FROM: Carey and Lisa (Shimonauff) Kinsolving, Kids Talk About God
“The only mind that understands the things of God is the child mind.”
– Oswald Chambers
Table of Contents
PERSONAL
1) MY FIRST NEW YEAR’S EVE DATE
2) LIGHTENING MY LOAD
3) THE WEDDING
4) HAWAII
5) TEXAS
6) CALIFORNIA - FIRST TIME BACK!
MINISTRY
7) SHOULDN’T WE HAVE OUR MARKETING DEGREES BY NOW?
8) KIDS COLOR ME BIBLE
9) PREPARING TWO NEW WEBSITES
10) WATCHING THE TRAFFIC
11) LIVE EVENTS AVAILABLE AGAIN
12) MORE PLANS
Hello Family & Friends...
You are all on our hearts as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and look ahead to the New Year. We are so grateful and overwhelmed with joy as we look back on all the blessings of 2005.
1) MY FIRST NEW YEAR'S EVE DATE
I (Lisa) don't think I'd ever had a date on New Year's Eve until this last one leading into 2005. My then-fiancé Carey had come for a visit to California a few months before our wedding. We got to spend some good, quality time with my family. He also helped me get ready to sell my house in Sacramento: hanging signs, making phone calls and co-hosting two Open Houses with me. On New Year's Eve, we went out to a singles' dance... as a couple! What rebels. It was a great start for an amazing year.
2) LIGHTENING MY LOAD
Besides my house, I (Lisa again) had to unload my car, piano, furniture and plenty of miscellaneous. Knowing that after the wedding, Carey and I would be living in a small one-bedroom condo… and knowing that I’d be moving about 2000 miles away… it seemed best to downsize as much as possible BEFORE the move! I believe I found buyers for both the piano and the car through a free website listing.
The house was a different matter. We did have to finally list with an agent, but Carey helped me arrange a deal where we only had to pay 1 percent to have the house appear in the MLS listings. We got that done, and I was out of the house a couple weeks before the wedding.
My sister Dani adopted my periwinkle parakeet Peja, saying her cat would enjoy the entertainment! (I could just picture all these Sylvester & Tweety scenarios…!) Many of the furniture items were purchased or adopted by friends or family members, which was my preference.
For smaller items, I had what would have been a HUGE garage sale, if not for the fact that it rained all day! Oh well… I had good help from friends & family, so it was a nice social time for us. We had the entire inventory crammed inside the garage. People came, and I think we made a few hundred dollars in sales. There was a lot left, though, and I had Salvation Army pick it up.
In the end, I think my load for the moving van was about 80 boxes plus my bicycle.
3) THE WEDDING
If we’d known what a huge task it would be to plan a wedding, sell a house, sell a car, sell a piano, have a garage sale and make arrangements for a California-to-Texas move… all while continuing in our full-time jobs… we might have allowed more than 6 months to do it!
It was amazing how much Carey was able to help, despite the fact that his New Year’s visit to California would be his last until a few days before the wedding (April 2, 2005). Having unlimited long-distance on his home phone was a gift from God. Lisa had lots of other assistants, too. People from her church choir and office staff were especially helpful. Also, thank God for bridesmaids and cell phones!
Anyway, it all came together very well. All who’d been given responsibilities for the wedding day were so trustworthy, it proved to be an almost… dare I say… RELAXING day for the bride & groom. The only regret I had was that people didn’t linger at the reception a little longer. For some reason, the festivities seemed a little rushed. I’m sure we missed out on personally greeting some of our guests because of this. (If you were one of them, we do apologize.)
But, we did have time and energy for a photo odyssey after we left the reception. We went down to Old Sacramento, the Capitol and the carousel at Arden Fair Mall, and got some really FUN shots. We got a lot of stares, especially riding the carousel in our wedding clothes. What a hoot!
4) HAWAII
We stayed two nights in Sacramento before leaving for our Hawaiian honeymoon. That turned out to be a great plan, because we needed a little breather. It rained that whole day after the wedding, and we were just SO thankful it hadn't rained ON the wedding day.
We had a BLAST in Maui. We rented a condo across the street from the beach, and drove around in a rental car. In that week, we drove the vast majority of the coastline of Maui. What diversity for such a small island!
We drove the Road to Hana, which winds through a tropical rain forest (second rainiest spot on earth at 365 inches per year) and yes, we forgot raincoats! Duh. The road takes you past the town of Hana to the Seven Pools (a series of waterfalls leading through cliffs to the ocean).
Another classic drive was around the west end of the island. The road gets down to one lane… and by that, I don’t mean one lane in each direction, just ONE lane… period. There’s a sheer dropoff on one side, and a rock wall on the other. It is riddled with hairpin turns and blind curves. You need to use your horn a lot to be safe. When you meet someone driving the other way, one of you has to back up to a wide spot in the road. Not for the faint of heart.
We also enjoyed snorkeling at Molokini and Turtle Town, shopping, attending a luau, driving up Mount Haleakala for a heavenly sunset, visiting a lavender farm and walking through a gorgeous national park and plenty of lush gardens. We also spent an afternoon going through some of the high-end resorts and just gawking.
5) TEXAS
We returned to California from Hawaii, stayed a few days with Lisa’s sister and her family, and headed to Texas from there. It was especially tearful saying goodbye to Lisa’s then-almost-14-month-old twin nephews.
Texas was a big adjustment for Lisa (see past newsletters – links below – for examples of the culture shock), but it really-really helped that our condo is right smack ON the beach with a full view of the Gulf of Mexico from our living room and balcony! Also, I (Lisa) have had a great time bonding with my new in-laws. They are all awesome and have made me feel SO welcome and loved.
Anyway, back to how beautiful it is here! We live in a RESORT area. So, let me just reiterate… come out and visit sometime, y’all! There is so much to do here. It’s not just about lying on the beach all day… although that can be very nice.
Kite flying is great here, as there is nearly always a substantial breeze. Also: sailing, windsurfing, surfing, kite boarding, skim boarding, parasailing, sandcastle building, seashell collecting, walking, running, cycling (the beach is loooong), fishing, wildlife viewing (there are some excellent sanctuaries here), bird watching, dolphin watching (cruises available nearby), shopping/dining in Mexico, playing at the waterpark (Schlitterbahn), and miscellaneous special events, such as Sandcastle Days.
If you’re thinking about coming, ask us for information. We know when the off-peak season is, and the rates are phenomenal then. We know of a small motel that has nice, clean, recently remodeled suites at about $39 per night, just one block from the beach and walking distance from our condo. Also, many units in our own building are available as vacation rentals. We can send you websites for all kinds of lodging, dining, events and activities here.
Also, as Carey likes to tell people, if you need any dental work done, plan to have it done in Mexico while you’re here, and you might save enough money to pay for your trip!
Anyway, it took awhile, but we finally got settled in and kind of organized. That last part is more of an ongoing, lifelong process! We have to trim constantly to stay small enough for this place. That’s partly why we work so hard to not gain weight. If either of us gained an ounce, we’d have to get rid of a spoon or something to make room for us again!
6) CALIFORNIA - FIRST TIME BACK!
A few days ago, November 30 thru December 10, we had our first visit back to California since the wedding. What a great time we had! We got to spend lots of time with family.
The twins are now nearly 22 months old, and we had SO much fun with them! We have a newfound respect for Sonya & Phil, who must keep up with these little whirlwinds 24/7. They do have a ton of energy, but I must say: they are GOOD little boys… not to mention smart, funny and talented! Based on their personalities and apparent gifts and affinities, I (Lisa) predict that Elijah will be a racecar driver who will retire to become an NFL chaplain, and Aaron will be an MLB pitcher who will retire to become a sports commentator.
Elijah Aaron w/ Uncle Carey
For the last several months, we’d been keeping in touch with the twins by having webcam visits. We were sure they thought we lived in Mommy’s & Daddy’s computer! Hopefully, now they'll remember we’re 3-D, and can sometimes join them in their world.
Elijah, Auntie Lisa, Aaron Aaron & Uncle Carey
On December 2, we had the wonderful treat of two front-row-center seats for opening night of Capital Christian Center’s 49th Annual Singing Christmas Tree. We felt like VIPs or something! This is an event that Lisa had been involved in for the previous 11 years, including acting, dancing, singing in the choir, singing in ensembles, singing pit vocals, singing solos, writing scripts, and many other facets related to her job in the church office. It was difficult for her to sit still throughout the performance. Sitting in the audience is kind of a foreign concept to her!
The performance was awesome, as usual. We had a great time, and even snuck backstage during intermission to say hello to the choir while they were still a captive audience on the Tree. Afterwards, we attended a wonderful cast party and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to reconnect with many of Lisa’s friends there.
On Saturday, Lisa’s aunt hosted a family gathering that was dubbed “Late Thanksgiving”. I think there were about two dozen relatives jammed into the house that day. We had a blast. They all LOVE Carey and have welcomed him into the family with open arms. We had plenty of great food, and watched the kids decorate the Christmas tree. We handed out our Christmas gifts early, and played some near-violent games of Spoons and Cut-Throat Uno. The neighbors were THIS close to calling 9-1-1. (This is more due to the loud shrieking than any actual violence!)
Julia, Kelsey, Auntie Lisa, Kirsten, Uncle Carey, Trent (horizontal)
Take Two - OK, we'll TRY to be normal this time!
One evening, we babysat the twins so Sonya & Phil could have a date night. That was quite an adventure. They are SUCH good boys, but WOW… it’s really a lot of work keeping up with all their needs. They are pretty much feeding themselves now, so dinnertime was much less labor intensive. You just have to monitor them to make sure all the food doesn’t end up on the floor… or on each other!
Elijah and Aaron really love those Baby Einstein videos. So Carey and I made them our own version: Baby Rachmaninoff. We had given them a couple of the Baby Einstein puppets, and they already had a few others. We used a bunch of their toys in the video, and mostly just improvised, having the puppets playing with the toys to the accompaniment of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 2. That was fun, and the boys seemed to enjoy most of the video. (I will admit… it needs editing… too bad we don’t have the equipment!)
Once again, it was extremely difficult to say goodbye to those sweet little guys. Auntie Lisa and both twins were all crying. I (Lisa) wish we could visit at least 2-3 times per year. We’re trying hard to save up our miles.
They knew when Auntie Lisa needed a little TLC.
This was a day or two before we left, and she was already a little sad!
The twins were especially cuddly that day.
KTAG Ministry
7) SHOULDN'T WE HAVE OUR MARKETING DEGREES BY NOW?
I cannot tell you how many marketing and web marketing books we read in the first months of our marriage. It was like being in school again. I never had any idea how involved it is. I think we’ve done enough studying to earn our degrees in this field! Ultimately, we came up with a strategy, and it involved a serious overhaul of our current website, and the addition of an auxiliary, traffic-getting website.
8) KIDS COLOR ME BIBLE
We spent a lot of time adding material and editing the Kids Color Me Bible before it went online this year. The interactive format allows children to learn Bible stories while interacting with them by writing answers to questions and drawing illustrative art. The online book can be used for Bible lessons or to build personalized books. Other features include the Easy-to-Read Version of the Bible, children’s illustrative art and writing and a little commentary by yours truly (Carey).
9) PREPARING TWO NEW WEBSITES
This was also an extremely labor-intensive endeavor, especially with the new site. First, we had to do a lot of research in order to determine the keywords that were most productive for bringing in traffic targeted for what we have. Then we had to write content for each major keyword. We also re-wrote a lot of the material on the old site. Then, both sites had to be constructed and many bugs worked out. It all went live in November!
10) WATCHING THE TRAFFIC
Now, we’re in a new phase of watching our website traffic. Based on different traffic trends we notice, we can make changes to the websites to be even more search-friendly.
One cool thing we noticed right away was the number of visitors we were getting from foreign countries. In the first few weeks, we received visitors from the following countries:
Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and Venezuela.
More than 30 foreign countries represented nearly 30% of our total traffic!
11) LIVE EVENTS AVAILABLE AGAIN
Back before the wedding, Kids Talk About God used to do live events: Arts Festivals, Banquet Presentations and Mission Explorers Evangelism Training. When things got extremely busy with the wedding and the new websites, these events were put on hold. We're happy to announce that we're now making them available again!
Click here for more information about our live events.
12) MORE PLANS
Carey had been focusing on learning even more about web marketing. He’s back at it again. We know there is more we can do to get the word out about all that Kids Talk About God has available, for FREE, on the Internet. We are also seeking out some great fits for ministry partnerships. While in California, Carey met with a church and some Christian business owners who may be interested in using our value-added business cards and personalized web pages.
If you have any referrals or ideas for us, please send us an email, or use our Contact Us form. Also, please don’t forget to keep us and Kids Talk About God in your prayers. That is the support we absolutely cannot do without!
We hope to hear from you soon. Give us the scoop about what’s going on with you!
Loads of Christmas blessings!
Carey & Lisa Kinsolving
Helping Christians Inspire Children
Kids Talk About God
P.O. Box 3846
South Padre Island, TX 78597
956-772-1920
Contact Us
P.S. – Please pray about supporting our ministry. If God leads you to do so, please send checks to: Kids Talk About God, P.O. Box 3846, South Padre Island, TX 78597. We are also now equipped to accept donations via PayPal on our website:
http://www.kidstalkaboutgod.net/Home/SupportThisMinistry/tabid/188/Default.aspx
A giving receipt will come from AMG International, the mission organization under which Kids Talk About God operates.
Financial report: The Kids Talk About God marketing and licensing program is just starting out, and we only have a few paying clients at this point. We are currently receiving $425/month in licensing fees and $70/month in donations. One-time donations for this year have been $5,742.42. This ministry is not yet fully supported. We are trusting God to increase the support so that this ministry He has given us can continue and grow. We are so grateful to the few pioneers who share our vision of helping Christians inspire children.
Links to Previous eNews Issues:
November 2005
(The one with the "Seagull and the Snake" story...)
September 2005
(The one with the "Kite Boarder Run Amok" story...)
June 2005
(The one with a lot more details about our wedding...)