Mishap

During these days, God hasn't left me without a touch of humor and thankfulness.

In the craziness of the week, it occurred to me that on December 27th, we had the annual family get together with my dad's family.

And then I realized it was at my house.

So I scurried around like a rat on crack trying to make all the preparations for what turned out to be a 40 person 4 hour holiday party at my house!

The day after Christmas, Tom and I cleaned like Merry Maids, out with the old, in with the new, literally trying to make room for everyone.

The next night, I made the big shopping trip for the event, a mini-marathon. I ran to and fro all over that Super-Duper WalMart and home and back to SDWM when I realized I had left a sack of dairy products there. That took an extra hour.

When I finally got back, I made the brilliant decision to store several things in our oven, because I wanted the counters to be clean and frankly, the pantry was busting at the seams. I stacked up the Fritos and Chex Mix and Water Crackers and can of icing and red styrofoam plates, count em, 60 of em! Oh yes, and a bag of M and Ms.

On about my business I went and later that evening I walked in to find Kami making cupcakes, except they didn't smell like cupcakes at all, just some toxic, liquid styrofoam billowing from my oven. For the record, she did mention to me that she would be making cupcakes. It just didn't register.

I opened the oven like SuperWoman and began knocking things out of the oven as quickly as Superwomanly possible. I quite thought something may be alight; maybe I reasoned I would put the fire out that way?

There was no fire, just smoke, thick polymeric smoke (not sure what that means, but it sounds like what I smelled), melted M and M's, roasted frito and charred icing.....and I didn't even cry.

I just laughed and thank God that I caught the mishap before it became a true disaster.

14

tom and i celebrated our 14th anniversary this week.

wow, that makes me feel old.

but thankful.

even though my husband and our relationship is not perfect.
we quabble. he usually thinks he's right.
so do i. (think i'm right.)
he can't fix my car when it's broken down and he's not really good at putting things together.
he is gone an awful lot, and though it's not his fault, i still get mad at him sometimes.
and did i mention he's forgetful? ooooh honey, he's forgetful.

though not perfect, i am immesely thankful for him and for our 14 years of marriage.

here's why....

1. simply said, he loves his family. he puts us first. being of the coaching profession, that is a very big thing.

2. he gives me a footrub every night (when he's home). be jealous. be very jealous.

3. he isn't afraid to make a decision. as a girl who doesn't like decisions that is very, very nice. plus, i trust his decisions. he seems to have a knack for making the right one.

4. he folds the laundry and changes the sheets. all the time. no kidding

5. his faith in God. i look to him for leadership in that area.

6. he is quicker to spend money on a quality item than i am and probably splurges on me more than he should.

7. he knows who he is.

8. he shows me affection and tells me he loves me everyday.

9. he supports me in anything i want to do whether that is taking up tennis or going on a cruise with my friends.

10. he is tall, dark and handsome. oh yeah.

11. he enjoys his guy time.

12. he is a wonderful daddy - gets down on the floor and wrestles with them all the time.

13. he knows how to make me laugh.

14. he is mine!!!

Giving Thanks Where Thanks Is Due

I couldn't let this day slip away without making a record of what I am so very thankful for in this year of our Lord 2008.

I'm going to make it simple.

Could write at length on each of these, but they are what they are.

No sense expounding too much.

In no particular order:

~Church. I am so deeply thankful and glad that we have finally found a new church home. We have not "joined," but it is pretty obvious that Fellowship Bible Church is where we should be. And that feels so good. Finally.

~Basketball. Tom's job is hard to love. But God gives me great peace and thankfulness for the way He has directed our steps. I even love his job sometimes. And that is nothing but a Godsend.

~Husband. Tom is not hard to love. He is a solid man who God put me with to balance out my wacky emotions. He anchors me, and there are no words for my thankfulness for T.

~Blogging. Blogging is my friend. When I am sad, blog listens. And when I am feeling happy, blog proclaims my happiness to the world. I am thankful for this fun, creative outlet that allows me to write and express my feelings. Thanks Dawn, for the award! I've passed the award on to some people at the end of this entry.

~Children. My kiddos and their varied personalities. They are so all stinkin' different, and we absolutely love it. We derive such immeasurable joy from watching them interact with the world around them, in such different yet wonderful ways. I am fall-on-the-ground thankful for my children.

~My kids' school. I find myself just thanking Him for where he has put us. It is not a perfect school, but it is where He wants us. And I take great comfort in that.

~Family & Friends. They bless the heck out of me. The thankfulness in my heart for these wonderful people flows like a river all the day long.

~Hot water. I love hot water to make tea with and hot water to take a bath in. Hot water is one of my most soothing things that I crave and love and am thankful for.

~Pics. Pictures make my heart sing with joy. I love taking pictures and am thankful for the opportunity to do so.

~Creative Juices. Not much makes me feel more alive than bein' crafty. I just love it. I am convinced that in heaven I am going to be chief craft creator for His heavenly kingdom. I may not be as talented as some, but I feel blessed by using my mind and hands.



And my awards will go to....
Ellen for a beautiful blog with GREAT pics!
Audra for the tireless pursuit of excellence!
Ashley for being so fab.u.lous!
Amanda for being such a faithful blogger!
Roxanne Kristina for her hard-hitting posts!
Amber for being so crafty and having such cute girls!
Katy for her homeschooling passion and sweet words!

Katie for her heart-felt and always scriptural entries!
Baloney because she's funny, something I have no talent for!
Rena for precious words and an awesome heart!
There are so many more of you! I could list many more, but I will save all of you for the next award that (might!) come my way.

Blessings!

Breather

A Deep Breath of Air. A Moment to Relax. Some Clarity of mind. Some Peace in Amidst the Uncertainty. Some Solace. A bit of a Pity Party. Time away. Introspection. Hurting Heart. Be Still My Mind. God Lead My Thoughts. A Party in San Antonio. Warm Weather. Sleeping In. A Voice in the Wind. Rest. A Friendz Listening Ear. SNAP OUT OF IT! Roller Coaster. God is Good. He Gave me This: The rain is coming down in Bucketfulls. My child needs Markers. It can't wait till tomorrow. We Go. I Trudge. She Frolicks. I Stew. On the Way Out, in a Dark, Rain Pelted Parking Lot, she Twirls. "I am so THANKFUL," she laughs, as the drops drench her pigtails. Looking upward, she says again slowly and with more seriousness, "I am so THANKFUL." I write this one down in my book of memories. Too precious... and humbling too. One day a little later, while Admiring the Azaleas in Woodward with Nana, Papa, and the kids, Dad says offhandedly, "This life went a lot faster than I thought it was going to." Just a little thing. I think he meant nothing by it. But that it really did go by fast. That one made me stop too. And Just Helped the Thunderclouds Slide Away. And then the Dream. I was at Granny's house. It was late.... past midnight. Don't have any idea why I was there that late. Maybe we were having a quilting party. Anyway, I fell asleep on the couch and she on the daybed... a little later I woke up and thought I should go. But instead, I went over to where Granny was sleeping, and I laid down beside her, real close. I cuddled with my Granny. And as I laid there thinking how much I loved her, I looked on the plaster wall, where she had been writing some stuff in red ink. And I realized what I saw were her marking the days of her life... and she was counting the ones she still had to live until she could Go To See What She's Been Waiting For All Her Life. The Streets of Gold. The Pearly Gates. But it wasn't disturbing... the Dream that is. It was Peaceful and Happy. I felt so Close to Her. And then One More Thing... One More Cool Thing.... Teacher Appreciation Week came. I've been working towards it since July 07. And the closer I got to it, the more I realized that it wasn't just Teacher Appreciation, but Staff Appreciation... and with a few of my activities, I had excluded the staff. It began really bothering me. Besides that, I wondered to God if I was spending too much of my precious time on this dumb PTA thing. How could that be the work of Jesus? Well, first of all, the week was truly blessed. Everyone helped. No one forgot! I had exactly the number of volunteers I needed for each activity. It was almost strange how well everything went. And then on Tuesday evening, as I went to pick up the 80 loaves of donated bread for the teachers (not nearly enough for the 208 staff members), I was blindsided by bread. I left Farrell's Organic Bread with enough bread to fill up the back of the Suburban (Zippy) and then some. I have never seen that amount of bread in my life! When the girls and I got home and counted, we counted... get this.. exactly 209 loaves of bread. Enough yeast for everyone. And then one. It was the closest thing to the Manna from Heaven I have ever experienced. I felt like the boy with the fishes and the loaves. It was really awesome... and I know God had a hand in it. He provided. He gave me assurance that I was doing exactly what He wanted me to do. I took a Deep Breath. I am Back.

Blogger Smoothie

It's not like me not to post. In fact, I now go throughout my day thinking in terms of blog posts. Creating titles, opening lines, blog concepts. I can hear my non-writing sister laughing out loud at this. You DO WHAT? she laughs. Well, it's just the natural way my mind works. But due to March Madness (not just the basketball kind) I have not been able to get myself in front of a computer long enough to compose any of my thoughts! So, here they are, in a blended sort of way.

March 4th. March Fourth. March Forth. A day always overshadowed by basketball, but that's OK. My favorite birthday gift? A phone call from Granny. She's 97. Tears flowed silently down my cheeks as she sang to me. Luke has a new level of words. He's past the -sp world and onto the -ch world. Yes, I said world there, not word. I think in terms of blog posts; he thinks in terms of worlds, a la Super Mario Brothers. He IS Mario. Great is thy faithfulness, O God My Father.Are my emotions an indicator of my faith? I am sitting in the stands to watch the first conference tournament game and I think my heart must be heard by everyone in section D!!! Does this mean I don't trust HIM? Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday God Bless YOU, Happy Birthday to You. After the song, we talked. About my day. About quilting. You really only need to use 2 different sized strips instead of 4, she offered. The quilts are just as pretty with 2, and less to think about. How many more birthdays will she sing to me? -chocolate -chill -chin -chacket (no chacket starts with a "j" baby). I believe. I do believe. That HE will watch over us. If that means winning ball games, then He will do it. Is it petty to pray to WIN? Do you pray that your husband has success at his job? That he will do well and find favor with his boss? That he will be blessed and be promoted? Ditto. Everyone wanted to know how it felt to "almost" be 40. Are you kidding me? Absolutely wonderful. I am alive. I am here to enjoy my precious husband and wonderful kids. My parents have showed me nothing but love my entire life, and God has surrounded me with friends on every side. Are things perfect? Of course not. But I am happy, even if I am going to have to check the 40 and over box sometime soon. She's making an Easter quilt. It has lots of pinks and purples and some green too. We WON the first game vs. Centenary! Our awesome and spirit-filled Moses, the same one who read to Ellie's first grade class, hit 8 three pointers! Way to go Mo! And my friend Nicole got me through it, all the way from Florida, she lifted me up with text messages like this: "u hv bn here b 4 he is faithful and just." God, I can't control my emotions, but I control my reaction to my emotions. I react to nerves by saying, "I trust YOU!" and I do. 2nd game: down by 7 at halftime with only 17 points. Incredibly, He gave me peace. You're going to pull it out, He said. We did. Emotions didn't rule. -challenge -choice -chip. I felt it that morning. Grossly, I think I felt the bug actually bore itself into my right nostril. It was downhill from there. I spent the evening of our 3rd victory in my bed. Didn't even watch the game on ESPN. While my entire family celebrates our awesome victory vs. IUPUI until midnight, I am in bed with the flu. Humorous, really, but you know, what, it's OK. Great is His Faithfulness! -CHAMP!!!!

A Great Night for ORU

Thanksgiving Assignment

Inspired by my friend Chere (a 4th grade teacher), I wrote this prayer of thankfulness to God.

Through the years, Father in
Heaven, you have led my steps,
And at every tiny turn, you have watched over me.
Now, I thank You, the God of All Gods, the
King of the Universe, yet Savior of my soul... I
Sing a song of thankfulness to You, for all You
Give, for all You wisely withhold. For all You Are.
Immense, Amazing, Unconditional, Full of Love.
Victorious. Mysterious. Mine. O Lord, my God...
I thank you for the blessings you give, too
Numerous to name!! Even amidst the trials, my heart says,
"Great are You God. You are my Rock"

Thanks for the Last 4 Years

It's That Time of Year Again?

Wow... It seems like we just finished up with basketball season and here we go again!

God has blessed our family with an exciting, active and fun occupation. . . we are thankful for ORU and the opportunities we are given because of Tom's job as a basketball coach. One of those opportunities? Hanging out with Eli the Golden Eagle. The girls also enjoy all the basketball camps. Kami loves getting better at basketball, and Ellie... well, she loves meeting people. People like Lei the cheerleader and our friend Jourdan, pictured below. Luke (also below) likes shoveling enormous handfuls of popcorn into his mouth.. and me? Well, I enjoy the competition of basketball. I like getting to know our players . I appreciate the faith that is being built within me as we go through our season.... winning AND losing. It's always hurts to lose. But it's part of where God has us right now and how he is shaping us. And winning one (or 25!) for ORU is awful sweet.

-"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11