Tag Archives: dave rhoades

May I?

I love these things in May {a list}

  • I’ve got pieces of April, I keep them in memory bouquet. I’ve got pieces of April, but it’s a morning in May.“* All the hopes that sprang in April now blossom in May. Remember what your Kindergarten teacher told you, because it is true: April showers bring May flowers!  {*Pieces of April, a song by Three Dog Night, naturally}
  • Tara Jean, Stephanie May and Gemma May: all born in springs’ most surprising and spirited month. They’ve each taken on those characteristics!

steph and her cake

Stephanie let me make her a 4-layer, wedding-white cake with buttercream icing, topped with baby’s breath and scattered caramel macchiato macarons from Happy Bakeshop in Longmont (Cake design inspired by the amazing Constellation Inspiration).

  • Fully leafed trees, that bright, light, spring-green thing that happens. And carpets of lush green grass, chlorophyl all around!
  • I love these bright, sunny days that give way to sudden, dark, thundery showers, then perk right back up to sunlight and a spring song. The sunsets are more colorful, the air is cleaner, and the grass even greener.
  • Memory: splashing in curbside puddles after a spring rain as a kid. Wish I’d done that more. I wonder what the neighbors might think if I…
  • Store-bought tomatoes (at the best markets) are beginning to have some flavor again while my heirlooms are settling in their soil, gearing up to give me brag-worthy homegrowns come July.
  •  I painted my nails with purple polish to match my pansies and freshly potted petunias, but it didn’t last, not even 2 days, because it’s May! Yes, of course I have very pretty sky-blue gardening gloves. But sometimes, you must sink your hands into the soil, to really understand the essence of living. I came from the dust of the earth. Plunging my hands deep as I plant, I am home…
  • It is the anniversary of our very first date, Dave and I. He said today, on Facebook, “The beginning of my life…” I melt.  I didn’t know it was a date (I hoped), he did. It involved a Rock Hudson movie and Barry Manilow. And it has worked out for us, I am happy to report. Dave is the one. :)

The world’s favorite season is the spring.
All things seem possible in May.
Edwin Way Teale

I love the month of May and wish we could have another 3 weeks of it, at least. And I love making lists. May all things seems possible for you today! In May… :)  xoxo

Happy Father’s Day, A. Ross Moslander

I am not suppose to tell you

That his name is Alva Ross, pronounced “Al’ vee Ross” and now that I have let the cat out of the bag, I must ask for your total cooperation in never mentioning it to him.

Jeanie and her dad

I was almost 2. He was 22. Des Moines, 1961

My dad was named for a dad he never knew, a very young man tragically killed in a car accident when my dad’s mom was 6 months pregnant (and 2 little girls at home). He was born into adversity.

We struggled to know each other, understand each other during the years of his workaholism, perfectionism…then mine {we end up being what we judge, people} and I regret the time lost, but I truly treasure him as a close friend and mentor now. I admire him for being 75 and still crying out to God to transform him, lead him, guide him. I plan to be like him in that, too.  And mostly, I am loving the restoration of the years the enemy tries to steal as I am learning to be his daughter, his little girl,  and he is learning to be my daddy.

1961 before joe was born

On relationships: It s good to pursue the great gifts God intended because He is able to rewrite the whole story, even if it gets interrupted or broken by enemy tactics {or our own stupidity}.  Dads and daughters (dads and sons, too) have much to share on the journey toward being whole and holy. Writing it off would have been such a loss.

mine

I arrived for a visit so late my dad didn’t see me until breakfast, at which time his first words were, “Jeanie – why is your hair so dark?” Haha. Dads. Gotta love ’em.

I love my dad!

“God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.”  Psalm 18.24 The Message

Then there is Dave {the father of my children}

Happy Father’s Day to the man I entrusted with our 5 incredible children. You were born to be a daddy and even though you’ll be the first to say you didn’t do everything right, I can attest that you tried. And I can vouch for the times you re-adjusted your sails and changed your mind and your tactics and that you are still looking for ways to bless and father our bunch.

Fathers Day 1987b

And I hope the kids all know those morning blessings are not just idle words, they are deeply meant, spoken with the authority of a God-appointed and anointed dad and he means business. Please don’t ever take that lightly. You should say everyday, “I receive my dad’s blessing spoken over my life today.” You cannot go wrong receiving what he still has to offer, even though you are grown. And if you need to know how much he really loves you, let’s talk!

And Happy Father’s Day to Tristan, DP, Rocky and Ryan!

You are the daddies God chose to raise our grand-est loves, the 9 for whom our hearts pound with furious love and devotion.

But they are yours, these nine grandbebes, your heritage, the fruit of your love and marriage. And we are in 100% agreement that God has given these children good, really good daddies.

daddies

You are all men to be admired and I wish all children could be fathered through this life as well. Thank-you for being the courageous men you are and for carefully and intentionally raising, disciplining, teaching, playing, understanding and covering with love these granchildren we know and the ones to come.

My grandchildren are blessed, so blessed.

Happy Father’s Day to all the men who have loved a child enough to keep trying even when it wasn’t easy.

There aren’t enough good examples out there. Hope you had one or got to be one. And remember~

It’s never too late to be the family God meant for you to be.

So keep on fathering.

I have OPENING NIGHT Jitters…and I’m not even in the play!

TONIGHT!  And Tomorrow Night at 7:00 pm..

jmj

 

I *HAVE* to thank Chantell Hinkle for taking the solo for me!

Banner

With a grandbebe’s birth and Christmas things to do, and working, well…I just thank her from the bottom of my heart!  She’ll be singing a song I used to sing every Christmas at malls and airports and schools and churches from the early 1980s on, “Merry Christmas with Love,”  by Sandi Patty.  I KNOW she will be amazing!!!

068

The FIRST FIVE grandbebes are in the production, which is so cool.

They even got headshots done for the lobby board!  Gavin and Hunter are both part of the principal cast.  I cannot wait to see them!

Small Size-3 HUNTER  "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Small Size-4  "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Small Size-11  "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Small Size-14  "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Small Size-22  "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"or th

ALSO – an INTERMISSION band that is so crazy good and they also just so happen to be my kids, but they are REALLY good either way!  :)

These peeps:

Rocky Rhoades and the Family

+ this one = GOOD STUFF!

dp  "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"  Callback theater company

Omygoodness!!!

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"

So exciting!  Several of my besties are in the cast!  Music, dancing, laugh-out-loud funny, I’ve been told.  I haven’t actually seen it yet, but the rumors are out there.  :)  Plus heartwarming and some Christmas magic – how can you lose?  I am so proud of my talented husband, the infamous Dave Rhoades, who wrote it (he is a great character-writer!), and is directing and acting in it and all of the WONDERFUL cast and crew who make it all come together so I don’t have to, haha!

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Merry Christmas and God bless America!

Happy Birthday to my David Allen Rhoades

Dang, babe.  You’re just hitting your stride.  At work on your third (?? losing count) novel, in the upcoming stage production of “Into the Woods,” being chosen to play Jean Valjean in the upcoming “Les Mis” production, running a massive Christian music festival, grandpa, dad, friend, lover, artist, intercessor, gun-toter…ETC!  You are the best thing I did for my children, you are the most longsuffering husband ever.  On your birthday, you are my gift.

This is the life you give me:

Jean Valjean to Fantine (Les Mis)

“And you’re [God’s] creation.  In His eyes, you have never been anything but an innocent and…beautiful woman.”

 

:)

Robert Liparulo & Dave Rhoades: LIVE @ Heaven Fest!

Check it out at the VOX STAGE @ Heaven Fest! July 30 at The Ranch in Loveland!   www.heavenfest.com

Best-selling author, Robert Liparulo (YA series The Dreamhouse Kings and thrillers such as Germ and Comes a Horseman) and  newcomer/author and my husband, btw, Dave Rhoades (Altar and soon-to-be-released Road Rage) will appear 3 times at Heaven Fest 2011.  They’ll talk about writing, sign autographs and sell books.  Check out the line-up schedule for times and plan to stop by and meet them!!  I am very proud!  :)

HF LINE-UP: click!

{sniff sniff} Altar is out

Dave’s book did not make the top three for the final leg of the Marcher Lord Press competition.*  {sad, sad, sad}

But,

Thank-YOU

for voting and cheering him on

and getting the word out

about it.

The funny thing is that a lot of the “hits” he got on the message boards were criticisms of things the publisher had made him do to make the book more “sellable” when in fact, his original work was probably more powerful, at least according to the dozen or so of us who’d read it.  He’ll probably change some things back now and look for another route.

Spoiler alert.

I don’t want to spoil it for you, but it is an action-packed story with loveable characters, engaging dialogue and some major demon-butt-kicking that culminates in a very tender and personal-to-Dave theme of familial affection.  Someday, soon, we hope, you will get to read it: Dave’s first novel, Altar (formerly known as Between the Altar and the Darkness, which the publisher also suggested he change).

*Dave’s and another book tied for the next place, just about 10 votes shy of making the top 3…

Black Friday ~ ALTAR SATURDAY!

Black Friday ~ ALTAR SATURDAY!  Next-round voting for Dave’s book starts tomorrow!

Dave’s book, Altar, as you’ll recall, made it through to the 2nd round of voting.  There are 18 semi-finalists and voting will be this weekend ~  

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 28, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 29, & MONDAY NOVEMBER 30!

altar.jpg

Three things~

  1. Pre-register to vote if you didn’t vote last time.
  2. Download the entries and prepare to vote (but OF COURSE vote for Dave!)
  3. Vote this weekend!

You can follow all of these steps and directions at www.daverhoades.com (on the home page)

I will post on Saturday, too, as a reminder if it is as weird this time as last time.  Please VOTE!

The Big ALTAR Argument

If you enjoy a good debate (or even a stupid one), there is quite the little Altar tizz going on at the Anamoly message boards.  If you are of a mind to, get on and create some buzz FOR Altar!  And?  Invite your friends and family to vote, too!  (FIRST-sign in your account, THEN- follow this link: http://wherethemapends.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=mlpselect )

The winner of this contest will be published in the spring by Marcher Lord Press.

Help get ALTAR Published!

UPDATE, 11-13-09:  The voting process has turned out to be slightly complicated, so Dave created a PDF with step-by-step instructions and pictures!  Hope this helps!

 http://www.daverhoades.com/pdffiles/step_by_step_altar_voting.pdf

 

Dave is one of 40 authors whose fiction book submission was accepted for a publishing promotional blitz by Marcher Lord Press (“The Premier Publisher of Christian Speculative Fiction”).  By vote of fans and the general public, one of the 40 manuscripts will be selected and published in the spring.

altar.jpg author

Your vote could be the one!  It is a 3-month process that involves just a few, simple steps (and a very small amount of your time reading each month).  Each “registered voter” can only vote once each round, but there will voting in November, December, and finally January.  Don’t quote me on these details, but I think the November voting will decide the top 10 entries, the December voting will decide the top 5 and then the January voting will determine the actual winning manuscript.

My humble request:

Become a registered voter and help Dave win!  The publishing company will not be spamming you or selling your information.  We won’t personally know if and when you registered and voted.  It is private.  But we’d be ever-so-grateful if you’d do this!

HELP!  Here is how:

PRE-REGISTER to become a certified book-choosing voter!

They will email you to make sure you are legitimate and not just our family voting for Dave a gazillion times.   ALTAR is entry # 27.  This month you’ll get to read a blurb and a synopsis of the story, which is really good, by the way.

First-round VOTING IS NOVEMBER 13, 14, 15!

Once you’re registered, you can go back in and vote on any one of these three days in November.  And I believe Marcher Lord Press will notify you in December and January of voting dates.  At any rate, I am certain I will mention it again.  Because I KNOW you are going to help me help Dave win!  Tell your friends and family and everybody you know to VOTE!  I don’t even read fiction and I am going to VOTE!  It really is a cool story.  I promise.  (NOTE:  You must vote for 3 submissions or your vote will be disqualified…be random if you don’t want to read them all…is it cheating to say that??)

Help Dave make it to the next round!  Come on!

Happy Birthday to my Husband!

Dave is 50 today!  He took the day off and we hung out.  Then the kids and grandkids and Elise (except for Dave and Tara who are traveling the great northwest right now) popped over for tortellini and some Wii tournaments.  Gavin is an amazing bowler!  I am 68 years old according to the Wii fitness thingy.  If Stormie hadn’t sabotaged me, I’d have been younger. *smile….

powers2010-202028313291

Half a century ago, you were born with nothing and no one to call your own, my honey.  Who could’ve known what was in your future?  Happy Birthday, David Allen Rhoades!

We are all yours, truly…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: I am the luckiest woman.  I am blessed.

Dave’s previous birthday posts for this landmark celebration (I appreciate your kind indulgence, dear readers):