Sorry that this blog has been MIA, lately.  I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to have to work on figuring it out. I'm still here! It's just that more often than not, I can't sign in, or I'm told that my page doesn't exist.  It sounds like many of you have been running into this problem on my site for the last few weeks, too.  Frustrating.  I'm sorry!

Things have been pretty crazy around here, and I haven't had much time to focus on what my website problem is, anyway.  Jesse and I are spending our free moments going through our things and packing boxes.  We have no idea where we're moving yet, but we're trusting in God.  It's really an adventure.

Instead of bogging you down with my stress, I wanted to share a funny tidbit from yesterday:

Last night as Jesse was shutting down the computer, he asked me what tabs I wanted to save.

“Will you bookmark the Sunday School lesson one? I haven't printed it out yet,” I said sleepily.

“What should I name it?”

“'Jesus Feeds 5,000.' Thanks, Handsome,” I said. Then, noticing that the last bookmark folder I had saved to was “Crochet Patterns,” I quickly added, “But not in 'Crochet Patterns,' please.”

Next thing I knew, Jesse was creating a new folder called “Knotting Crochet Patterns.”

Lol!

 

How Would I be Different?

One of my friends is a 6th grade teacher and was commenting on how her incoming class this fall will be full of students who weren't even born in 2001.  She told me that every year, she has to go more in-depth when discussing 9/11 because it's becoming more and more abstract to the students she teaches.

This week, while preparing for Independence Day, I've been thinking about the things that make me the American I am.

How would I be different if I didn't remember September 11th, 2001?



How would I be different if the red stripes that symbolize courage and valor also represented the blood of one (or more) of my loved ones?  Would America mean something more to me if there was more personal sacrifice on my side?

How would I be different if my nights were lonely because my husband was serving in the military?  Would I catch my breath each time the phone beeped or the doorbell rang?

How would I be different if I experienced war on the homefront, like so many of our ancestors?  Would I have the strength to do what was required of me, to be brave and serve in whatever manner I was called?

I think about my grandparents and the sacrifices they made for our country during WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  There is a difference in the way they treat the Flag than the way most people in my generation do.  It symbolizes true sacrifice for them.

I'm so thankful for the people who have protected this country for centuries.  There is beauty in the pride that flies with every flag.  Beauty, sacrifice, pain, and determination.

May we never forget it.

Weekend Retreat

We spent last weekend with our young adult Bible study group up at Lake Arrowhead.

What a blessing it is to have these couples in our life!  God has really blessed us with some amazing friends at our church, and we are so thankful for them.  Last year, we spent a weekend at Zion National Park with them,

 

[caption id="attachment_956" align="aligncenter" width="432" caption="Hiking up to Angel's Landing, Zion, 2010"][/caption]

and this year, we took a quiet weekend up in a beautiful little cabin owned by a member of our congregation.  What a blessing!

This has really been a "growing" year for each of us in the group.  In the past year, we've all met with one major disappointment or other, struggled to see God's will, and supported each other through prayer and encouragement.

As hard as it is to see your friends go through difficult times, sometimes isn't it encouraging to realize you're not the only one?  We can all identify with hurt and disappointment because it's fresh in each of our hearts--but we can also remind each other of God's unfailing love and His faithfulness to bring us comfort and compassion.

I'm so thankful for these friends.  (Wondering what's with all the crazy hats?  Read about the surprise baby shower they threw for us while we were at the cabin!)

So thankful for the way we "get" each other.

So thankful for all of the laughs.

So thankful for the support that we get from them.

So thankful that God provided us with these wonderful friends!

 

A Perfect Beginning

Ahhhh...it's the weekend.  Thank the Lord!

It's funny, because this week absolutely flew by, but I'm so thankful it did.  It was stressful and tiring, and I'm pooped.

But God has the perfect weekend lined up for us.  We need it!

Yesterday, Jesse surprised me by offering to drive me to work (at 7am on his day off?  that's L-O-V-E)

When he picked me up at the end of the day, the car was full of the yummy smell of fresh fajita mix waiting to be grilled, along with corn on the cob, a watermelon, and a box of strawberries.  We got home and he made me rest on the couch (my feet have been so swollen and painful the last two days...methinks it's going to be a long summer) while he went out and grilled up the fajitas and got dinner ready.

Last night, we caught up on an episode of Rookie Blue that we had missed (anyone else get hooked on that one last summer?)  and then my sister Kate came by to stay with us for the weekend.  She and I introduced Jesse to an old family favorite: The Great Mouse Detective.  But it was already 10:30 when we turned it on, and I think I only made it 20 minutes in.

I woke up this morning at 6:30 to birds chirping and Kayleigh doing her early morning dance, got out of bed to make myself some tea, toast, and a plate of fruit, and then climbed right back in bed.  I know that Jesse can use at least another hour of sleep before he's up, and I have no idea when we'll see Kate alive this morning :-)

It's going to be a lovely day, though.

Jesse and I are planning on tackling two closets today and getting things sorted through/packed up.  Then we're going to go out and do some baby registry shopping, and then enjoy a giftcard to the Cheesecake Factory.  What loveliness!  Just the kind of day we need.

And then, tomorrow, Jesse's mom is coming to church with us, having lunch with us afterward, and then Jes and I are heading to San Diego to spend the rest of the weekend with Emily and Arlen.  Em's birthday is the 4th, and we've celebrated America's/her birthday together almost every year since we were five.

I'm so thankful for a quiet weekend.  June was crazy, and between getting the house ready to go on the market and receiving a lot of new students to my classroom this week, I'm ready to say goodbye to it and hope for a less scatterbrained July.

Keep praying for us as we look for a new place to live.  It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to this little blessing house.  We've loved it so dearly for the past three years!  If I could afford to buy it, I would.  BUT, I'm not going to worry about anything this weekend.  I'm going to enjoy time with my husband, getting enjoyable tasks accomplished, and spending lots of time with loved ones.

Have a blessed weekend!

 

Cuteness

I have a little yellow notebook that I keep in my classroom to record the cute little things my students say every day.  I brought it home with me tonight so that I could type some of them up and share them with you :-)  Enjoy!

(Keep in mind that most of these children are 4, and very few are from English-speaking homes)

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Cathy: I want to draw pictures--of cars, butterflies, and a yo-yo.

Jeremy: A firefighter, so I could spray water on the fires.

Andrew: A Fireman.  I would have a race car with a rope [hose] for the water.  There's a hook for the rope on the race car.  I would need a race car to drive fast and hurry and help the peoples where they got fires and dying.

Mat:  A robot.  I will do my hands like this [motions].  My brother will be an astronaut so we can play.  I'll be green, and have a red tool belt.  I'll have tools to fix the things that are broken.

Gordon:  I want to be airplane pilot.  My plane can spill water on the fires.  If Andrew had a fire, I would "spshhhhhhhh!" on the fire.  No more fires.

Sydney: A doctor.  I'm going to give everybody shots.  If they ask for stickers, I'm going to give them some.  I'll give them water, too, and then they go home.

Hallie: A princess.  I love my mommy.  She's so pretty.  I will pick flowrs.

Amir: Superman.  I want to fly.  Sitting on top of the wall.  I would fly up to the outerspaceship.