Unexpected Blessings

Sometimes God gives us the greatest blessings through the unlikeliest (is that a word?) ways.  We received one of those today.  It really touched my heart.  Not only because of who the gift came through but because I know it was God's way of encouraging me too.  Sometimes God asks us to give something and it's difficult because we only know what we have on hand, whether it's time, energy or money.  What I forget (more often than I should) is that he is the greatest giver.  I can't out-give God.  I can't say how many times I give what He's asked (even sometimes reluctantly) only to be even more blessed in return.  Maybe someday I'll stop worrying and just simply trust Him. 

Praise You in the Storm

And though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm.  - Casting Crowns

It's been 4 years since my dear, sweet friend Shannon left this earth to be with the Lord.  I don't know if I will ever understand why, but there IS comfort in knowing God's goodness regardless of the circumstances.  I remember praying for her without ceasing.  She was constantly on my heart and before the throne.  I believed that God would heal her and give her more years even until the very last.  I don't know that I had ever believed God would do heal someone like I believed and prayed for her healing.  After she passed it was hard to believe that God hadn't healed her because I was so convinced He would.  It was several weeks after that I finally cried out to the Lord in my hurt and anger and said to Him, "But I believed you would heal her.  You told me You would heal her and I believed.  Where is the healing You promised?"  Sometimes the Lord speaks in such a soft and loving way.  I remember hearing His soft voice in my heart saying to me.  "She is healed.  She is with me."  That was it.  But it was all I needed to hear.  It still hurt, but there is something about the presence of the Lord and hearing His voice that brings such comfort to the soul.  The Lord did answer my prayer.  It wasn't what I thought or wanted really, but He answered just the same.  

Casey sang this song at her memorial service.  It was one of her favorites and I can't help but think of her and her family every time I hear it.  Her sickness and suffering drew me closer to the Lord though it was through a storm and my heart was definitely torn. 


Love you Shannon!  Love you Eric, Noah, Lydia and Anna.  May the Lord bless you and His face shine upon you.

Sunday

Last night as I went to bed I couldn't help but be thankful for such a wonderful day.  Thank you, Lord!  It started early for me, but was worth it.  Before I left for church at 9 am I had two hams cooking in slow-cookers and cheesy scalloped potatoes in another and mashed potatoes ready to be reheated.  Choir rehearsal started at 9:00 am.  As soon as rehearsal was over I dashed back home to tidy the kitchen and put on make-up.  During the morning worship service the choir sang the musical that we'd been working on the past few months.  It went really well!  The kids choir even had a little part and they did amazing too! 
Here's a shout out to my amazing husband.  He is a wonderful, talented, patient, fun, entertaining choir director.  And, he looks good too!  I really love being part of a choir when he is leading it.  I think teaching music is one of the things he does very best.  And, here's a shout out to the Lane Prairie choir members, they are so teachable and willing to do what he asks of them without complaining!  There are always people who grumble about stuff (everywhere you go), but I have not heard any of that coming from choir members. 
Right after church, we hosted the choir members and their families at our house for lunch.  We had 37 people in our home (30 adults, 2 youth and 5 kids)!  It was a really wonderful time.  Lots and lots of yummy food.  After we had visited and ate we went next door to visit our neighbors.  Lucy is not able to get out anymore and L.O. stays with her.  (We rent our house from them and they live on one side of us and Lucy's son lives on the other side of us.)  They are long time members of the church and are now in their 90's.  We sang some Christmas songs for them and prayed over them.  It was really a very special time.  I think it was a blessing to everyone. 
We cleaned up and rested for a little in the afternoon and then went back to church in the evening for a candlelight service.  It too, was really great.  There is something about kids and candles though!   We were visiting with some friends afterwards and I impromptu invited the two families over to our house, since we were getting kicked out of the church so they could lock up.  It was another great time of fellowship.  This time it was just 6 adults and 8 kids.  I think it was after 10:30 pm before we said goodbye (love that we homeschool!).  
Casey got the boys to bed and I cleaned up the kitchen and food stuff and then went to bed.  It was a long, but good day.  I am so thankful the Lord has given us a place where we can have people over.  I want to share that blessing by having more times of fellowship in our home.  

Hospitality

I love the idea of hospitality.  I love thinking about having people in my home.  However, when it comes down to actually having people in my home I tend to freak out a little.  I think it's mostly is just my own insecurity.  I'm not much of a decorator, I'm not super organized, there's usually paper piles in at least 4 places.  So, obviously I have a problem.  Either I need to clean and organize better, or I just need to get over it and be who I am (which is organization by piles).  Part of my problem is that I tend to do more than one thing at a time and then don't have time to finish any of it and so it gets left until I have "time" which sometimes takes another month to get too!  I know, I've got issues. 

So, I had this great idea to host a fellowship for the church choir after the cantata performance this Sunday.  In my head, it's all great.  But now that it's just a few days away I'm looking at my house and freaking.  Everything does NOT have a place and it needs to like now.  So, you can imagine that I've been organizing, right?  Nope, I've been baking, or raking leaves, or doing laundry, sometimes school, looking for new recipes.  You know, fun stuff.  Tomorrow I'm going to do what I do with the boys when there is a lot of little things to do and they get overwhelmed.  Set the timer.  Yep, 10 minutes in each area on a rotation.  I'll let you know how it goes.  But, until then know that I've made 24 mini pumpkin loaves, a batch of peanut brittle, 7 loads of laundry (including making my own detergent) and raked 7 big ole bag of leaves from the yard!

Christmas cards

I really love Christmas cards.  It might be one of my "favorite" parts of the Christmas holidays.  I enjoy getting them, a lot.  I love seeing the pictures of our friends and family who do photo cards.  I really love getting letters too.  Many people we don't see or hear from on a regular basis, so I enjoy getting a little letter to go along with the card or photo.  I know doing cards stresses some people out, but I really enjoy it.  Honestly, the only part that "stresses" me is that we never seem to have a good picture of the four of us together.    
There are many on our list that I don't really have any other contact with other than the yearly Christmas card.  As I go through the envelopes and address the cards, or stuff them, I'm reminded of people I love and memories we have shared. 
I'm 95% done.  I took a big ole bunch to the post office today.  I have another smaller bunch that I'll get out next week (as soon as they arrive from the printer!). 

Good deals

I scored some good deals today!  Ethan needed new tennis shoes for basketball.  He couldn't even get his feet into his old ones, so it was a necessity!  I had a $10 of $10 at JcPenney, so I thought we should at least try them first.  I'm so glad we did!  They had a bunch of Nike and New Balance shoes on the clearance racks at 50-70% off.   He tried several pairs and sizes till he found ones he liked.  He was so happy and went on and on about how "light" and "comfy" they were (he used both words at least 10 times!).   They were marked down to $22 so with tax and the $10 off coupon the total was only $14 something. 

Then, we stopped by CVS for some necessities like allergy pills and toilet paper.  I had a $5 off $30 coupon to use.  Allergy pills and toilet paper are both expensive little necessities and my total was a few cents over the $30 to be able to use my coupon.  It was about $25 something with tax AND on my receipt it printed out a coupon for a free $10 gift card.  They had a few different ones to choose from, so I made my choice and then wished I'd chosen a different one, but it will all work out.  I was thinking it would make a nice little gift for someone. 

We don't have a lot of "fun" money this Christmas, so I am so thrilled to get a few good deals and freebies.  I scored big time on our Christmas cards too!  Cardstore.com had a great deal if you still need to get cards or photo cards.  The cards I ordered were 70% off with free postage!  Yep, I got each card for about .27 cents and a stamped envelope to go with it.  Stamps alone are more than that! 

sickies

Well, I seem to have a little chest cold.  Thankfully, it's not so bad that I'm miserable, but just a little annoying.  Throat irritation and man voice a great combination.  I don't think Casey is nearly as impressed with my man voice as I am.  I think it sounds great, but then I do like basses a lot. :>)

Now, Ethan on the other hand, is really sick.  I don't know what he has, other than calling it a stomach virus or something.  It started Friday morning.  (Caution: this could easily fall under TMI -too much information - consider yourself warned)  He came into our room and said, "I just threw up." (aka #4)  I'm mostly still asleep so I ask if he made it to the toilet, yes he did.  Do you feel better? - yes, he does.  Okay then, go back to bed.  I know, I'm not so compassionate or nurturing when you wake me up in the early morning hours.  Well, the rest of the day he's got some serious #3 going on.  (That's our code for diarrhea - just fyi).  Saturday, it's the same, lots of #3.  Sunday morning we found him asleep on the bath mat by the toilet.  He had gotten up to use the bathroom and decided he might as well stay close.  Casey put him back to bed and he slept until about 10am.  Most of Sunday afternoon he was good.  I thought we were over the worst.  He sipped his water, ate applesauce, toast and banana.  Well, 2 am this morning I heard "the sound."  The sound of someone running down the hallway in a mad dash to the toilet...and then the noises that followed.  Ewwwww!  I fly out of bed, thinking it must be Josiah, because Ethan was feeling better.  Nope.  And, I couldn't quite make it out of my bedroom without some fancy footwork, because that's as far as he made it.  Yep, #4.  (Don't you love the bodily functions code?)  So, while Ethan is hanging out by the toilet with #4 and #3 - yes the double whammy, I get the carpet cleaner ready and start cleaning the carpets...at 2 am.  Poor Ethan.  So, here's the thing, no fever or anything, just a lot of #3, with now 2 occasions of #4.    

Praying that he is better today and that no one else comes down with this mystery bug.  There's nothing like a little #4 to make me wish we could just bleach bomb the house.

Downtown and Science Fair

Saturday evening after Thanksgiving we met our friends downtown for dinner.  We ate at Cantina Laredo...yum!  After catching up and visiting and eating we headed over to Barnes and Noble.  A trip downtown is just not complete until we've stopped there for the after dinner coffee from Starbucks and a leisurely stroll through the children's section.  Our friends are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia.  She is beautiful (7 mo. old).  We can't wait to meet her!  We enjoyed looking through all the books we used to read to the boys when they were little.  Favorites like, Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? and Goodnight Moon.  A little trip down memory lane for us. 

Downtown is all decorated for Christmas and Josiah was enthralled with the giant ornament that changed colors. 

December 1st the homeschool co-op that we are a part of held it's first ever Science Fair.  Along with the science exhibits was an expo featuring some of the work the kids have done in their classes.  I was not really excited about doing a project, but the boys were.  Ethan knew right away that he wanted to do something on the solar system.  He read and studied the planets for about a month!  He knows his planets!  Josiah just could not decide.  The only thing he wanted to do was something that exploded, but not a volcano! Ha!  So, for this year, we opted to have him help Ethan.  Really, he just did some coloring for the poster and I think he painted Mars, but other than that it was mostly Ethan. 
Here's the finished product.   Really proud of Ethan and the great job he did with his project. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  We had a great day.  Lots of food...not sure why I cooked for 20 when it was just the 4 of us...practice I guess.  We'll have lots of leftovers!

Here are a few of my most thankful thanks for the year (or today anyway):

• I'm thankful for my relationship with Jesus.  He saved me and it's a privilege to honor and serve Him with my life.
• I have a great husband.  Yes, we argue and fight - even today, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone or anything.  He's such a good husband to me and father to his boys.  He has a strong work ethic and works hard at whatever he is given to do, even in school.  When he isn't swamped with work and school he helps out around the house with laundry or dishes.  I thank the Lord for a husband who loves the Lord and wants to serve Him.
• Ethan, my sweet first born son.  It's hard to believe he's a fourth grader who knows everything.  Well, the 4th grade part...he's known everything since he turned 4.  He is smart and caring and wants to do the right thing.  He's funny when he's not trying to be and makes me laugh at some of his quirkiness.  
• Josiah, my sweet baby boy.  He is a delight - most of the time.  He has such a personality it's hard not to smile at some of his antics.  Every meal we have together is adventurous when he's there.  We call him the bull in the china closet.  He doesn't mean to cause havoc, but sometimes it follows him.  He has such a tender heart though it's hard to stay frustrated with those previously mentioned antics.  
• Our church families. Plural.  We have so many people who have loved us and invested in us and just shaped who we are now.  Some have gone on to be with the Lord and some our still in their wee 20's and every place in between.  So thankful that the Lord has shown us good through His family.
• I'm thankful that the sun shines a lot in Texas.  Sunshine makes living so far away from family and friends a little bit better.  I know, that's a little cheesy, but it's what I've got.  Vitamin D makes me happy.
• I'm thankful that the Lord provides.  Not always how I expect, but He always does and just what we need.  I'm not going shopping tomorrow (Black Friday) because it's not in the budget.  (SAD face).  But, I have a warm house, food in the fridge, a place to lay my head at night...I'm good.  Although I think I want more, I'm trying to be content with what I have.  Because honestly, what I have is more than enough.  I just have to remember that!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Thanksgiving Eve

Well, today is Thanksgiving Eve.  It's been a great day.  Casey was home today, ALL DAY!  And, he gets Thursday and Friday home too (maybe even Saturday!).  We are definitely enjoying that time! 

We started the day by sleeping in.  Then, I made french toast - because I'm an awesome wife and mother.  HA!  Gluten free for me and Ethan using some free GF bread we picked up at the church and "real" french bread for Casey and Josiah.  I'm putting Ethan on a mostly GF diet as a trial...but that's for another post.  Then, we went to the earliest showing at the theatre.  We saw the Muppets!  It is super cute.  If you grew up watching the Muppet Show and loved it, well, then you will love this movie.  It's cute and cheesy, but I laughed out loud several times.  We have borrowed the Muppet Show from the library a few times so the boys are up on the Muppets.  And, side note, there is a new Snow White movie coming out with Julia Roberts as the Queen.  I think it will be really cute.  Oh, and the awesome thing about this theatre is it is SO cheap!  We got 4 tickets, large popcorn and medium drink for a total of $19.00!  Sweet!

After we got home I went back out once more to pick up a few things at the grocery.  It was relatively uneventful.  Then it was time to get busy cooking!  It is a Gluten Free Thanksgiving around here, which means tweaking old recipes and trying new ones.  I made some rolls tonight.  The cranberry apple cake is in the oven.  Pie crust for a chocolate mousse pie is being refrigerated.  Onions are diced and sliced, same with the celery.  I spent hours in the kitchen, so I must have done more than that, but I can't remember now.

Now, for the best news of the day!  It's a girl!!!  Well, it's not ours, but we've been praying for her.  See, our good friends are adopting.  They've been on the list for months (like 16!).  Waiting, waiting, waiting.  And, they got "The Call" today with their referral.  Yay!!!  We are so excited for them, I can hardly contain it.  I keep crying (maybe it's the onions too), but what a joyful time!  So, it's been a good day. 

Thanking the Lord for the grace He freely bestows upon those who believe!

Thursday school

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I found a homeschool coop at the beginning of the school year and I just love it!  We haven't had opportunity to be a part of all the activities, but we've really enjoyed the ones we have done.  On Thursday they have "school."  Basically it is moms and dads who teach a class.  The classes are very inexpensive and most of all the boys love it.  Actually, I love it too because I get to enjoy fellowship with other homeschool moms.  Yay!  We are almost through with our first semester.  Both boys took a hands on science class where they made things fizzle and explode, as well as make things like silly putty, play dough and slime.  Yeah, they loved it.  Ethan also took a basic art class too.  Yesterday we had a Thanksgiving feast during the lunch break and a lot of the dads and other family members came to participate.  It was a lot of fun.

So, next semester should be great too.  AND, I signed up to teach a class.  I wasn't going too, but as I talked through it with some other ladies (and they thought it would be great) my arm was twisted.  Well, not too hard, actually because now I am really excited about it.  So, what am I going to teach?   Drum roll....... World religions for 7th-12th graders!  Since this is what (one) of my degrees is in I thought it would be fun for me to refresh myself as well.   It's amazing what you forget you knew after 12+ years!   It will be fun to learn about some of the world religions and then (since it's a christian school) bring it back to a Christian response to those of other faiths.  Yep, I'm excited!

Giving up - an honest confession

Sometimes it's good to give up.  This week I decided it was time to give up.  Not everything...just one thing that tends to make me miserable even though I love it so.  You see, I'm a sugar addict.  Yep, there it is.  Chocolate is my nemesis.  There is no such thing as "just a bite" of chocolate, if there is in fact more than a bite to be had.  What brought this up?  Well, I've been feeling crappy.  Physically, emotionally, mentally...all of it.  And, if I'm already feeling the grumps what do I want to do?  Eat more sugar.  I think it finally clicked last week when I made (within a span of two days) oatmeal cookies, chocolate cupcakes and banana muffins (with chocolate frosting of course).  And of course they were gone within a couple of days.  I did have help...the sweet tooth runs in the family. 
On Tuesday night I decided enough was enough.  Some people might be able to live off sugar (I won't name any names here), but I certainly cannot.  I remember last year feeling so much better eating whole foods and no sugar.  So, I told Casey to be sure and remove all the chocolate that doesn't have any wheat in it and bless his heart he did.  So, I'm only a few days sugar-free, but I already feel SO much better. 
Here's to my sanity!

Funky-ness

Sometimes I get in a funk.  Sorry.  Perspective is everything.  Sometimes I forget that.  I'm reading through 1 Peter (again).  I go back to it a lot.  I just love Peter's testimony that is shared through the Scriptures.  He was bold, he failed, he was bold, he failed....  I want to be like Peter (who wanted to be like Jesus!).   I'm going to fail, but I want to fail in being bold for Jesus and not because of apathy or weakness.  You know, the hot or cold...no lukewarm for me.  Just thought I'd share a little of my quiet time this morning in the next verses. 
 
1 Peter 4:12-19
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God ; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God ?  AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?  Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.

Walk on

Saturday afternoon was rough.  I found myself feeling alone and discouraged.  Well, I wasn't alone, I know I've always got Casey and the boys, and my Lord, but I was feeling discouraged.  I found myself wanting the company of a few like-minded friends back home.  After I cried my load of tears and gathered myself a bit I went to the One who knows my heart.  It's Him I desire to please, not man.  He has given us convictions on certain things.  If it's from Him, I dare not compromise, though it would certainly make life easier.  I went to the Word last night, found some encouraging words for my heart and meditated on the Truth.  God knows my heart.  I will stand before Him one day - not any man.  My prayer last night was that I would walk worthy of the One who has called me.  Even if it means withstanding the scorn and judgment of those in the church.  The Lord spoke quietly to me this morning (in church) through the special music song.  I don't know the name of it, but the chorus was a simple beautiful chord that said "walk on.....you are never alone."  Or something to that affect.  More tears...that's just what I do.  Thank you Lord for answering my heart with the simple, beautiful words that were sung.  It was for me and I just wanted to thank Him for that gift.  I will walk on...

Vacation - week 1

I was going to update our blog more frequently so I didn't forget anything...but I forgot!  We've been home almost a week already.  I think I have finally caught up on sleep and am starting to feel normal again.  So, what did we do on vacation?  I'm glad you asked!  Here's a recap of week 1.

Sat. Oct 1st - drove and flew all day (see previous post about the crazy flight)

 Sun. Oct 2nd 

• the boys picked some watermelon out of grandpa's garden - they were huge!

• went to church at Chestnut St. Baptist (where I went as a youth/young adult and where Casey and I married!)

• enjoyed lunch with my extended family (aunts, uncles, cousin, brother, etc.) at my parents house.  In the afternoon we picked pears off the tree.

 
Mon. Oct 3rd

• lazy morning at my parents house and then Casey went on a mountain bike ride with good friend Jeremy in the afternoon.
• Dinner with Jeremy and Janelle Johnson and their kiddos.  Great time of catching up and fellowship!  

Tues. Oct. 4th

• lunch at Pastor Frank and Jeannie Johnson's home.  Their daughter (and my good friend) Melissa was there too!  Love the whole Johnson family!  Their family has blessed me/us so much over the years we've known them.  
• packed up and headed to Wenatchee, WA to stay with our good friend Laisa and visit friends.

Crossing the Columbia River

A view from the Columbia River Bridge in Vantage, WA

A view from the lookout point on the East side.

Another view of the Columbia River and bridge.

Wed. Oct. 5th

John & LauVonne (photo by Josiah)

• started off with breakfast with John and LauVonne Melton (love them!).  It makes my heart happy just thinking of them.  
• stopped for a quick visit with Ann at Wenatchee Valley Baptist Church - then went on to visit a few more people for a quick hug and hello before going back to Laisa's for lunch.
• We picked up Ethan's bff Dylan, after school got out (they hadn't seen each other in over 2 years, but it was like they've never parted!) and took the boys to Cashmere for some bowling and french fries.  Such a sweet time for the boys.



Ethan & Dylan (and Josiah)

• Had dinner with our good friends Todd and Margie Reno and their kiddos.  Great time of fellowship with them as well.  The kids really loved seeing each other again too.  Their two youngest are Ethan and Josiah's ages.  

Thur. Oct 6th

• packed up and headed over Blewett Pass and then Snoqualmie Pass on our way to Seattle to visit my grandma.  We made it to her place in the afternoon and had a short visit with her and my great-aunt Betty.  
• Went to the water front which is right near my grandma's place.  I made a wrong turn and ended up going up to the overlook instead of down to the waterfront beach.  Unfortunately for me there was a trail going down to the water so we hiked down.  It wouldn't have been bad if I had been wearing something other than heeled boots.  I might as well have been wearing high heels!  Anyway, it was a steep trail down and back up and my legs (and knees) were feeling it!  
• Drove north from Seattle to Casey's parents house in Granite Falls (about an 1.5 hours with the traffic).  

Fri. Oct. 7th

• went down to Mulkiteo to ride the ferry with Casey's mom.  We had lunch first at Ivar's and then walked onto the ferry.  It was very cold!  We got off the ferry and walked a little and picked out some shells from the water.  We caught the next ferry back and thankfully it was much warmer.  It had warmed up enough for an ice cream cone at the outside Ivar's booth.  
• After dinner back at the McCarthy's the boys enjoyed feeding the goats.  The goats really love corn husks.  It was fun to watch Josiah feed a goat and then giggle and laugh at it.

Sat. Oct. 8th

me and Kim

• sad that it is time for Casey to come back home!  The boys and I drove him down to the airport and dropped him off in the morning and then made our way to Pike Place Market in Seattle to meet my friend Kim and her son Josiah.  We had a nice visit, although it was way too short!
• Drove up farther to the Ballard Locks in the afternoon.  It is basically a lock between a fresh water bay and the saltwater ocean where they let the ships come in and out by raising and releasing the water.  Make sense?  Probably not! lol

That was just the first week!  Phew!

Flying

I hate flying.  I'll just be honest and get that out of the way.  So, with that in mind, let me tell you about our flight to from Dallas to Seattle.  First, we arrived at Love Field.  Everything went smoothly.  Made it through security with no problems, found our gate, got some lunch, etc.  When it was time to board we got in our line.  They were boarding families with young children.  Technically, our children aren't considered "young" anymore, but the boarding guy waved us forward to board before our group.  Cool!  Still, everything is going great.  Josiah and I sit on one side of the plane, with Josiah at the window, me in the middle and Casey and Ethan sit right across from us, Ethan by the window, Casey in the middle.  It's going to be a full flight, so I know someone is going to be sitting next to me....so I'm watching to see who it's going to be.  A lady in super high heels walks up, she looks at me and then smiles really sweet and speaks to the people right behind me.  In a super sweet voice to the people behind me she says, "May I sit there."  She takes the middle seat right behind me.  Soon a rather large guy, not huge, but not smallish either takes the seat next to me.  Josiah begins introducing us, of course.  His name is Bert.  He's a pilot for Southwest.  He's flying to Seattle to pick up a new plane and fly it back to Dallas.  He lives in Maryland.  See, we got to know Bert pretty well!  I tell him right up front that I'm a little nervous when it comes to flying.  Fair warning.
Take off.  Or blast off, as my boys call it.  It was a little bumpy, but Bert explained to my why, because of heat off the ground from the sun and such.  So, we're good.  If the pilot next to me isn't concerned I guess I shouldn't be either.  We are headed to Alberquerque (is that how it's spelled), it's only about an hour and twenty minute flight.  About twenty minutes into the flight a lady (probably in her late 20's) starts to have a panic attack or something like that.  I don't know exactly, but the flight attendants finally asked if there was a doctor or nurse on board.  Somebody came back and helped with the situation.  I got up to use the bathroom and just saw the poor girl hunched over and crying.  I felt  bad for the poor thing.  She was at least under control.
Then about 40 minutes into the flight we start hearing this stuff very loudly, "Land this **** -**** plane right now!"  Bert and I look at each other and I thought, wow, that's not good.  Then my seat starts shaking.  Yep, the lady behind me, remember the one who almost sat beside me, is FREAKING OUT!  Great.  When we finally landed she had passed out, but before then she had shook my seat a little, yelled out lot's of the F-word, and kicked at a stewardess.  Bert told me she was getting off in Alb. even if her ticket was for Seattle.  That made me feel better.  And, thankfully, Josiah seemed oblivious to the whole thing and never seemed to notice the outbursts.
So, we start the descent and boy, is it a rough one.  My stomach was not feeling well at all.  Bert said it was normal because of the mountains and blah, blah, blah.  Have I mentioned how grateful I was that Bert was sitting with us?  It was great!    We land and everyone is asked to wait for the paramedics to come on board.  Yep, the lady in the very back is off first.  Then, everyone else got off (at least 2/3 of the plane).  Then, the police come on to escort the lady behind me off the plane.  She is totally passed out by now, so it takes a few minutes.
Only a few more people join us for the flight to Seattle, so Bert moved up to the seat in front of us but told Josiah if he had any questions he could still ask.  We are ready to go, but the bags in Alb. can't get loaded because the ambulance and firetruck and police vehicles in the way.  So we wait awhile.  Finally, we take off, and it is rather smooth.  The flight was quiet, the landing was great. NO DRAMA!
We say goodbye to Bert.  Josiah tells him that he is a really nice man.  Bert says that he enjoyed getting to know Josiah too.  He even had shown Josiah pictures from the cockpit and what they see from the "front" of the plane.  It was pretty cool!  The important part is that we made it! 

Team IMPACT

Thought I'd share some photos from our Team Impact revival.  These guys were so much fun to watch.  Not only was the show good, the messages were fantastic.  It's so cool to hear men share their heart for the Lord.  And not only that, they were really humble, down to earth guys.  Truly a blessing.

Jeff Neal - the man of Steel.  He was with us for 2 of the 5 nights.  Ethan said he was a pretty good preacher for being a football player first.  lol

Marc Minter.  Great guy.  He broke stuff AND bent steel bars...I'm impressed with his bar-bending ability AND I got to bring home one of his bended creations!

Siolo - what a great guy!  Really enjoyed visiting with him after the show.  And, turns out he's even spent some time in Spokane, WA. He went skiing with Casey's sister and family back in the day (like 15 years ago!).  Cool! 

Randall, the bear, Harris.  He's like a world champion lifter and all that stuff. 

September

Somehow I blinked and we are more than half-way through September already.  Do you ever feel like you are just in constant motion from one thing to the next...almost mindless?  I guess I'm feeling a little bit like that lately.
Today we stayed home. ALL day.  Maybe the first in a long while anyway.  They had Thursday school today (a co-op we joined where they can take a few classes) but we skipped.  We are just getting worn down.  Poor Ethan is having a difficult time with allergies too.  I thought I hear lots of protesting when I told them we were going to stay home today from school, but Ethan just shrugged his shoulders and said, "okay with me."  Yep, staying home was the right move!  That kid never wants to miss anything.

Last wee we had TEAM IMPACT at our church for a revival/evangelistic event.  I'm not sure what we were supposed to call it.  Anyway, they are this big muscle guys who break and bend and tear all sorts of things.  They were awesome to watch, but even more awesome to hear.  Their love of the Lord and seeing people saved is evident.  It was a great week.

On one of the nights Casey and I had the opportunity to lead Josiah to the Lord.  I had a feeling he was getting close, but am so thankful that we got to be the ones to lead him.  Precious.  The night before he had needed some discipline.  As we talked, I asked him some of those faith questions to see where he was.  He told me what sin was, admitted that he was a sinner, knew he couldn't go to heaven without asking for forgiveness.  So far so good.  Then I asked him if he wanted to ask God to forgive him.  NOPE.  I let it go and we got ready to come home.  So, the next night when one of the Team Impact guys was giving the "invitation" Josiah was actually paying attention and raised his hand.  Casey talked with him and realized he didn't really understand why he was raising his hand.  But, Casey just shared with him some more and then I asked him the same questions I had the night before.  Kind of holding my breath on the last one.  But then, his little chin started to quiver and he said he wanted to pray and ask God to forgive him and let Jesus be his Lord.    I was still a just a little uncertain if it was genuine until the next morning.  He came up to me with a smile a mile wide.  I mentioned that he looked very happy and Ethan said, "I don't know why he's smiling so much this morning."  Josiah looked at Ethan like he was nuts and said, "Don't you remember I accepted Christ last night?"  Ah.  Music to my ears.   He will be baptized this Sunday!

Summer recap

Well, I had to blog today, since tomorrow will be Sept. 1st already.  I can't believe the whole month of August, and for that matter, the whole summer is just gone already!  Our summer was crazy busy.  The end of May was finals for Casey, followed by VBS just right after school got out.  The next week (after VBS) we moved.  I was still unpacking when I had to pack us all up for Children's camp the second week of July.  The last week of July we were packing up and heading down to Brownsville on a mission trip.  Fast forward to August and guess what?  School starts!  So, I spent most of August getting all of our school stuff together (and still unpacking from the move!).  It was a good summer, just busy. 
Oh, and I bet you are wondering when we took vacation...well, we didn't!  I confess I was a "little" upset when I realized there wouldn't be time to squeeze in a "worthwhile" vacation in all of that stuff that was going.  However, the seminary (beginning this fall) is giving a Fall break the first week of October.  So, we decided we'd take vacation then and head down to the coast and lay on the beach (my plan anyway!). 
Well, our vacation plans changed, again!  On Sunday we had a big "round-up."  It's like a high attendance/promotion Sunday, but with boots. ;>)  So, there was a big potluck afterwards with lots and lots of brisket.  (Side note: I love brisket...I have never had brisket so good in my life!  I wish I could find the "low-fat" variety.)  Anyway, I had just sat down to eat (after getting both boys through the line and going back for drinks, then going back for napkins, etc.) and had put my first bite of brisket in my mouth when the pastor went to the microphone and asked for Casey and I to come up for a minute.  Now, Casey being called up is no big deal...calling the "wife" up always means something unexpected is coming.  I looked across the table at Casey to see if he had any clue...I read nothing there so I smile and stand and we make our way over to the pastor.  Now, I don't like being up in front of people....especially that many people when they're all staring at you.  So, Bro. Jerry (pastor) says that the Good Shepherd SS class along with the other SS classes wanted to present us with....  Now, I'm nervous, so I have no idea what he said exactly.  I heard "blah, blah, blah, 4 tickets to fly to Seattle."  And then it happened, and you probably know what exactly I'm talking about, I cried.  In front of everyone, I'm just crying!  Ah, one of those happy tear things.  
Let me be really honest with you.  Ministry is hard.  Ministry and Seminary at the same time is even harder.  Then, let's throw in some homeschool, hormones, and life in general and sometimes, I just want to walk away from it all!   I was reminded on Sunday that we are really loved.  That's why we do ministry. Not so that we can be loved, exactly, but that we actually make a difference in peoples lives.  It's not easy and it's not always fun.  But, thanks be to God, He has loved us and shown us His love through His body. 
Oh, so if you are in the Northwest, we will fly in on Oct.1st.  Casey will come home (Texas home) on the 8th, and I will be hanging around until the 18th!!! 

Rose-Myrtha

What a sweet blessing to receive the latest on Rose-Myrtha!  She is doing very well at GLA.  I think I first posted on her around the beginning of March, 2011.  So, if you're wondering what this is all about you can check out that first post. 

This is her "arrival" at GLA photo and the most recent one from July.  According to the letter I received this month she was able to participate in a vacation bible school (the picture) and had lots of fun.  So thankful for the U.S. team that went down there to lead that VBS!

Feb - July 2011