The number one rule of womanhood

 The number one rule of womanhood is you never ever ever ask a woman if she's pregnant.  NEVER.  I mean, even if the baby is coming out...don't even hint at it!

We were hiking yesterday and I let this lady ahead of me.  I said "Go ahead, I'm slower".  She said "You're pregnant right?"  

😕😟😠😭😡😢😱

Larry quickly said, no but we have 4 grandkids!  HA!

So the rest of the hike, that's all I could think about.   I eat really good, I exercise every stinking day.  I close all my rings on my apple watch so faithfully.  I guess I could use the excuse everyone else is using right now...pandemic??  I really don't know. I've gained a few pounds but geezzzzzz.

You see, I've birthed 3 kids (granted it was 24 years ago-but still).  That poochy belly is my badge of honor.  It reminds me of the amazing body that God has created.  My body stretched to an enormous size.  And out of that misshapen body, I now have my 3 beautiful grown adult kids now and now my grandkids!

That pooch shows me that I'm not perfect.  I still have work to do.

That pooch reminds me to watch what I eat and to keep on exercising.

But this is my body.  

Words hurt.  I've dealt with hurtful words my whole life.

Words can also change someone's life for the better.

So women,  if you feel the need to say something to another woman, please just say "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!"

Or "I Love your hair today!"

Or anything along those lines.   You have no idea where someone is in their journey.  Having babies makes crazy bodies.  But they are beautiful.

Let's be an encouragement to one another at all times.  But especially now.

Don't worry be Happy!

This year has been weird.  I'll admit, I have fought some depression at times.  Sometimes the heaviness of everything going on around us is hard to bear.

So what do you do when the sadness sets in?

Things to avoid:

Social media- sometimes the arguments are just too much. take a break or limit your time on it.

Sugary foods- I know it feels like you need "comfort food" at this time, but the sugar will just leave you with empty calories, more weight and an unfulfilled need for more.

Negative people- limit your time around the people that drag ya down or are always negative (this coming from an Eeyore-too! Yikes-gotta work on it so much!)  You can be an encouragement to them (and they probably need it!) but it's easy to slip into their negativity.

Being inside-Get out and get that Vitamin D!  Sometimes, just sitting by the pool, or taking a walk around the block will really boost your spirits.

Laying around-the more we lay around, the more we want to lay around!  Getting moving can get your blood flowing and get your mind in a better place. 

Things to do:

Get up and dance!

Sing loudly!

Hoop! or do your favorite hobby!

Yoga! or stretching or moving or walking or Aerial yoga even! (my sister teaches it!!!!)

Smile, even when your face doesn't feel like it. 😁

Eat well.  

Self care.

Read the Scriptures!!

Take a shower, change the sheets, make the bed.

Start a grateful list and put it where you can see it everyday.

Call someone.

Do something for someone else.

Take vitamin c, magnesium, good multivitamin, probiotic, cod liver oil  DAILY!

His Mercies are new EVERY MORNING!!  Thank you Lord!  Every day the sun comes up, it's a new day.  There's much to be thankful for!  Just look around you!!

Crazy Times

So this is the first time in my lifetime anything like this has happened.  The world is shut down.  Weird.

We are all trying to be content in these times.

How did our grandparents do it?  No entertainment, no Netflix or Prime.

I'm reminded of my grandparents.  We used to go to their house in the country for weeks in the summer.  And we had a blast.  We just made up stuff to do.  We rarely turned on the TV.  It only came on to watch Mutual of Omaha on Sunday nights and Hee Haw.  Other than that, we entertained ourselves.  With no internet, tv, or movies.  Imagine that.

We made up games, we cut out magazines, we made mud pies out in the woods.  We played with the neighbor kids that lived down the road.  We rode our bikes, listened to the radio, tried to ride our roller skates on their old tar road. (that was tough!).  My grandma would let us play with flour and water on the kitchen table and make dough balls and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.  We took walks down to the railroad tracks and picked wild flowers.  We played school, and tea party, and made up our own songs.

We had so much fun and never thought one second about being bored.

So, now as an adult, as I sit here in this weird world where everything is closed.  I've found myself thinking.. there's nothing to look forward to, every day is the same, i can only clean our condo so much!

So what can we do during this time?

One thing we've been doing a lot of is walking.  We walk in the morning, we walk at lunch, we walk after work is done, we walk on our breaks.  Short walks, long walks, random no where to go walks, walks to our local restaurants to get a coffee or lunch, walks to just get out and get some vitamin D.

I've cleaned, organized, and cleaned out stuff.

We listen to sermons and podcasts and music.

I'm drinking a lot of tea and coffee.  Ha!

We dug out the old school WII and started playing some old games.

We've taken our speaker up to the pool and just hooped it up and had a great time dancing.

I need to find some good books to read and start that again.  I need to find a place to work my puzzles! (our dining table is covered right now in our work from home computers!)

I dug out my knitting that I haven't done in years.

A friend texted me yesterday and asked about revisiting our Philippians memorization. I had gotten up through halfway chapter 3 a few years ago!  I will work on pulling that back into my memory banks!

There's lots to do.  We just gotta have the right attitude.  (Which is super hard for an Eeyore like me).

Hang in there folks, be safe and healthy. Don't go berserk.  Don't freak out. Enjoy your time with your kids if they are home.

Who knows how long this will last..but we can still enjoy our time!

How are you all surviving this crazy time?

Times they are a changin'

This year has been a whirlwind year!  There's been so much happening!

First of all, I became a GRANDMA!!!  How fun and exciting is that! I'm really looking forward to this stage of life.  The empty nest is great and having my time with hubby is fabulous but grandkids!! That brings a whole other level of fun!

Secondly,  my son is getting married!  I will have 2 grown kids that are married!!  What?!  The Lord is so good to provide such wonderful spouses for my kids.  I'm so happy to experience my grown kids in this new stage of life!  My son will be a wonderful husband (and dad sometime!! AH!) and it's so exciting to see this newlywed couple and their new love!

Thirdly,  we are moving AGAIN!!!  Ok this is about the 14th time we have moved in our 27 years of marriage.  See this post here about that.    But this time is gonna be so cool!  It has always been a dream of mine to move to Europe.  To live in a high rise and be able to walk down the street for groceries, coffee, shops and restaurants.  I have always loved living near parks and water and especially looking at the greenery.  Although we aren't moving to Europe just yet.... (you never know what the future holds!)  my hubby has found me the next best thing here in Texas!  It's a condo in a high rise building overlooking a canal!  Pictures will be coming for sure!

I'm really looking forward to what this year will bring.  The Lord is gracious and loving.  Even though sometimes life is like a roller coaster, I can trust that the Lord is good and is faithful.

I never want to portray my life as only the good and only good things happen to me.  I have my ups and downs just like everyone else.   But this roller coaster ride of life is taking a fun turn this year!  I'm holding on tight, raising my hands and seeing what the Lord will do.

On being an introvert

You might not know this about me... but I'm an introvert.  I like people and I like being around people...just in limited quantities.  I like time alone.  A lot.  I like time to myself and time to think by myself.

You might not think I'm an introvert because my hubby is such an extrovert!  But it's true.  I am more of an introvert.

So just some thoughts on being an introvert:

• I do enjoy people and big crowds but if I'm not talking that doesn't mean I'm not listening.  And I may need to leave and walk around by myself just to recharge a bit.  Crowds drain me.
• I'm better talking one on one or in small groups.
• I love to be silly and have fun.
• If I've spent a while with a big group then I need some down time to recharge.
• I'm perfectly fine spending an entire weekend alone.  Or going places alone.
• I think internally.  I may mull something over for a while and process it all internally. I may or may not eventually tell you how I feel.
• I prefer to work alone. I'm not sure if this is an introvert thing or just a being independent thing.
• I like being married to my best friend the Extrovert!  He helps me get out of my shell and not be a hermit!  He makes my life interesting and a whole lot of fun!

God made us all different!  I'm thankful for that! It'd be a pretty quiet world if we were all like me! I'm glad I have a lot of extrovert friends too! They are fun! and I love it!

Just not too much fun all at once! HA!

So...Did you think I was an introvert?  How about you?  Where do you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale?

27 Years!!

It's our 27 year anniversary on Friday!  Here's a little tribute to being married to this guy!

27 things I love about being married to Larry:

1. My life is a constant adventure.
2. I have grown out of my comfortable box in many ways.
3. I get to laugh and laugh and laugh.
4. He gets my puns.
5. He melts when I put on perfume.
6. He cooks me the most amazing gourmet meals from leftovers.
7. I've learned what really matters.
8. He tempers my temper.
9. I've learned about the stars and the moon rise/set.
10. I get to really know the words to those Journey songs.
11. He plays Word feud with me.
12. He can usually cheer me up from a bad mood.
13. He will take on my hobbies as his and enjoy them! Hooping!
14. He loves to go with me geocaching in cemeteries.
15. I never need to worry what I'm going to do on the weekends.
16. He's taught me to march to the beat of a different drum.
17. He shows me the importance of evangelism.
18. He's my biggest cheerleader.
19. He fully trusts me.
20. I know what 100% commitment is like.
21. He gets on board with my crazy ideas when I get them!
22. He doesn't mind me shopping on Amazon every day 😊
23. He's my fun multiplier.
24. I get a best friend.
25. He rounds out my rough edges.
26. He's the Tigger to my Eeyore-ness.
27. He challenges me to grow closer to the Lord.

Thank you for the last 27 years Larry!  It's been great (and sometimes not!) but that is life! I pray we have many more to come! Love ya! 💗💗

Stuff

Stuff.

We all have stuff.

We all need stuff.

We go to the stuff store and buy stuff.  We bring our stuff home and rearrange our other stuff to make room for our new stuff.  We decide to give some stuff to someone else.  We spend time cleaning and playing with our stuff.

Then we go to work to make more money to get more stuff.

Stuff takes over our lives!

I once heard a saying:  The more you have, the more you have to have to take care of the things you have.

True or true?

I'm so happy we downsized.  We've lived in all sizes of houses.  The biggest was 5 bedrooms-3 bathrooms-3500 square feet!  Now, thankfully, we are back down into a 1 bedroom 750 sq ft apartment.

Back when we had a big house, we really used it.  We had 3 kids at home, homeschooled, and had lots of people over all the time.

Now, with our little nest being empty, we don't need near as much room or stuff.

Downsizing is something everyone should do sometime or another.

Look through some of your closets/drawers/cabinets.  Do you really need 10 pots and pans?  Do you really need a whole garage full of tools?  Clothes or shoes?  What do you really wear?

These are the questions I ask myself as we are downsizing.  What do I really use?  And how many at a time can I really use?  Would one or two work just as fine?

Don't be afraid to get rid of some things (or a lot of things).  Downsizing is good.

It is, after all, just stuff.

Good video about being content.

Things to get rid of!

Take a Look, it's in a book!

I absolutely love to read.

When I'm in the reading groove, I can read about a book a week.  I love how reading transports you to new places.  I love getting all wrapped up in a story.  I love cuddling up under the covers and losing myself in a good book.

I have always wanted to share my love of reading with my kids.  When they were little, I would read to them all the time.  We would listen to audio books and audio stories together.  We went to the library once a week and came home with stacks and stacks of books.  I made sure my kids always saw me reading too.  My love for reading is something I really wanted to pass on to my kids.

For a while, it didn't seem like they valued reading as much as I did.  Technology, computers, and Xbox all vied for their attention.  And as they grew, books got pushed to the side.

Well, the other day, my grown son came over and we were having a conversation.  He was telling me about this new book he was reading!  He was all excited about it! He got me wanting to read it too!  He was telling me how hard it was at first for him to get into reading.  So he started listening to audio books.  The more he listened to the easier it was for him to pick up a book to read.  My heart soared!  He's caught it!  The reading bug!

My daughter also reads.  She's a researcher.  She is a sponge for information and I love it!

Now my grown kids are growing and sharing the info they've read with me!

Now my hubby is not a reader.  So to remedy that situation - I've always read books to him!  One of our favorite things is to go to the park, pull out the sleeping bags, pick a quiet corner and read. It's a great bonding time.  And he also gets to experience the power of a book.

Books can be powerful. Reading transforms us, stretches us, makes us think, enlarges our vocabulary,

Reading does that.  It is a door to other places, other times,  other worlds.

If you're not a reader, I highly encourage you to try.  Start with audio books!  If your kids are young, try Adventures in Odyssey!  Focus on the Family radio theatre is also wonderful for the classics!

So, have fun reading to your kids!  and pick up a book yourself!  Summer time's a great time to start!

15 Things to Do in 2015

I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions.  I like to grow and expand my horizons as the Lord leads and directs me.  Sometimes it's January 1 but sometimes it's later in the year.  But I am a goal setter and accomplisher.  I like to check boxes and get things done.  So I won't consider these "resolutions" per se,  but a resolve to continue to grow and become the woman God wants me to be.

So here's my list of 15 things I would like to do in 2015:

1.  Continue to Read God's Word daily.  I started this habit years ago and it has changed me from the inside out.  Continually devouring the Words God has given us is eternally fulfilling and continues to help me in all situations.  If you haven't read completely through the Word of God I highly encourage you to do so this year!  There are numerous Bible plans available online. Don't get bogged down in the fact that you skipped a day or feel like you need to catch up.  Just pick up the next day and move forward.  Feed your soul!  It's so important!

2. Write/Call/Email/Text.  When someone comes to mind, I will try to do something to let them know I am thinking and praying for them.  Just a short sentence or word would be something. In this day and age,  it's easy to stay in contact with people.

3.  Be proactive with my exercise.  I need to be  intentionally deciding to walk or exercise or hoop or zumba or whatever.  Even while I'm doing something mundane like watching tv, I can get my hoop out, or walk in place.  I'm trying to get 8000 steps a day.  Hopefully, I can up that to 9000 sometime this year. :)

4.  Take every thought captive.  My brain gets the better of me sometime.  I'm an internal thinker/processor.  I internalize everything instead of talking out loud.  I need to take those thoughts captive for Christ.  I can quickly get into a downward spiral if I'm not careful.  With careful consideration and thought I need to take those negative thoughts and turn them over to the Lord.

5.  Eat foods that will benefit my health.  I've changed quite a lot on this one.  Larry says I used to go to the store to buy boxes, but I've come a long way now.  I usually shop on the outside perimeter of the grocery store.  I read the labels, check the ingredients.  That doesn't mean that I won't occasionally eat some junk food.  Everything in moderation.

6.  Memorize Scripture.  A few years back I memorized Romans 12.  I'd like to revisit this one and also add a few other chapters to my memory banks.  It's not only good for the soul, but great to stretch this old brain!  If you haven't memorized Scripture lately, try it!  You may be surprised just what you can remember!  Anyone want to do this with me??

7.  Try not to immediately be negative.  I've always joked that I'm Eeyore and Larry is Tigger.  I don't know why but I usually go to the negative.  Larry's shown me that even the yuckiest circumstances can have a silver lining.  I will try to see the glass more half full.

8.  Continue to grow in my relationship with my adult kids.  It's a whole different world now that my kids are grown.  I am learning to navigate this crazy world of adult children.  I want to continue to have a great relationship with them and their spouses/girlfriends.  Lord, show me how to be a friend and mentor to them.

9.  Learn some new Hoop tricks!  Ok there's gotta be some fun ones on this list too!  Hooping is my new favorite love.  I'd love to add some new moves to my repertoire of already amazing stuff I've learned.  It' so neat to be able to loosen up and dance like no one's watching!

10.  Enjoy the moment.  Instead of constantly looking for what needs to be done or what I should be doing, I'm learning to be content and enjoy the moment I'm in.  Whether that's enjoying a beautiful sunny day, or just enjoying the walk to the laundry mat,  I'm going to learn to be happy in the moments of each day.  They pass way too quickly.

11.  Do not be afraid.  Sometimes I get consumed with worry over the state of fill-in-the blank.  God says 365 times in the Bible "Do not be afraid".  My life seems to always be in a state of flux.  God is with me.  I will not be afraid.

12.  Blog/Journal/Write.  I love having this blog to record the moments.  I have a Christmas memories book that I got 25 years ago.  I have written in it every Christmas and it's been such a treasure to go back and read what life was like over the years.  It's so important to pass down these stories to the next generation.  Not just little sound bytes or status updates.  But real stories!  Whether it's journaling or blogging, I'd like to continue to record life's happenings for my kids and grandkids.

13.  Be sillier.  Life's too short to take everything so seriously.  I said something yesterday to Larry in a silly voice and he cracked up!  I'm learning to do the unexpected and as the Mary Poppin's song goes "Love to Laugh".

14.  Drink more water.  This has always been an issue for me.  I know I need to drink more water but I just forget.  I don't drink sodas or juice.  Just coffee, tea and water.  If I remember to get my big water bottle and put it on my desk each day maybe I'll remember.  I know the benefits...it's just a matter of doing it.

15.  Don't feel so pressured.  Being the accomplish oriented freak that I am, having this list is daunting!  It's just a suggested list.  I don't need to do everything on here.  These are good goals to have and shoot for this year but if I fail, then that's ok.  The world will still move on and tomorrow's a new day.

Happy New Year!  May the Lord continue to Bless!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

All my kiddos last Thanksgiving

Christmas is a great time of the year!  Although I haven't been in the Christmas spirit too much yet. I'm getting there.  We went to dinner with my niece and husband and my brother and sister in law the other day.  I was so impressed with the way my niece guided the conversation to include everyone! She asked us each some of our "favorites" of Christmas.  We each got a chance to go around the table during dinner and share some of what makes Christmas special to us.  This is a great conversation starter!  So I'm sharing mine here!

Favorite Christmas Memory

One of my favorite memories of Christmas was when we were little girls.  My sister and I woke up really early at my grandparents house to find a string going all throughout the house and into the yard!  We were to follow our strings all around the house.  It went through drawers, under beds, around furniture, through the windows!  We followed it all the way to our presents!  I think I got a stereo that year.   But the important thing was the way we found our presents!

This was probably 7 years ago

Favorite Christmas Food

I don't really have a favorite food for Christmas!  I just love getting together and eating all the goodies and desserts!  I love making some sort of nachos or easy thing for Christmas eve so we can all be together and play games. 

Last year's Christmas!

Favorite Christmas Song  

I've always loved "O Come O Come Emmanuel.   I love the old Gregorian chanting sound of this song.  This is also what Christmas is all about!  Jesus came to seek and save the lost!  Each verse gives a name of God: Emmanuel, Rod of Jesse, Day Spring, Key of David, Lord of Might.  My favorite line- "free thine own from Satan's tyranny-From depths of Hell thy people save-and give them victory o'er the grave!"  Hallelujah!

that's me!

Favorite Christmas Movie 

Hands down, "It's a Wonderful Life".  I can pretty much quote this movie!  I'm surprised at how many people haven't seen this movie!  We watch it every year!  

Worst Christmas Present

A few years ago, I was wrapping everyone's presents and putting everything under the tree.  I looked and I saw that I didn't have one single present under there!  Not one!  I told Larry and off he went to find me something.  He was gone for about three hours!  I thought, "Man! This is going to be good!"  He came home with with this tiny bag.  Hmmm...  It could be good!  Then he wrapped it in a cardboard box with scotch tape.  So Christmas morning comes and I finally get to my ONE present.  I open it and it's a 

wait for it........

wait for it..............

a headlamp!

Yep!  Well, I wore it all day anyway.  Apparently,  I ride my bike at night a lot and needed one!

Well, Merry Christmas to you all!  Would love to hear some of your "favorites" of Christmas!  Comment below :)

A-Z guide to all things about me!

It seems a little self indulgent... but  I thought it would be fun to describe myself from A-Z.

A- Accomplisher.  I love to accomplish things!

B- Believer.  First and foremost in my life is the Lord Jesus Christ!

C - Chocolate lover.  I love me some dark chocolate!  The darker the better!

D - Decision maker.  I can usually make a quick decision about things.  Sometimes it goes well.

E - Empty nester.  So we still have one living at home but for all intents and purposes he's grown!

F - Flower planter.  I love to buy/plant flowers!  The taking care of it is the hard part :p

G -Gift giver.  Gifts is one of my love languages.  I like to give them and get them :)

H -Hooper!  I've only been doing this about a year now...but wow!  I love this new experience of hula hooping!

I - Independent.  This can be good and bad.  A lot of times I just think "I'll do it myself".

J - Joyful.  Ok..this is one I continuously work on.  But with the Lord's help I will count it all joy!

K - Knitter.   I just started this too!  I can only knit scarves and dishcloths now but hey it's a start!

L -Laughing.  As the Mary Poppins song goes, "I love to laugh!"  Sometimes it's just me laughing but that's ok :)

M - Mother.  I love my 3 grown young adults!  The time they were in our home just went way to fast.

N - Nature lover.  I love the sky, stars, moon, and all things outdoors.

O - Organizer.  I'm not always this way..but I love to have things organized.

P - Picture taker.  I wouldn't necessarily call myself a photographer..but I do enjoy taking pictures!

Q - Quirky. Some people might consider me quirky.  I'm not sure about that!

R - Reader.  I read at least a book a week at times.  I love to read!  And definately read Scripture daily.

S - Skirt wearer.  I started wearing skirts only about 7 years ago.  Just a personal conviction.  But I wouldn't go back :)

T- Traveler.  I absolutely love to travel and see new things! The world is so big!

U -Unschooler. All my kids are grown but when we homeschooled we tended to unschool.  I love this form of learning!

V -Violin player.  Ok this is in my past but I'd love to pick it up again!

W -Wife.  I've been a wife now way longer than I haven't been one!  (almost 25 years!)

X - Xenial.  I had to search for an "x" word!  But this is perfect!  It means hospitable.

Y - Young at heart.  I really can't believe I'm in my mid 40s at times!  I don't feel old!

Z - Zealous.  When I'm passionate about something it shows!

Would love to hear your comments on any of the above!  How would you describe yourself??  It's really tougher than I thought it would be to come up with something for every letter!  But maybe you know me a little better now :)

Dancing in the Rain

I'm one of those people that love the rain.  I love the sound of rain.  I love the feel of the rain.  I especially love the smell of rain.

Rain has a calming effect.  It's rhythmic pounding soothes my soul.

Rain refreshes.  It seems to wash away all the troubles of the day.  It gives new life and new hope. Rain replenishes.  When the ground seems so parched and everything is wilting, the rain comes and everything perks up and looks fresher, cleaner.

Just when I think I am all dried up and can't go any more, a rain will wash over me.  I feel like God is watering me and bringing me new life, showing me the newness that comes with the water from above.

Sometimes it's a slow, gentle rain.  It may last the whole day.  The earth needs that steady watering.  I need to see that constant.

Sometimes it's a huge downpour!  It comes in quickly and leaves just as quick.  I needed a wake up call to look around and see that the Lord is God!

My favorite rain is a slow rolling thunderstorm that rolls in at the wee hours of the morning.  I hear the grumbling of the storm as it slowly moves toward me.  And then, as I get comfortable to the sound, a huge bolt of thunder will wake me up!  And then, as I slowly rise from my bed, I sit on the patio and watch the rain come down in buckets.  Washing away the dirt, washing away the muck.  As the lightening strikes it brings energy and strength to me.  It shows the awesome power of my Creator.

And after the storm has passed, things begin to happen.  Birds start chirping. Flowers start to open. And you might just look up in the sky and see a beautiful rainbow.

Being Still

Sometimes it's hard to see the forest for the trees.  You get bogged down in life. Life is draining sometimes.
Laundry.  Work. Kids. Launching kids.  Money.  People. Problems.

But there's a saying that I love.  Stop and smell the roses.  This requires you to do three things.

First, Stop.  Breathe.  Relax.  Take a time out.  Stop doing things and just stop.

Next, smell.   This is a sense you may not normally use.  We touch things all the time.  We look at things constantly.  There's no end to the noise coming into our ears.  But smell,  take a moment to take a whiff of the world around you.  And not necessarily in your son's bathroom!  But go outside and smell.  Close your eyes and other senses and use this incredible sense that God has given us.

Next, find a rose.  Find the beauty in the moment.  Sure roses have thorns and you may have to step through the mud to get there but once you get there...there will be a rose!  The rose is an incredibly fragile flower. It is also amazingly beautiful.  It's intricate.  It's delicate.  It's aroma is like none other.

So what are you finding time to stop and do today?

The other night my husband took me out on a walk to a tall bridge so we could see the moon rise!  It was so fun!  We took our camera and hoops (of course!) and took a short walk to the top of an overpass and stood there and watched a beautiful red moon come up over the horizon.  It was stunning.

We took time to stop and enjoy something.

I know there's a million things to do, places to be, stuff to accomplish.  I love accomplishing stuff too!  But next time you see a flower blooming, or a child playing, or any one of a thousand moments that we miss every day....take time to stop and observe.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God..."

The Magical String

I once read a story of a boy that had a magical ball of string.  An old witch gave the boy the string and said to him, "Do not touch it and time will pass normally. But if you wish time to pass more quickly, you have only to pull the thread a little way and an hour will pass like a second. But I warn you, once the thread has been pulled out, it cannot be pushed back in again."

So whenever he didn't wait to wait for something, he would pull a bit of the string and POOF!  time would pass.  He started by sitting in school one day and thought to himself, "Why wait for the day to be over?" He pulled a bit of the string and the day was over!  Then he started pulling the string for larger and larger amounts of time.  Graduating school-Poof!  Done with College-Poof!  Finding a wife-Poof!  Kids-Poof!

Before he knew it, he was at the end of his life and he greatly regretted wasting the string.  He realizes that without the mundane and without the hard times of life, we are just a shell of a person.  He robbed himself of life's richest moments and memories.

I don't have a magical ball of string.  I'm so thankful that I don't!  I would have pulled it far too many times by now.

But sometimes we are "pulling our string"  in other ways.

Can't wait till the weekend.

Won't summer get here?!

When will my baby walk, talk, **insert milestone here**?

Will this day never end!

When will my kids be grown?!

When will I lose this weight??

You get the idea.

My youngest son just turned 18.  Eighteen!!!!  When my kids were 2, 4, and 6 I thought this day would never get here!  I was so focused on the craziness of each day that some days I forgot to enjoy it.  To just sit and read and play.  To soak in every minute!

Time goes way to fast on it's own.  It's not bad to look forward to things in anticipation.  But you never know what God has for you today.  Don't be looking so far into the future that you forget to see what's in front of you.  What opportunities is God placing in front of me right now?  What people are near me now. Don't forget to enjoy the moment.  I look forward to this new chapter in my life!

I will try to not wish away the days.

You can read the full story of the ball of string here.

Lifelong love

Happiness in marriage is overrated.

Everyone wants their "Happily Ever After", butterflies and fireworks.

That's all great and good.  But it's not sustaining.  Marriage is a lot of work.  It's mucky, and yucky, and difficult at times.  It's a lot of giving of our selves when we just want to sit on the couch and do nothing.

It's trying extra hard to communicate when we really just want to walk out of the room.

It's not getting our way.

It's putting our heart out there to possibly get stomped.

It's trying to figure out a compromise when you don't want to give up anything.

It's waking up every morning and having to do it all over again.

It's putting aside my own desires for someone else.

It's a lot of why did you do that/say that/ act that way?

But it's also....

Seeing the happiness on their face.

Learning about another's true self.

Connecting to another person on a level that you have with no one else.  

Knowing that they will be there because love is a commitment.

Waking up to know that the person beside me knows me fully and still loves me.


Marriage is not all about my happiness.  To quote a song it is "more than a feeling".  Love is a verb.  It is butterflies and fireworks...sometimes.  But it's much deeper than that.

My honey and I have been married almost 25 years.  We are different people than we were back then.  Our love once started out as a tiny little seed planted in the soil of this crazy thing called marriage.  But as we've fed and watered it, pruned and trimmed it, we've seen it blossom into an amazing love.

To quote one of our favorite movies: " Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam... and wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva.."

wuv you sweetie.. thanks for sticking with me

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth!

Things that make me smile (in no particular order)  

a nice hot cup of tea

a good book that I can't put down

knowing that I accomplished something

my hula hoop

seeing my kids growing up to be gentlemen and a lady

kite flying on a beautiful day

reading Runny Babbit out loud

waking up to a thunderstorm rolling in the distance

finding that geocache with my hubby

feeling the Spirit of the Lord move through worship

kicking my shoes off at the end of the day

enjoying a good tv show or movie with my honey

finally winning against my honey in Wordfeud

seeing my flowers and herbs bloom and grow

sitting on my balcony listening the birds

getting something organized

singing along to a musical

traveling to new places

doing something for someone else that makes them smile

watching a play at Plaza Theatre

watching a big thunderstorm roll in

Well...these are a few of my favorite things!  How about you?  What makes you happy?

New Year New Beginnings

The New Year is a time to reflect upon the past year..and look to the year to come!

When I look back to the beginning of the year it seems like so long ago! When we started off the year we had no idea that we'd make be making a huge change by moving up to Pittsburgh. Larry lost his job back in February. It seems like with contracting work you never know how the job is going to go. It's either feast or famine!

So he got a job in a place I thought I'd never go to...Pittsburgh! Isn't it dirty and polluted there? and steel mills everywhere? aren't they all Catholics and talk funny up there? These were my thoughts. But the Lord was working on me. He was slowly telling me to let go and giving up my hold on things. He wanted me to let go and let Him guide my life. Like Abraham in the Bible, I felt like God said to me "Go!" Yikes! It was so difficult. But it was such a great decision! It's nothing like I thought it would be here. I have seen the Lord work great wonders since being here! The greatest of which is meeting my sweet neighbors and being able to be involved in their adoption of Isaac! It was an out of the blue call and they only had 9 weeks to prepare but the Lord was with them every step of the way and I'm so thankful I got to be here to see it! Now I get to watch this precious gift of God three days a week. It's made my life so much richer!

Another huge change has been that 2 of my kids have moved out! Renee wanted to stay in Texas and is figuring out her life and what she's to do. Scott is finishing up his Youth with a Mission school and will return to Texas this summer to work. He's also at a crossroads. Waiting on seeing where the Lord will take him.

So it's just me and Larry and Sam now here in Pittsburgh! Sam's learning to be an only child. It has it's good and bad points. He likes the benefits--getting a lot of stuff he wants! But he misses his brother and sister a lot.

I went from working at a great job that I loved so much there in Texas..to volunteering all of my time here! I volunteer at several places and then with watching the baby 3 days a week...my week is full! Larry says he considers me a full time missionary! I like that!

Larry went from working at home the last 10 years to going into an office every day. It's a lot different. But he only works about 15 minutes away and he can make his own hours. Most days he's home by 3:30. I like that!

So a lot has happened this year. My life seems 180 degrees different than it was the year before. You never know how things will change. The thing I've learned most is listen to the Lord and do what he says. It may seem crazy. It may be out of your comfort zone. You may have to give up some things that you hold dear. But leave it to the Lord. He is with you! He only has the best in mind for you!

Deuteronomy 31:8
And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

Happy New Year!

Learning to love where I am

The Last few months in our new place we've been busy...

Biking. Hiking. Exploring. Meeting. Seeing. Sitting. Reading. Talking. Waiting. Growing. Learning. Helping. Loving. Watching. Going. Doing. Resting. Sleeping. Crying. Laughing. Kayaking. Swimming. Eating. Fighting. Watching. Slowing. Growing. Worrying. Trusting. Playing. Volunteering. Cooking. Missing.