Families and loss of life

It's loss of life that starts me thinking about how stupid it is for family squabbles to persist for months and years.

Earlier this week we found out that one of Mike's friends from high school had lost his mother unexpectedly to a brain aneurism. 

Then this afternoon my brother - who is a junior in high school - called to tell me about a boy on the local football team who died as a result of injuries sustained during last night's big football game. Taylor Haugen, a sophomore,  was an upstanding young man in our community and active at our church - FUMC-Niceville. His parents are very active at our church and once I looked in the church pictoral directory I was struck with even more sadness - realizing that I see them several times a week during church activities.  Area teenagers were able to attend a service this afternoon to honor and pay tribute to the young man's life.

How quickly life can be taken - when no one expects it. I can only imagine the anguish this young man's family is feeling right now  - my prayers and thoughts are with them. I'm also praying for the young men and women who witnessed the injury last night and who knew him personally - grief can do crazy things during the teenage years. 

The family who lost their mother unexpectedly is also in our prayers and we are encouraged knowing that she was a follower of Jesus Christ and is now in heaven watching over her loved ones.

But all this really makes me think about is how short life can really be - and how silly it is to hold grudges, cast out friends and family due to differences and how un-christlike it is to not forgive and move on - remaining a family.

"We tried reconciling, but it didn't work" one might say.

Well maybe you didn't try hard enough - maybe your heart wasn't in the right place. Maybe your expectations were too high or too low. 

Maybe you didn't have all the information or someone within your midst was feeding you lies that you took as truth?

Whatever the reason - you should never give up and you should never let differences separate you from the people you love - and you should never stop loving your family members.

Maybe you don't understand why they did what they did - and sometimes you don't have to.

But we can all use a dose of humility and we should all be open to change. 

"Here's to the strong; thanks to the brave.
Don't give up hope: some people change.
Against all odds, against the grain,
Love finds a way: some people change.

Thank God for those who make it:
Let them be the Light. "

(Some People Change by Montgomery Gentry).

What gets me are the people who profess to be Christians - who even quote scripture but spew hate and indifference in their lives. It's as if those people consider some to be outside the realm of Christ's forgiveness - it doesn't apply to all in their lives, only the ones they feel like forgiving and loving.

And even when lives are severed by choice or force - when the ties that bind are separated - life still keeps dancing us closely to each other - skirting paths that might one day cross.

Regret is an awful feeling - it poisons your soul.

You can only do what is possible within your realm of control - you can't force someone to accept you or love you.

People make mistakes - we all screw up - we all do and say things and treat people badly - even us who profess to follow Christ.

But the great thing about being a follower of Jesus Christ is the grace and mercy he offers and teaches us to offer others who cause us grief and pain and sadness and anger.

May God's mercy, love, grace and forgiveness touch you and those around you whom you have been separated from.

It's never to late to say you're sorry and it's never too hard to just pick up and start over. Love abounds for us all.

Resorting to lists again

I feel so terribly behind in my blogging about the kids right now - so the only way I can deal with it other than to sit and write for hours is to make lists of things that I will inevitably NEVER write about, but at least I can go back and read about the stories I would have told if time were to ever stand still for a day or ten - allowing me to graciously catch up on cleaning my house, going through all the mountains of clothing my children outgrow on a daily (hourly?) basis, catching up on bills I'd rather not pay, organizing my house so that it will clean itself (seriously the book I read said it would happen if I followed its system...loved the book, but I'd yet to do anything with what I "learned) - catching up on their baby books - wyatt's is incredibly bare, but at least I have pages of online journaling I've done for him - don't ask me about scrapbooking because I'll start to cry - and then of course there are all the little things I desperately want to remember but have already forgotten what they were...

• Wyatt's exploding vocabulary - he's onto phrases now! (I see you, I want some more, I don't know, Over there, That way, Thank-you-welcome...)
  
• Maddie is still the eternal princess - the other night she fell asleep with her crown on her little head and mike went in and tried to take it off and she instantly woke up and screamed at him that she needed it and fell just as instantly back to sleep. 
• Wyatt's toe-tapping, stomping routines all over the house. 
• The never-ending battle for sleep - mine and wyatt's
• Still nursing - still having milk supply issues, but I've figured out it's because I've lost so much weight and have so little body fat that my body just can't manage to make much milk... that's another blog entirely for my livejournal...
• Simplifying my life - coming off the huge task of the tea and my need to just relax and not commit to much anymore.
• contemplating a girl's weekend away - i'm finally ready!
• grandma guilt - alzheimers and dementia
• Life gone in an instant - why family drama just isn't worth the pain of an unexpected departure from life - 

And wyatt is screaming for me at the moment, so I will cut my list short to go soothe him to sleep hopefully...

Montana Melancholy

I am sitting here full of so many thoughts and feelings and emotions. I just read a post that my dear friend Shari wrote about our beloved Montana. Some, but not many know that I am a transplant - I spent what I will call the best parts of my childhood in Montana - in Great Falls. It was with mixed feelings and afterwards - a lot of regrets that I left my love - my mountains, rivers, prairies and open spaces. 

It was for love that I've yet to return. My life now is tied invariably to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The man I love has the ocean running through his blood as much as I have the mountains in mine. We all make sacrifices and mine has been to be separated from the lands that will forever be part of my soul. 

Shari, like me - is no longer living in Montana - but still has family there - and visits at least once a year. She was writing about feeling that she was "home" when she recently visited - despite having a life outside of Seattle - a family, career, house, etc. 

I think part of the reason I've yet to return is I am afraid I would never want to return to Florida. I would never want to be separated from my family - and to return would leave me melancholy I'm sure. I'm just not ready to go back.

Eleven years later I still tell people that I'm from Montana - it's blatantly obvious that I'm not from around here - no accent, etc. 

It's crazy to me that a place I have not seen since high school can still bring me to tears when I think about it for too long - that Shari's description of her love for Lake MacDonald and Apgar Village in Glacier National Park can evoke such deep emotions in me that I'm sitting here weeping as I type this out. 

There was a feeling of peacefulness I had there - of being able to surround myself with the most beautiful landscapes I'd ever seen - to lose myself in the mountains and valleys and streams. In my backyard were the endless prairies, the mountain ranges, the extraordinary sunsets. I could watch a thunderstorm roll across the plains - a hundred miles away. 

It was the wildlife - the flora and fauna - the mountains, the waters - it is a magical place.

Don't get me wrong- Montana is a hard place to live - the winters are hard and the summers aren't all sunshine and play all the time.

But I still miss it and one day hope to be back in the Northwest - I'd love to raise my kids out there. I think Mike got a small glimpse of it all when we were in Oregon - and it's definitely a place I could call home as well - we've said 10 more years here and then we'll think about retiring out west.

I can't wait.

How I'm feeling at the moment...

Gearing up...

What I'd like to be doing is writing about the amazing insight I have had recently into life with two toddlers - but instead I'm stuck thinking about Hurricane Gustav and where he's planning to hit...

The five-day forecast brings the storm into the middle of the Gulf of Mexico - and depending on a pressure system that hasn't yet revealed what it's plans are - could come to us in the Panhandle - Mississippi/New Orleans or Texas...

Around here - early preparation is important and for our family it is a must. Not just preparing the house and family, but safeguarding the boats that are our livelihood.

Tomorrow - Wednesday - Mike and his partner are going scouting up the "Ditch" - an intercoastal waterway - to look for safe havens for the 12-13 boats they have to move. They've been putting the hurricane gear - heavy ropes and big anchors on the boats - getting them ready.

They start moving them on Thursday - you can't wait until the last minute because there will be no place to put them -

Mike and my brother worked in the storage building tonight - clearing it out to make room for the outdoor toys and making sure they could easily get to the hurricane boards and plylox for securing the house if it's necessary.

I am frustrated at not having a good hurricane kit prepared and now feel stressed at having to put one together at short notice. Mike said not to worry about doing it myself - with the kids by myself and that we'd work on it together, but I'm feeling crunched for time.

I'm probably worrying for nothing, but honestly it's been years since i've weathered a hurricane - since my childhood - I've left for all the other storms in our recent history. We evacuated for Ivan - thankfully - and then I flew out to Indiana with Maddie when she was just 4 months old - for Dennis - a Cat. 4 that either missed us or fizzled out last minute.

Add that stress to my exhaustion from the tea and Wyatt's refusal to sleep at night..

but watching him hug maddie brings me such joy that i forget my nightly frustrations when it comes to sleep.

And i hope that gustav stays out of my dreams

Ladies Tea 2008 Pictures

Foot dr.

Well I've gotten to the point where I can't stand the pain in my left foot again. I had a cortisone shot in May and it's been worn off for about a month now. After all the time on my feet yesterday I had a very painful night.

I'm going back to the podiatrist this afternoon - hoping he'll give me another injection so I can delay the inevitable for a little longer. 

I need an MRI - but those are so very expensive and honestly it's just not something we can afford at the moment.. After that it will be surgery - and expensive surgery because I'll need a bone graft from somewhere else - like my hip - and then extensive work to remove the cyst or tumor or whatever it is - because the ultrasound hasn't been conclusive other than to show a large fluid filled mass that is affecting a very important part of the foot - it's in the bone, and in 3 or 4 of the joints (so many bones in the foot!).

He said it's a result of repeated injuries to the same spot - starting in sixth grade and continuing up to the present. 

I'm not quite 30 years old and I told him I need my feet and don't want to be in a wheelchair one day - he wasn't very encouraging about that!

I'm also going to ask him about the stabbing pains I've been having in my left calf and thigh - and I have some unusual bruising in the back of my calf that isn't related to any kind of trauma. The bruises just keep showing up - that, along with the pain has me a little concerned. I've always worried about blood clots in the back of my mind - because my dad's mom died from one that started in her leg - during childbirth no less. The baby also died and every time I get those pains in my leg I think about that.

What a disappointment!

It's probably a good thing for us - bad for others, but it seems that Fay has moved far north of us and we're going to be spared the worst of her soggy fury. The trees are still and it hasn't rained in a few hours - the worst of the rain was a very fine spray, nothing torrential or tropical at all.

So we stuck around the house for well - nothing. But it was nice to concentrate on the house instead of the tea and get a few things done that have been neglected.

The playroom is in order once again - I have clean clothes and my new skirt and shirt for the tea are cleaned and ready to go. I've swept the floor at least twice- but I can't win with the rain! I vacuumed the hallway and playroom - and even did the corners and along the wall with the attachment thingy - something I rarely remember to do. I also vacuumed the intake grates for the A/C - and that was a nasty job!

Mike has started cutting the plastic off the laminate and I'm hoping that we'll be able to start working on the floor sometime this week. 

I've made the timeline for the tea and now all I need to do is make the list of things I need to do tomorrow - or rather what my volunteers are going to do. 

My mom showed up with a beautiful bouquet of gladiolas - bright pink! - to tell me thank you for all the work I've put into the tea. It was very sweet and I love them! I've had to stay on Maddie to leave them alone.

Mike just pulled Wyatt off the toy chest - Mike's teak toy chest from his childhood. His mom brought it to us a few years ago and currently it's behind the couch - a prime climbing place. He's such a climber - quick to get up on the chest and scale the couch - sliding down the front of the couch. 

Maddie, of course, is sitting next to me in her princess dress that we bought at Disney World - complete with shoes, crown and wand. Wyatt is putting on a necklace that has come unhooked (so it's a long thread). He keeps trying to put it on and strut away, but it keeps falling off. He's so funny to watch.

I have a lot of thoughts on what I want to write about - and many things I've been pondering this last week - in between living the Tea... I'm anxious to start really writing again - 

Fay Fay Go Away... rain on someone else today!

Actually I don't mind the wind and rain  because it's making for a nice day at home. We've done the dishes - Mike is scrubbing the counters (one of his special tasks that he does so well!) and the kids are playing in the playroom. I'm hoping to get the rest of the kitchen cleared up and organize the livingroom a little bit and sweep the floors in there. 

The worst of the storm is yet to hit and I'm hoping that it will be gone in time for the Tea tomorrow!

Back to cleaning!

First Day of School!

Ok - I was not planning to do any blogging, but tonight when I tried to upload pictures from my camera I discovered that the fall my camera took did in fact have some negative effect on it - it will not connect and "talk" to my computer....

I was very sad and perturbed because I had done a table layout and assignments for the 26 tables at the tea and needed to email it to the hostesses!

And I was lamenting the school pictures..

Well then I checked my mail one last time - and there was an email from Maddie's teacher and some really cute pictures - so thank you Ms. Lavina - you saved me!

Crunch time

Well the numbers aren't final but at this second I have more than 200 guests who have rsvp'd for the annual Ladies Tea at my church. Being the one in charge has been fun, but exhausting to say the least.

So I'm probably not going to be posting anything until the tea is over - but I've cleared my schedule mostly for next week and besides preschool, bible study and LLL I am making NO committments (i just remembered i have band practice tuesday night..). 

So i'm hoping to get some blogging and pictures up - and i'll have plenty of pictures from the tea party - the newspaper is supposed to be there and the church is providing a photographer as well.

I'm excited - I'm exhausted and we have no clean dishes in the house at the moment. 

Someone send me a maid this week!

So if you check out the blog daily - or maybe more than that - you can take a break and wait until next week - unless you don't want to interrupt your schedule or routine (and I'm happy that I'm part of it!). 

Pray for my sanity and for my kids to stay healthy!

At the opera

Last night all the Fall activities kicked off at our church. Since Maddie is now three - she can sing in the Wee Cherubs Choir! She was a little hesitant and clingy when we walked into the room, but I know Ms. Melody and she's great! So I kind of pushed her through the door and ran out quickly, closing it behind me.

I didn't get to pick her up - I was busy working in the church office (tea stuff). Mike picked her up and I did peek at them as they were walking down one of the halls (because I wanted to make sure he remembered!) She was happily chatting about how much fun she had so I just slipped back into the background without them seeing me.

She calls the choir - The Opera! I don't know how it got started like that, but even last night it was "I DON'T WANT TO SING IN THE OPERA ON STAGE!"

Of course this morning the tune has changed.... "I can't wait to go back to the OPERA!"

She said they sang songs, but "we didn't play ANY games." I find that part hard to believe.

I can't tell you how cute they all looked sitting on the tiny, blue chairs in a circle. She was surrounded by her little friends from preschool and Mom's Day Out.

Their first concert is Sept. 14 at 942 in the Community Life Center at FUMC Niceville. If you're in the area - come see them. I've cried every time this group has gotten on stage because they are so very precious. I will have to make sure I'm not on the band schedule for that morning because I can't wait to see her!

Wyatt pics from this morning

I love my mornings with Wyatt - Maddie tends to sleep in, but he's more of an early riser.

He's sitting ON the cat right now - poor azzie! She's so tolerant - although I think he's going to learn a hard lesson one of these days. I can't believe she's just laying there with him patting (slapping) and I can hear her purring across the room. Now he's tickling her - I can hear him saying "tickle, tickle, tickle," and giggling.

Now he's trying to put his paci in her mouth - and she's not agreeable!

We were having some fun with the camera in my computer this morning - he was wearing my glasses and making faces at the camera.

Can you believe how much my little man has grown in the last year??? I don't recognize that bald little boy!

Thoughts on having a preschooler

The morning started as usual - early morning cuddles and snuggles with Maddie - while Wyatt slept in after his usual all-nighter. 

She was excited to get dressed - she picked out her new Lands End corduroy skirt that Grandmomma sent her - to go with her pink Wesley Academy shirt. A pink bow and her new shoes - also a gift from Grandmomma - completed her outfit.

She looked so cute!

Time quickly escaped us as breakfast was eaten (by maddie only - wyatt and I went out later) - her lunch was finished and her tote bag was packed and ready to go.

We pulled into the parking lot and she started the whining - that she didn't want to go to school, etc. 

But we met up with Sabrina and her mom Angel and she changed her tune - excited to chat with one of her girlfriends. 

They're not in the same class, though - and that is sad, but it's ok :)

We went to her class and she found the 5-gallon bucket with her name on it - where she puts her tote bag every day. She has a folder inside her bag that she must take out of her bag and put on a shelf every day she has class, too. 

I should have walked away at that point - but she saw me and asked for a hug and kiss and then the crying started. It's her usual dramatic show - and I know it only lasts a few seconds. Wyatt was already running away down the hall - so I had to make a quick exit. I made eye contact with her teacher - Mrs. Lavina and told her she would have to take Maddie - peel her off me was more like it. 

I heard her screams as I ran down the hallway to find wyatt - he was trying to free the basketballs like always.

However the little girl who was screaming when I left was playing happily when I came to pick her up - she didn't want to leave of course! The tears this time were because she didn't want to stop playing...

She said she had a great day - and I noticed her playing school with her toys - reading them books, asking them to raise their hands, etc. 

She was a little disappointed that they didn't do any letters - according to Maddie. She's ready to learn!

I took some cute pictures, but it's 11:30 p.m. and I'm exhausted. I just got back home from making 100+ more nametags for the ladies tea on Sunday. The grand total # of name tags made now is over 200... 

And of course we're still watching tropical storm fay....

Pictures will be added soon!

Preschool

Well tomorrow is the big day  - my little girl starts preschool. We went to the open house on sunday night and met her teachers - Mrs. Lavina and Mrs. Jackie. We are lucky to have one of the most experienced teachers at the Wesley Academy - although all the teachers are great.

She's picked out her pink Wesley t-shirt (they have to wear uniform shirts) and her khaki corduroy skort and her snazzy new sport shoes. 

She said she won't cry when I leave her and she knows her teacher's names.

I can't believe it's already time for preschool. Wasn't she just my baby yesterday?

The fumes...

the fumes are killing me! 

But the good news is that Mike painted the Kilz on all the wood floors - AND we were able to pry up the subfloor and use shims to fixed the discrepancy in the floor levels! This is great news because it means less mess and steps to getting closer to actually laying the wood laminate.

And let me just say that I put one of the panels down on the floor - up against the wall and it's so pretty! 

Now just keep your fingers crossed for no hurricanes...

One step closer

Well we bought the floors tonight! 

We loaded up the family and drove to Panama City to the Sam's Club there (It was the nearest one that had enough of the flooring we needed). The kids did great on the drive over and watched Mary Poppins - well Wyatt slept the entire way because he never did take a nap this afternoon. 

So here it is - in the poor lighting and not so great camera quality. We bought 44 boxes - enough to do all the house except the bathrooms, bedrooms and laundry room. 

So barring any hurricane activity we'll be busy for the next few weeks. Mike has already gone and fueled up the big boats and I made a list for him tonight of the ones that will need to be moved and where the options are to take them...

It will be a lot of work, so let's pray that it doesn't happen.

Off to dream of wood floors :)

Storms a brewing..

Not exactly what we're looking for, but it seems mother nature has other plans at this point. Computer models for T.S. Fay have it coming a little too close to us for my comfort! 

Check it out here:  We'll certainly be watching this one closely.

Progress?

Well the carpet is out and the ugly floor is exposed. It's a combination of sub-floor and concrete. The white on the floor is the kilz paint that mike has painted so far... We're not planning to do the whole floor with kilz, but it might end up getting done anyways. The house is so fumey and the kids and I are hanging out in the playroom where the air is not smelly. We've had the windows and doors open, but it's a losing battle between the fumes and mosquitos.

The pictures are dark and grainy since I took them with the laptop. My digital fell and hit the floor when Mike was moving the desk. He tried to blame it on me - because he thought it should have been in a case, but he was just as guilty for not clearing off the shelves before he started moving furniture. It still works, but I've put it up and away for right now so it doesn't incur any further damage. 

We were hoping to drive to Panama City today and pick up the floors, but I got a migraine and ended up in bed and then at the chiropractor's instead of getting out with the family. Tomorrow we have a birthday party and then Sunday I'm singing both services with the band - so I'm not sure when we'll head that way to get them...

Wyatt's new milestone

Um he's climbing out of the crib. 

Maddie never did it - but we had her in a big bed at 18 months - so I guess it's time to convert his crib to a toddler bed.

I'm not ready. 

I liked having him contained.

Just another new adventure in mothering.

Girlfriends Rock!

So I must say that I am blessed to have some of the best girlfriends in the world. These women love me despite my "character flaws" and they encourage me and show up and help organize my house!

Seriously - I am probably the most organized person in my head, but the least organized in my actual life. Living with two toddlers and a husband who sometimes is neat, but most times is not - means that my house is in a constant state of chaos. 

I desire decluttering and I desire organization. We're faced with the fact that our house just doesn't really have much practical storage and we've got too much stuff. 

I've been weeding through the stuff for the last year and you'd be amazed at all the stuff I've given away and thrown out but we still have too much.

As you know if you're a regular reader we're starting a few home improvement projects now that the summer is starting to wind down. Last night we finally got a new ceiling fan in our bedroom and 1/3 of the carpet has been ripped out of the living room.

We decided today that we will be replacing the living room and the hall and kitchen/dining with laminate as well. Mike has been at Sam's Club trying to decide what we're going to use and what we decided on  - they don't have enough at the one in our local town. So he's taking the day off tomorrow and driving to Panama City to pick it up there - they have plenty!

So in the midst of this chaos my friend Christina came over this morning and helped declutter my kitchen counters - one is just every day clutter and the other is perpetually covered in whatever because it's convenient! She's a blessing, really!

While she did that I gathered up things around the house and amassed quite a pile on the front porch - to take to the Bargain Box. 

I was surprised with a visit from my best friend Becca and her boys Todd and Ryan. They joined us for lunch and Maddie, Niklaus, Ryan, Todd and Wyatt all played and essentially trashed the entire playroom. If it was possible to dump it out - they did it!

It provided a good opportunity to get things good and organized again though - Becca has always been an angel when it comes to keeping my toys organized. She took that on as her mission when I had Wyatt - she said there weren't many things she could do to help me - since she had the boys and they took up a lot of time - but she made sure that my toys stayed organized for almost a year! 

It was a good thing to work in the playroom today - we kind of junked it up by taking the toys from the living room and adding them to the play room for right now.

So I am blessed by the good intentions of my girlfriends. They are awesome and I love them so much!

Thank you.

Home Improvements

Well today I've managed to remove about 1/3 of the carpet and padding in the living room. Mike came home with a new ceiling fan for our master bedroom and after he announced his intentions to install it himself I must say I was a little concerned.

After about an hour of watching him stare at the old fan and read and re-read the instructions - shutting off the power, turning it back on - I called my dad! 

"Dad, could you please come over and help Mike install the ceiling fan in our bedroom - I'm afraid he's going to electrocute himself!"

My daddy, being the wonderful person he is - said he'd be here in a few minutes. 

Unfortunately for my dad that was oh - almost three hours ago and they're just now getting the blades on the fan! Something about how the other one was installed made it very difficult for them to get the new one started.

A trip to Kmart provided  some kind of special screws they needed and I'm once again thankful that my dad is an electrician (avionic) but hey - wires are wires!

I'll be busy using the Kilz on the floors and then we need to get some kind of floor leveler...

oh and I just discovered that the nice, expensive ceiling fan Mike brought home - uses NIGHT LIGHT BULBS for lighting..

grrrr. this is why men shouldn't be allowed to pick out stuff like that! It's a pretty fan, but nightlights don't put out a ton of light. Now I have to go hunting for high wattage light bulbs with the tiny connectors.

joy.

updates to come soon.

Daddy is home!

Yeah! After 5 days tuna fishing Daddy is back safe and sound - and our refrigerator is FULL of yellowfin Tuna! Yummy!

Maddie and Wyatt were so excited to see Daddy and Wyatt and Daddy snuggled this morning and slept in together. Mommy and Maddie were ripping out more carpet... grrrrrr

He's still snoozing right now - but I'm about to wake him up so he can go to work. 

We had a nice dinner at Tommy Bahama's last night - the boat owners wanted to celebrate a great trip. My parents watched the kids for us - Thank you mom and dad! We had a blast. I love hanging out with the Mixed Nuts - I laugh more with them in 2 hours than I do in a month!

Delay

Well - I'm not really in a funk - although there is a lot of stuff running through my head lately.

Just wanted to let those of you who stalk my blog regularly (I know who you are!) that I'm just really busy this week. With Mike being gone I expected to have lots of free time in the evenings to write and post pictures and well - that just hasn't happened.

We were busy most of the day Saturday and then Sunday came very early with band practice for me at 8 am - getting out the door with two little ones - all in our Sunday best- is no small feat when you have help but almost impossible by yourself!

We spent the evening at my parent's house Sunday night and maddie actually stayed the night with my mom (she stayed friday night, too) - but wyatt did horribly sunday night and last night he was up no less than 7 times in addition to maddie being up twice. 

Needless to say - without all the other stuff going on I'm exhausted - but when you add in planning the tea at church for 150 ladies and getting maddie ready for school to start next week and gearing up for all the other things starting - children's choir for Maddie, preschool, WOW, the truth project training in sept - etc and etc.

I wonder when I'll have time to breathe much less think about the stuff that runs through my head on a daily basis.

Housework? no time!

So expect a delay in posting until i get through this week - of course I'll probably surprise you with a million posts one night this week because it seriously affects me when I'm not writing.

Thanks for your patience and devotion - I love seeing all my readers every day! Do you know that I have had 2,000 hits on my blog in less than 2 months? I've got regular readers in Pensacola, Destin, Niceville, California, Washington, Canada, Malaysia and all over the United States. 

It's great to know people enjoy my writing and come back for more! Please leave a comment sometime and tell me who you are and if you keep a blog, too :)

Jesus' Example

I'm typing this one quickly while Wyatt "practices" the piano...

August 7

Jesus' Example

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Luke 6:37 NIV

How do you learn to do new things? Many times it's by watching others. You can learn to ride a bike, play catch, or even skip by watching someone else do it and then trying it yourself. It's the same way with learning to forgive people when they do something wrong. We learn to forgive by watching and learning how Jesus forgave others. The more you learn about how Jesus acted, the more forgiving you'll be toward others. 

Forgiving is hard when someone does a wrong.

But I can watch Jesus and follow along.

The Importance of Family

I'm sitting here talking to my aunt rachel on the phone tonight  - and we're talking about family - an important topic in anyone's life. 

We all have our stories - good ones and bad ones. We have happy moments and sad ones. 

My father's mom died in childbirth when he was around 10 years old. His father was left with 4 children and no mother to care for them. He was a good provider, but my father never heard his dad say "I love you." 

My grandpa died a few years ago - my father held his hand as he was dying and just moments before he passed away my dad told him that he loved him and my grandpa squeezed his hand - it was the closest thing to "I love you" that he ever got from his dad.

My dad's twin brother never heard those words either and it's something that haunts him - 

Imagine going through life never knowing if your mom or dad really loved you.

Or imagine being separated from your family - geographically, emotionally or intentionally and questioning the same thing. 

I had a moment recently when things between my mom and I were not good and I was scared that what had happened would separate me from her love - but it didn't. We just started talking again and worked through the issues. There was forgiveness enough for us both and saying "I'm sorry and I was wrong" was hard for both of us, but it was something that was two-sided.

It was hard for me to pick up the phone and call her. It had only been a week and it felt like a year. The first time I called, she asked to speak to Maddie instead because she was still mad. But I kept calling and eventually we talked it out and made our peace.

It could have been something that drove a wedge between our mother-daughter relationship. It could have ended things. She could have been stubborn and prideful - and so could I. 

But we weren't - because we remembered what was really important - our love for each other and the love we share for our families.

Sometimes it's hard to say sorry - sometimes it's painful. Often times it involves dredging up things from the past that have caused hurt - and there's harm in that, but at the same time it's necessary.

Sometimes all the facts aren't known to the offender or the one offended. Explanations are often necessary.

You have to have the right frame of mind and an open heart to hear those things without judgement though.

So my question to you - are there people in your family that you need to say sorry to? Is there someone that you've hurt - or maybe someone who has hurt you and you need to confront them?

I feel very strongly that nothing is so terrible to cause the kinds of rifts that exist in families today.

Divorce happens. Financial issues arise. Parenting choices differ. Personalities clash and things are said and interpreted by others - often in a way that was not even intended.

Just say you're sorry. And if you're in the position of someone who has sorry said to them - be gracious and forgiving. Don't hold a grudge.

Life is too short - days pass too quickly. People become strangers when they should be sharing the happy and sad moments together. 

Family is ordained by God - it's something he created and he desires for there to be peace and love. Modeling what he teaches - in our own lives - even though we're not perfect - it's what is most important. It's one thing to write about all those things that Christ teaches us - grace, humility, forgiveness, mercy, love - it's another to practice them in your daily life. 

I know we're trying to practice those things in our own lives. It's hard sometimes. There's a lot of hurt that has happened - rejection has scarred us for sure. 

We continue to pray for all those things that I mentioned - grace, mercy, forgiveness, humility and love. 

Every time I see my dad or talk to him on the phone I tell him I love him - I think I've even heard him tell Mike that he loves him - and it's something hard for him to say - not because he doesn't mean it, but because it was something never modeled for him.

I love seeing the close relationship that my dad has with Mike - they're great friends and it means a lot to me. Mike tells my dad that he loves him all the time - I'm hoping that hearing people, family members, say that they love him will make a difference for my dad and ease some of the aching in his heart.

That separation from parent is painful - it's a forever thing for my dad - he can't get his father back - he won't get a second chance in his lifetime.

God is forever giving us second, third and infinite chances to turn our lives around and follow him.

Do you model that in your own life? When someone hurts you do you forgive them and give them a second chance or close the door forever?

Forever is a long time and so much changes so quickly.

It's a shame to go a lifetime holding a grudge. I'd say that it's really not worth it.

Go tell someone in your family that you love them - and that you forgive them for whatever it is they did to hurt you - and ask their forgiveness as well.

Move on and be blessed by your family. 

Cookie Blog!

For the past three years my best friend Becca and I have had a cookie exchange in December. We talked about the idea for a year or two - each holding special hopes and dreams of what it would be that first year and what it would grow to become as the years went by... 

She's sneaky, for sure - but she started a blog for our Cookie Exchange and the recipes! Our biggest downfall has been getting the recipes back to our participants and this is the perfect solution. 

Becca- you are so great - I love you. God has blessed me with a kindred spirit and bosom buddy - you are my Diana for sure!

Just a few more pics

My mom comes over fairly often and she came by yesterday to hang out for a few hours. Often she'll yell out "Photo Op!" and I have to scramble for a camera before the magical moment is gone forever.

This was a very cute photo op... disregard the mess on wyatt's face - i still can't remember what he was eating...

Swimming at Mimi and Papa's house

There's nothing quite like a Sunday night dinner and swim at Mimi and Papa's house. 

The really nice square-inflated pool met an untimely end when my sister got mad at it and let's just say that ended up with a few holes.

So I'm sure guilt-stricken - my sister went to the local k-mart - or k-mark as maddie calls it and bought 2 pools to replace the first one that met such an untimely end.

Maddie and Wyatt had a blast!

Setting it up

Wyatt enjoyed pouring out tea for Maddie