty much prisoners in our house due to the family dynamic, there is still much to be grateful for.