Jesus Paid it All

A wise friend of mine once told me that you can't control your circumstances or the way other people act, but you can control the way you respond to them.

That has stuck with me for many, many years.  And each time I find myself traipsing down the rabbit hole of sins that I struggle with, I hear that again in my head.  I can make the choice to follow the trail of destruction or turn around and go the other way.

I want to say that I'm a good person and don't have too many struggles in life.  After all, I was raised in church and married a Godly man.  We are still in church regularly & I serve the children and women of our church every week.  I don't cuss, don't drink, don't smoke, haven't ever done drugs.  I was a virgin on my wedding night.  Heck, I can't even watch movies with a lot of yuck in them without blushing or feeling 'dirty'.  I work in the school system and our kids are 'good kids'.  My husband has been in law enforcement & ministry.  We are the picture of sweet, honest, "good" people, right?

But being a "good person" doesn't make me righteous or clean or pure.  Being a "good person" really does nothing for me other than give me a standard to attempt to live up to---and presents a front that other people see.  Deep down, I am just as filthy and dirty and disgusting as a thief, murderer, liar or cheater.

Isaiah 64:6  All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

This past week I have battled one of the areas of life where I struggle.  I don't intend to get into the details of that here.  It doesn't matter what my sin area is.  We all battle something in life, whether it is addiction or lust or lying or whatever! I've been reminded again that while my circumstances might be out of my control, only I can make the choice of how I respond to it.  Tonight I can not get this old hymn out of my head.  I pray it blesses you as well.

What a day!

This morning I woke up, excited about my last day at the preschool.  As I've been doing for the past several years, I spend two days each week all summer in a classroom.  Today was the last day for the summer.  While I hate to leave this sweet place & go back to "big school" the rest of the year, I was looking forward to today.  It was a scheduled fun water play day.  The kids spend time outside, sliding down a giant slip & slide, splashing in a wading pool and having fun!  (And sometimes, their silly teachers slide down with them!)  I always make a point of spending extra time loving on all "my" kids in the class on the last day.  Every day with them is special & important, but when I know it's the last time I'll get to see them for the year, it's hard not to spend extra time doling out hugs and kisses and high fives and soaking up their sweet little faces one last time.  It's a bittersweet day of saying goodbye, not just to the kids in the class, but to the fun of working at the preschool for one more year.  But today I felt mentally & emotionally prepared and woke up ready to go!

But then life happened.

A few days ago, we heard the hot water heater making some funny clicking sound, but didn't think much of it.  Honestly, I should've gone and checked it then but sometimes older appliances make weird noises & you sort of tune it out.  That was the case with the water heater.  This morning, however, I realized that the noise it was making a couple days ago was probably a warning sign we should've checked.  When Savannah went into the laundry room to get something from a basket of clean clothes, she mentioned that someone must've spilled some water.  I thought it was odd that someone had a glass of water in the laundry room, but thought it might've been that someone dropped a wet towel after a shower.  Then she noticed another wet spot...and another.  I went to check where the water was coming from and it hit me that it was coming under the wall.  On the other side of the wall is, you guessed it, our hot water heater!  When I ran to check it I stepped in a puddle.

Sigh.

I called Larry, who had left at 5:30 am for an out of town training class for work.  Unfortunately he was far away with our Lowe's credit card (which means I had no way to pay for a new hot water heater, which I figured we probably were going to need.)  Then I called the next most important man in my life---my daddy!  Within a few minutes, he and my mom were on the way to my house.  Daddy is an incredible fixer & has replaced lots of water heaters over the years, so I knew he could handle the task.  He agreed to let me go on to work at the preschool and he would take care of the water heater.  We could pay him back later.  So with great speed, Samuel, Sarah and I finished getting ready & loaded up all our special last day of summer school supplies & left for the preschool.

Or at least we tried. 

When I put the key in the ignition of my mini van, it just clicked.  I may have uttered a word I've since repented for.  I turned the key again & got the same result.  I tried several times before I pulled the keys out and sighed.  Really?  TODAY?  The last day of summer school is NOT a good time for me to have to be absent!  I needed the van to start!  I tried one last time before giving up & calling my dad again!  He was 5 minutes away and agreed to check the van when he got here.

While he could jump start the van, there was no guarantee that it would start up again this afternoon when I left the preschool.  Or when I got ready to leave the orthodontist appointment that we had to get to immediately after school.  Or when I was ready to leave the music store we had to visit to get Sarah's flip folder & lyre for band.  Boy oh boy.  Before I knew it, we were on the parking lot of Auto Zone, $120 poorer with a new battery in the van.  Thank goodness for smart dads who know how to fix things!

I took my dad back to my house, picked up my kids & all my preschool stuff again and left him with the task of replacing the water heater.  I was about an hour late getting to the school, but I wouldn't have missed it!

Our fun water play time went off without a hitch and I was able to spend lots of extra time sitting in the floor, snuggling my sweet little friends, laughing and playing with them, hugging and high fiving, planting kisses on foreheads & rubbing noses with one particular sweet baby girl who loves to give "Eskimo kisses".

After a round of hugs and goodbyes this afternoon, I drove away from the preschool feeling quite blessed, honored to have been given the opportunity to be a part of all these little ones' lives this summer.  They're young.  They may not remember me six months from now, but I will remember them!  My life is richer for having taught them and gotten to know their parents.  I am grateful I had the chance to teach them this summer and look forward to coming back next summer.

At the end of the day, I am down several hundred dollars and I'm worn out, but what a great day!  Thank you to my mom & dad for coming to my rescue this morning!  And thank you to all the moms and dads who trusted me to love their babies this summer.  I can hardly believe it's over, but a new season is dawning and it's time to see what God has in store this Fall.

Random Thoughts with Liz

 
I keep starting a new blog post, but then keep freezing up.  I've been blogging since early 2006 and there are times when I feel like I've said everything there is to say.  I mean, how many more ways can I say that I love my husband & kids & Jesus?

But I keep writing anyway.  I love to write and hopefully you're not sick of hearing about my family and my faith and whatever other random stuff I choose to write about just yet.  So with that said, here is the latest string of random thoughts with Liz.

*In late April, I started eating lower carb.  I didn't cut out ALL carbs (I refuse to give up some things, folks.  Let's just be real.)  It's been slow, but to date I've lost just shy of 12 pounds.  I'd love to see it move a lot faster, but it's coming off, so I'll keep at it.

*Being home for the summer makes the diet a little more difficult.  It's a lot easier to stay on track when I'm not at home (read: looking at the fridge) all day or running around with the kids (read: passing by fast food places that scream "Stop & get a drink.  You KNOW you're thirsty in this 110 degree heat!)  Things will get back on track later this month when I get back to work!

*In January, I returned to my old part-time job in our local school system.  We knew from day 1 that it couldn't be permanent.  After all, I left because I couldn't make enough money there, so obviously that hadn't changed.  By late January or early February, I was making contacts with all the other campuses in hopes to get hired full time this Fall.  Since then, I've applied and/or interviewed for EVERY job in the district that I am qualified for.  Nothing worked out.  So the first week of August, I accepted a full time position in a neighboring town's school system.  It'll be a bit of a drive, but it's full time and there is a lot of room for raises and moving up.  {Honestly, it's not THAT FAR of a drive, but anything more than the 4-5 minute commute I've had since 2010 feels like a long drive.  I know, I know...I can hear a thousand tiny violins playing for me.}

*I am looking at the calendar & realizing we are already over eight months into the year.  That means there are only 4 months left 'til Christmas.  No matter how much stress or hoopla is connected to the commercialized version of Christmas we all see every year, it's still a favorite time of year for me!  I love the special 'magic' that is connected to the holiday season!  Plus I refuse to celebrate the hoopla!

*My babies are starting school two weeks from tomorrow.  7th, 8th and 12th grades this year.  Shut up.  They're still my babies even if they are in junior high & high school.

*We visited 2 colleges with Savannah last week.  One is local.  The other is about 90 minutes away & costs a lot more, but is SUCH A GOOD FIT for her.  Guess which one she's hoping to attend?  I think the next 12 months of my life is going to include a million hours of scholarship applications and websites searching for free college money!  If we can pull it off, she will be living there and attending school there next year.  But first, let's get through her senior year of high school.  I have a lot of tears to cry between now & Fall 2014.

*I've seen so much growth in Samuel lately.  Between his desire to go to the youth Bible study group and his feelings about Savannah moving away to college next year and his tender, sweet side emerging from the shell of adolescent growling and griping, I love it.  Lord, please let it continue.

*I know none of the kids are grown ups just yet, but once in a while I get a vision of their maturity and am amazed.  Somehow we haven't completely screwed them up with our crazy parenting just yet.  Only by the grace of God....

*A dear friend moved halfway across the country this week.  It's a weird thing because this friend & I mostly only talked via email, text, Facebook messages anyway, even though we lived in the same town.  So really, not much will change for us, but somehow it feels different.  Miss you already, friend!

*We had ice cream sundaes for dinner last night.  No veggies in sight, but I did include some strawberry sauce so everyone got some fruit!  ha!

*Here are some cool/fun/good stuff on the web that I came across in the past couple weeks for your reading/watching pleasure.  Enjoy!

1st:  This cute video has me coming back over & over.  I've watched it a dozen times.


2nd:  Every time I read anything that Jen Hatmaker blogs about, I feel like we're best friends or sisters or next door neighbors or something.  Seriously, how can you not love her?  Enjoy this little gem.  It's lengthy, but so funny!  http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2013/06/27/that-time-i-was-on-the-today-show

3rd:  I just discovered this blog a few days ago.  Girlfriends, THIS POST is the bomb.  If you're a mama, you'll recognize yourself.  http://livingingraceland.com/2013/08/05/taking-off-the-mask/

4th:  Holy hallelujah.  If you're in full time vocational ministry or know someone who is or if you used to be, you will love this.  We're about 4 1/2 years removed from full time ministry, but I read most of this blog post with tears in my eyes.  I recognized every word.  I saw truth from start to finish.  Wow.  http://marklovefurniture.com/blog/2013/07/06/eleven-things-you-might-not-understand-about-your-minister/

5th:  Are there people who are actually this dumb?  Hilarious!


Have a great week!

Year of Dates August 2013

For our August date, it was part regular date night & part anniversary celebration.  And since I was offered a new job yesterday, it was also a new job celebration date!

Months & months ago, I asked my Facebook friends for recommendations on a low-priced, CLEAN hotel in our town.  A wonderful friend of mine from high school offered us a FREE night!  Her husband travels extensively for work and they have oodles of free nights built up in 'points' on their credit card so they cash them in regularly for family trips, date nights, etc.  But she said there was no way they could possibly use them all before they expired, so they offered us one for our anniversary date!  Such a giant blessing!!!!!!

We stayed at this hotel.

When we checked in, we were given our room keys & the lady at the desk said we'd need our key on the elevator.  I wasn't sure why, but just nodded an "ok" and walked away.  As it turns out, we were on the top floor where the nicest rooms are located and you have to insert your room key to get the elevator to go to that floor.  We were a little intrigued to see what was so special about the 8th floor!

Upon arrival to our floor, we noticed a little room marked "Club Floor Lounge" and wondered what exactly that was.  We checked into our very warm room, turned the A/C wayyyyy down and got settled in.

Because the drapes had been open (probably all day) we figured the room was just hot because of the sun.  We tried to sit very still and wait for the A/C to kick in & cool things down, but an hour later when we left for dinner, it was still HOT in the room.  The thermostat didn't show that the room had ever cooled off at all.  We thought maybe it just needed a little longer to cool the room.

On our way to the elevator, we noticed that the Club Floor Lounge was open, so we peeked in.  An older lady dressed very nicely greeted us and welcomed us to the lounge.  She invited us to sit and have an appetizer and a drink.  We could choose from a selection of beer & wine (no thanks) or soft drinks (yes please).  Our appetizers were southwest egg rolls and coconut shrimp.  Both were very tasty!  The concierge hostess (we learned that was her title) advised us to check with the front desk and let them know that our room wasn't cooling off because, as she said, it is their job to make sure our stay is perfect!

We left the lounge & headed downstairs, stopping by the front desk to let them know about the hot room.  They were ready to move us to another room right then, but we told them we were headed out to eat and would be back in a couple hours.  They told us they'd send maintenance up to check on things & we could check back with them when we returned.

So off we went on our scavenger hunt and to find a place for dinner.

Our first photo on the list was a picture of us at the location of the pizza place where we first met & started dating.  That restaurant burned down many years ago and a Mexican restaurant was built in its place.  It went out of business a year or so back.  Since picture #5 was of us kissing, we decided to combine the 2 and take a picture of us together, standing where we kissed the very first time---in the parking lot of the pizza place where we met!

This is the building currently standing at the location of the old pizza place.

This was about the 3rd try at this pic.  I kept aiming the camera in the wrong direction or Larry would lick my face or something.  He was still acting silly in this one, but I decided to go with it anyway!  ha ha!

The next picture on the list was a holiday character.  I thought for sure that we could hunt at toy stores or Walmart and find a Santa Claus or something for Valentine's Day or even a ghost/witch/goblin for Halloween, but we never found anything!  Now that the date is over I'm realizing we should've visited Hobby Lobby who put out their Christmas items in July!  Fooey!

The next picture on the list was a picture of each of us on playground equipment.  We drove by several parks, but there were always kids there and we were trying to find a slide or swings we could play on without an audience.  Plus it was blazing hot & the idea of getting out in the heat was less than desirable.  So while we were in Toys R Us (more pictures there later) we snapped these pics.  It's sort of like playground equipment right?  (My pose was Larry's idea--he thought I should kiss Dino rather than just sit there.)

 The next picture was a PG rated picture of each of us doing something silly.

I really didn't get one of Larry for this. He's nothing but silly 24/7 so it was hard to nail him down for this one!

The next picture on the list was Larry with a stuffed animal.  I swear, he was giggling just before I snapped this picture.  He's not a big smiler for pictures unless he's acting completely crazy.

The next one on the list was really just for our entertainment, so I'm skipping that one.  (Don't worry.  We didn't do anything R-rated in public!!)

Around this point, we detoured from the scavenger hunt to look for dinner.  We started out attempting to visit a local Hibachi place.  Larry wanted to take me somewhere I'd never been to celebrate my new job and I mentioned having never been to this place.  So we went and checked in with the hostess.

After about 10 minutes of sitting to wait for our spot at the hibachi table, I had a change of heart.  It was very loud, very crowded and honestly I just wasn't in the mood to share the table with a bunch of strangers.  I wanted a quiet corner where I could talk to my sweetie.  So we went to the hostess to tell her that we'd like to pay for our drinks so we could leave.  She asked why & I explained.  She offered to seat us on the sushi side of the restaurant (quiet, more private, booths for families & couples, etc) so we agreed.  However, once sitting at the table and looking at the pricey menu for about 15 minutes without a single waiter/waitress stopping to even say hello, we gave up & left.  There were oodles of waitstaff passing by our table over & over.  Even the manager passed us several times.  Not a soul stopped to ask if we were ready to order, if we needed drink refills...nothing.

So we moved on and drove around to see what else we could find.  We landed at Panera Bread.  I've heard people rave about this place since it opened but have never been there 'til last night.  If you're unaware of what it is, Panera Bread is sort of like an upscale deli.  Yummy food!  But for my sweet little country boy of a husband, the menu was a little hard to understand.  ha ha!  He ordered a steak bagootie (baguette) and even when the cashier & I both corrected him, he continued to call it a bagootie.  By the time we left, he was quite sure how to pronounce it, but loved saying bagootie just to mess with the staff who kept giving him funny looks when he said it.  ha ha!

On our list of pictures to take was one of Larry striking up a conversation with complete strangers about something crazy.  If you've seen the TV show "Impractical Jokers", you know what I'm talking about.  Larry was created to be on a show like that.  He can pull off those kind of nutty situations without cracking a smile.  I, on the other hand, would die laughing before I could get the first word out.  I attempted to take a picture of him having this conversation without looking too obvious, but all I got was this blurry one as he walked away from the table of the people he talked to.  (Some random couple who was also eating at Panera Bread.)

Since I had taken several goofy pictures of Larry, it was only fair that he get a picture of me doing something embarrassing in public.  So he got one of me picking my teeth after I ate.  It was only sort of posed.  My Sierra Turkey sandwich was really a tooth-sticking thing!  But even so, he thought it was hilarious when he snapped this pic.

The last pic on our list was our monthly self-portrait date pic.  I got results similar to previous months.  ha ha!  Oh well, he played along!

We grabbed a sweet treat before returning to the hotel.  God bless Andy and his banana coconut concrete!

When we returned to the hotel, the front desk ladies told us that the maintenance man had adjusted something about our A/C unit & everything "should" work now.  But they told us to call if it still wasn't right.  The moment we walked back into the room it was clear that it was not right.  It was sort of like walking into a steamy sauna.  We walked over to see if the A/C unit was even still ON, but realized that unless your hand was (literally) 1-2" from the vent, you couldn't even feel the air blowing.  So one call to the front desk fixed that.  We got a fresh new room with a brand new air conditioning unit that worked beautifully!  It looked exactly like the first room so I didn't take a 2nd picture.

I slept soooooooooooo well.  The pillows at Holiday Inn Express hotels are THE BOMB.  Not too hard.  Not too soft.  Not too thin.  Not so fluffy that you lay down and suffocate in the feathery plushness that wraps around your face.  I swear, every time we visit a Holiday Inn Express, I want to smuggle the pillows out.  I'm telling you folks.  I went to bed looking like this.....

....and woke up like this.  THAT is the image of a great night's sleep!  (For anyone who thinks I always have good hair days, here's proof that I don't!  LOL)

While Larry showered this morning, I pulled a little bit of a Pinterest-inspired prank.  If Larry had been appalled or said that it was really bad, I would've taken it all apart, but he thought it was hilarious.  Pillows & rolled up blankets give the illusion of someone still sleeping in the bed when you leave a hotel room.  (grin)

Upon check out this morning, the staff gave us two coupons for the hotel restaurant's breakfast buffet (for the trouble we had with the air conditioner last night.)  It was very yummy!!!!  Freshly made omelettes and every other kind of breakfast food you can imagine.  It was great!

Our date night was wonderful!  I'm so glad we're taking the time to do this every month!  Last night, Larry requested that I give him this same gift next Christmas---another year of pre-planned dates!  I'm already brainstorming for our 2014 Year of Dates!

...but I don't want to build an ark.

Note:  On Wednesday July 17, I interviewed for a job at a local elementary school.  It wasn't just 'a' job, it was a wonderful job that I would've loved to get.  It would provide for our family's financial needs and it would've been a job I could stay with until retirement.  I am so tired of job-hopping!  The interview went very, very well and I left feeling extremely confident.  I tried to tell myself not to get my hopes up because there have been other interviews for other jobs where I felt the same & those didn't work out.  But as time passed, I couldn't help but get more excited about it and with each passing day, I grew more certain that it would work out.  All of my friends kept saying things like "I just have a feeling this is IT.  You're gonna get it!"  On Tuesday July 23, I found out that I didn't get the job.  They went with another candidate.  This is the culmination of my prayers since getting the news.

Tuesday July 23
Me:  Why God?  Why didn't I get it?  It seemed so perfect.  It wasn't just about THIS job.  It was about so much more.  You KNOW how bad we needed it.  You KNOW we are struggling to survive every month.  WHY can't I just find a job I can enjoy that I can stay with until I retire?  Why do you keep dangling these jobs in front of me only to yank them away?  Why, God?  Why do you let us struggle so much?  It really is kind of hacking me off that we've been in this same boat for so long.  Seriously God, not cool.  Fix it!!

God:  silence.  (or at least it felt like silence)

Later the same evening:
Me:  God, have you totally forgotten us?  It sure feels that way.  I know you haven't, but it feels like I'm praying to the ceiling.  We left a job that paid well because you asked us to.  We took a giant paycut but trusted you to provide.  You have, but...it's been so hard.  We started tithing again.  We serve at church.  We give every time we have a chance.  We love people who are unlovable.  We are good people. What's up???  Isn't it our turn for life to be easy for a while?

This sucks, God.  I'm mad.  I just wanted this one stinkin' job.

Why can't you fix all this financial stuff we battle every month?  It's exhausting.  It feels like we've been climbing this same mountain for 4 years and you keep letting us slip backward.  This time it feels like you actually kicked us backward.  It's not even 1 step forward & 2 steps back.  It's more like 10 steps backward, 1/2 a shuffle forward then another 30 steps back.  Why God?  Why don't you just FIX IT?!  You can!  I know you can!

sigh.

I know that your ways are higher than mine.  Stop sending people to remind me.  I know you have a plan.  I've read Jeremiah 29:11.  Can you please just hurry up & get us to the top of the mountain?  I'm so battle worn I don't think I can stand much more.  I'm so tired of this mess.

God:  (spoken through the mouths of sooooo many precious friends)  Just wait.  What I have for you is much better.  I know it's hard.  I'll provide.  Just hang in there.

Me:  Sorry dude.  It's really not that easy.

Wednesday July 24
I went to our youth group's VBS in the park where the Bible story, the memory verse and the song we sang all carried the theme of "trust God".

Me:  Yeah, I heard the story & the song & the verse.  I get it.  Well played.
But I still don't understand why you didn't just give me the job.  Wouldn't it be simpler to just let me get a good job that I can LOVE and be done with all this money trouble garbage?  Ugh.  I hate money.  I hate struggling.

God:  Do you trust me?

Me:  (big pause)  Yes.  But...

God:  Stop it.  No buts.  Do you trust me?

Me:  I'm not sure.  It kind of feels like you're not even hearing me.  I want to trust you, but I just feel so beaten down.  I KNOW scriptures say you don't leave me or forsake me.  I remember the million times that you've done miracles & provided in some crazy way.  But I'm tired of being THAT girl--the poster child for the charity donations.  It makes me crazy to have to struggle & fight & beg you for provision over and over while I watch my friends go on vacations and buy new cars and talk about shopping.  Lord, it's brutal.  I get jealous & angry.  I want to do those things.  I don't need it every day.  Just once in a while!  Please, Lord.  Can't life get easier for us?  I don't even know how we'll make it until the 31st.  We have $14 left in the bank account.  And we have to get gas & groceries at least 1 more time between now and then.  HOW am I going to do that?

God:  Do you trust me?

Me:  I'm working on it.

Thursday July 25
Me:  I don't really feel like talking to you today.  I'm still ticked.

God:  That's okay.  I'll wait.

(late evening)

Me:  Ok, so you made sure I made a sizable dollar figure on that babysitting job.  I see how you did that.  I can buy some groceries now.  And mom gave me a few things from her pantry.  And put some gas in the van this morning.

Sigh.

Geez, you really like rubbing my nose in it don't you?

Maybe we'll make it to the end of the month after all.

(sigh of resignation)  God, I feel like Job.  Where is my sackcloth?  My dirt to sit in?  I just want to cry.  I'm so tired of fighting this battle.  I feel like I've been taking a beating for 4 years.

God:  Trust me.

Me:  Good grief.  Stop it.  I'm working on that.  Can you please just help me find a job that I can love on the kids' school schedule?  {After this I promptly sat down at the computer to look up job openings in several local school districts.  I applied for a few.}

Friday July 26
Me:  Thank you for the gift card to Walmart.  And the check from the doctor's office.  I sure don't remember ever overpaying, but hey, whatever.  If they say we're due a refund, who am I to argue?  We can sure use it!  Maybe we will make it to the end of the month after all.

God:  Remember Moses?  He was a picture of obedience & faith.  Do you remember what happened when he questioned me, when he lost faith for a short time?

Me:  Yeah, his life got harder.  He lost the chance to see the Promised Land.

God:  Yep.  Remember Abraham?  He was such an example of faith in me until he and his wife decided that I couldn't give them a baby like I promised & decided to take matters into their own hands.  Remember what happened?

Me:  Things got really screwed up.  Everything was suddenly complicated & painful & difficult.  He should've waited on y......
Crap!  I see what you did there.

God:  Chuckle.  I love it when you catch on.
Remember Gideon?  You just taught the kids about him in Sunday School last week.

Me:  Yeah.  He had a tiny army of men up against the gigantic enemy army.  They all worried & asked how they could possibly win with so few people, but you told them to trust you.  And they did.  And they won.

God:  Yes.  BECAUSE HE TRUSTED ME.  Do you see a pattern here?

Me:  I think so.  Things got HARDER for Moses & Abraham when they didn't just act in faith & trust you.  They made their own lives harder because of their own choices.  I don't think you were punishing them though were you?  They just screwed things up by freaking out & not waiting on you.

God:  Right.  Now....do you remember Noah?

Me:  Wait.  I don't want to build an ark.

God:  I'm not asking you to build an ark.  I'm asking you to consider Noah's story.  It hadn't rained in a million years, so when I asked him to build a huge boat in his driveway, people thought he was crazy!  When he told them it was because a flood was coming, they thought he'd lost his ever-lovin' mind.  When he called out & all the animals marched onto the boat and he shut the door the neighbors were certain he was nuts.  But soon enough the rain began to fall.  The earth was covered with water.  All the remaining animals and all the nay-sayers died.

Me:  But Noah and his family and all the animals on the ark survived.

God:  Yes, right.  And why did they survive?

Me:  Because they trusted you....because they trusted you.
Oh Lord.  Make me a Gideon.  Make me like Noah.  Father, don't let me make my life be harder like Abraham & Moses simply because I'm worried about money.  Father, continue to provide for us until your timing is right for me to find another job.

Help me to trust you.

God:  I love you, child.  Trust me.


I am sure this won't be the end of mine & God's discussions about this.  Obviously I'm a mess.  But I'm really trying to trust Him.  And wait on Him.  I really don't have a problem trusting that He has a plan & it will be best.  It's His timing I struggle with.

A Year of Dates: July 2013

Our date this month was set to be a Saturday morning date, but it just so happened that this week, Larry had today off, so it became a Friday morning date instead.  First we went to IHOP for breakfast.

Best omelet ever!  Mushrooms, spinach, onions, tomato, cheese & hollendaise sauce on top.  Yum!!

Then we moved on to Home Depot.  The goal was to browse & daydream while taking some silly pictures.  Ha ha!  We certainly did both!

While walking to the restrooms, we passed this cool toy & Larry decided to give it a test drive.  (He didn't actually crank it up & move, but he might have if he could figure it out!)  When I came out of the bathroom, he was missing...and so was this machine.  For a split second, I panicked that he had ACTUALLY driven it off to some other place in the store.  ha ha!!

Larry tested out one of the shower stalls.

And one of the bathtubs.  (Yes, this is about 4 feet off the ground....a little climbing was involved.)

 Has asked me to climb up & join him, but I was a little chicken, so we tried a shower stall that looked a bit like a "Beam Me Up Scotty" pod thing.  ha ha!

Finally!  Someone made a fridge for short people like me!!

This stud finder was quite effective.  After all, I located a stud.

On our way out, Larry tested out a tractor.  But rather than drool over it like most men, he used the two hand controls & made sound effects as if he was playing a cool video game.  It's hard to explain, but it was sooo funny.  If we could afford a $5000 lawn mower, I suspect this is exactly what I'd see in my yard!  ha ha!

If you aren't aware of what this whole "Year of Dates" thing is all about, go to the bottom of this post & click on the Year of Dates label to see all the posts of this topic from the beginning.  The reader's digest version:  this is all part of Larry's Christmas present this year!

A Hug From Taylor Swift

A few months ago, Larry found one of these videos and we had to go back & watch them all.  It is the cutest thing I've seen in a long time.  It's very clean & very sweet.  Take the time to watch them!