Here for just a little while

This is not my home

2011-05-20T16:30:00.003-05:00

You've probably heard of the highly advertised prophesy that May 21, 2011 (tomorrow) will be the day of the Rapture, the day Jesus calls his believers home in a blink of an eye and those who have denied him will remain on Earth.

It's not the first time a person has predicted a specific date of this event. Obviously, no one has been right. Matthew 24:36 says no man knows that day...so I expect this current false prophet will be wrong, too.

But oh...I wish he was right. In fact, the only reason I wish he was wrong would be that he was late by a day, and we wouldn't see tomorrow's sunrise.

You see, I want to see my savior face to face more than anything else. I do not cling to anything in this world, and would leave THIS SECOND if given the chance. And let me be clear- I want to go whether it means I am one of millions in the blink of an eye, or if I die in a lone situation and my loved ones are alive and well behind me.

My view is not popular. I spoke my desire out loud in a group of friends one day, and was labeled "depressed". With few exceptions, anyone I have told this to has told me a list of things they want to do before they die.

"But what about your kids?" people ask me. I tell my children often that I long for heaven more than anything else. They know that is where I want to be. Will they be sad? I'm sure of it. But they also have this...a wonderful father, 4 amazing grandparents, 10 aunts and uncles, cousins and second cousins galore, who love them. And they know Christ personally, so I know the Holy Spirit would provide them comfort.

"What about your husband?" See above. Plus, he's a crafty, lovable guy. He wouldn't be alone for long!

To most, it may make no sense, this longing I have. But to me, I don't understand how a Christ follower could think otherwise. What does this temporal earth have to offer that comes anywhere close to eternity in paradise, in the presence of the creator of the universe???

I do wonder, however, why this desire is so strong in my heart. If I am missing something here on earth while I keep my eyes focused above. I do not believe in coincidence, and know without a doubt my work here is not through. If God had wanted me home, he has had lots and lots of opportunities to snatch me away (illness, skiing adventures, car wrecks, tornados)! So- there has to be a reason I am still here. What is it? I probably won't know this side of heaven,,,,but there is yet another reason I want to go NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's my mind, in case you wanted a peek inside. We'll talk more next week...or not. After all, I highly doubt blogs are a tool used in heaven! I'm off to live life while I have breath to live it!

Jonacio el Magnifico

2011-05-18T07:10:00.006-05:00

This is Jonas' stage name when he does magic. Have I mentioned it is his passion? Probably not, as I've hoped it would fade away. But I think it is time I acknowledge that he loves magic and practices all. the. time.

Which I've heard is key to becoming a good magician. Those illusions and tricks and slight of hand have a whole lot to do with timing, and that comes with time and practice. There was a magician on the cruise ship in January, and after his show we asked him a few questions. When I told him my son wanted to be a magician, he said "Tell him to spend hours in front of the mirror, perfecting."

While this is not the hobby I would have chosen for my son (I don't have anything AGAINST it, but would have preferred the piano, or baseball, or reading), I have done what I can to encourage him. Gifts I have given him have included books on illusions and a magic cape. And I try really really hard NOT to let on that I know the secret behind the trick when he shows me a new one.

As I said in my last post, he tried out for the Mesquite Children's Chorus. We found out Tuesday that he did not make the final cut. But he also found out on Tuesday that he did make the talent show at school, in which he will do...a magic show. I heard the slightest bit of disappointment in his voice when he told me about the chorus, but it was immediately covered with pure joy at telling me about the talent show. I am very happy that he is very happy!

And last week, Jonas told me that he had been thinking about how he could use his love of magic in the real world. See, while I try to encourage his passion, I also inherited enough realism from my mom to back it up with "Don't expect magic to pay the bills. Enjoy it as a hobby, but have a backup plan". Jonas proceeded to tell me that he thinks he could use his illusions to help tell people about God and Jesus.

"Go on," I said. I was intrigued.

"Like the flood and Noah," he explained. "I could do an illusion where I poor a bunch of water in a cup or bowl, and then have a dove appear, after I pause awhile to tell the story, and then show the audience that the water is gone! Or, I could create a prop that looks like a tomb, and put a boy-doll in it, then make it disappear after I count to three, like Jesus did."

Don't know about you, but I think his plan is excellent. Again, it may not pay the bills, but it will help him share his love of magic and of God. Which, in light of eternity, is much more important. :)

A singer in my house?

2011-04-29T15:55:00.004-05:00

I can't carry a note in a bucket. There. It's out. I am not ashamed to admit that I am not a singer. I LOVE to sing, especially in church to a great worship song, but that doesn't mean I do so well.

One of my favorite stories of irony took place my senior year of high school. I graduated #12, and the top 10 students were able to pick what they wanted to do in the ceremony. For example, #1 picked the invocation, and #2 picked the prayer, etc. The choices were whittled down until all that was left was singing the Alma mater. #10 decided he would rather not participate at all then sing. #11 chose the same. So it came to me. My best friends were in the room with me, and there was an audible groan. But I couldn't let a small thing like a lack of talent stop me, so I said yes!!

I practiced for over a month with the band director. I was determined to not embarrass myself. The night arrived, my turn was up, and I stood up to the microphone. And I asked my entire class to join me as we sang the Alma mater, and stepped away from the microphone. I was very proud of my "work around"!

To sum things up, I can't sing.

So imagine my surprise when my children started exhibiting signs of singing aptitude. Carleigh (whose name loosely means "little song") has always enjoyed singing and I think she sounds wonderful! She led a song all by herself at her Kindergarten end of year ceremony (I refuse to call it a graduation- but that is another post) and impressed us all. Jonas has had lead singing roles in all of his school programs, sang in Alice in Wonderland, Jr., and then sang AND danced while playing Prince Charming in Cinderella. His choir teacher at his last school told me he had a great voice with real potential, and I was shocked.

And now, to top it all off, he has made it to the final audition for the Mesquite Children's Chorus- a select group of 4th and 5th graders from Mesquite schools who form 3 choruses- a boys, a girls, and a co-ed. 400 have tried out- 200 will make it.

Even during the audition process (there were 4 weeks between the first and second rounds in which the kids rehearsed weekly) he has already learned official singing things, like breathing techniques and a little harmony. It's very exciting, and I am encouraged by the amount of time Mesquite schools are investing in the arts. They may beat us over the head with TAKS propaganda (again, another story for another post), but seem to also make music a priority, too.

Jonas should know the results of his audition at the end of this week. Stay tuned...you could all be witnessing the making of a STAR! or just a really good church choir member.

Candy corn

2011-04-15T19:05:00.002-05:00

Wonder why I have a candy corn background in April? Well, long ago I updated this blog and made the background season specific. Then, this thing called life came along and distracted me and I didn't get to blog again until recently.I had every intention of changing the background to something spring like- bunnies, flowers, that sort of crap. But I don't personally FEEL like bunnies and flowers and sunshine right now. I do, however, smile every time I see the candy corn. You see, one of my newest friends is Dr. Robinson (aka Betsy, aka Bethy Thue) and she loves candy corn. And one of my favorite memories in the past 6 months includes her and her candy corn. So, as unseasonal as it may seem, the candy corn is staying around. Let's just say I am early for fall. Fall has always been my favorite season, and the fall of 2010 was exceptional good.

Things are different, things are the same

2011-04-11T15:49:00.004-05:00

The location. The weather. The school, church, doctor's office, grocery store, home. Let me point out some details. The town- Mesquite is more middle class than LC was. The homes are older, and they have a thing for alleys instead of driveways. I don't like alleys much, but I'm sure it will grow on me and I will come to think of driveways as ugly. The school- we left a school with 5-6 classes per grade, and find ourselves in a school with 2 classes per grade. But that doesn't include the additional class per grade that is entirely ESL. Hall Elementary had been the deaf ed school for the district, and now we are in the ESL school for the district. I personally think it's cool that the kids have been exposed to 2 foreign languages already, ASL and Spanish! The school is also different because no kids ride their bikes. At Hall, C and J had to fight for a parking spot for their bikes. They don't even have a bike rack here! School also starts and lets out earlier. The move showed us that Jonas was way ahead of other kids in his grade. I attribute this to his great teachers at Hall (okay- a little bit to his brilliance and his awesome parents, but mostly to Ms. Dee and Ms. Hopf). But it also showed us that Carleigh is behind other kids. Not tragically, but she has some work to do. Especially in spelling and handwriting. 3rd graders learn to play the recorder in Mesquite! I think this is great, as Jonas is learning to read music and basic instrument skills. And he likes it a lot. The weather- Ah. My favorite part. Humidity? What's that? On the other hand- we've already heard tornado sirens in the 5 weeks we've been here. No where is perfect, it seems. Church- We are farily sure we have found our new church home at Lake Ridge Bible Church, but it is very different than Church at the Springs. Can you believe that last week, Craig was the only male above 15 wearing shorts? But it's a good church, great Biblical teaching, lots of emphasis on missions and kids. My only complaint is the worship- no one claps AT ALL after a worship song. Guess I'll have to be alone on that one! Grocery stores- Aldi is my new best friend. The end. But I do miss HEB. My wallet doesn't. Home- We now live in a two-story, 2 bedroom apartment. We went from 1800 sq ft with a cul de sac and backyard to 1000 sq ft and a parking lot. It works just fine, though! Pro- our full size washer and dryer have a place INSIDE the apartment, where in LC, they were in the garage with the humidity (see weather above). Con- the kids can most definitely NOT go ride their bikes or roller blades in the parking lot. Pro- the electric bill- it was less than half of what we paid in LC. Pro- two AC units! One for upstairs and one for downstairs! Con- I traded in my cushy extra large executive desk with room for two computers at a time for a 3x2 Elfa shelving system in our bedroom. Con- no microwave. Pro- my kids have now learned that microwaves have not always existed and it is possible to reheat food in an oven or on a stove, and popcorn does not have to be made in a bag. Con- our rabbit ears pick up one channel, CBS, while we had over 20 with just the rabbit ears in LC. Pro- no yeard work. Con- I have no control over when the maintenance crew will do yard work. Like when I am on a conference call. Pro- we are paying $575 less per month, and we are perfectly happy and safe. Family- My brother lives 40 minutes away, but he is a police officer in our town. His wife is a dispatcher on the opposite shift as him, so I feel like we have 24 hours monitoring. Plus, he has 3 wonderful boys that we get to experience things like t-ball and tennis and band concerts with. There is a whole lot more, but those are the highlights of my observations from the first 5 weeks. Stay tuned for the fun and excitement!!! And keep praying that God will be glorified through our lives, and that we will grow closer to Him, no matter what.

Busy

2010-10-09T08:48:00.003-05:00

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Randy Frazee, author of Making Room for Life and our pastor at Irving Bible Church, would not approve. I just filled in October and November and December on our little wall calendar, and they are FULL! Not only are they full, but there are multiple places where Craig and I will have to struggle to find someone to watch the kids, much less have dinner together. There will be many days of hand-offs and tag team parenting.

We've known from day one that we didn't want to live like this. That is was important to have a schedule that allowed for intentional time as a family and for spontaneous time with our neighbors. I'm not saying that the next three months will be completely void of those things, but they will be few.

The weird thing, then, is how excited I am about the next three months, and their busy-ness. My mom always said that I do best under pressure, and I think she might be right. Jonas has choir Tuesday and Thursdays after school, theatre on Tuesdays after school, and cub scouts Tuesday evenings. I have theatre on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Carleigh has ballet on Tuesdays and girl scouts on Thursdays. Craig works late Mondays and does marketing work most Saturdays. Sundays have worship and Table Group. This means that Fridays are our only non-scheduled days and we will need to keep them sacred, to an extent. I couldn't be much happier!

I don't want our lives to continue at this pace for long, but I see no harm in the next 3 months. And if you look at it, the time is more like 2 months, since everything wraps up mid-December. So, that's even better!

I wonder if the fall is like this for most families with kids. What about yours? Have you kept this pace up for longer than a season? How does your family handle it? Do you make intentional time to be together, or are you happy with what you can get when you get it?

Retreat

2010-10-05T10:09:00.002-05:00

Our family is currently facing some big decisions. But what's new? It seems we are in a state of limbo every 3-4 years. And we've been in the Houston area exactly 4 years on October 31st. Yeah, that was the day I walked with Sara through her neighborhood, all 5 of our kids decked out in their trick-or-treat best. Little M was in a wagon, the middle girls looked perfect as Alice in Wonderland and Raggedy Anne, and the boys were sweaty messes before we rounded the first bend. That wagon was FULL of candy by the time we made it back to their house, and Sara and I had downed a mojito or two.

And I said the words "I can't imagine EVER moving to Houston."

Ha. God said "Ha!"

Fast forward almost 4 years later, and we have made a life in Houston. The kids have both started school here, and we've hit important milestones. Jonas lost his first tooth in that apartment in Friendswood. Carleigh learned to ride a bike in our cul-de-sac. Jonas was baptized in the pool at Magnolia Creek. The kids started dance, scouts, and theater. I rediscovered my love for the theater. I ran in my first half-marathon. Craig and I have shed lots of debt, and made some very good friends. Craig has learned a LOT about the business of chiropractic.

In short, Houston, and our life here, has been good.

But it's time to make some decisions. Some of which may very well take us away from Houston. And I can't imagine leaving Houston.

So next week, Craig is going to take some time and he will leave. He is going to go away to think, and pray, and ride his bike. As we talked about him doing this, we realized that he has never done this. In his almost 40 years, he has never gone away from LIFE for any extended period of time to focus on God. We agree that it is time. And I am glad to send him off. He says he feels selfish by doing so, but I say it is in the best interest of the whole family. (I also said he'll owe me, but that's not the point! HA!)

Can you please pray for our little family? Especially that Craig will be recharged by his time away, and we will all benefit.

A mobile family of 4!

2010-09-26T21:17:00.002-05:00

I have to share how fun today was. We, as in Jonas, Carleigh, Craig, and I, rode our bikes 3.5 miles to Challenger Park. We spent 2 hours swinging higher than each other, exploring nature trails, investigating "banana spiders", avoiding said spiders' webs, making up and then racing each other on WipeOut obstacle courses on the various playscapes, and oohing and ahhing over the cooler breezes. We then finished by riding 3.5 miles home. It was wonderful! There was about 5 minutes of whining from Carleigh about being tired, and that was it. Amazing!
Super cool, in my opinion, that we are at that stage that we can all go for a bike ride. A bike ride longer than the distance to the neighborhood park and back! While some moms may see this as a sad thing, that her babies are no longer babies, but not me. I am thrilled to say that we are here! It means we are doing good things with the kids. That they enjoy the outdoors and like being with us. I will savor these days as long as they last. The kids are semi-independent, but still need us for most things.

Beautiful and wicked

2010-09-22T07:44:00.002-05:00

If you read my posts, and that's the only way you know me, then you may often forget that I have 2 children. I do, in fact, have a youngest, and she doesn't get much attention in my ramblings. Let me tell you about her now, and you may soon see why I don't use the therapy offered here to discuss her very much.
She disappointed me the moment I saw her for the first time. Horrible thing to say, I know, but flat out truth. When the doctors handed Jonas to me, the very first thought I had was "it's Craig!". I was surprised by the shocking resemblance this minutes-old child had to a 30 year old man! So when I was pregnant with Carleigh, and I knew she was a girl, I began to dream of a mini-me to go with a mini-Craig. Dark hair, blue eyes, round face...I knew exactly what the doctors would hand me this time!
And what did the doctor hand me that beautiful, snowy, February morning? Another mini-Craig (with one notable exception, of course)! I was shocked that AGAIN my 40 weeks of work was a tribute to my husband! I was very sad, and it honestly took me several weeks to get over my disappointment.
But that little girl began to become something more than another clone. She began to melt my heart. Her smile...oh, her smile! For months she couldn't smile without opening her entire mouth. It was infectious. And her tenacity. From rolling over to crawling and then walking, she didn't do anything less than well for very long. She has always been determined to things correctly.
The one thing that she took her sweet time about was her hair. She was practically bald through her third birthday and had very little at 4. And the hair she did have was white blond. And curly. A far cry from my dark straight hair...but so cute, I was resenting it less and less.
Today, my daughter is a 6-year old pixie. Her hair grows faster now, but stays short because of the curls, and since I don't know how to do much with that, we keep it short. Her blond curls frame a rounder than narrow face, and show off her big blue eyes. And she now has control over that smile...so much so that she can work it to her advantage. Heaven help us!
So why don't I rant and rave about her here? Well, she's so good, and is still so eager to do things correctly, that I don't need to rant about her, anywhere. This morning, for instance, she made her own lunch. Curious as to what it might entail, I peaked at it before she put it in her backpack. It is exactly what I would have made her, and there isn't an extra smudge or smear of jelly anywhere. Two pieces of fruit and some cheese nips. And her bed is made. And there is no towel on the floor in her bathroom.
She's obedient and thoughtful (wish you could see the picture she drew of us this morning) and charming. She can play rough with the boys, and loves practicing her ballet. She'll occasionally throw in a hip bump move thing that makes me laugh. She has me wrapped around her little finger...
and she'll probably be the one to break my heart in to a thousand little pieces some day.
Needless to say, I am way over my disappointment. I am thrilled to be her mommy. And if I want a mini-me, I'll go buy a Cabbage Patch Kid with dark hair and blue eyes. =)

Things to come...

2010-09-20T12:16:00.002-05:00

I try not to dwell on the past, as it can't be relived or reclaimed. I try not to think about the future too much, as I used to have a tendency to make things bigger in my mind than they actually turned out to be. That led to disappointment, and lack of appreciation for what did result.
So I try to live each moment right here, right now. It's a hard thing to do, especially when right here and right now is not fun at all. This past weekend, however, was one of the most successful attempts I've ever had to experience the here and now to the fullest. Harvey went off spectacularly! Each actor was on spot on, and the energy was palatable. The cast party afterwards was fun, and a little (ha!) crazy. I even jumped in a swimming pool fully dressed at 2:30 am. But I was up and ready to take on the world at 7:15, and enjoyed every second of Sunday. From Taco Cabana for breakfast (yum!!!), to Wii with Carleigh, helping Jonas spend his birthday money at Toys R Us, to making sloppy joes for dinner, and finally to a family round of Wii, it was a wonderful day.
BTW- have you been to Toys R Us lately? The toys I grew up with are back! Smurfs! Mon chi chis! My Little Pony! Rainbow Bright! And did you know that Cabbage Patch kids still smell like Cabbage Patch Kids????
I was in bed by 8:00 and dreaming soundly. Truly a wonderful weekend.
But today, I am thinking about things to come, just for a little bit. I'm editing my second book, and the author is looking at a November publishing date. I'm excited for her, but also for my ability to say, with all confidence, I am a book editor. I guess I could say that now, as I have edited one published book, but somehow the second one makes it feel more legitimate.
We're taking a road trip out to TN in October. So excited to meet co-workers face to face! And to see parts of the country I haven't seen in years, and to introduce them to my kids. And to show the kids what fall is supposed to look like!
I'm auditioning for another play tomorrow, and if I get a role, the production will be in December. Which leads right on in to Christmas!
And then, BIG things in January!!! My brother, his wife and their sons, my mom and my dad, and my family of four are all leaving out of New Orleans for a 7-day cruise! It will be my first cruise, and I can hardly wait. Grand Cayman, Honduras, and Cozumel...
And with that thought I am brought right back to the here and now, which is 20 pounds heavier than I would like to be. Guess the farthest in to the future I should be considering right now is this afternoon, when I can get in to the gym.

Acting

2010-09-15T13:50:00.002-05:00

I recently rediscovered my love of the stage. When I was a kid, I participated in the summer acting workshops at our little community theatre. I was in every play possible in Jr. High. In High School, I had a great part in the one act play my freshman year. It was wonderful, and I was pretty good. Even won awards! That play should have gone all the way to State, but that's another story for another day.
But my sophomore year, I was given a tech role, threw a 15-year old diva hissy fit, and quit. Then I got a boyfriend, joined the Army, and went to college. I briefly considered getting back in to acting while at UNT, but I was intimidated by the depth of talent on that campus. Additionally, everything the school did was musical in nature. I cannot sing. I have lots of stories to support that, but again, not relevant today.
This time last year, Jonas asked to do some acting, so we enrolled him in a children's theatre company and he performed in Alice in Wonderland in November. Such stage presence! He had a supporting role as one of the royal cardsmen, and carried it like he was headlining the show! I think he's been bitten by the bug, and I will completely support it. Even if it gives him nothing more than the courage and presence to stand in front of an audience and communicate clearly, it's a great skill to learn. And get this- the boy can sing, too. Good to know the bad vocals gene isn't passed on like the taco-tongue gene. (You know the one?)
Anywho, he wanted to audition for Winnie the Pooh in January, so I took him down to let him have it. They were also casting adults in some roles, and asked if I wanted to read, since I was there. Imagine my surprise when I was cast as Winnie himself!
I had a blast! I had forgotten how much I love being in front of people, how easy it is for me to slip in to another character. And to sweeten the deal, I was able to participate in a hobby with my son.
Currently, I am in a production of Harvey. We are performing this weekend and the process has been wonderful. I must have been in some sort of funk, or even minor depression over the summer, as I found myself sleeping a lot, and having no self-control over my eating habits. But since Harvey has started, I am thriving on 5-6 hours of sleep at night, lost 6 pounds without trying, and couldn't be happier.
So last week, I had an epiphany. I need to act more often. In fact, I need to act as much and as often as possible. I know it's a little late to be deciding what I want to do when I grow up, but I think I finally have. I want to be an actor.
Today has been a very good day toward this goal. I auditioned for the director at College of the Mainland. He can't use me in their current production, but invited me to try out for a future show. Then, my wonderful, darling, talented friend Julie (who I want to REALLY be when I grow up) got me connected with a new theatre in Friendswood. I have an audition next Tuesday! As a bonus, Jonas gets to try out for their kid production of Cinderella. They're looking for a Prince Charming, and I think he may just fit the bill!
I see lots of future posts about acting...mine, Jonas', maybe even Carleigh's, as she is now asking to try her hand at it, too. That makes me very happy!

A little late to the party, but here just the same

2010-09-14T13:20:00.003-05:00

A few months ago, several friends were talking about some funny minivan commercials they had seen. I recognized the commercials to which they were refering, but honestly didn't think they were all that funny.

But today, I stumbled on the video that goes with those commercials. And now I see the light!

I was laughing so loud that my dog came over to the desk to investigate!

I have never been a minivan hater, but my husband is. I may have to show him this video, and see if he doesn't change his mind. =)

Mind if I brag on Jonas for a bit?

2010-09-13T11:06:00.006-05:00

You see, my son and I have the most volatile relationship of any relationship in this house. I can adore him and dislike him within a 30 second window. He can cuddle up to me and flatter me within 10 seconds of saying something snotty and sarcastic. We love each other very much, and push each others' buttons daily. I have struck him in anger (God forgive me) and begged him to forgive me. He is only 9, and I sometimes wonder what the next 9 years will bring us, if we've already seen so much strife. But then, then we have a weekend like this past weekend, and all my concerns slip away.

For his birthday party, we went to Putt Putt Funhouse, and invited 4 of his friends. It was low- key and fun. The kids hit the jackpot, literally, when they played a game that must have been on the fritz, as it continued to dispense tickets long after it should have stopped. In total, Jonas gathered over 2400 tickets! And the other kids all agreed they should pool their tickets and give them all to Jonas, as he was the birthday boy.

When the kids emerged from the ticket-redemption place, they each were wearing large multi-colored hats, similar to the Cat in the Hat. Each hat was a different color combination. Jonas had chosen to use his tickets to get each kid something, instead of keeping them all to himself. I was proud, to say the least, and the kids were thrilled.

In a separate incident, we were talking about why we call 9/11 Patriot's Day. Jonas asked why those people wanted to kill so many people. I explained, "Those men believed that people who don't think the way they do are sinners, and must be killed." Jonas replied, "Well, that's ridiculous. They'd have to kill everyone in the entire world, including themselves, as we are all sinners. The only perfect person is Jesus."

Did your jaw drop open like mine did? That's a truth many adults don't get in their entire life, but my 9 year old stated it just as confidently as he was saying his shirt was green.

I thank God for that first-born of mine, and for his bright mind and kind heart. I don't doubt that he will teach me as i try to teach him.

Jonas turns 9, and other evidence that I am getting old

2010-09-11T07:51:00.003-05:00

There will always be moments in a generation that cause us to look at one another and ask "Where were you when...". My parents had the first moon landing, JFK's assassination, and maybe Pearl Harbor. I say maybe to December 7, 1941, because my parents were very young then. My generation has, so far, the space shuttle Challenger disaster, the space shuttle Columbia tragedy, Michael Jackson's death, and 9/11.

I personally like my 9/11 story best of all, because it resulted in my son's arrival. And every year, millions of people are reminded of the horrors that happened that day. I'm lucky enough to tell a whole lot of them that some good came of that day too, and introduce them to Jonas. He's a sweet hearted boy, who is smart and funny. He also is about the most hard-headed stubborn kid I've ever known! We've had several run ins as he's gotten older, because guess what? I'm stubborn and hard-headed, too. I love that boy. But watching him grow reminds me that I'm getting older, too.

Then last night, some cast mates and I went out to have a drink after practice. I think those of us with acting in our blood are goofier than the normal person, but it sure makes for a fun night out! The "wow, I'm old" moments of the night were thus: the waiter asked for my ID, but then said he was just kidding. Ouch. Then, we decided to leave because the music was too loud. What?? Seriously, it was depressing. The final blow came when, after a few shots of very good tequila, the lawyer in the group started telling us how to best avoid a DWI conviction. That simply is NOT a conversation we would have had 15 years ago. We thought we were invincible back then, and never would have thought past the drink in our hand.

But I'm not sad or discouraged. Growing older just means we're getting more right than wrong. I'll take that! And then I'll go play putt putt golf tonight with my son to celebrate his 9th birthday!

A Year???

2010-09-10T05:19:00.002-05:00

Uh, hi. Not sure if you remember me or not, but I used to post to this blog. Yeah, I even think my name is on here somewhere. Ring a bell? Yeah, it's me. Sorry for the extremely long break.

I think the blame lies with Facebook. I got caught up with the lives of other people, spelled out in quick bursts, and forgot the joy of spelling out my own life in long, drawn out fashion.

But I'm back. Maybe it is the insomnia that has kept me up the past few nights. It might be the tumbling thoughts in my head that are begging to be hashed out, flung on to paper (er, screen?), and analyzed for clarity and consistency and content. Oh wait. That's what I do for a paycheck.

I don't want to promise that here. Here, I want to be inconsistent. I want to ramble and not be clear at all. Sometimes. Here, I want YOU to dissect the content and let me know what you think.

Do we have a deal? Great! Let's get started...

I need a camera. That picture on the front page is OLD! No one in my family looks like that anymore! I've missed the last year of events in my kids' lives because we don't have a camera. We have a camera phone, natch, but someone needs to teach me how to download the result of that. Anyone? Let me know...I'm not too proud to beg.

I'm going to stop there for now. Ease myself back in to this. I have a lot to say (can I get an amen?), so don't fear. I'll be back. =)

Summer is almost over

2009-08-06T19:54:00.002-05:00

But we have crammed all kinds of excitement in to it! The kids spent 3 weeks with my parents, 2 weeks with Craig's parents, are water-logged from all the swimming we've done, and have driven 4 different cars over the past month.

Rental #1- the night before we left for NE Craig was side-swiped in the Stratus. Not wanting to risk taking an injured car over 2000 miles the mext morning, we rented a Jetta. It was nice. Had some great acceleration.
Rental #2- on our way home from NE, the kids and I were caught in a storm on the highway. Traffic was at a standstill as the wind blew and hail fell. And then the trailer next to us was blown over and landed on us. Thank God we were all okay. So the next day we got in to a new rental, a Kia Rondo. This one has lots of room, is almost a crossover, but has horrible acceleration and I will be glad when the Stratus is out of the shop.
Rental #3- we decided to take advantage of the cash for clunkers deal and traded in the 1994 Honda Passport for a Nissan Altima. Soooo pretty! And the A/C works!!!! Happy day! But the day we signed all the paper work the car wasn't ready, so we took another Nissan Altima home. It was wonderful, but nerve wracking. Not our car! And two kids...
New car #1- we picked up our new Altima yesterday. It's so purty! And did I mention the A/C?

We will break in said car this weekend as we head to San Antonio to my cousin's birthday party. My parents will meet us there. My cousin Shauna will be in town from San Fransico, so that will be neat!

And even after school starts on the 24th, we have travel plans. My brother's 40th birthday party is the 29th and Craig is going back to NE for his 20th high school reunion. Whew!

Funnies from my kids

2009-07-03T07:34:00.003-05:00

The kids are spending 20 days with my parents this summer. They left on Father's Day and will be back on 7/10. It's been a surreal time away from them. Craig and I have both gotten a lot done in their absence, but goodness we miss them.
My mom had a funny story to tell on the kids the other day. My parents live by a body of water and the kids have spent countless hours swimming, jumping, diving, etc. in that water. Needless to say, they have turned very brown, and very blond. Well, my mom is not a fan of white pasty skin, and told me should couldn't handle Carleigh's white tummy and back anymore. You see, we've only let Carleigh wear one piece bathing suits. I personally am scared to death of the signalization of girls at younger and younger ages, and I plan to do what little bit I can while I can to guard Carleigh from this. So- bikinis are not an option. My mom would argue that I have never been comfortable in a bikini so I've projected this on to my daughter, which may hold a small grain of truth, but it doesn't matter. I want my little girl to be a little girl for a lot longer, and I don't think bikinis contribute to that.
Apparently, my mother and I had never had this conversation, because she took Carleigh to the store to buy her a new bikini. At first, Carleigh scanned the choices and was deep in thought. She commented on how pretty some of them were, but then she stopped. She told Pepe, "I can't get one of these. I don't have boobs yet."
Let me tell you that I have NO idea where Carleigh got this idea. But it's funny anyway!
Then Jonas sees Pepe is going to check out and buy the bikini they have picked. He immediately asks, "Pepe, did you call my daddy and ask him if that is okay? He doesn't want Carleigh to have one of those."
I can tell you that we have NEVER had the "no bikini" conversation with Jonas. Why would we? But apparently he is more observant than we give him credit for, because he made the connection. And he stood up for what he believed to be right. I am so proud of him for trying to protect his little sister, and for speaking up.
Can't wait to get them back next week. I miss the little punks.

Michael Jackson

2009-06-30T13:51:00.003-05:00

I am not good at this, am I? It's been a while since I posted. I need to get back on track.
The longer posts will start again soon, but right now I wanted to make an observation on this Michael Jackson mania. At first glance, I shake my head in disgust at the fuss so many people are making over the loss of MJ.
But then it dawned on me.
The day Huey Lewis dies, I may very well hole up in my room, take out every scrapbook I've ever made for him (yes- that's plural), and play only Huey Lewis' music for the next month. With that in mind, I am sad for Michael Jackson fans. I hope they find comfort in his music.

Authority of the Bible

2009-04-28T21:26:00.004-05:00

This is tough for me. Not that I don't believe in the authority of the Bible, but can someone help me understand a few things?

This book was written over thousands of years, by different men, in different languages, and from different cultures. Awesome, right? Definitely God-breathed. And I understand that the birth and death of Christ resolved the need for the law in the Old Testament.

But what about some of those things stated in the New Testament? 1 Timothy talks about leaders in the church being men only. So what about the fatherless homes, fatherless neighborhoods? If the church is any group of believers, there will be instances when men are not around. These women can't teach their sons? Is that why there is so much dysfunction in the fatherless societies? It is contrary to the plan God has.

Next issue- 1 Cor 11:2-16 . I haven't worn a hat in church since I was a child. Am I sinning? I'm not trying to be legalistic here, but this issue makes me say hmmmm. If I say the Bible has the authority to determine my actions and thoughts, I should wear a hat in church. But church is a body of believers! So I should always wear a hat or other head covering? Am I being insincere because I disregard this verse? Cause I just said "I believe the Bible - the whole Bible- has the authority to determine my actions and thoughts". Note: After I wrote this, I researched a bit and found this article on Bible.org. I need to read it again, but I really got a lot out of it!

These are NOT deal breakers, by any stretch of the imagination. But I wanted to flesh them out.

Personal God

2009-04-27T08:40:00.003-05:00

Personal God- "I lift my eyes unto the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the maker of heaven and earth." Psalms 121:1-2

When we moved to Arlington, we were attending church at Irving Bible Church. I knew without any hesitation we needed to find another place of worship. Not because of anything IBC lacked, but because I wanted to LIVE in Arlington, not just sleep there. We wanted to be involved in our community and knew that if we continued to commute to church every week, and Home Group once a week, on top of commuting to work 5 days a week, we would never have a chance to become a part of Arlington. So we began church hunting.

We ended up at Pantego Bible Church reluctantly, because it was 18 miles from our new house, but we something told us to try it anyway. I was heavily pregnant with Jonas that first Sunday we walked through the doors. Within 10 minutes, we knew we were someplace special. We were greeted warmly (maybe because it looked like I would bust open any minute!) and I remember the official greeter asking us "Where do you live?". We explained that we had been in South Arlington for a little less than a year, and he immediately picked up a piece of paper and showed us where other South Arlington residents met each Sunday morning. We didn't go to that class that morning, but we were struck with how they were organized by geography- not that we were young marrieds, or new parents, or that sort of thing. The only thing that defined a class was where we lived! After a fantastic service, we headed to a small room where a church elder explained the basics of PBC in greater detail and asked if we had any questions. We were hooked! This church had it right! They wanted everyone to know Christ first, and their neighbor second- and they meant it! Members were encouraged to come to the building only once a week, for corporate worship. Bible studies, small groups, even organized kid activities took place in neighborhoods and homes. It was exactly what we were looking for!

This is just one example of how God is personal to me. He heard Craig and my prayers and answered them to a T. I have so many other examples, but you aren't hear to read a novel. (That is available in an earlier post, if you are so inclined) My God is alive and well, and active in my life. He hears my prayers, knows my heart, and loves me passionately. The same God who made the earth, and the stars, and the sun, made me, and knows me! And LOVES me.

Too much time has passed~

2009-04-02T17:04:00.004-05:00

I can't remember everything that has happened since I last posted! But I will try~
Back a few weeks ago, Craig, the kids, and I all had the week of Spring Break off. We had a good camping excursion, and it was perfect weather. Nice and warm during the day, and cool enough to need a blanket at night. From the minute we got there, we saw new and exciting things. A woodpecker perched on a tree about 15 feet from us as we set up our tent. He proceeded to exemplify his name, and pecked at the wood. It was a pine tree, and he expertly chipped off some of the bark and seemed to find the snack for which he searched. He hopped around the tree a few inches and repeated the process. Silly, I guess, but I thought it was neat!
Throughout the trip we saw armadillos, bees (of course), an amazing moth (it was pastel green, pink, about 4 inches wide, and had these curly frilly antennae), an alligator, bamboo (or boobam, as Carleigh called it!), several cranes, and a duck that decided to adopt us for the afternoon. We hiked for hours and hours, canoed, and all managed mild sunburns. It was really perfect.

We also went to the Houston Rodeo for the first time, saw Clint Black in concert, spent a fun day with our friends the Sanders, and discovered Discovery Green in downtown Houston. I needed that down time.
The rest of April is packed with fun things, too. April 17th, Craig and I are going to see a band in which a grade shcool friend of mine is the drummer. The next weekend, Craig is going to Phoenix for work, and the kids and I are going to my hometown to celebrate the 80th anniversary of my childhood church. Of course, Palm Sunday and Easter are in there.
And on a side note- tonight is the Final FINAL ER. I've loved that show. Should be a tear jerker!

A note about Jonas

2009-03-06T20:00:00.002-06:00

My son has a personality unlike any I have ever seen. He is hard-headed, but he comes by that naturally (he had no possibility of escaping that, with German blood on both sides). He is so detail orientated it makes me crazy, but again, not that unique.
The one thing that has set him apart lately is his empathy and compassion. Granted, I have never been around another 7 year old boy as much as I have been around Jonas, but I think this is unique. He has a very tender heart for people who are hurting, lonely, sad, hungry, poor, etc. He even cried at a recent SPCA commercial, cuz he loves animals, too. He wants to set up a booth at the end of our street to collect money and food for homeless people. He always includes the down trodden (not those words) of our community, of our world, in his prayers. He gets choked up at the thought of someone not having a place to sleep or food to eat.
Once on a car ride, he asked me why people have to pay for medical treatment. "If they are hurt, why don't doctors just treat them to make them better? Why do they have to make money?"
Lord, I pray this part of Jonas only grows stronger as he gets older and more capable of helping those he longs to help. Help me lead by example, and do what I can to fill the gap until he is older. I pray he isn't jaded by this world we live in, and he continues to love the lost and the broken like You do, God.
So far, I think this is my favorite part of my son.

A theatrical year

2009-02-26T17:26:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted since my half marathon, and that isn't the only thing I haven't done. I haven't run a YARD since that day either! I have been to the gym, but haven't touched the treadmill. I went on a quick walk one day, but didn't even consider picking up the pace. Eh. Blah.
But I have had a very busy two weeks! My front door might as well have been revolving, as I had guests non-stop. I love that, so please excuse me if you read that as anything other than excitement.
Speaking of excitement, I sit here about to go to my son's theatrical debut. He is playing the groundhog in the first grade production of "The Groundhog Who Stole Valentines Day". He has the title role! I'm very proud of him, I must say.
And it wasn't more than 3 months ago that I announced my daughter was playing Mary in the Christmas pageant at her pre-school. Wow! Maybe, just maybe, my kids have inherited my dramatic streak?
And when I think back, this year has been chock full of drama opportunities for my little family. Our church had it's first drama production during service one morning in the fall, and Craig was in that. And just last weekend, Craig and I donned our acting hats once more as we went to a Murder Mystery birthday party. We had assigned roles, and played them to the tee! The theme was an 80's 20 year High School Reunion, and I played the class flirt. Fun!!! I probably had on more makeup than I have the past 6 months combined (love blue eye shadow) and simply had a blast. Craig was the school reporter turned Wall Street Journal Editor. He was great too. Sure wish I had pictures of that to post here of that night, but there are plenty out on Facebook.
I will definitely get pictures of Jonas tonight. Be sure to check back tomorrow for proof of the future Oscar winner's performance!

I can scratch something off my 40 by 40 list!

2009-02-14T19:04:00.003-06:00

I finished a half marathon today. Did you read that? Wanna read it again? Good, cuz I want to say it again.

I finished a half marathon today!!!

Here's some proof.

And those two people with me are my best friend since third grade, Jodi, and her husband, Jason. I love these guys. Aren't they cute?

It was fun, hard, long, foggy to start, nice in the middle, wind picked up at the 9 mile mark, and then it sprinkled as I finished. 2 minutes after I walked in to the finish tent, it started pouring rain. Whew! There weren't a lot of spectators (probably because of the weather) but the few that were there were encouraging and fun. My only regret is that Craig wasn't there. The amazing man I call a husband stayed at home with the 5 kids while Jodi, Jason, and I went to the race. HE deserves a medal!

I will definitely do another one. Maybe someday even work up to a full marathon. But now- on to the next item on my list of 40 things to do before I turn 40. I want to read the Bible from cover to cover.

My baby is 5 today!

2009-02-12T08:33:00.003-06:00

My darling baby girl, Carleigh Jean, turns 5 today.

I don't remember life without her, but can't believe she has already been here 5 years! She has me wrapped around her little finger, I admit. Those blue eyes, that smile, her bubbly personality. She has a dimple underneath her bottom lip that I noticed the day she was born, and I find myself looking for it in our quiet moments today. It's something no one else may ever notice, but I love it. I expected a mini-me the day she was born, and was handed another mini-Craig. I was sad about her blonde hair for a while (I wanted a brunette, blue eyed doll- it's the ego in me), but absolutely love it now. She loves to sing, and read books, and help me cook. She can whine with the best of them (ugh) and she's an excellent liar. So, NO, she is not perfect. But I wouldn't trade her for anything!

Fireproof

2009-02-10T14:24:00.002-06:00

Have you seen this movie? Fireproof is a movie that stars Kirk Cameron and was made by the same church that made Facing the Giants. The acting is sub-par, but then again, 95% if the acting is volunteer! There are some hokey jokes, and some funny times, but it was wonderful. Craig and I both cried at different parts, and at some of the same parts. We laughed out loud, and rolled our eyes. But when it was all over, we were holding each other tightly and more in love than ever.
If you are married, single, dating, divorced, whatever your status, I encourage you to see this.

This busy week

2009-02-09T09:49:00.002-06:00

A lot going on this week-
Carleigh turns 5 on Thursday!
Valentine's Day party at Carleigh's school.
Birthday party of Chuck E Cheese Thursday night.
Jonas' class Valentine's Day party on Friday.
Jodi, Jason and their family get here on Friday.
Packet pick up Friday night at Surfside.
Surfside half marathon Saturday morning!
We don't have any plans Saturday afternoon/evening as we don't know how much we will be able to move. At the very least we will grill something on the porch and drink a few beers.
Worship with The Springs Sunday morning.
Say goodbye to the Segels.
Mom gets here Sunday afternoon.
Allen, Lisa, and Brooks will be here on Monday.
Drive Allen and Lisa to their cruise ship in Galveston on Monday.
Find a way to stow aboard said cruise ship....
Mom takes Brooks back to her house Monday afternoon.
Back to "normal" on Tuesday.

A confession and a fear

2009-01-29T16:25:00.002-06:00

When I was in grade school, maybe 4th or 5th grade, I was invited to a party. One of my classmates gave me a peice of notebook paper with the information on it. Nothing fancy, definitely nothing official looking. Then again, we were 9. Not sure why I would expect Crane stationery, and Print Shop wasn't quite a household item yet. The party was to be held at the home of a fellow classmate. But not just any classmate. By my standards, this was THE most popular girl in school. She had the most friends, was the most athletic (she was always one of the people picking for teams at recess or in gym), and all that other necessary stuff to be a pre-teen A lister.
My reaction was this- I crumpled up the paper and threw it away as soon as I got home. Why on earth would I do that?, you ask. Because I was convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was a fake party and this was all a set up. Just to make me look stupid. I could just picture all the cool kids waiting at someone's house, down the street from this girl's house, watching from bushes and around corners, as I stood alone on her doorstep and continued to press the doorbell. This scene would give them laughing foder for days to come. And I would never live it down.
I rationalized- why else would the most popular girl in school invite me to her party? I didn't even let the idea that this was a real party enter my head. I didn't even tell my mother about the ruse, as I didn't want her to know how I was the butt of the cool kids' joke.
The Monday after the prank would have taken place (had I fallen for the trick), I heard two girls talking before class started. They were talking about the party they had gone to Saturday night, and how much fun it had been. Clever, I thought. They even had a contention plan if I didn't show up. They'd stage people to talk about "the party" so I'd think I missed something great, and be inclined to show up the next time they planned to prank me.
That night during dinner, the phone rang and my mother answered. She spoke briefly with the other party and returned to the table. She asked me why I hadn't told her there had been a party that weekend. I started to get teary eyed. How cruel! To even extend the prank so far as to involve my mother! Seeing my tears, my mother explained that the phone call had been from the mother of the most popular girl in school, and she was worried about me as I had been the only kid invited who hadn't shown up to the REAL LIVE PIZZA party they had on Saturday.
I don't remember if I explained the real reason to my mom or if I just shrugged it off.
But a few months later, this girl had another party, and the invitation came straight from her mom to my mom. So I went. And honestly, as I walked to the door, a part of me was still scared that no one would answer and that this really was an elaborate prank. A long con, you might say. And when the door opened and I saw all the other kids already there, I was genuinely surprised!
So my confession is this- I was THAT self involved and self conscious that I believed a group of fellow 4th graders would spend that much time and energy to hurt ME. What a fool I was.
And this is my fear- that my kids may some day think the world revolves around them to the point that they will be convinced a simple hand written note is equal to certain public humiliation.
How do I prevent this? I don't see anything like that in them at this point. But if I ever do, how do I nip it quickly? I think I have wasted YEARS of my life being worried about what other people think about ME! I would hate for my kids to experience that for even a minute.

Unconventional friend

2009-01-24T16:47:00.002-06:00

Guess what? In 21 days I am participating in a half marathon. OMG! My best est friend Jodi is joining me (her husband too) and I am super excited. Especially after reading the latest entry by Liz Jordan, who just ran her first full marathon. She's quite the inspiration. I feel so blessed to have moved to Houston and find Liz on the afternoon show of KSBJ. She's funny, and honest, and cute, and loves life and God and her boyfriend and her family. And she loves Houston- which is big for me because I wasn't this town's biggest fan when we moved here 2 years ago. I'm finding myself intrigued by her stories about the different parts of town and wanting to go find out for myself.
Little things like this blow my mind when I let myself dwell on them. God is so gracious. This is such a comfort to me, and not expected at all. I spend so much time by myself, since I work from home, and I have found a friend on the radio. Silly, I guess, because there are probably millions of us who feel similarly about Liz. But I still feel blessed and happy to "know" her. Maybe one day we'll meet in person. What a concept!
If you happen to be in the listening range for KSBJ, check them out. I can never go back to "traditional" radio, and maybe you'll enjoy it too. Oh- and if you aren't in range, you can listen to them anywhere with an Internet connection. So cool.

A day in history- like all the others, but oh so different

2009-01-20T10:51:00.002-06:00

I'm watching the inauguration, like so many people around the world are doing. Rick Warren is praying right now, and I am crying- a little bit. Things may change, oh they WILL change, but I am grateful to live in a country that still prays to the One True God as we swear in our president. (OOOOh- look at that bow on Aretha Franklin's hat...he he he! )
I am happy to say I am alive and an American today. For so many reasons, but this one stands out- today we are swearing in the 44th president peacefully elected to that post. Our country has messed lots of stuff up, but we have gotten that right. (Ok- sorry- if you are in the 3rd row of the presidential inauguration, don't chew gum...dude, you are on camera. smack smack smack)
I admire how on schedule this thing is- it is exactly 11:57 EST, and Biden is raising his hand.
I digress. But this real time blogging is neat!
In my 70 something years on this earth (God willing) there may never be another day like this one. The first African American president- pretty cool. I didn't vote for Obama, but I am praying for him and his cabinet. I will support him and my vow is to never speak poorly of him while he holds the office of president. I believe God is in control, completely, and with that I have nothing to fear.
One last live moment observation- a Jew, Korean, African American, and a woman are playing the prettiest musical quartet right now...this pushes the ceremony over the time frame (it's 12:02) but man- it's beautiful. Did I ever tell you I want to learn how to play the cello? Oh yeah- there is no sound quite like it. Thank you God for giving us music, and those people the talent to play it like they do.
God Bless America!!!

What I love

2009-01-09T12:05:00.003-06:00

I love Carleigh's new haircut- she can really pull off short hair.
I love how her hand fits in my hand when we walk down the street.
I love that she likes to dress herself and doesn't care if someone doesn't like it.
I love Healthy Choice Chicken Noodle Soup.
I love how I can tell Jonas doesn't feel good just by looking at him.
I love how he calls me Mamma.
I love my best friend, Jodi, and how hard she is fighting for what is right.
I love my husband more every day!!!
I love my sleek black cat Speedy.
I love KSBJ so much more than that radio station I thought I loved in Dallas.
I love my family- both sides of it, and all parts of it!

Just a sampling. I love tons of other things, but wanted to list these right now.

Need to update this thing

2008-12-31T14:27:00.001-06:00

I know- but I've been too busy enjoying Omaha and my family! I'll find some time to blog when I get back to Houston...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Winter blahs

2008-12-20T08:16:00.002-06:00

What a week. I trudged through work with less than an enthusiastic attitude, although I know I should embrace my employment now more than ever. We were enveloped in fog for several days this week- icky, sticky, fog. Gloomy, gray and heavy. I blame my funky attitude on this weather. I'm ready for our trip to Nebraska- even thought I know it'll be most likely gray and gloomy there, too. It'll be different and we will be surrounded by family. I am very excited about both of those! Please pray for us as we travel! I'll let you know how things are going once we are there!

Good day

2008-12-12T10:32:00.002-06:00

Today is my daddy's birthday. The kids and I called and sang to him and I think he enjoyed that.
Around 6 this morning, Jonas asked if he could get in bed with me and Craig. Since it was almost time to get up anyway, I agreed. About 15 minutes later, Carleigh joined us. Quite the cozy situation, as we sleep in a double bed, and the four of us all in it together fill it up! Usually this sort of moment quickly disintegrates in to wiggly kids and whining about having no pillow or not enough blanket. But this morning was different. For a good 20 minutes, the kids stayed still! Carleigh practiced (silently) making big Os and Es with her mouth, and Jonas petted Chloe. It was such a nice quiet few minutes.
And of course, it turned in to a tickle fight eventually. And I melted as I realized how much I have. Those amazing healthy happy kids, the warm cozy bed, the safe roof, a kitchen full of food, jobs to get up and go to. I think I've made this list before, but is there such a thing as too much gratitude? I don't think so.
We eventually ended up in our normal morning routine of breakfast for the kids and coffee for me. Jonas has a spelling test today so I reviewed the words with him. He correctly spelled all 18 Christmas themed words, including xylophone, poinsettia, and wreath. I'm impressed. And so thankful for that brain of his that functions normally!
Carleigh took a bath and no one combed her hair after she got out. It's long enough now to be a mess because it has dried while she lounged on the couch. And it is tangled! It's taken almost 5 years, but my cherub finally has enough hair to be tangled!!

Super cool gifts I never expected

2008-12-11T14:07:00.003-06:00

I'll admit I'm a little bummed this year that we won't be able to get the kids everything they want for Christmas. There just isn't enough money. Not that they will go without, as those Nebraska Himmelsehrs are known spoilers! The Walzel side never disappoints, either. But I am thrilled at the gifts I've been given in the last 24 hours that I never saw coming!

Last night, in League City, Texas, south of Houston, it snowed. A lot! Big, fat, beautiful flakes! Enough accumulated that the neighborhood kids made snowmen, snowballs, and snow angels. Did I mention that was all at 10:30 last night? It didn't matter- it was wonderful! It started around 6, when Craig and I were driving to a dinner party in the fancy side of town. The Christmas music on the radio, the lights, the fact that we were on a date and it was not going to cost us a dime, combined with the unexpected snow was almost too much to handle! I don't think the smile ever left my face. (Except when we exited at Westheimer from 610- that is a crazy intersection...)

The snow was long gone by noon today, but the weather was still crisp and clear. Very nice! I was waiting at Panera for Craig to join me for lunch when he called my cell phone and told me to run outside and look up in the sky. I quickly did and at first had no idea what I was looking at, until I looked closer to the horizon (I had been looking straight up) and saw this...

Not this exactly (as that is Kennedy Space Center in the picture), but the Space Shuttle being carried by a 747! And it was about that far away, maybe a little closer! Ellington Field is a few miles from where I stood, and NASA of course is down the road, so this may not be a complete fluke, but I sure wasn't expecting it.

What a treat.

1000 (and no- I'm not about the numbers)

2008-12-08T07:26:00.002-06:00

LOOK! I have had almost 1000 hits to my little blog! Wonder who it will be? There will be no prizes, as Pioneer Woman I am not, but maybe I'll follow the lead of my pastor who celebrated on his front lawn with a cold Dr Pepper the day he hit 1000. But it is December, and I'm not a Dr Pepper drinker, so I shall celebrate with a steamy cup of coffee. Feel free to swing by and join me if you can (I received a shipment of Godiva Creme Brulee flavored coffee over the weekend, and there is plenty to go around).

Prayer requests

2008-12-05T13:07:00.002-06:00

I just heard that 40 of my co workers in my department have been let go. 6 are from the Irving office, through which I report and used to physically report. It's never a good time to lose a job, but 3 weeks before Chrsitmas- double ouch. It's easy for me to say this on this side of things, but it's true- this is just another example of how NOTHING is forever on this planet. Don't put your trust in a job or a paycheck, or stock, or other people.
Also, Craig is travelling this weekend. Thank God gas prices have come down so low! I can fill up our car for *gasp* less than $20, and that takes me 380 miles down the road!!!! But the prayer is for me, and my sanity, as I am fully in charge of my extremely spirited 7 and 4 year olds. I guess it wouldn't hurt to pray for Craig's safety, but we all know where the real danger lies. Ha!

It's getting a little harder now

2008-12-03T15:28:00.003-06:00

Our next door neighbor is a 3rd grade boy with whom Jonas likes to play after school in our yard. They ride bikes, terrorize the cat, and other boy things. He's not a bad kid, but he does have an older brother and sister and a single parent. So he's been exposed to a few things that Jonas hasn't, and he doesn't have any younger siblings.
I've told Jonas to make sure he stands up for Carleigh if the neighbor boy (we'll call him NB) picks on her or leaves her out of games. Today I said in so many words, "You need to tell NB that you can't hang out with him anymore if he isn't nice to your sister."
Five minutes later I see Jonas, alone, in the driveway. His head is bowed and his shoulders slumped in an obviously defeated stance. I ask what the matter is, and he turns to me and tearfully explained that NB decided he'd rather not play with Jonas if it meant having to be nice to the 4-year old sibling. Jonas is so sad, and confused.
Am I wrong here? Jonas asked why it matters if his friends are nice to Carleigh or not, and I explained that sisters are more important than friends. For some reason that sounds wrong. All people are important, but that means all people are worth treating well. Jonas gave NB a choice and he chose the path Jonas didn't want. This is NB's loss, not Jonas'. Right? Or should I have told Carleigh to simply stay out of the way of the boys and there wouldn't be a problem? I told Jonas he will have lots of friends, but he will never have another sister. Is that too dramatic?
I want to teach Jonas to stand up for what is right, no matter who it involves. Maybe next time I will stress that aspect instead of the sister aspect.
Sheesh- he's only 7, and his angst is already causing me this much introspection. Imagine my blog entries by the time he is 16.

UPDATE- since I've been writing this he has already moved on to other things. No hint of tears or worry. The kid bounces easily!

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-29T11:39:00.004-06:00

Craig and I have been known to be spontaneous. We bought an Xterra because we thought it would be fun to stop by and test drive one- 2 hours later it was in our driveway. We bought our first house because I thought it would be neat to walk through this model home. I handed them a check for the earnest money less than an hour after we got there. Our first road trip together was mentioned in a movie theatre and started the next morning! We've done our share of thoughtful planning, too, but some of the best decisions we've ever made were made on the fly.

Take yesterday, for example. We had spent Thanksgiving with my family on a deer lease Northwest of Austin. It was a good break from the ordinary. On our way back to Boerne (we went to see my old friend Brad) we saw a sign for Enchanted Rock. I've heard of this place, and always wondered what it entailed. We hardly hesitated to make the turn in to the State Park and began our trek up this crazy landmark. I was so proud of my kids- hardly a whine out of them as they hiked along side of us. It was just cool enough to keep from breaking a sweat, but not cold enough to put on a jacket. And the best surprise of all waited for us at the top- sunset! We couldn't have timed it better if we had tried! The rolling hills below us, the fall colors around us...it was glorious!

But the thing that struck me the most was my sudden desire to lift my hands and praise God! That this weird piece of naked rock in the middle of Texas was no accident. God formed it and prepared it just like everything else in His world. I started singing low "Our God is an Awesome God" and then Carleigh starts belting it out next to me. Even my four year old was moved by the awesomeness of our Creator! So I stood there, loving every second of my existence, and thanking God for the things that had brought us to that moment. Our goofy spontaneity, a reluctant camping trip, the health of each of my family members, the time off to enjoy such a moment. And the love of a gracious God.

It was a great trip. Even my t-sip friend Brad was gracious enough to not mock my Aggies, and his lovely wife made me some of the best coffee I have ever had. I drove from Boerne to home, with a quick detour to Smithville, all by myself (well, the rest of the family was in the car, but they were sawing logs before I hit I-10), wide awake at 2:30 am. There is a lot to be said for planning, but these quick scattered unplanned times are some of my favorite!

Getting in the spirit

2008-11-25T17:24:00.002-06:00

Today dawned much cooler, around 48 degrees. I was instantly drawn into the holiday mood, and all it took was a drop of about 30 degrees! It helped that people around me are already putting up Christmas decorations. We will do that when we get back from the great outdoors. The kids are getting excited about the camping trip, although there is a fear of bears lingering in the background of their conversations. I've told them that bears are more scared of people than people are of bears, but they don't buy that. I don't even know where the idea of bears came in to their minds. They are more likely to be attacked by a charging armadillo than a bear, but I can't very well say that!

I'm glad we don't live as long as Methusalah anymore

2008-11-24T13:08:00.002-06:00

Things here in this world look bleak these days, don't they? I have friends who are unemployed, friends who are not happy in their marriages, my stock is in the toilet. Craig's paycheck is based on the clinic's collections and those have been down. Turns out someone was stealing from their office. The government just bailed out my company for something like $20 billion- ack!
But I will not dwell on these things. They are all temporary- and my soul is eternal. And I know how this game ends. Worse case secenario- I die. And since dying means going to spend eternity with my savior, that's really great!
I'm feeling a little bleak today, despite my eternal perspective, and not because of anything above mentioned. Today, on November 24th, it is 78 degrees outside. Seriously???? Not my idea of nice weather. And we are going to go camping for Thanksgiving this year, so I'm a little bummed that the traditional side of the holiday won't exist for me this year. I don't even get to plan an exciting pre-dawn trip to a store to purchase that one perfect deal of the year, since I think we will be more than an hour from the nearest store on Friday. Someone remind me that none of that matters, okay? What matters is that I will get to spend time with my parents, brother, nephews, husband and children. That doesn't happen nearly often enough, and it doesn't matter what meal is being served!

Yipeee! I have strep throat!!!

2008-11-17T18:56:00.005-06:00

Last Wednesday night I told Craig my throat had a sore spot and it was kind of annoying. Thursday led to a slightly more sore throat and I was markedly tired. I also felt some drainage in the back of my throat, so I immediately diagnosed myself. Sinus drainage- it would pass after a few days. By Friday I was describing how I felt as "skunk butt". I took whatever I had in my medicine cabinet that had anything to do with pain relief. Unfortunately, this was one TheraFlu thin strip and some sinus tablets that had expired 13 months ago. I hadn't eaten anything all day because it was so painful to swallow. I chalked being so tired and weak up to having not eaten in 24 hours and was in bed by 8:00.
I trudged through Saturday, still miserable. I tell you, I was convinced that ANY MINUTE I would begin to feel better. I couldn't imagine going to a doctor or buying some other medicine. Waste of money. So I gargled salt water, gargled hydrogen peroxide, sipped hot lemon/honey/red pepper flakes, sucked on an ice cube--- nothing brought me relief.
Finally I gave in and went to the Redi Clinic Sunday morning. I must have looked pathetic- I was the first person there, even beating the nurses! But it was a good strategy, because 7 people walked in within 5 minutes of my arrival. I felt like a fool- no fever, normal blood pressure, no ear infection, not even a stuffy nose! As the nurse checked off each non-symptom, I could hear her thinking "Quack". And when she looked in my throat and said "hmmm" I knew she had discovered how empty my throat is. I had my adenoids, tonsils, and uvula removed almost 6 years ago. She said "Hard to see any irritation when there isn't much back there". Really? You don't say. Then she swabbed my throat and ran a strep test, and it almost seemed she was doing it as a last resort. She waited a few minutes and told me it was negative. Lawsy- I felt like an idiot. I wanted to grab her and shake her and say "Razor blades! There are razor blades in my throat! I don't care what all the other signs point to- just make the blades go away so I can swallow my own spit without having to work up the nerve to do so!!!" But I didn't. I just waited while she wrote me a obligatory prescription for a decongestant.
I dropped the prescription off at the pharmacy and proceeded to make the most depressing stroll through HEB I have ever experienced. Apparently, the Christmas season started yesterday at HEB. All the checkers and baggers had on Santa hats. And they had samples of everything considered seasonal. Egg nog, wassail, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pecan pie, ham, turkey, cornbread dressing, gingerbread cookies, coffee, and even sushi! Remember what I said about the razor blades? I couldn't touch a bit of any of it!!! So what should have been a delightful 30 minute wait amidst a practical buffet of holiday treats turned in to me with a scowl I know translated in to "Bah humbug" plastered on my face while I clinched my arms tightly across my chest and drug my feet down each aisle.
My mood lightened as I approached the pharmacy to check on the status of my order. The tech looked up and said "Guess what? The doctor called and said it is strep after all! The test turned positive as she was throwing it away!". I have never had strep, but I do know that a simple round of antibiotics should kick its butt pretty quickly. So the words "You DO have strep" have probably never been met with greater relief!
I am 36 hours in to my antibiotics and would say I am 95% better. I was reminded once again of the amazing benefit of working from home, as the doctor told me to not go to work for 48 hours because strep is highly contagious. But because I felt so much better, and there is no way to spread strep through the phone, IM, or e-mail, I was able to put in an 8 hour day. No time lost from work. I also saw my amazing husband in action once again as he kept the kids away from me as much as possible from Friday night through last night, and even kept them fed, gave them baths, and cleaned the kitchen. I shouldn't act surprised, as Craig has always been able and willing to take on his 70 hour a week job and as much as I need around the house to make things run smoothly. But it's nice to see. I told him I would kiss him last night, but I didn't want him getting sick! I'll give him a good kiss tomorrow.
More than anything, this weekend showed me how much I am like my mom. I use to hate the fact that the only diagnosis she ever had for me and my brother was "it's your sinuses". She would never rush us to the doctor like other kids' moms, and would make us wait it out. She was forever making us try herbal, homeopathic remedies, or down expired medicines (because they were still good, how can medicine go bad?) Sheesh- she rubbed off on me in ways I never thought possible. But she has also saved me hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars in unnecessary doctor visits for me and the kids.
I'm glad I'm feeling better- and I promise you right here and now that I will run to the Redi Clinic the next time my throat feels anything remotely like it did this past week. Now that I know what strep feels like, I won't ever let it get as far as it did this time!

Question

2008-11-05T17:37:00.002-06:00

You've no doubt seen the clever bumper sticker that states "When Bush took office gas was $1.86 a gallon" -suggesting the bump in gas prices is President Bush's fault.

My question is- when will the new version come out, that says "And it was less than that before he left office"? Because if the high prices were his fault, then obviously the rapid decline in prices must be all his doing too!

Just a thought.

13.1 miles

2008-11-05T07:50:00.003-06:00

My best friend Jodi wants to be healthy in her "old age" and knows it is up to her to make that happen. So, she has made a determined decision to stay active, and even more so. We are best friends, and I agree with her decision, so I'm going to join her on this quest for health. And we aren't fooling around here- Step 1- we're running a half marathon on February 14.

This is insane, considering the fact that I hate to run. When I was in the Army, it was the bain of my existence to have to run, and it took minor miracles for me to complete the 2 miles. What am I thinking? I guess I am thinking that I need to challenge myself, and if Jodi is going to do it, I'll join her.

We want to be HOT in our nursing homes...

Random thoughts

2008-10-30T11:29:00.002-05:00

Work is crazy busy- but I hear that is a sign of job security. I'll take that as a good sign.
We went to buy the kids' costumes last night. They were half price at Wal Mart so they both cost a grand total of $19. Whoop-ee! I let the kids pick their own, within reason, and I was shocked at Carleigh's choice. She picked Batgirl. I have to tell you that it is a cutie patootie costume, but she passed over several frilly pink things to get to it. She's very well rounded, I believe!
I just found out that a friend of mine was on American Gladiators! I knew she was in shape, but this is still a shock. She's the mother of three children under 6 and dresses conservatively. But she posted a picture of herself in "character"- bikini, spray tan, etc.- and WOW! I wish I had taken her up on her offer to get me on a work out schedule back when we worked out at the same gym in Arlington.
We've made plans on how to spend the holidays. We will go camping/hunting with my family for Thanksgiving and we are going to Omaha for Christmas! I am about 5% sad that we won't spend Christmas here in the house, but 95% thrilled to be going to Nebraska! We haven't been in almost 2 years and have I said this before? I love it there!

Smells like teen spirit

2008-10-29T07:36:00.004-05:00

I had some extra time this morning so I played with Carleigh's hair a little bit. I broke out the round brush, the moose (OK- I know that isn't the moose I mean, but for the life of me I can't think of how to spell the hair product that sounds like the animal...), and the blow dryer. Poor thing has about an inch of growth on the top of her head forward, but the rest is four to five inches long. So there wasn't much I could really do, but Carleigh enjoyed the attention and it sort of resembled cotton candy in the back when I was done. I took my new can of hairspray and lightly sprayed her hair. She immediately asked "What is that smell like?"

And it all came rushing back to me.

You see- I had bought, for the first time in at least 10 years, a can of Aussie. The big, purple, aerosol can. It was on sale and I picked it up for the price. Maybe it wasn't as big of a deal in your lives, but in mine, it meant being a teenage girl. My brother's girlfriend wore it, and I thought she was the coolest, so it has always reminded me of coolness. I've always tried to describe the scent, but have always come up short. Grape? Maybe, but not really. So I call the scent "purple". I think I smelled like "purple" for the majority of my high school career. My brother smelled like "cheap cowboy" (aka Stetson cologne) his entire high school career, and since we shared a bathroom, I probably smelled like Stetson in Jr High.

Smells trigger memories, don't they? My friend Elizabeth commented on the smell of Little Italy yesterday, and I immediately associated my own memory with that. There is a certain air freshener that reminds me of the time my cat had kittens in my closet, and that is not a good memory, so I can never buy that brand of air freshener. Cotton seed is home, fresh cut grass is being a kid in Baytown, Polo cologne is the halls of my high school, diesel is my time in the Army, etc.

And standing in the bathroom fixing Carleigh's hair this morning, I realized that some day soon, she will associate a scent with being a teenage girl. Maybe it will also be "purple", although I doubt it. I'm sure Aussie products will be considered old school by the time she has a choice in her hair products. I wonder what smell my kids will associate with home?

What smells are triggers for your memories? Now I'm curious about the rest of you! And what scent would you say Aussie hair products has?

Mixed emotions

2008-10-27T08:35:00.003-05:00

My heart hurts for my friends who are going through some rough stuff, but at the same time, I see their circumstances as chances to be grateful for what I have. Of course I don't wish these things on anyone, especially my best friends, but is it wrong to draw comfort from the fact that I am not going through the same thing? My husband is employed and our marriage is strong. Our kids are healthy. Last night we watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition and I was crying 3 minutes in to it- the family they helped has a 10 year old boy who has been through enough medical crap to last three life times. I looked at Jonas and told him to come give me a hug. He said "No, cuz you just want to hug me because that story is making you sad. You can hug me when you are happy to see me." Ouch.

On a side note- my right arm is sore this morning because a)we went bowling yesterday for the first time in 6 months and b) I carried a 8 pound pumpkin (the pumpkin was decorated as Super Diaper Baby, BTW) to school for Jonas this morning. So I need to either bowl more often, and with my left hand (can't make my game worse) and I need to get some hand weights and carry them with me every time I walk Jonas to and from school. I'll have arms like Madonna before Christmas!!!

Bloom where you are planted

2008-10-24T13:01:00.003-05:00

I had to drive to Irving on Thursday for a training class for work. As I crested a hill just north of Ennis on 45, I caught my first glimpse of downtown Dallas in over a year. It was a clear fall day as a cold front had just blown through, and the dark clouds in my rear view contrasted the bright sun dramatically. I was suddenly struck with a sadness I didn't expect. A longing I thought was gone. Earlier in the drive, as I passed stately Sam Houston in Huntsville, I realized it had been almost exactly 2 years since we had made the drive going the opposite way for Craig's interview that led to our move from Arlington to the Bay Area. So the distance between Huntsville and Ennis had been filled with thoughts of what has happened in the past 24 months. Great thoughts, happy memories, chuckles, amazement of how good God is and how happy we are. So I was completely taken aback when the tears filled my eyes at the sparkly sight of D-town.

You see, Dallas is HUGE in my life. I wasn't born there or even raised there. But when I was 15 we went to Dallas to compete in a Mock Trial competition and I was hooked. The lights, the sounds, the sights!! Next, the summer between my junior and senior year my brother got married in Dallas and it was magical. Even the sounds that came from the bathroom around 2 am when one of my brother's friends had returned to the room with a woman he had met on the elevator still stand out in my mind...but that's another story.

So I went to college in Denton, just north of Dallas. I learned to drive in traffic near the Galleria (thanks Sara!) and had cheese fries at Snuffers on lower Greenville (thanks John). I went to a Cowboy's pre-Super Bowl pep rally and I shopped at Sam Moon. I ran at White Rock Lake and danced at Billy Bob's (yes, that's Ft Worth, but hey- that's part of the DFW experience). I got my tatoo in Deep Ellum. Oh- and I met Craig in Dallas, he proposed in downtown Dallas, we bought our first house, had both of our children. We celebrated his passing his State Boards at Reunion Tower. I started working at Citi, made some amazing friends at Irving Bible Chruch and Pantego Bible Church, and I finally saw Huey Lewis LIVE at Bass Hall. Is there any doubt that DFW is huge in my life?

And here we are in League City. And this is why it's going to be huge in my life, too!

Jonas started Kindergarten here
Carleigh learned to ride a bike here
We helped plant Church at the Springs
We experienced our first hurricane
Jonas discovered he loves books here
Carleigh started gymnastics
Jonas started soccer
I learned I LOVE mojitos and moroccan food
KSBJ is waayyyy better than KLTY
Gringos
Baytown Seafood Company
HEB
the kids both had chicken pox

...and we're only getting started! Even if we left tomorrow we would already have some big stuff under our belts.

I'm really glad I was able to briefly visit DFW yesterday. It is a great area and I will always love it, but I was so glad to get HOME last night.

Everything here is temporary

2008-10-18T14:11:00.002-05:00

Laughter
Pain
Heat
Cold
Smiles
Aches
Urges
Tantrums
Nightmares
Hunger
Thirst
Things
People

But souls are eternal. And every single human has one. I must remember this.

The wildlife around here

2008-10-10T11:10:00.003-05:00

Last night, a few minutes after we had put the kids to bed, we hear pounding of feet above us and then down the stairs. Jonas ran in to the living room, eyes wide open, saying "Did you see them????" "Them" ended up being a pair of racoons in our backyard. Brave little suckers, too. We sat in the living room and watched through full size windows, back porch light on, as Racoon A timidly picked through the grass where I had earlier shaken out our dining room table cloth. Racoon B, on the other hand, must have thought we had hidden the good stuff a little higher, as he (she? I don't know- do you know how to tell the difference?) proceeded to climb up the post supporting our covered porch and investigate up there. I had no idea a racoon could climb like that! Then again, this was my VERY first time watching them in action from 3 feet away. They could sing and dance the samba for all I know! It was fun for about five minutes, then Jonas got bored and wanted to go pet one. We convinced him this was not the best idea and sent him back to bed, and the racoon couple slowly made their way back to the shrubs at the back of our yard. Ah- the joys of suburbia!

An enigma

2008-10-10T07:25:00.003-05:00

How can one person simutaneously make you want to clone him and strangle him? This is my current opinion of my eldest, Jonas. In one 24 hour period I have had butterflies in my stomache at the mere sight of him, and had to pray to God to control my hands so I didn't whack him across the face. I have been so proud of him I could bust, and so eager to change him I could cry. How is this possible?
First, he has a face that is a great combo of me and Craig, so how can that not evoke love? He has these gray blue eyes that are exactly the color of mine, and a splash of freckles across his nose. He has a cleft in his chin just like my first love- Huey Lewis. (I know I know...pathetic) And his hair is exactly the length I like it right now. Throw in some missing front teeth and you have a sight to melt this mom's heart!
Then there were the glowing words from his teacher last night at Open House. He's polite, and empathetic, able to participate in all conversations and eager to share. He's a great kid! (I might have knocked some other parents over as I walked through the hallways after that with my swollen pride).
Another glowing moment came yesterday at the grocery store when he asked if we could put some food in the "Help End Hunger" basket. And at dinner last night he asked if we could put a basket on the end of our street with a "Help End Hunger" sign and collect food for all the hungry people on our own. His heart is huge! (Did I tell you about the starving children incident? I'll have to tell that story some other time.)
But then there were the bedtime arguments and one o'clock whining sessions. The attitude when I told him it was time to get dressed and to stop building Lego's. I won't go in to those details.
So it's hard to be Jonas' mom, I think. Two sides of the same coin, I think. But I know the love wins. I just hope I can remember that the next time the other side of this child shows his ugly face (which could easily be at 3:10 this afternoon when I pick him up at school)

Badge of honor?

2008-10-02T08:14:00.002-05:00

I follow the blog of my favorite dj, Liz Jordan on KSBJ, and she posted this yesterday. I had to steal it, as it is perfect!

I've been accused of wearing this badge. Hmmmm. Should I be proud or not?

Not a typical Sunday

2008-09-28T18:09:00.004-05:00

A bunch of us from The Springs went down to Galveston this morning to help the aunt and uncle of Chris Garcia. They live in a one story house in a typical neighborhood you would see in any town- in other words, they don't have a wash-out level and they aren't on stilts like so many of the houses you've seen on the news since Hurricane Ike hit 3 weeks ago. The ocean tidal surge went through their house and filled it 3 feet deep. The city of Galveston just let residents come back to their homes this past Wednesday, so the carpets and drywall have not been touched in 2.5 weeks. While I knew all this before we got there, I still wasn't prepared for what we saw.

The area we live in, League City, has piles of foliage, such as tree limbs, on the curb of every house you pass. It's depressing because this normally green, lush area is brown and cluttered. There is a smattering of blue tarps on roofs to cover missing shingles, and there are a few other evidences of wind damage. Galveston is different.

The first thing I noticed was the boats, on the road. Literally. On the road. The water had risen up over the highway and pushed boats every which way. When the water receded, some of the boats stayed there, on the road. I didn't try to count, but I know there were at least 30 randomly deposited boats along the roadway.

The next thing I noticed was the lack of blue roof tarps. Granted- this was overshadowed by the fact that many roofs were flat on the ground, and no longer needed tarps. But there was no large display of roof damage that could be covered up with simple tarps. I also noticed that all of the shrubbery was standing, but brown. And most trees (other than palm trees) are also standing, and brown. Seems this is what happens when salt water gets in to the soil to such a degree that the fresh water is outnumbered. Salt water kills most plants.

Finally, the massive destruction of Ike is apparent in the things in the piles of debris sitting on the Galveston sidewalks. No tree limbs, but lots of refrigerators. And other major appliances. And carpet, drywall, armoires, side tables, kitchen tables, couches, chairs, paintings, books (so many books), mattresses. Simply everything that had once been INSIDE the houses was now OUTside the houses, waiting to be hauled away.

I could write about the specifics for pages and pages, but I want to mention three things that stood out to me. 1- it's all just stuff. When it is waterlogged and mildewed and rotten, that stuff that once seemed vital and important is just stuff to be placed on the curb and hauled away. 2- some of that stuff survived, and I watched one of the home owners we helped carefully wrap a ceramic hamburger in paper and place it in a box, to be placed in storage to some day be unwrapped and displayed again. A ceramic hamburger. Despite the devastation around her and the massive amounts of stuff she was tossing to the curb, she is still human and found importance in that hamburger. I almost asked her the significance of the ceramic piece, but left her to her own thoughts as she gently handled the trinket. I wondered what I would do with my trinkets. On this side of it, I think I would just toss it all. But that's easy for me to say as I sit here surrounded by all my stuff in perfect condition.

And 3- as we were leaving, I saw a tiny blond little girl walking through some of the debris holding her mother's hand. Stab to the heart. I cried for the first time that day when I thought about my kids, and what it would be like if I had to live with the destruction that they were living with. It's hard enough to walk down the street with my kids and keep them from picking up pretty rocks they find on the way. How much harder then to say "don't touch that" to EVERYTHING on the road? No electricity, probably no carpet, exposed beams in the house, very little furniture, if any.

I wish we could have stayed until it was finished, but that may be months from now. Please, if you can take time and go down to help someone, do it. If you can't, give to an organization set up to help those people. If you can't do that, pray for them. And take this opportunity to realize that the stuff in our lives is just stuff, that the only thing we can hold on to for sure through any storm is Jesus.

What a way to test a house!

2008-09-17T14:47:00.003-05:00

While we may not like it all that much, it is easy to say that the best test of anything is a set of circumstances beyond our control and extreme conditions. They don't test seat belts at 5 mph, do they? No- they ram cars in to walls at over 60 mph and see what happens to the dummies inside! Would it do any good to test the exterior of the space shuttle with a Bic lighter, to make sure the tiles could withstand the heat of re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere? Hardly.
And I think about my marriage, and the things that have made us step back and say "We really are going to make it." Not the romantic dinners or weekends away from the kids. It was the job losses, the illnesses, and the ugly stuff.

So it seems to be with the house we are living in right now. We are currently renting it, but have wondered if the landlords would be willing to sell it to us this time next year. And after what it just went through, Hurricane Ike, I think we would be fools NOT to buy this house! There was minimal cosmetic damage to the fence and to the covered back porch, but no roof damage and no water anywhere! My friend snapped this picture yesterday and commented on how it seems nothing even happened. But if we could only see the house next door---

The kids and I are not back home yet, as there is still no power, and the schools are closed until at least Tuesday of next week. I can work here at my parents' house and they can play like it was summer vacation. Craig went back yesterday as his office reopened today. I can't even begin to express my thankfulness for our safety and the ease this "inconvenience" has been.

7 years!!!

2008-09-11T06:37:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to you, dear Jonas! The world was a different place 7 years ago at 6:41 am. It would all change very soon, when at 5:40 pm Dr. Charles said "It's a boy!" and my first thought when I saw you was "He has Craig's nose!". I've since found out that you also have your Daddy's kind heart, sense of humor, fearlessness (on bikes) and natural athleticism. Unfortunately, you also have my temper, my stubborn streak, my blue eyes, and my unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Praise God you have already accepted Christ as your savior! You are such a miracle!

The world changed in many ways on 9/11/01, but the one that made the most difference in my life was the birth of Jonas Craig Himmelsehr! I love you, buddy.

An eternal perspective

2008-09-08T10:21:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was kinda hard for me, but really good at the same time. At The Springs, we discussed eternity, and since I work with grade schoolers, we boiled it down to "I beleive I can live with God forever". We talked just a little bit about what that means, and what Heaven might be like. We had all the kids draw pictures of what they imagined the house God is preparing for them might look like. I found it amusing that they all included swimming pools! Several added animals and the girls mostly concentrated on beds and beautiful bedding. As an adult, my idea is a little different, but who's to say they aren't right?

Between now and then, we had a lot of fun with our Table Group last night. Just to quote a few of my favorite moments from the 2.5 hours we were together-
"I don't care if you get arrested, just don't get shot."
"We're going to get more guns and ammo."
"Back when I was a mosquito hunter..."
"Sidney's been shot!", "Is there blood?", "No.", "Blake- you go help her cuz I'm getting my nails done".

Don't you wish you could be here for these?

Sarah Palin

2008-09-04T09:27:00.002-05:00

I'm watching her speech from last night at the RNC. Who would know she has never been on the national stage before? She is a talented and confident speaker. I like her. McCain has picked a great compliment to his personality. I like that she is a mom with all sorts of normal, and not so normal, mom problems! Good choice, McCain. It's as though he knew my internal struggle and my ho-hum feeling for him and said "those 30-something soccer/hockey moms out there will like her".

Just some thoughts.

Pray, vote, pray.

Carleigh's First day of pre-K

2008-09-03T08:52:00.002-05:00

My house is so quiet right now, as it is just me and the cats! Carleigh started pre-K today, and was such a big girl. She grabbed her backpack and said "Let's go, Mom."

We walked in to the class and she immediately found another little girl and asked her if she could play with her. While some kids were crying, Carleigh didn't even think twice about going out on her own. My first thought was "What kind of my mom am I that she is already that independent?" and my best friend reminded me that it makes me a good mom. I hope so!

Casa de Himmelsehr

2008-08-29T15:36:00.003-05:00

I love this place. I wish you could all come see it. But since you can't (or won't...) I'll let you see what you are missing! BTW- we drove by that other house we were building and almost finished, and there was absolutely ZERO regret in our decision to back out.

The front of the house-

A view from the back porch-

A view of the back porch-

Our informal/ den-

A lovely evening

2008-08-26T08:37:00.002-05:00

I mowed the front yard last night- it was the first time I've mowed a yard in almost 2 years. There is a definite difference between bermuda grass, which we had in Arlington, and the St Augustine we have here. The St Augustine is thicker and makes the process a little slower. Oh, and our yard is bigger than it was in Arlington. But it was wonderful. The sweat, the bugs, the grass clippings stuck to my legs, and the kids buzzing around the street on their bikes and scooters, chatting it up with the neighbors. I told Craig I was happier last night amidst all of that than I have been in a long time.

While Carleigh has gotten the general hang of the bike with no training wheels, she may be destined for NASCAR. She can only make left hand turns around our cul de sac. I tried to get her to turn right and go the other way, but it freaked her out and she stopped. Craig remembers that Jonas did the same thing for awhile, but I don't remember that.

I also watched a wonderful movie after the kids went to bed last night, Becoming Jane. It was beautiful, and funny, and I loved it! I like movies that don't have perfect endings, and this one surely fit my taste. I also like James McAvoy. I had a mild crush on him when he played the fawn Mr. Tumnus in Chronicles of Narnia, so I truly enjoyed seeing him on two human legs and with his normal nose and hair in Becoming Jane. And if Anne Hathaway isn't the cutest thing in movies today...

On the first day, of first grade....

2008-08-25T08:29:00.005-05:00

Jonas started first grade today. And I'm so proud of how confident he was as he walked in to class and sat down. No clinging, no hesitation. He's a brave kid- most of the time. I'm happy to say that his teacher is a woman who a) has been teaching for 12 years, and b) is someone we KNOW! She goes to The Springs every once in awhile, and her daughter Gracie is Carleigh's age. Thank you God for such a blessing! I don't know her all that well, so I won't choose this school year to become her BFF, but at least I know she's a Christian and that she has kids of her own. My mom, and long time teacher, advised me to keep the relationship as it is now, and not to try to become too chummy with her while Jonas is in her class. It keeps things in perspective, and also makes Jonas aware of the position she holds as an authority figure. I agree.

Another fun note- Carleigh took the training wheels off her bike this weekend! I think both of my kids inherited the "bike gene" from Craig, as just like Jonas, she only needed one trip around the cul de sac with Craig holding the back of the bike before he let go and she was off!

I've also attached a picture of Speedy enjoying his favorite new place in our house... Cat- it's what's for dinner.

Meant to be?

2008-08-12T11:19:00.003-05:00

When I was in the Army, I was in the Signal Corp. This means my job had to do with communications. This the symbol that represents the Signal Corps.

I was reminded of this when I went to Google today and decided to look up Himmelsehr in the image files. This came up in the search results, and it didn't suprise me until I remembered I was a Walzel when I was in the Army, not Himmelsehr. So I went to the related site and browsed through it only to find my father-in-law's name, Ron Himmelsehr. He, too, was in the Signal Corp when he was in the Army. How bizarre. But not out of the realm of weird for me and Craig. When we met, it was on Craig's birthday, and my birthday was the next day. For our first Valentine's day, we bought each other the exact same card. We had the same PIN for our ATM cards, and it stands for the same thing. Every one of Craig's older sisters married a member of the armed forces, all different branches. The only one not represented was Army, and Craig married me, so we solved that. Our moms have the same middle name (which is why Carleigh's middle name is Jean).

Just wanted to share that...guess I am missing my hubby!

Greeting from Sunny Arroyo City Texas!

2008-08-10T14:12:00.003-05:00

I have not blogged lately, because I have been so busy with work. I do contract work for my father's business and August is their busiest month. When they are busy, I am busy. So I loaded up the kids (plus one- our friend Sidney) and drove down to my parent's house last Sunday. I am extremely lucky to have a job that doesn't require me to be anywhere in aprticualr, as long as there is an internet connection. So I do my "real" job with Citi from 7-3, and then switch over to work for my dad. My mom has been the full time babysitter and keeps the kids out of my hair so I can concentrate. It's been extremely nice. There have been a few problems, though.

The kids can usually spend 18 hours out of this house doing something fun. Playing basketball, hunting lizards with bb guns, swimming in the river, playing in the hot tub, or plain exploring. This trip has been dampened by the a)insane amout of mosquitoes that are plague-like thanks to the hurricane that came through 2 weeks ago (all the rain is still standing in the fields- no good run off) and b) the condition of the river water thanks to the hurricane (it's real murky and muddy when usually it is a lot more clear and a good sandy bottom) and c) the hot tub is broken thanks to the hurricane, and finally d) it's about 100 every day, and the hurricane can't be blamed for that. So, the kids have spent a ton of time inside watching tv.

Hurricane Dolly was worse than a lot of people expected, but it could have been worse. My parents screened in porch lost most of the screens and they lost some shingles on their roof. In other parts of town people lost their entire roofs, or docks, or patios. I even saw a few trailer homes on their sides. There is a ton of foliage debris that people have cut off their properties and dragged to the side of the road in front of their homes so that the piles can be picked up by the county. The problem is that there is no way of knowing when those piles will be picked up. It's the ugliest part of the aftermath, in general.

Craig is flying down on Saturday night and we are driving back on Sunday with a Penske truck full of the stuff that goes in our garage. Woo hoo! This means we can mow our lawn!

Jonas' baptism

2008-07-29T18:24:00.003-05:00

It was a party, here on Earth and in Heaven! It was great to have over 100 people at the baptism celebration. Not all for Jonas, of course, as 3 other kids were baptized, but everyone rejoiced equally for each of the children. Not sure if you can hear it in the video, but Jonas was so ready to be baptized that he didn't even let Cameron finish his questions to affirm Jonas' decision. Yes, I cried, and so did Craig (Carleigh did too, but only because she couldn't get in the pool when it was over....)

Two of the other kids, Trey and Chase, are in the Sunday school class I teach at The Springs. I teared up for those guys, too. I absolutely love being a part of the spiritual growth of my children and of the children at The Springs!!! Thank you, God, for bringing us to the Bay area and for leading us to The Springs!

Jonas wasted no time in evangalizing our cul-de-sac. We met two of the other neighbors and each one of them was informed of Jonas' baptism, why he was doing it, and they were invited and encouraged to join the celebration. All by Jonas. I have to catch up!

So much to say

2008-07-28T07:48:00.002-05:00

Wow- what a weekend. I have so much to blog about, but no time this morning (I am playing catch up at work since I missed Friday). But coming soon-

Dolly's effect on the Valley and people I love
Our new house
Jonas' baptism

Our God is so BIG!

2008-07-25T12:03:00.002-05:00

So far with this move, we have dealt with a realtor. We knew the owner of the house had moved to another neighborhood in League City, but that was the extent of that. Today I met the realtor and the landlord. Tammie is nice and very sweet and we had a good chat. While we were talking, she described where they now live. "So you live next door to the Simmons?" I asked. "Yes, how did you know that?" And I explained that they now live NEXT DOOR to my pastor and his family!!! How crazy! To think that they moved out of the house we are now living in to live next door to Cameron and Elizabeth! I couldn't feel more at peace about what we are doing, now more than ever.

FULL weekend ahead! (and Dolly went to visit my parents)

2008-07-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

My parents live in the Rio Grande Valley and are sitting through probably their 15th hurricane ever. So far Dolly has been "less eventful than most Northers" says my mom. Good to hear! We had some good rain last night that may be an effect of Dolly, but no complaints here. Jonas, who has always been spooked by thunder, ended up in our bed around 4:00 and Carleigh woke up at 7:00 oblivious to the whole thing.

Friday starts our crazy wonderful weekend. We are going to load up a UHaul with the biggest stuff Friday evening (we're meeting at the apartment around 5:30, for any of you who want to help- you will be fed!). We will unload that truck as soon as we can at the new house, and anything that doesn't make it on the truck will be moved over the next week in our own vehicles. That's a very nice thing about having a week of overlap- no real rush.

Saturday morning Jonas has his last swim meet on the other side of Houston, so we can write off 6 hours of Saturday. Craig works Saturday morning, so no one will be in either house until after 1:00! Then the boys are going to a Monster Truck Rally Saturday night, and Carleigh is going to a Hannah Montana party. That gives us about 3 hours on Saturday to do anything involved with moving!

Then Sunday--- blah blah blah for most the day- I'm sure we will make a few runs from the apartment to the house, and we will unpack a few boxes, put a few beds together. But the most important thing of all happens that evening. Jonas is being baptised! It'll be a wonderful end to a busy weekend. I can't wait to see it, and I will definitely post pictures of that!!!

The Mag Seven, er, Five, Ride Again!

2008-07-21T18:39:00.004-05:00

Ahhhh- can you hear the relaxation in my typing? It comes from 2.5 days of no work, no kids, a few adult beverages, good food, tons of sun, and the best friends I've had since I was in 3rd grade. We call ourselves the Magnificent Seven (alas, two did not make it this year- Jenny and Christy) and have attempted to get together at least once each year. This weekend was spent on Galveston Island with Jodi, Sara, Julianne, and Genevieve. We stayed at a friends' beach house and only left to eat out Saturday night. Julianne is pregnant with her second son so we had a built in designated driver (and the irony is no one drank when we did leave the house!) but it was nice to know, just in case. We laughed so much at old stories and new adventures my face hurt by the end of Sunday afternoon! We are now old enough to be comfortable enough around each other that there are no taboo subjects. Yes, we passed around pictures of our respective kids and pets, but that was the extent of outside intrusions~

I thank God for these women. I don't know a lot of people who can say they are still in touch with 6 people they went to grade school with, much less spend a weekend together ever year. I know we are blessed.

NOTE: I wanted to include a picture of our group, but I didn't manage to get more than two people in a picture at a time, and those aren't flattering! Maybe one of the other girls will send some to me and I can upload them then.

My kids- rock stars?

2008-07-15T11:47:00.004-05:00

The kids put on a concert for me the other day, and I have to share it with you. Jonas LOVES the Newsboys, as previous posts should reveal. He wants to learn how to play the guitar and we've told him he needs to wait a few years, but he has one he fiddles around with anyway. Carleigh, well, you'll see.

Jonas' first first!

2008-07-12T18:04:00.003-05:00

Jonas won first today in the 25 meter freestyle! It's the first time he has ever finished first. So proud!

Maybe today?

2008-07-09T07:27:00.003-05:00

I looked at a rent house last night that is wonderful, and available when we need it, and beautiful. We should find out today if they will lease it to us. I really like this house, and it feeds in to a great school, and I pray that it works out. I'll let you know!

UPDATE:
It's ours! We have a place to live! Praise God! I am so happy! Please pray that God will use us in that neighborhood and He will be known through our love for our neighbors. Oh- and if you want to help get us off to a great start, make room on your calendar. We can move in the 25th, and any extra movers will be greatly appreciated!

Our roller coaster life

2008-07-06T16:55:00.002-05:00

Maybe it has always been like this, but I honestly don't remember a time in my life that has been this caddy-whompis (no- that isn't a real word, and no, that probably isn't the correct spelling of said fake word, but it works for me right now). Up down, up down. And around and around we go. We pulled the contract on that house, as we just didn't feel like it was worth the trouble we were having to go through. We have made up our mind that we will be renting for at least a few more years. We want to rent a house, though, so we will find one of those this week. Our prayer is that our debt will continue to decrease and that before we know it we'll be ready to jump through all the appropriate hoops to get in to a house we truly want.

I have to tell a story on myself. It made me laugh out loud, but that isn't saying you'll find it funny. But maybe you will. I was putting away dishes a few nights ago and thinking to myself about God's promise to fill our cups until they are running over. There is a song on my i-Pod that says "Fill my cup to the top with running water" and I was humming it, too. I realized that I still had 4 or 5 cups to put away and not enough room for them all in the cabinet. I tried to put one more, and a bunch spilled out. So maybe the song and verse is wrong- maybe it is "my cups runneth over" meaning God promised us more cups than we could ever use!

Yep- it was funnier standing there in the kitchen. But it made me laugh and relieved some of the tension I had been carrying.

What a week

2008-07-03T07:18:00.002-05:00

Heavy stuff, lots of stuff, stuff stuff stuff. We put an offer on 2027 Fairfield Ct S, and they have accepted it! But we got the inspection report yesterday, and man oh man- not so sure if what we see is enough to be worried about or not. Getting second (and third) opinions now, and we will see what happens. Best case scenario- we close on 7/24! Worst case- I don't even know what that is. But it isn't a cardboard box on the side of the highway, so I shouldn't have any worries.

Work has been horrible. So many people pulling me in so many directions, and I haven't learned the art of saying "no".

I feel like I haven't said 10 words to Craig in the past two weeks that aren't about the house. He even took his shirts to the dry cleaner and brought them home again, ALL WITHOUT ME NOTICING. This is huge, since I normally take and pick up his shirts. Where was I?

This morning as I drove Jonas to swim practice, there was the most amazing cloud formation in front of me. I drove directly toward it for 90% of the drive, due East, and the sun was rising behind it. Simply breathtaking! By the time I got back in my car and started home, it had broken up, and I was sad. Thank you God for a peek at Your awesomeness this morning. Please give me peace today- remind me to breathe in and out, and focus on You, and not some house or some boss. Let me love my children well, and not lose my temper over small things.

Wednesday wrap up

2008-06-25T10:17:00.003-05:00

OK- so it isn't the end of a Wednesday yet, but I wanted to make note of a few things before I forget.

Some friends of mine and I will be meeting Sunday night to discuss The Shack! I'm very excited about this. And since I've posted about the book, friends have sent me links to commentary about the book that I have found quite interesting. Like this one Brad W. sent me this morning. I'm bummed that Brad G. will be out of town Sunday and won't be able to participate in the live discussion, but he promised to call in while he's driving and we'll put him on speaker phone. More on this Monday morning----

We have been in talks with another mortgage company to see what our options are. At this point it looks like we can borrow money, but not as much as we had first thought. This is okay- in fact, it's good. God is protecting us from getting in over our heads. We looked online at houses in that price range and there are some great options!

My friend Andi's mom is not doing so great. They can't seem to stabilize her- and they are moving her to Houston today to get her on a transplant list. This is good cuz Andi gets to come home, but also speaks to the extent of her mom's illness. Please continue to pray.

I wonder...

2008-06-23T13:18:00.002-05:00

We went to Gateway Community Church yesterday and they had a special service highlighting the results of their Vacation Bible School the week before. It was flashy, and high energy, and fun, and we enjoyed every second of it. Today, I took Jonas and Carleigh to the VBS at First Baptist Friendswood. I walked them in to the auditorium for the "opening ceremonies" and found it decked out in bright colors and big balloons, and lots of people.

I remember fondly the days I attended VBS as a kid. I specifically remember saying the pledge to the American flag and to the Christian flag in the auditorium each morning. But I don't remember any fanfare or pomp. It was fun, but not over the top.

I wonder if my kids would be bored to tears by such a VBS. Or if the Word of God presented at their level for 5 consecutive days (alongside lemonade and animal crackers, of course) is impactful regardless of the hoop-la. But that's the miracle of the message, of the Gospel- the kids went to another VBS two weeks ago at a different church here in Friendswood. Much smaller, much more intimate, and no crazy banners or balloons to be found! AND the kids learned memory verses from the King James Bible (it made me chuckle to hear)! This morning, as I pulled up to FBC, Jonas said " I hope this one is as awesome as the last one we went to!"

So there you go...

TGIF!

2008-06-20T07:36:00.002-05:00

And I woke up, in America, with two beautiful healthy children in the room next to mine, with a husband I love who is gainfully employed, with a choice of food in the kitchen, with a job to get to, with parents who adore and support me, with in-laws who do the same, with two cars in front of our apartment, and the ability to read, write, see, hear, touch, smell, and taste all the goodness (and yuckiness) in my life. Thanks to each of you who endured my pity-party a few days ago. Nothing in that area has changed since then, except my attitude.

Please take a second to remember my friend Andi and more specifically, her mom. She is going through liver failure and is not doing well. Heartbreaking to us all is that she is not a Christian. Andi's had a roller coaster summer so far, and it doesn't look like it is settling down any time soon.

Melancholy

2008-06-18T17:02:00.002-05:00

Seems the lending rules have changed since we last financed a home. Craig has a student loan in deferrment- but guess what? It still counts toward our debt to income ratio. We both have very good credit scores, but no one will look at us without at least 5% down. We don't have that. The massive business loan Craig took out at the start of the last crazy 3 years is being repaid on a 5 year note- that means we make the equivilant of a house payment each month already. In the long run this is good, as we won't have a bunch of accrued interest. But right now, when we want to get in to a house, this sucks. I feel like a tire whose air is slowly fizzing out. I'm not boo-hoo sad, but I could slip in to that state pretty quickly. I dread the idea of living in an apartment again, and at the same time I know any roof is better than what is endured by millions of people in the world. I want to be with my community, and there isn't a rental in that area that we could afford. Maybe God is saying we need a new community. I don't want to assume I know where this will all lead, but right this minute, I am crestfallen, blue, having a small pity-party, etc.

And then, to add insult to injury, Craig's boss has implemented a new rule. Since Craig is straight commision, he now has to pay back a percentage of his paycheck anytime the office has to write a refund to a patient who decided to discontinue care. This is supposed to make Craig feel more invested in the clinic and the results it has. But dammit- I want him to just have a job with a PAYCHECK some times!!!!

Why am I surprised?

2008-06-16T11:15:00.002-05:00

We called our realtor this morning to make an offer on the house on Green Cedar. She called back five minutes later and said they had accepted another offer last night. We had prayed that God would close the doors we weren't supposed to go through, so why on earth was I surprised to hear this? He's so awesome. I was sad/dissappointed for about 5 minutes, but then quickly reminded that this was what I asked God to do! Can't wait to see what He has in store!

Another fun moment- I have a Facebook page, and I don't spend much time on it. But I received a notice yesterday saying someone wanted to add me as a friend. I immediately knew the name and was thrilled to get the notice! Brad Wheeler was a pivotal part of my teenage years. I met him when he was the youth pastor of a church in San Antonio and had some down to South Padre with a group. He and I were quickly friends and maintained a great long-distance friendship. I still have some of the awesome letters he wrote to me. He was a strong Christian and actively growing in Christ, and that influenced me in wonderful ways. I remember the day he called me to tell he had met the woman he would marry, Robin. He had it right on, and is married to her now with a daughter! I wish I had been able to maintain the friendship, but life happens- he concentrated on getting his marriage started and ministry growing, and I was off at Boot Camp and then on to college. Now, fast forward 16 or so years, and he is thinking about church planting while he is a youth minister in San Antonio. I'm a year in to a church plant, and thrilled to have another friend and mentor in Christ! Wow- the cheesy but true line from Michael W. Smith just popped in my head "Friends are friends forever, when the Lord's the Lord of them."

Thanks God, for the people you put in my life. You are amazing!

A change in plans

2008-06-15T14:48:00.002-05:00

I feel like I'm calling off a wedding. In a way, I am. Craig and I have decided to not commit to the house we were building. It's hard to do, as we have had countless people pray about this house and gush over it and ooh and ahhh over pictures. But when it comes down to it, it is not enough house at too much price tag. We went out yesterday with a realtor and looked at houses the same price as "ours" with 600 more square feet and a much bigger yard (one even had a hot tub that was staying with the house!). But I think we are going to put an offer on a house tomorrow in a subdivision a little further north. It is in the same neighborhood as Brad (our community pastor), has 250 more square feet, a fourth bedroom and a dedicated study, a great front and BACK yard! It is not on a cul de sac, but that is just about the only negative. I think we need to be better stewards of our money, and this house will let us do that.

I'm so grateful for the gentle way God showed us we were making a mistake, instead of letting us figure it out the hard way. He's so gracious, isn't He? Beyond words...

Jonas swims

2008-06-07T10:44:00.003-05:00

Jonas joined the YMCA swim team on Wednesday. Today was his first swim meet, and he raced the 25 freestyle. He did an awesome job, and came in either 2nd or 3rd. We left as soon as his race was done, as they don't hand out ribbons for these meets. We'll find out his time at the next practice, and then his goal will be to beat that time. He's such a good competitor- I'm very proud of him! He's always been great in the water, so I think this sport might be a great fit for him.

Wonderful time away!

2008-06-01T21:57:00.004-05:00

Our trip to the beach to celebrate our 10th anniversary was wonderful! Here are some pics to mark the occasion...

Me at Wahoo's- my favorite place.
And this is our view from our condo.

Craig and me on the beach- awwww. And the entire result of 10 years together!

The Shack

2008-06-01T21:21:00.003-05:00

A book I recommend to any and every one who comes across my blog. The Shack grabbed my attention from page 1 because of the writing style- but held me in its grip beginning with the chapter titled "A Piece of Pi" (the author uses the mathematical symbol for pi, but I can't find it in my font options, so...3.14....). I want everyone I know, and people I don't know, to read this, so we can talk about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please comment as soon as you are done, or as soon as you have questions or comments.... My mom has read it and Craig is in the middle of it, and I want more input!

Ten years

2008-05-28T13:20:00.002-05:00

Friday marks the 10th anniversary of my marriage. I won't be in front of a computer that day, or I would save my musings for then. Instead I hope to be soaking up lots and lots of sun on the same beach where said wedding took place 10 years ago! We are leaving tomorrow for South Padre for 4 days. Not exactly what Craig and I had daydreamed about when we sat and discussed where we saw ourselves in ten years, but I am happy to take it! Amazing how reality sets in, and dreams of a 10 day trip to Australia turn in to the actual trip to drop 2 kids off at my parents and spending three nights in a friend's condo cuz it's free.

I am so proud to say that I have now been married ten years. It wasn't a given, as that first year saw the "D" word thrown around a lot. But God has gotten us through some crappy stuff and revealed the multitude of benefits that come from honoring a promise. I love my husband, and feel lucky to have him love me. He's funny, and so smart, and works hard, and is so handsome. Perfect? No. Wonderful? Absolutely!

I won't be making any predictions about where we will be in 10 more years, except with each other.

Life is so short

2008-05-22T08:45:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite singers, and the favorite of many people, Stephen Curtis Chapman, had a double horrible tragedy hit his family yesterday. His youngest daughter, Maria, 5, was killed yesterday when a car driven by her older brother hit her in their driveway. I can't imagine loosing a child. But then to think that they have to simultaneously grieve their daughter and comfort their son...beyond comprehension.

When I'm right...

2008-05-19T12:48:00.003-05:00

I'm right! Those dumb shoes with the wheels, Heelies or Spinners or whatever you want to call them, were not a good idea for my son. At church yesterday, he marked up the entire building with rubber from the soles mixed with wheels marks. This was brought to my attention at least an hour after we had been there. I'm sure I don't even know half of the extent of the damage. Luckily it is just superficial, but we are using the YMCA with the understanding that we will take excellent care of it.

Then, at the VERY end of the VERY long day, Jonas stepped out of the car, took one step toward me, and lost his footing. Craig was on the other side of the car helping Carleigh out and all he heard was the thud of Jonas' head hitting the ground. I saw the instantaneous reaction on Jonas' face as he knew he was going to fall, and then saw his head actually bounce on the ground. It only bounced about an inch and he managed to keep it from hitting a second time, but the damage was done. Screams of pain ensued, followed quickly by Craig saying he was throwing away the shoes, which only made Jonas scream louder.

Jonas is ok today- we gave him Tylenol last night and iced his elbow (yes, the same one that caught the brunt of the last fall) and gave him a little TLC. Trying to repair the wound of Craig's threat to throw away the shoes, I told Jonas I would buy them from him. I will give him the money he spent on them to begin with, because I never should have let him buy the shoes in the first place. Immediately he said "Then can we go buy the real Heelies?". I answered "Yes- when you are 8."

Different personalities

2008-05-13T12:45:00.004-05:00

We've decided that Carleigh is an instigator. We had game night a while back and we were playing Sequence for Kids. Instead of using playing cards, they use cards with animals to match the animals on the board. The goal is to get 4 in a row. Carleigh figured out within a few turns that she had more fun keeping Jonas from getting his 4 in a row than she did trying to find her own pattern on the board. Jonas would get so excited because he would see the chance to win in his next turn, only to have Carleigh see it too, and happily crush his idea by placing her own chip down first. Poor Jonas was miserable, while Carleigh was having a great time!

Another example, we like Taco Cabana. At some point we starting calling it Taco Banana to be funny. So that is what Carleigh calls it all the time. She would probably stop doing so, except it makes Jonas crazy. Without fail, she'll say "Banana" and he'll try to correct her with "It's Cabana, Carleigh". She just smiles and says Banana again. Jonas about looses his mind after 5 of these back and forth exchanges. He can't help that he is such a rule follower. He'll even spell it for her, as though that will make a difference. She knows exactly what she is doing, and keeps it up.

Final example- Jonas was in a cranky mood Saturday night after a long day, and was mad because we had told him Mother's Day was all about me. He was getting all upset about that, so Craig and I simply chuckled and wrote it off as exhaustion talking. He says "You need to stop laughing at me! That's rude!". Carleigh, in a complete dead pan voice, says "They aren't laughing. Laughing sounds like this-" and proceeds to break out in to a peal of laughter. Craig and I couldn't help ourselves- we busted out laughing, too.

Poor Jonas- he's going to have to learn soon how to ignore his little sister, or he's in for a lifetime of misery. He's her favorite target.

Meeting the neighbors Part 2

2008-05-12T11:47:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was a big day in the life of our new house. We went out and saw the forms have been laid for the foundation, and we met our next door neighbors. The neighbors are Kent and Julia, and daughters Tina (7) and Valerie (4 months). Julia has a heavy accent, but I couldn't determine of what origin. They didn't chat long, as the baby was fussy, but Jonas, Carleigh and Tina hit it off in a matter of seconds! They said they hoped the house would done on time, as they need to have Tina in school. Julia doesn't drive. So- she and I may see a lot of each other, as we are both at home all day, and Tina and Jonas will go to school together.

The backyard is as small as we expected, and the front is as big as we hoped. On our way home Craig and I agreed that we would need to do something with the fence as it will be our only scenery from our bathroom window and one of the kids' windows, as well as the back porch. I then got excited thinking about the vines we could grow, or the hanging baskets that lay flush with the fence we could set up. There won't be room for any trees, but that makes mowing easier, anyway! As I said before, it will be perfect for a slip n slide!

Wandering in the wilderness between right and left

2008-05-11T20:32:00.004-05:00

Back when I started this blog, I touched on the recent election broo-ha-ha that is going on around us and my confusion about for whom I should vote, if at all. I read this article today that describes my concerns completely! It doesn't give me any solutions, but at least I know I'm not the only person out there who is torn between social conservatism and global awareness. I want to break the cycle of poverty and welfare dependence, but I don't want any innocent children to go hungry because their mom or dad didn't graduate from high school and can't get a job that pays more then $6 an hour. I don't want another innocent life taken before birth, but I don't want condoms handed out at junior high health classes. I think that homosexuality is a sin, but I also think that we live in a country based on freedom, and since most marriages are no longer religious convenants between God and two people anyway, why shouldn't two men who love each other get married? All I keep coming back to is that I can't change the world, but I can love my neighbors. And regardless of who is elected in November, I believe God is in charge, and again, all I can do is love my neighbors. And pray, constantly.

Random thoughts

2008-05-09T08:02:00.004-05:00

Carleigh announced a few days ago that she wants to be a fire-fighter, a ballerina, and a drummer.
Jonas wants to be a police office and a drummer. As a mom who was a drummer in high school, I'm not sure why I'm not more proud!
Jonas had field day yesterday and brought home a first place ribbon, two second place ribbons, and a participant ribbon. I have no idea what the ribbons are for, as he described races like the hippity hop, the tire jump, and the baton race. What ever happened to the 50 yard dash? Regardless, I am happy for him!
Carleigh sprinted home in front of me from the bus stop this morning, and announced that she's fast because her Croc's are fast. I'll let her believe that.
Craig continues to work hard to impress his boss and build the business. This weekend will be long for him, as he will work his normal 7-6:30 today, then go set up a spinal screening booth at a concert in the park in Pearland. He did these last year and they were effective. But we also know from last year that he won't be home until after 10:30. Then tomorrow starts at 6:30 at the Pear Run- a 5k fun run in Pearland. He'll rush from that over to an elementary school where he will set up a spinal screening booth at their end-of-year carnival. He'll go to the office in time to see patients from 9-12:30, and then go back to the carnival to work until 4:00. It normally isn't this jam-packed, but his co-worker, Dr. Davis, has to go to a funeral tomorrow morning and will not be able to help with any of that stuff. Then Sunday our church has a Mother's Day picnic planned at the park, which will end with the moms leaving and the dads handling the kids. I feel like I should switch the roles this Sunday and let him have some time off. He's worked much harder than me this week!
Weight loss- I lost 2.5 pounds last week! This week has been harder. I want to reach my goal so badly, but I'm beginning to think it won't happen by the 29th.

Newsboys pics

2008-05-04T21:36:00.005-05:00

As promised- here we are (Carleigh is in my arms and hiding her face) with the band. Jeff, Peter, Duncan and Paul. ( You can click on these to see them bigger)Jonas shows off his backstage pass.

A great shot of the band on stage.

The Newsboys!

2008-05-04T21:08:00.003-05:00

We made the drive to Wichita Falls and it was worth every second, every mile! John Patterson, the son of Craig's patient, is not, as I previously stated, a roadie. He is the video producer for the band. I didn't realize I had demoted him! Anyway, he is a nice guy who went out of his way to make our experience awesome! Our seats were 8 rows from the stage. Super cool, eh? It got better...he got us backstage to meet the band by ourselves with no one else around! Super nice guys, sincere, seemed happy to meet us! I was a little starstruck, but not as bad as I feared. Carleigh was a hit, and turned shy, but everyone commented on how cute she is. Jonas did a great job and had a full on conversation with the drummer, Duncan. Then we made it back to our seats and the concert was amazing and fun. I'll get some photos uploaded soon.

Weight loss update

2008-05-02T11:54:00.003-05:00

I haven't mentioned my weight-loss endeavor recently, but I certainly haven't abandoned it. I have managed to lose .5 pounds each week for the past two. How frustrating! Even though I am 8 pounds from my vacation goal (different than my forever goal, but more about that later) losing half a pound is dissapointing. With only 5 more chances to weigh in before May 29th, the day we start our vacation, I have to do better than that. So I joined Weight Watchers Online. I can't manage to ever get to the meetings (two kids, husband who works past 7 most nights and almost every Saturday...just doesn't work) and I sit in front of a computer every day, so it seems like a good fit. I've done WW before and it works for me. The Points tracker is a fantastic accountability tool. I started this on Sunday, and I think I've had a good week. I'll weigh in tomorrow and know for sure.

Speaking of tomorrow, I can't wait to see how our weekend turns out. We are leaving this afternoon to drive to the DFW area. We will be staying at my cousin's house. Tomorrow morning we are going to get all the cousins together (Jonas, Carleigh, Kelley, Cody, Jake, Jett, and Brooks) and go to the Dallas Arboretum to take some group pictures. Eventually those pictures will be framed and given as a giant collage to my parents. They will love it.

But we aren't just making this drive to snap photos. Craig has a patient whose son is a roadie for the band Newsboys. Newsboys happens to be Jonas' favorite band! I like them too, a lot. At the least, we have free tickets waiting for us at their concert tomorrow night. At the most, and we're still waiting for final confirmation on this, we have backstage VIP passes waiting for us!!!! I haven't said a word to Jonas, in case this falls through. But as we get closer I am getting very excited! I need to rehearse what I might say if we get to meet them, as I do not have a good track record with celebrities.

When we were in Jr High, Sara Penrod and I had gone skiing with my family, and we were souvenir shopping in Taos, NM. I slipped on some ice in front of a store and a man rushed out to make sure I was OK. Other than embarrassed, I was fine. He invited us in for some hot chocolate. He chatted with us for a minute about where we were from and our vacation, then he said good bye and left. We browsed the store and I ended up buying something (no memory of what). There was a flyer next to the cash register advertising a concert that weekend. The artist was Michael Martin Murphy, a country singer. I asked Sara "Doesn't he look familiar?" to which the cashier said "You were just talking to him. He owns this store and he's the guy who just gave you your drinks". So close!

And another brush with fame came when the band Third Day and Micheal W. Smith were signing autographs at an organized meet and greet at a local mall. I stood in line with all the other people and listened to an organizer say 5+ times "Don't try to shoot the breeze with these guys- there are a lot of you and we only have a limited amount of time." I took that to heart. As I quickly got Third Day's authographs and moved down the table to MWS, the guy behind me strikes up a conversation with the drummer of Third Day. MWS glances that way and sees the gap and says "How are you?" to me. Seems we had been given a few extra seconds and he decided to chat with me. Yep- I couldn't get out anything other than "Thank you!" and walked away. I heard MWS say to someone standing behind him "I guess she didn't want to talk to me!". DOH!

I did manage a civil and intelligent conversation with then Texas governor George W. Bush. His first High School graduation speech as governor was at my alma mater the year after I graduated. My dad, who has been in politics, was invited to a reception before the graduation to meet W. I went with him. He was polished and professional, diplomatic to be sure (glanced at my name tag and addressed me by my first name immediately) but very warm. I told him I had graduated the year before and he asked if I was going to college. I said yes, UNT, and he asked if I had made it to a Ranger's game. He was part owner of the baseball club at the time. I said yes, and then he signed a magnetic Ranger game schedule I had brought with me. Who knew I was shaking the hand of the man who would be president when both my children were born? Very cool.

So- tomorrow could go either way. I can't wait to get back and tell you how it goes, and hopefully post some pictures!

The worst 30 minutes of my life

2008-05-01T08:37:00.002-05:00

Literally, I don't think I have ever been more afraid, sad, mad, and terrified in a span of 30 minutes as I was last night. Craig went outside to tell Jonas and Carleigh it was time to come inside, only to discover that he couldn't find Carleigh, and none of the other kids knew where she was either. I half-calmly walked around the center of our apartment complex, calling her name and checking the pools and playground. All the kids who know Carleigh were helping too- about 15 of them. After I made the full circle and Craig had too, I was no longer calm and began to imagine the worst. After 20 minutes I called 911. I was mortified- the idea that I was on the phone with the police because my adorable blonde blue eyed daughter was lost...even writing that makes my stomache drop. They said an officer was on the way and to take my cell phone and keep looking. At one point, either going up some stairs on when I finally found her, my forehead touched the ground because I have a scrape there today. I remember praying for calmness, but I also think I literally hit my knees in relief when she calmly walked out of a friend's apartment.
Turns out she had seen a friend and ran to her apartment and started watching a movie with her. I know this girl vaguely, but didn't know what apartment she lived in. They hadn't heard us calling for Carleigh because the tv was up and the doors and windows were closed. Her mom had happened to open the door to put something outside when Craig rode by on his bike yelling for Carleigh. She said "She's in here," and out walked the angel herself. It was about this time I rounded the corner and the police car drove through the gate. The officer was nothing but compassionate and nice. She made sure I was who I said I was and left. Carleigh didn't understand why she couldn't stay and finish the movie, but I had to get home and breathe.
I was much more upset with myself than with Carleigh. She's 4~ what am I thinking letting her play outside with only 8 and 10 year olds to look out for her? That's not their job! It's mine, and I failed. Thank God she is okay and she and Jonas both understand now why I've always said not to go in anyone's house without me knowing about it (Jonas was visibly shaken by all of this, too). I don't plan to permanently attach her to my hip from now on, but I do plan to be much more careful.

Gum in her hair

2008-04-30T13:19:00.004-05:00

Carleigh walked up to me about an hour ago and pointed at her head. I was on a conference call with my boss, or I would have shouted the first thing that came to my mind.

In case you don't know, my daughter is "hair challenged". She is 4 years old and had her first trim in March, which was simply to even up the back. Even before the trim the back of her hair was less than two inches long. The front is even more stunted, and doesn't seem to have progressed past 1 inch. I constantly get compliments from strangers about her adorable hair cut, to which I explain God gets all the credit, since this is all He has given her. What you see is definitely no trendy trim. I long for the day that a bow or barrette will go in her hair! I did the head band bows when she was much younger, but she'll have nothing to do with those now. And I have even eeked out pig tails, but they really looked forced and not attractive.

So an hour ago, Carleigh alerts me to the wad of GUM in the front of her hair (about an inch behind her hairline, right in the middle). She has tried to get it out herself, but has only managed to get it spread around an area roughly 2x3 inches. If I were to cut it out, the entire front of her head would be bald. So I grabbed the peanut butter and started massaging it in the gum. Not sure if you've heard differently, but this did nothing but cause her to have gum and peanut butter in her hair.

I went online, searched for possible resolutions, and went with the cooking oil idea. I don't have any oil in the house, but I have a brand new can of cooking spray. It seems to have worked. Lots of her hair came out with the gum, peanut butter, and oil, but not as much as cutting would have taken. I wish I had snapped some pictures, but I wasn't thinking clearly.

Some seem to rebound quickly, it seems

2008-04-29T18:40:00.002-05:00

That other table group birthed from ours didn't waste any time finding new friends. Cameron proudly announced that while us, the "old" group, had 17 people Sunday afternoon for Table, the McLendons had 18! And leave it up to those competitive folks in Brittany Lakes...they've already rubbed our noses in it! Of course I love this. I just have to act all hurt and upset, or it won't seem like a real break up. He he he!

Kuddos

2008-04-27T21:35:00.002-05:00

Friday was a big day at our house. Craig and I both had our egos bolstered. Craig's boss took him to lunch and, long story short, told him he has big plans for Craig. Lots of big visions, and some of them may come to fruition within the next week. My boss went on vacation last week and left me as her out of office contact. And it was really cool to have some big time responsibility! Friday blind-sided me with a last minute big project that my boss's boss needed ASAP. I managed to get it done, on time and as requested. It felt good.

Answered prayer

2008-04-25T09:27:00.003-05:00

When I was pregnant with Jonas, I remember specifically praying that my child would be intelligent. Above average, I believe I asked.
Now what is it they say about being careful what you ask for? Yep- I agree.
Jonas' teacher e-mailed me yesterday afternoon to let me know he has been not listening and acting out more lately than any other time this year. I went to talk to her, because I want Jonas to know that this is not acceptable, no matter how close to the end of the school year we are. I also think it's important that he knows that I will put everything else on hold to address what he is going through, no matter what it is. Mrs. Kowis spoke to Jonas with me in the room and let him know that she expects more from hims because he's the oldest, the smartest (!!!), and a natural leader. That the kids will do whatever he does because they look up to him and think if it's ok for him to do it, then it is ok for them to do it. He seemed to understand and she asked him to leave the room while she and I talked.
She then told me she is amazed by Jonas' reasoning abilities and has never seen a kid advance in reading as fast as he has this year. She said she is glad he will be going to Gilmore next year, because he will have a better chance of being challenged the way he should be. Where he has been at the top of his class at Weber, she thinks he will be closer to average at Gilmore. In the meantime, she wants me to get him outside and running around as much as possible this summer. She also said she will be noting in his file that his next teacher should call her as soon as he is assigned so that she can warn him/her. Not sure how to take that comment...
I'm very happy that God gave Jonas a sharp brain- but I think I agree with Mrs. Kowis when it comes to his reasoning. He's going to have to accept a few things "just because" as he gets older or he is going to get in trouble. I don't want him to ever stop questioning, but I also pray that God will give me the strength to endure his endless streams of questions and that the teachers he has in the next 12 years will be as receptive as this first one has.
I love my son so much. Thank you God, for this crazy, funny, emotional, deep thinking, boy I get to have for a little while. Forgive me when I lose my patience with him. Thank you for leading him to You at such a young age.

Breaking up is hard to do

2008-04-24T08:32:00.002-05:00

While I knew this was coming, it still hurts. Cameron has announced this first "break up" of our table group. Two families will be leaving our current table and joining with another family to create a new table. This is great news, because it means that we are growing. This is sad news because I will miss seeing these people as often as I have been. I know in the long term vision of The Springs, this will happen again. Eventually, we want table groups to be pedestrian friendly. I can hardly wait for that day! With Cameron's blessing Craig and I will open the doors to our new house to a new table group as soon as possible. And I pray that each participant will have walked to get there. But in saying that, I know that means that none of the current members of our table will be there. This is a good thing, really. I just have to pout for my own selfish loss a few minutes...

Your mom does what???

2008-04-22T09:31:00.003-05:00

What a great dinner we had last night! A family from The Springs came over and we had typical comfort foods- meatloaf, potatoes au gratin, corn on the cob, and brownies. YUM! But the best part was the conversation. Cameron talked previously on his blog about crossing the line between acquaintances and living life together, and we certainly crossed that line last night. Our kids were telling stories on us, while we told stories on our parents. Transparency was a word that was used, and I think I like that. We were real, and leave it to the kids to get that ball rolling! My only regret is that last night was the very first time we have intentionally had people to our apartment for a meal. We have lived here for 15 months- that's just wrong. Yes, we are in a small space, but it didn't bother anyone last night. The kids headed outside just as fast as they could anyway, which freed up lots of space!
Thank you, God, for creating us to be with other people. Thank you for our pastors who encourage us to do so, intentionally.

A plan much bigger than I could have dreamt of

2008-04-21T12:23:00.002-05:00

Craig and I were talking about our move to the Bay Area last night and I began remembering details that I had not thought of in a while. And while it is fresh on my mind, I want to jot down as many of the amazing things that happened to bring us here. In case you didn't know, we were living in Arlington, Texas up until January of 2007.

In September of 2006, Craig was fired from his job. I had been a stay-at-home mom for the 18 months prior to that, but immediately went back to work when this happened. I was able to get a job with the company for whom I had worked up until Carleigh's birth, Citi. I retained all my previous time in service and benefits!

In October, Craig went in to business with another chiropractor and opened an office in Mansfield.

In the summer of 2007, Craig wasn't bringing home much money at all. But because of a convicting story we had heard from another Christian, we committed to begin tithing regularly, no matter what.

In September 2007, he took a second job unloading freight at Kohl's department store. We shared our struggle with our Home Group, and because of their generosity we never missed a single bill or meal.

By October 2007, Craig's partner asked him to step out of the business because they couldn't support two doctors on the income they were bringing in, and Josh had bought in the majority of the expenses. We were heart broken. Owning his own clinic had been Craig's dream, and we thought God has smiled on our venture with a fellow Christian.

At the end of October, we attended a Financial Peace University lecture our pastor was giving at Pantego Bible Church. I couldn't make it through a single lesson without crying. It was all very raw for me. At the end of one of the sessions, I left crying without talking to anyone around me. Our friend Will Walsh caught me outside and asked what was going on. I broke down and shared the anger I felt that Ron was preaching about the "overflowing" that would come from tithing, and here we were with Craig having no job. Ron wasn't preaching the prosperity "gospel" by any means, but he was saying only good could come from being faithful to God. I felt that the opposite was happening in our case, and I was so angry. Will didn't offer anything other than "That has to suck". He was sympathetic, and that was all I needed right then.

During the next week, Craig sent out resumes to offices in DFW, the major metroplexes in Texas, and even in Nebraska where he is from. We heard from only 2 offices- one in Mesquite and one in Pearland. The one in Mesquite sounded perfect, and the Pearland one sounded ok. They both wanted to interview Craig on October 31st, so he scheduled the Mesquite interview for lunch time, and the Pearland interview for after 6:00 PM. We saw Will again on Sunday and updated him on the status of Craig's job search. During the conversation, we found out Will's uncle is the city manager of Pearland! Small world, right? Also, we mentioned that the Mesquite job sounded so good, we may not even bother making the drive to Houston- we didn't even have the gas money it would take to do so. After church, Will caught us again and handed us $100 for gas money and said "I don't think you should close any doors that God has opened. Let Him do that." Wise man, that William Walsh!

I took the day off, we loaded up the kids, and we went to Mesquite. The kids and I drove around to kill time while Craig had his interview. When he came out he was excited, because the owner had practically said Craig could have the position and start as early as the next Monday. He would call Craig in the next few days to iron out the details. We sat in the car and again thought about not going to Houston. But I was reminded of Will's advice, so we headed south.

It was Halloween and Craig went to his interview in Pearland while the kids and I trick-or-treated with Sara and John Sanders. They loved the idea of us moving to Houston, but I kept telling Sara how awesome the Mesquite job had sounded. I remember walking through her neighborhood that night, sweat dripping off my face because of the lovely Houston humidity, thinking "I don't think God would make us come here."

Craig made it back from the interview and all he could say was "It seems great, too." Huh. Didn't expect that. Our drive back to Arlington the next day was spent talking about the pros and cons of both options, the entire time expecting the Mesquite office to call and seal the deal. Instead, halfway to Dallas, Craig's phone rings and it's the Pearland office. Can he start on Monday? Shocked, Craig said he'd have to call him the next day. We honestly thought we'd weigh the two offers and choose the better one.

We get home that evening and there is a message from our Children's pastor, Keith Smith. He had hurt his back and was looking for Craig as a chiropractor. I called Keith back and let him know Craig was no longer in practice in DFW, but I would recommend someone for him. Keith asked why, and I explained we might be leaving the area for a small town outside Houston. Oh really, where? asks Keith. Pearland, I answer. Well, you know that is where we moved from last year, right? NO! We began a dialogue about the area, churches, schools, etc.

By 5:00 the next day, no one had called from Mesquite. And Craig had called and left a message for them. The Pearland office wanted an answer by 6:00, so Craig went ahead and called and accepted. We assumed he could always call and back out if the Mesquite deal came through before Monday.

Craig called and left no less than 5 messages for the Mesquite office over the next few days. But on Sunday, with no contact with them and a paying job waiting in Pearland, Craig loaded up his truck and drove to the Sanders' house. He would stay with them and drive the 40+ miles to Pearland each day.

I was in school and working full time, and my parents were worried about me having the kids by myself while I finished up the semester, so by the end of Monday, my mom was at my house ready to take my kids home with her for the next 5 weeks.

That next week was a blur. I got the house ready and listed on the market with a realtor friend who was from church. We listed it above the price our realtor recommended because I had dreamt of a certain number and felt convinced that was what we needed to ask. We sent out a mass e-mail to everyone we know in Texas asking if anyone knew of anyone who lived in Pearland and might be willing to put Craig up until January. We had no extra money, and we hinted that the cheaper the better, and free would be best. The 80+ miles a day on Craig's truck was expensive and long!

In the conversations with Keith Smith about Pearland, he had mentioned a church he knew of in the area, but had not been to himself, called Gateway Community Church. Craig and I prayed that we could find a church similar to our beloved Pantego Bible Church- focused on people and community more than the church building and programs. I sent an e-mail to the pastor of Gateway, Randy, because I saw their website listed the same 30 Core Competencies that Pantego used, and they had a study guide that looked like the Scrolls we had used. I mentioned we were coming from PBC and we wanted something like it. Randy wrote back and said he would love to have us there, but really wanted to introduce us to two men on his staff that would be starting a new church based on PBC- Brad Gartman and Cameron Simmons.

The time frame of the next few things is blurry, but isn't as important as the fact that they happened at all! We were connected to the aunt of a family friend who lived alone in Friendswood, and had a room Craig could use, for free! Julie let a man she had never met before live with her in her town home based solely on the character reference of her nephew's wife. Ashley and I grew up together, as did our fathers, so I think that is saying a lot for how Julie feels about her nephew, Andy, and his wife Ashley. What an amazing blessing! Craig was able to reduce his commute to less than 5 miles each way and stay in a safe, very comfortable home, for only his share of the utilities for a little over 7 weeks.
Somewhere in that time, Cameron and Brad met Craig for lunch. We discovered that Brad had been on staff at Pantego! They laid out the plan they had for the Church at the Springs and before lunch was over Craig told them to count us in. I'm not sure how much more God could have answered that prayer!
Nine days after we listed our house for sale, we got an offer. Vickie, our realtor, sat me down and showed me the details. It was 6k lower than our asking price. You could see Vickie's expression say "I told you so". So I told her that we had to counter with our original asking price, and we'd throw in the play scape in the backyard. She said "they won't accept this, but I'll do it just to show you. We'll come down next time." Three hours later she called me and started the conversation with "I owe you an apology." They had accepted the counter offer! This was a family in California, and they hadn't even stepped foot in our house. They saw the pictures on-line and sent their realtor to look at it. It was exactly what they wanted. AND they wanted to close the weekend before the next semester started at UNT. We couldn't have asked for a better closing date!
I asked Cyndi and Clint Rains if I could stay with them during the Spring semester. I was slightly hurt when they said no. I really thought that would be the best case scenario. I then contacted friends who live in Denton, Greg and Sarah Kemper, and point blank asked if I could stay with them until I finished school in May. They have a huge house and have been good friends to us. They said yes, and only asked me to pay my share of utilities! Amazing!
Craig secured an apartment for him and the kids and we planned to close on our house, load the U-Haul, and move in to our apartment in Friendswood the same weekend. Other than a couple of snags, we made it. I helped move Craig, Jonas and Carleigh in to an apartment on my 33rd birthday. The next day I drove back to Denton to start my last semester of school.
While I glossed over it, it is no small feat that my husband didn't even hesitate when he found out he would have to be a full-time daddy in order for me to finish my master's degree. NOT ONCE did he indicate or hint that it would be too much for him to handle. So for the next four months, I saw my family every other weekend and worked and went to school in between visits.
I was still employed with Citi in Irving, and wasn't sure what I should do about getting a job in Houston. I enrolled in the alternative certification program for Clear Creek ISD, and naively marched in to a job fair that April. Me and 2500 other applicants. Talk about God slamming a door shut! I was so overwhelmed and quickly realized that I was not in the right place that I left less than 30 minutes after showing up. I left my resume, but not surprisingly never heard from them.
I approached my boss and asked if she thought I could keep my job and work remotely full time from home in Houston. She said she would take it to the powers that made such decisions, and I would know before I planned to move in May. God taught me a big lesson in patience on that one, as it was the last day I planned to work in Irving before I found out that my request was approved!

I know I'm missing other little things along the way. And I know I spent way too much time on this entry. But I don't ever want to forget the miracle(s) God worked in our lives in the past two years. I want someplace to come back to and see the faithfullness of God, especially when I think He isn't. And maybe someone else will read this and be encouraged, inspired, or blessed.