Moving Day is Fast Approaching

I’m preparing for our big move to Florida. With every box I tape up, I get more and more excited. I envision where our belongings will go in our future home. I wonder what our paint colors and new flooring will look like. I imagine Luke playing along side me while I decorate. I plan to take Luke on walks every morning in our neighborhood lined with sidewalks. I picture picking up my phone and calling my parents to come play with Luke and I in our backyard.  And I get SO excited!

Then I have my moments.

Like today. I left the breastfeeding support group I go to (which is more like a mom’s group with a lactation consultant in the room….we swap brilliant ideas, talk about childrearing, and encourage one another. And our babies get to play in a safe, neutral place).

As I was walking out the door, Wendy (our LC) said “You’ll be gone to Florida soon, won’t you?” And I nonchalantly, with a smile and a shrug, said “Yeah, I only have a few more weeks at the group! I will miss it!” And I walked out the door. I got home and was curious just how many weeks do I actually have at the group? I pulled out my calendar. One. I have one group day left.

And then I got a knot in my stomach.

I have one day left to see the fellow mamas who have become such good friends with me.
I have one day left to walk down the halls of Emanuel and remember the excitement that last summer brought…the touring of the Labor and Delivery ward, the pre-registration for Luke’s birth, the being rushed to L&D, the Mother-Baby ward, the staying in the NICU (yes, that was a sad and scary time, but we came out with a healthy baby so the excitement still pulls at my heartstrings).
And I still remember my first time going to the breastfeeding support group. My mom drove me and even went in with me. Taking Luke out of the house by myself made me nervous… I hadn’t done this before! (Plus I wasn’t allowed to drive for six weeks.)

And here we are nine months later, on the flip side of the group going not for help as a new mom but to help other new moms. To be the encouraging voice they might need to hear to press on and nurse even if the baby seems hungry every minute of every day. To be the “been there” voice on nursing in a baby carrier. To help adjust those tricky straps that no one realizes moves in the Ergo.

And I cry.

I’m all sappy and then it dawns on me- yes, I will miss all of these things terribly, but what I will really miss about Turlock is that this is the place where I was born. My “wife who clings to her husband” side was born. My “wife who knows how to run a house” side was born. My “daughter who lives three thousand miles away and must be independent” side was born. My “momma” side was born. I became part of the person that I was meant to be in California. And for that reason, California will always be a special place to me.

A little over three years ago, I wrote this a post about us moving.  Let’s take a look at the second half of my post when I share good news about moving.

But.  There is good news.

    1.    I know God has a plan for me and my family.  This is part of His plan, and I choose to trust Him.  It's good to know that God has a plan for little old me, but I feel strongly that part of Him moving us across the country is to teach me to trust Him more.
    2.    My husband and I are learning to cling together more than we ever have before.  And I didn't think that was possible, because we already have more respect and love for each other than I could ever dream.  Moving so far away from our known little world in Florida will undoubtedly enable and even force us to cling together even more.
    3.    Financially, we'll be a lot safer than we are now.
    4.    I've always (as long as I can remember) wanted to be a Proverbs 31 (see verses 10 through 31 if you are unfamiliar) woman, and I feel that having a "fresh start" so to speak will allow me to create who I want me to be.  (Not that I couldn't do it here in our Florida home, but it's almost like a New Year's Resolution type thing... fresh starts can be helpful.)
    5.    Our small groups from church have helped me become friends with some amazing women.  Women that lift each other, that glorify God, and love one another with a genuine love.  We've grown so close through small groups, I'd feel blessed if Carl and I could put the idea of small groups in our future church's mind.  It's such an opportunity for growth.
    6.    If any of our friends would like to go to California, we will  host you in our home.  Any of you.  Seriously.  Hello, free place to stay!
    7.    Blogging material!  Need I say more?  Maybe I'll even go to the BlogHer '11 Conference!
    8.    Moving!  It's gotta be kinda fun, right?  I've never actually done that.  (How crazy is that?  When I "moved" from my parents home to my husband's home, it was more like "Come home from my honeymoon and my new home is full of my things"....that I didn't pack.  Yep, family moved me in to my new home.  It was such a blessing to come home from our honeymoon with no moving to do!)
    9.    We're going on an adventure.  That's always fun, no?  Carl and I always have so much fun when we're sightseeing together, exploring a whole new town is bound to be a blast!
    10.    Planes make traveling easy.  We don't have to take 5 days to make the cross country drive, we can hop on a jet a fly home for holidays.  (This gives Christmas music a whole new meaning... think: "I'll be home for Christmas.")

When I wrote those words, I never knew how true they would be. Looking back at the past three years, here’s an updated list.

1. God sure did, and still does have a plan for me and my family! I never knew how much I would grow as a person by moving to California.
2.  My husband and I cling together more than I knew possible, and now I also know that we will continue to cling together in the future in ways we can’t even fathom now.
3.  Still true.  And by the grace of God, Carl is able to telecommute so our income should remain the same. And we will still have insurance!
4.  Having a “fresh start” in California to bloom where I have been planted has helped me be the woman, wife and mother that I have wanted to be my whole life. I’m not perfect by any means, but I’m growing daily and for that I am thankful.
5.  We didn’t start small groups through the church, but the amount of times we get together and fellowship with our families in Christ here have been so wonderful. We learned the true meaning of hospitality. One family has opened their doors every Saturday night for a bunch of families to gather at, and another family is known for their willingness to open their doors on the spot, despite it sometimes being a “messy” house (that no one cares about anyway!). I hope to be able to do those things one day. Getting together in their homes have given us so many wonderful memories I hold dear to my heart.
6. We did host some of our Florida friends in our home! Not very many, but that’s okay!
7. Blogging material. HA! NEED I SAY MORE!??!
8.  Moving…. um, do you remember our adventure out here?! I pray that it isn’t so “fun” on our return move! HAHA!
9.  The last three years HAVE been an adventure…. learning California laws, taking day trips around the state….it’s been a blast.
10.  Planes do make traveling easy, but after my flight home I am hoping to not be in the air for a while. I’m a little tired of planes.

God has been so so so good to us.

This upcoming Saturday, our dear friends are hosting a BBQ as a goodbye party for us. We are so incredibly blessed.  Words can’t even explain!




As hard as it is going to be leaving our friends and our life here in California, I trust that this is the right move for our family.  I hope to be a blessing to a future family the way our California friends have been such a blessing to us.

Retreating In The Mountains

A couple weekends ago, we hightailed it over to Yosemite for a church-family retreat.  We left our troubles safely locked up in our homes, knowing they would be waiting for us upon our return.  This weekend was a get-a-way.  Troubles and stress were not invited on our trip.

Since I knew this weekend wouldn't be dirt free, I packed a bag I could carry that could easily be thrown into the wash.  When I took it out and laid it on the floor, Belle saw her opportunity.  And I saw a photo-op.  ;)

She cracks me up. She just hopped in there as if to say, "So where are we going?" In reality though, she could care less where we were going. As long as she gets to go, too. I snapped her photo and then laid her (within the bag) on the bed, next to my other bag that I was filling with clothes for the weekend. I stepped out to grab some towels out of the dryer, and when I came back into our room, this is what I found.

 

She upgraded. 

Apparently, she wanted a more roomier, and girlier ride for the weekend. I understand, little Belle, I understand. We made our trek over to Yosemite (yet again, haha! maybe I should rename the blog to "something about yosemite."  just kidding :)) and I think the ups and downs of the hills made Belle a little resentful toward the car. She started breathing heavily and I just KNEW she would lose her supper any moment! Thankfully, she made it to the camp with her supper still in her belly. We arrived and set up our bed for the night, inside the cabin with our friends. As you can see, Belle was happy to see our bedding.  She quickly rooted around and found her spot for the night.

The theme for the weekend was "Face Your Giants." We participated in classes revolving around the idea of over-coming your hurdles, and "leaving it on the field."

If you haven't had a chance, go read my thoughts on "leaving it on the field."  

We brought Austin's best buddy with us on this trip, which I truly believe, made the retreat about 1,000 times better for Austin.  He had a friend that he could explore and roam the hills with.  They had real "guy time".... no Playstations, no Wiis, no computers.  Just two young men out to explore the wilderness.  And his friend is such a great kid- we sometimes forget he is even around!  He's very well mannered and soft spoken.

We all hiked up to a creek in the hills of Yosemite. The water was ICE cold.... well maybe not ice cold, since then it would be actual ice, but you know what I mean!  

The kids really got into gold-searching. Hey, we are in California, you know...the golden state.. And there were sparkly flakes all throughout the creek.

   

I'm not sure why Belle looked sad in this picture, she was quite happy to be out in the woods. Even if one of our friends did have to pull a tick off her nose while I held her down. Small price to pay.

 Saturday night, my husband let out the card shark within himself. I was going to post some pictures of the card playing group- but I'm pretty sure the people in them would ask me to remove them from the blog.... in every shot, someone is making a dramatic and horrible face. The shots were all candid, so it was bound to happen at some point. 

So our weekend was spend truly retreating in the mountains. 

No work, just relaxation, connecting more with friends, and studying God's word.

Leave it on the field.

What does the saying, "Leave it on the field." mean to you?

[Let me start out by saying that this post is not about anyone in particular.  Unless your name is mentioned, don't assume it's about you!]

To me, "Leave it on the field" means leave your issue where it belongs...in God's hands. I'm not saying you shouldn't talk to your trusted friend or family member about your issue (they can pray for and with you, and how valuable are prayers!), but don't bring the issue where it won't do any good. If it's not productive to talk about it, just leave it.  Unfortunately, that's easier said than done.

I do think that for females, it's harder to hand over your burden to God.  I think we are wired differently than males, and will want to hold on to our issue so that we can fix it ourselves.  But we can't.  Justin, a friend of ours back in Florida, once gave the illustration how he thinks women treat their problems like a fluffy bunny in a basket.  They show off their bunny (problem) to their friends and family, and their husband.  They want their loved ones to see their bunny and pet it.  Then when someone comes up with a solution to their problem, they take their bunny and hover over it, protecting it as if to say, "No, it's mine... you can't fix it.  I want to keep it!"  How right is he?!  Us women tend to want to talk about a problem until we are blue in the face and get utterly sick of it.  We hold on to our issues.  What an unhealthy habit! 

Now, I admit, for the longest time, I didn't understand why people would say to give God your burdens. I would think, "But I love and respect my God, why would I want to give him anything bad?? I don't want Him to have to carry my burden! He has enough to worry about!"  A few years ago, I finally understood what it meant.  Nothing is too big for God. Recently, I read an analogy to this very situation. I think it really helps bring the issue home.

 *I am so sorry, I can't remember where I read this analogy... I know it was on another blog, so if you happen to see it, please let me know so I can credit the source. This analogy is not my own.*

A father and a little girl are talking about an issue that she is struggling with. He can't give her all of her answers simply because of her age and lack of knowledge and understanding. She just isn't ready to hear, even though she desperately wants to understand. She even thinks that she is ready, but the father knows that she is not.

For him, the answers are clear and logical. As clear and logical as the answers may be, He still knows that his little girl can't possibly understand the answers at her age and in her position.

So, he compares the issue to a heavy suitcase. First, he asks her to pick it up. She manages to hoist it off the ground, but just barely. The father knows that his little girl can't lift this suitcase, but with his strong arms, he can lift it with gentle ease. "It's too heavy, daddy." she says. Her dad says, "That's right. It's too heavy for you to carry right now. Let me carry it for you. I hate to see you struggling to carry something that is simply too heavy; please, allow me." Matthew 11:28-30 tells us, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

I think we, as humans, often struggle just handing an issue over to God. It's hard to do! We want to make the issue better ourselves; we want the answers right now; we want to see how everything turns out.  But when I look at Matthew 6:25-27, I see that God didn't forget to feed the birds. He didn't forget to put seeds and worms out for them, why would he forget about me and my issue?

So. What should we do? I say- follow the instructions given to us in Philippians 4:6-7. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

And that, my friends, is one of the hardest things to do.

Psalm 19:1

If you don't want to see a bunch of beautiful pictures of Yosemite, skip this post. 

Otherwise, enjoy!

This one was taken back in March when we first went to Yosemite.

"I see skies of blue...and clouds of white, the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night.  And I think to myself, what a wonderful world."

-Louis Armstrong

So beautiful even though the trees were sparse.

We loved how the snow formed at the bottom of the waterfall.  Isn't it gorgeous?

This lake wasn't here when we visited in July.  All dried up.

Evergreens, crystal streams, peaks of Kiliminjaro, deep blue sky, rocks that cry all give praise to my God.  -"I Am" by Avery Stafford

Listening to the waterfall was so peaceful.  I'd like to take out a hammock and nap right here.  If someone could just watch out for bears for me, please.

Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. -Luke 12:27

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:12

Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. -Psalm 96:12b

Above: Bridal Veil Falls

Below: Half Dome

Savior.  He can move the mountains.  My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save. -Mighty to Save

View from a lookout near Glacier Point.

Seeing waterfalls from above is priceless.

We are so high up, and yet this shot is not even of the Valley floor.

Another shot of half dome.  I'm just in awe over the fact that people climb this rock!  (Using the steep side, too!)

Storm clouds moving in.

Breathtaking in real life, pictures don't do it justice.

They never do.

We saw people on the top of this using a telescope.  Well, Carl and Ann did.  I have to take their word for it.  :-P

Finally arrived at Glacier Point

I hope that red on the rock on the left is not blood....

Pride Rock, anyone?  Anyone???

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. -Psalm 19:1

There's the Valley floor.

Breathtaking.

Make Love {A Verb}

Lately, I've been listening to podcasts by Andy Stanley. 

I wanted to share a few with you that I thought were especially good.

This first one is about finding forever love, and that is done by making love a verb instead of a noun.

Make love a verb.  Part one.  Part two.

Since the page link will change, the dates of the podcasts that I am specifically linking to are 5/19/11 and 6/1/11.

Both parts are phrased extremely well and introduce some concepts that many people haven't thought of.  If you're a Christian, or not, it's a good listen.  Let me know what you think!

Going Dark

I haven't always been a light sleeper.  I've always been a sleeper, but not always a light one.  I used to sleep through anything.  One day, I realized that it wasn't very safe being a "deep" sleeper, so I started practicing sleeping lightly.  And I haven't been able to stop. 


I hear everything.  Every drip of water, ever toilet flush, every strong gust of wind.  And I suppose that's a woman's job.  I'm looking out for my family.  Don't get me wrong, I used to wake up my husband every time I heard a noise.  Then he was more exhausted than I was because he would get woken up more than he cared for.  


"Honey," he started.  "If you hear a noise that makes you think someone is breaking into the house, or if the house is on fire, or we are in some other danger, wake me up.  But if you hear the creaks of the house, the fridge making ice, or the furnace turning off, please let me sleep."


Done.


I didn't wake him up.  Everything was dandy.  He was getting the sleep he needed, and I got enough sleep as well.  At least enough to function, so that's all that mattered really.


Last night was like any other.  We ate dinner together.  Specifically, orange-honey chicken, rice, and carrots.  Then, we cleaned up our dishes and wiped down the counters and got ready to get cozy for the night.  The three of us lounged on the couches and watched a movie.  I typically request a non-scary movie before bed, so we watched Apollo 13.  Something all three of us enjoyed. 


In the middle of the night, in my sleep, I heard a noise.  My brain was having trouble sorting out what the noise was, but I thought someone had a car crash near our house.  It was loud.  I don't remember situating myself to sit up, but I managed to sit straight up and pick up Belle in one fail swoop.  She was curled up next to me five minutes before, yet when I picked her up, her ears were already standing.  She had heard it too.  I wasn't dreaming.


"Carl," I grabbed his leg.  "Something's wrong."  


He jumped up, just barely awake enough to realize that he, too, had heard something.  He managed to sleep through it somehow.  "Grab your phone," he told me as he ran downstairs.  


I was trying to figure out what on earth I had heard, but I clearly remembered hearing three sounds.  A loud bang like a tree falling, glass shattering, and a swooshing noise.  I wasn't prepared for what I heard next.  "The front door is open!"


I dialed 911 and answered their million and one questions they were asking me, all while breathing heavily.


"What color shirt is your husband wearing?  What color are his pants?  What is your husband's name?  Who else is in the house?  Is there an intruder in your house?  Where are you located inside of the house?  Is anyone downstairs in the house?....."  The questions continued.  I was getting annoyed with the officer for not telling me someone was already on the way.


Carl walked back into our bedroom while the officers continued to question me on the phone.  Carl asked me if I was okay.  He saw that I was struggling to breathe and apparently making incoherent sentences.  I passed him the phone and stood up, only to see my reflection with absolutely no color, and I fell back into the bed.  Carl stood at the top of the stairs and I carried Belle with me to Austin's room.


Opening his door, I hit a stack of toys that fell over.  I looked over to his bed, and saw no movement.  Walking further in, I tripped and made more ruckus.  Still, no movement.  Finally I was close enough to the bed to see Austin, so I gave Carl a thumbs up.  Just for safe measure, I ran my fingers through his hair.  He was safe and sound, without a care or any knowledge that someone had just intruded into our home and violated our safe little world.


The police finally arrived so we made our way down the stairs.  It was then that Belle decided to start barking.  Apparently she thought she was off duty of her guarding the house during the nighttime hours. We'll have a little talk about that later...


Anyway, the police looked at our front door which we discovered had been forced open, flew back so hard that it hit the wall and then almost swung shut.  The door frame was destroyed, laying on the floor.  Upon further inspection in the light of day, we saw marks all over the door that could've been a crow bar.  


The three noises that I heard in my sleep were as follows.  And I believe they were close to simultaneous.
Tree falling: Someone hitting the door really hard.
Glass shattering:  This took me a while to understand, until Carl nudged a piece of hardware from the door.  I was brought back to the sound like a movie playing in slow motion.  I had heard the metal hardware from the door hitting the tile in our foyer.  My brain thought it was glass in my sleepy state.
Swooshing noise: The door flying open, hitting the wall (also tree falling noise) and then swinging back *almost* shut.


Thankfully, the intruder took off, rather than entering our home.  But it scares us.  I sat up since 2:40 in the morning until 9am and just cried on and off.  Carl and I both stayed in the living room keeping an eye on things, trying our best not to jump at every small noise we heard.  By the time the sun started coming up, I had never appreciated daylight more.  Everything is always better in the daylight.  


This week on our to-do list (other than get our door repaired) is to get a home alarm system.  The house is equipped with one already, so we just need to activate it.  I thank God that everyone was okay, and the intruder didn't take anything.  


Matthew 6:20 tells us "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."  As difficult as it may be to start over, I could live with that.  I could not live with losing a family member or pet from an intruder, though.  Laptop?  Sure.  Jewelry?  Sad, but sure.  Family?  .............Did I mention we're purchasing a gun this week??


Anyway, this brings me to my news.  I've decided I'm going to make this blog private.  I'm more than happy to share this with you if I've met you in real life and I trust you.  Facebook friends, that means you... I don't accept friend requests from people untrustworthy or whom I do not know.  Family, of course you will be allowed in.  Fellow bloggers, email me.  If I know you well enough through your blog, I'll allow you to read it, too.  (In fact, if you've allowed me access to your private blog, I consider myself to know you and will allow you to read along.)  (loveissomethingthatwedo@gmail.com)  Or, click here: Email me!


Thank you all for your understanding.  This was a really scary situation, and I hope and pray that the intruder does not come back.  

Day 4: Texas

Phillippians 4:19 tells us that “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”


And let me tell you what: He has.  He has met our needs.  We are safe, warm, and without hunger in a hotel.  We are being taken care of.  Friends and family have warned us about what could happen, but we have someone bigger on our side than anyone or anything could interfere with.  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  If God is for us, who can be against us?"  Romans 8:28 and 31.


Before leaving, we were warned about many many things.  Roads to take, roads to avoid.  Towns to visit, places to steer clear from.  The list goes on.  


Another thing everyone warned us about, along this drive, was Texas.


"Texas is so long, it's going to take you days to get through it."
"Don't count your trip down by states or Texas will make you go insane."
"Texas is nothing but sand..."
And alas,
"Everything's bigger in Texas."


Let me say, most of those are true.
Texas IS extremely long, and it IS taking us days to get through it.
I'm NOT counting my trip down by states, because I was forwarned.
Texas IS very very sandy, there's a sandstorm outside right now, actually.  BUT, it's not all sand.  It's mountainy (is that a word?  It is now..), too.  It surprised me, also.... don't feel bad.
And it is true.
Everything IS bigger in Texas.
Even the unexpected delays.


Allow me to elaborate.  In the middle of NOWHERE, we heard a squeaking noise coming from the truck.  Something was happening.  It was eight o'clock, and pitch black outside.  We were on a lonely highway, bending and curving every which way.  Occasionally, a car would pass us.  We all sat silently, listening intently to hear the squeaking again.  Then, the "ABS" light came on.  The antilock brakes went out.  Not good when you're on a mountainy road.  We all prayed and kept our eyes peeled for a sign that told us where the nearest town was.


Meanwhile, Carl's phone ran out of it's service area.  We had no cell phones (recall yesterday when mine was thrown out the window?), and we were in the middle of nowhere, about to break down.


Finally, a sign was seen in the distance.  60 miles to Sheffield, Texas.  60 miles.  We looked at our fuel gauge and noticed it was now down to a quarter of a tank.  Without antilock brakes, we had to go extremely slow.  We travelled about 40 mph and finally made it to Sheffield in one piece.  We pulled off the road, and guess what.  There was not a town there.  This area might've been called Sheffield, but as far as we could tell at night, it was not a town, and there was not a soul around.  Not even a gas station.  We hopped back on the interstate, not feeling safe to stop.  We continued to pray and hoped we would make it to the next town.


After another 10 miles of slowly inching our way down the highway, we spotted a gas station.  At least we could refuel.  That took a lot of our nervousness away, so we refueled and kept going until we could get to a stop with a hotel.


Late that night, we arrived.  We were exhausted, our patience was thin, and we were all needing a tad bit more space from our adrenaline rush.  Once we got inside, Carl and I began the Budget phone calls.  I'm shamelessly using their name in these posts so that you know what you may or may not get into if you use their services in the future.  Anyway, after getting no where, we called it a night and pursued them the next morning.


A mechanic, who Budget is in contract with, was supposed to come help us.  It took hours upon hours for him to come, and several phone calls along the lines of, "I'm right around the corner."  He finally showed up and gave us news we were not at all expecting.  


You ready?   We knew the antilock brakes were no longer working, so it was no surprise when he confirmed it for us.  What was a surprise, however, was when he said these words: 

"The driver wheel is moments away from falling off.  You're lucky to be alive."

Ricky (the Budget mechanic) pointed out to Carl how the driver side wheel was just hanging there.  We were amazed.  We made it on a wheel that was about to fall off.  Wow, God is so good.  All of our family and friends have been praying for us to have a safe journey; my family and I thank each and every one of you for doing so.   

While Carl was with Ricky (the Budget mechanic), he walked around the car and noticed something looked odd on the towing mechanism tying our car to the truck.  Carl noticed it looked strange, but with being a computer guy and not a car guy, he confirmed his suspicions with Ricky.  Ricky said, "Wow, it's a good thing you didn't leave this parking lot.  You would've lost your car while driving down the road."  The ball had broken!  

Seriously, y'all.  I couldn't make this up if I tried.  

Keep in mind, in preparing for this trip, we decided to sell Carl's car.  The next morning, Carl was going to drive mine to work and it wouldn't start.  I remember when Carl came into the bedroom, and he told me in my sleepy state that my car was dead.  All I could do was laugh.  

This is straight out of a movie.  And if there's not a movie about it yet, there needs to be.  Any takers?

One thing after another has been going wrong.  It feels as though we're being tested on many days.  But you know what?  We're being taken care of.  God is taking care of us; He is looking out for us.  

"He lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks." Psalm 107:41

Day 2

Remember, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.  Genesis 28:15


We were warned about the Louisiana roads, but we didn't truly know what we were in store for.  Have you ever ridden a wooden roller coaster?  Those were based off of the Louisiana roads.  Never ridden a wooden roller coaster?  Okay, how about this one.  Ever laid on a trampoline while a friend bounced on it?  Yes, it was that uncomfortable.  I was literally holding Belle because she was flying out of her seat, up and down... up and down.


Along with our terribly bumpy ride (let's just say we're not sure everything is in tact in the truck anymore..) the Louisiana roads made a quick turn forcing us onto another road other than I-10, which was what we were supposed to stay on.  So, we got off of the first available exit so as to not get too far off of our path.


We pulled off the highway and wound up on little one way streets lined with cars.  We were in the impoverished section of Louisiana.  We were in New Orleans.  As we carefully maneuvered our trucks down the little side roads, children who were sitting in the streets playing with their toys were running up to our trailer and hitting it.  We got to a safer area, pulled over, and checked the map.


As Carl and Austin sat in the truck checking the map, I hopped out of the truck and took Belle for a little walk through the park.  A nice looking man was walking by with a chihuahua, so I approached him (keeping a safe distance, plus Carl was right there with me) and asked if he could direct me to I-10.


Oh lawd.... this man is Creole.  This was, no lie, our conversation.


Me:  "Excuse me, can you please tell me where I-10 is?"  
Man: "Hebedegooooooooo"
Me: "Um..... I-TEN?"
Man: "Ubagulee tosh tosh way vlay...?"  
Me: "Um..... she's a girl."
Man: "Ohhhohhh????? Ehh?? Hooooh?"
Me: "Yep....a girl.... thanks.... see ya...."
Man: "Aaaaaah....... hehehehe?"
Me: "Girl.  Good day sir."


To say the least, it was awkward.  I got back to the truck and I don't think Carl could even fathom how awkward I felt.  I did an impersonation of this stranger, and he just laughed.  Loudly.  Apparently judging by our gestures, he had no idea that there was not a real conversation that took place.

We found I-10 again, and continued on our trek.

Stay tuned for Day 3.

My Sisters

Sunday evening (a few weeks ago now), we spilled the beans to our small group from church.  While they were sad to see us go, they were such a source of comfort and encouragement.  We split up between men and women, and let me tell you what.... these women are amazing.  

They're my prayer warriors, my cheerleaders, my sisters, my comfort, my friends.

As tears poured from my eyes over the thought of leaving home, many hands and hugs were extended to me.  I truly cannot tell you how much I will miss these ladies.  

Each friend volunteered to take a day this week to pray for me, and for this move to go as smoothly as possible.  Each friend also volunteered to pray that this move will bring my family even closer together.  I cannot thank them enough.  I can feel their prayers working in my day-to-day life.  I've actually been getting excited about moving!  I didn't expect that to happen, but I'm honestly looking forward to it!  That's not to say I won't miss my family, and it's not to say that I'm not treasuring my moments and days here in Florida, but I am looking ahead to what the future brings.  


Thank you, my sisters, my friends.  You are unbelievable! 

Where were you?

"Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?"  That Alan Jackson song really hits me when I hear it.  Of course, I remember where I was.  I was back in high school.  The world trade center and the twin towers were things I had heard about in history books, not in "real life."  I'll admit, in the first few hours, I didn't even realize the severity of this incident.

I had always been a Christian, but my religion came to me in a new light, so to speak.  I felt that Jesus was closer than He ever had been.  I remember one of the following mornings, I was on the bus on my way to school.  Normally I leaned my head against the seat and tried to keep the sun out of my eyes.  Not this morning though.  "God, your sunrise is beautiful.  Thank you for showing it to me today."  I continued my prayer asking for help for all those hurt, and those with loved ones lost.  


It's so hard to believe that today is the 9th anniversary of those terrible attacks.  9 years have flown by, or dragged on, depending on what's happening in your life.  For me, a lot has changed in 9 years.  There are two positive changes that I would like make mention of.  


One, in 2007, I was baptized into Christ and never looked back.  I had always been a Christian, praying and talking to God since I was a wee little one.  But in 2007, my belief became more than a vague relationship.  I recall the bible turning from a muddle of confusion to actual words that had actual meanings.  I recall the black and white world I was living in opening up to a beautiful world full of color.  There was no longer a haze in front of my eyes, and I could truly feel God.  What an amazing feeling.  I was baptized on my birthday that year, making it the day I was born in all senses of the word.  Also in 2007, I met my wonderful husband.  We were friends for a few months before I just couldn't hide my feelings for him any longer.  We did nightly bible studies together before we parted ways.  In 2009 we joined together in marriage and continued to study the Word together.


Today is the 9th anniversary of the terrible attack on our country.  I am flying my flag, and I am praying for those who lost their loved ones, as I'm sure many will be doing today.  

My town

Many of you have probably not heard about my little town in the news lately. I'm quite ashamed of how it's made the international headlines, but I'll go ahead and tell you anyway.

There's a "church" in my town, called the Dove World Outreach Center. This "church" has been denouncing Islam for the past year and a half, and recently decided to host a "Burn The Koran" party on September 11. Because of this, the pastor of this "church" has had several death threats, and there have been terrorist threats (I've heard) as well. Seriously.

I have not read too much on the issue because it saddens me deeply to think that a so-called church would participate in such actions. We, as Christians, are called to love others as Christ loved us. In my honest opinion, the burning of another religion's holy book is not expressing love. I don't want to get too political here, so I'm going to leave it at that. I just wish that my town wasn't being represented in such a negative light. Hubby even sent me a news article from Fox News. I copied the whole email on here so you can see it. I'll admit, I'm slightly bragging here. Here it goes:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/06/petraeus-warns-churchs-koran-burning/

Love you madly,
Your Hubby

.... watch out for a kiss...

As we sat about 4 feet apart, and the normal ever-so-calm hubby kept asking me if I received his email yet, I kept telling him "Not yet." Then my computer chimed in an email notification and hubby jumped out of his chair, ran over to me and gave me a big wet kiss on the cheek! I didn't even have time to watch out for that kiss! I was ambushed! He's so stinkin' cute.