My friend Keri sent me this picture that she had taken of Ron and I when she and her husband were out visiting this summer.

That's Napa Valley behind us. Well, some of it anyway. It's just gorgeous!

And despite the fact that I look totally pregnant in this picture, I thought I'd share it with you anyway.

Looking at it makes me realize how rare a picture of Ron and I together is. We'll have to get better about that, babe. Especially now that we have perfectly capable photographers hanging around with us all the time.

my boy and a prayer request

UPDATE: After several glitches, the appointment went well, the doctor listened to all that I had to say, and then he sent us to the lab for a full work up and said he'd call in the next several days to let me know what he finds. Praise the Lord!

Mommy & Gregory

Gregory has not felt well for probably the last four years. It comes and goes and is just kind of this vague, underlying yuckiness. We've got a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I'm praying that the doctor would listen. That he would take me seriously and be willing to get to the bottom of this. It might be nothing. But I need to know for sure and I need Gregory to feel better. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for the doctor and for me to speak clearly and explain things well.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

monday fun-day

Trying to make the most of cleaning day.

I will be blasting this through my house and will enjoy every minute of it!

Here's to a new week! Enjoy...

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is Your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

library tour

When I was growing up I almost always had my nose in a book. I loved to read! Still do. Every now and then I'd read a book that at some point mentioned there being a library in the house. I always thought that would be the coolest thing. I dreamed of growing up and some day having a library of my own in my house. Well, that hasn't happened, most likely won't happen, and honestly, at this point, I wouldn't want to dust all those books.

But back to being a little girl. If I had just had the creativity back then of a certain seven year old boy that I'm honored to call my son, I could have, in fact, had my very own library in my house.

And for most of last week, I had just that.

Welcome to the Library

If you're just learning how to read, here is the "esey to read" section.

Interesting movie selection at this library...

Chapter Books

The best kind of "storis"

This cracks me up. Because the other sections weren't fiction?

This one took me a minute to figure out. LOVE IT!!!

And every good library should have a cat, curled up in the corner, sound asleep.

FYI

You need to check this out. Too cool!

I asked a friend once if she knew how much it costs to get Polaroid film developed. (Yes, I really am a blonde.)

Thanks to rollip, it just doesn't matter any more.

snow day

UPDATE: No snow. Bummer.

So, I hear that Fort Collins is supposed to get snow some time in the next 24 hours. I've got a favor to ask all of you, my dear friends that I miss so much, will you please take pictures and send them to me? PLEASE???

For the five years that we lived there, I always took a picture of the first snow. I know I'm weird, but hey, it's why you love me, right? Don't answer that...

Anyway, I would love to see some snow pictures. You can email them or snail mail them, I don't care, I would just love to see some snow right about now.

Especially since it's over 100 degrees here. We're sweatin' like pigs.

But I guess we can't complain about getting to do this after school...

the cross

"Whosoever will come after Me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross,

and follow Me."

Mark 8:34

Since I don't seem to have any of my own words these days, I thought I'd share the devotion that I read yesterday in Streams in the Desert. It was so good that I read it again today. It's one of those that I should probably read everyday...

The cross which my Lord bids me take up and carry may assume different shapes. I may have to content myself with a lowly and narrow sphere, when I feel that I have capacities for much highter work. I may have to go on cultivating year after year, a field which seems to yield me no harvests whatsoever. I may be bidden to cherish kind and loving thoughts about someone who has wronged me- be bidden speak to him tenderly, and take his part against all who oppose him, and crown him with sympathy and succor. I may have to confess my Master amongst those who do not wish to be reminded of Him and His claims. I may be called to "move among my race, and show a glorious morning face," when my heart is breaking.

There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by me of my own accord. But never is Jesus so near me as when I lift my cross, and lay it submissively on my shoulder, and give it the welcome of a patient and unmurmuring spirit.

He draws close, to ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others, through the very experience which is so grievous and distressing, and then- as I read on the seal of one of those Scottish Covenanters whom the Claverhouse imprisoned on the lonely Bass, with the sea surging and sobbing round- I grow under the load.

Alexander Smellie

FIGHT ON!

Well folks, college football season in this house officially starts this weekend. We're packing up the car and heading south for the first USC home game of the 2009 season.

Watch out for this guy...

Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Beat the Spartans!

doing our part

Every year the kids bring home the notice from school about collecting box tops to raise money for the school. I'm all for helping the school raise money, but we just don't buy much of anything that has the box tops coupon on them.

Well, thanks to Costco and their cases of Ziploc baggies, we're good to go!

(And a box of Hefty bags for good measure.)

Here's to hoping I didn't cut through any of the baggies in the process...

congratulations Kate!

Each week at chapel a teacher picks one child in his or her class to give a chapel award to. It's a pretty big deal of course, so I was so proud of Kate that she received one yesterday. Especially the first week of school. And then when I found out what she got it for, it brought tears to my eyes.

"For making a great adjustment to a new school".

I could really stand to learn from her example of having that child-likeness that just falls right in to a new situation and has fun with it and "makes a great adjustment". Mom's not doing a very good job with that lately. Too many tears, too much missing friends and things that are familiar.

But I am so thankful that God is here with me, He knows how I'm feeling and He wants me to just continue to lean on Him and run to Him. And I am very, very thankful that the kids seem to be adjusting quite well. I'd much rather be the one struggling than them.

"Every word of God is flawless;

He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him."

Proverbs 30:5

"My soul finds rest in God alone;

my salvation comes from Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation;

He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."

Psalm 62:1-2

seriously?!

This was at Costco today. I mean come on! I haven't even wrapped (no pun intended) my brain around the fact that summer is almost over. And with the temps being in the high 90's and low 100's around here, summer isn't ending any time soon, thank you very much!