Happy New Year's Eve Day

We made it to CO. The kids were great on the long drive and we're now crashing at a friends house, either for the next several weeks until our furniture shows up or until we wear out our welcome. Whichever comes first...

I had an appointment yesterday with my old hair stylist and she was thoroughly appalled at what was going on on my head! She fixed me up and I'm starting to feel a little bit more like myself again.

Hope you're all enjoying a wonderful time with your families and I pray that God has many blessings in store for you for 2010.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We're here in So. Cal spending a wonderful day with family. The kids are enjoying playing with their cousins and I'm enjoying laying around in my jammies. My sister is taking lots of pictures, so hopefully I'll get a chance to put those up soon.

Hope you're all enjoying this day, celebrating the birth of our Savior.

last day of school

I'm taking a quick little break from the whirlwind of chaos we have going on here. Thought I'd share a few pictures of the last day of school.

Kate and two of her little friends.

They are so sweet together & very sad to see Kate go.

Kate & her buddy Bailey.

Mark and some of his buds.

Adam's friends threw him a going away party, which was very sweet.

I don't think he really minded that only one other boy showed up.

Gregory was not interested in being in any pictures that day, so there you have it. We got a couple cute pictures this morning at church so I'll have to get those up here one of these days.

We're loading the car tonight and tomorrow morning and the plan is to leave the 'ville around noon on Monday. We'll see...

So in case I don't get a chance to post again for a while (which is nothing new around here)...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

quick update

I've been wanting to post something for a while now, but wanted pictures and haven't had any. Now I've got some, (they're not too good, but they're pictures nonetheless) but they're on the computer that I'm not on right now. BUT, I decided to post a quick update anyway.

Things here are uber crazy. Yes, I said uber and I mean it with a capital U! We're trying to pack boxes to move, finish up laundry so that we can pack for a week in So. Cal and then packing to live out of suitcases for three-ish weeks in CO, and on and on the list goes. We've had a week of finals for Ron and the two older boys, parties galore in all the kids classes, trying to cram in time spent with new friends and saying lots of goodbyes that have been much harder than I ever would have imagined.

I'm so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to make some wonderful new friends, but very disappointed to have to leave them so soon. There sure is a lot going on here that makes zero sense to me, but I'm trusting in the Lord that His way is best.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almight.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge

and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

Psalm 91:1-2

fun times for a great cause

These girls have started their party so head on over and join the fun!

Just go here and check it out.

just for fun

Christmas Questions...

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both, although I always prefer wrapping paper and usually only use gift bags for odd shaped gifts. Or if I'm in a hurry.

2. Real tree or artificial? Real. Or none as is the case this year.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the first or second weekend of December.

4. When do you take the tree down? Several days after New Years or when it's dead. Whichever comes first.

5. Do you like eggnog?

A little bit, warmed up with nutmeg sprinkled on top.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Western Barbie with the horse, jeep and trailer

7. Hardest person to buy for? My father in law

8. Easiest person to buy for? My daughter.

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a couple.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? This year, neither. I was going to email them, but it's not going to happen.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmmm... I'd rather not say.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf and The Holiday

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As soon as I start seeing things that will make good gifts.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so, but I don't trust my memory. I'm not opposed to it!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's Swedish Cardamom bread.

16. Lights on the tree? Absolutely!

17. Favorite Christmas song? I love almost all Christmas music and would listen to it year round if my husband and first born would let me.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? We usually stay home, but this year we're traveling.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?

Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen. And the most amazing reindeer of all... is Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer... yes, I had to sing it while I was typing it.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We've had both. It's been a star the last couple of years.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? The kids each get to open one gift on Christmas Eve and it's always new pajamas. Then everything else is Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The whole PC thing about not saying CHRISTmas. It's just dumb and wrong.

23. Favorite ornament ? I love just about every single one that we have.

24. Do you make Christmas cookies ? Yes, some years. Not this year though.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year ? Safe travels, peace on earth, and a Kindle. :)

Now it's your turn. Just copy and paste this into the comments section. Delete my answers and put in yours.

SO cool!

You need to check out what these ladies have pulled together.

It is so awesome!

Go here to join in the awesomeness.

Breaking Free

For the past ten weeks I have been doing the Beth Moore bible study Breaking Free. It is probably the best study I have ever done. I'm sure part of that is because God knew it was what I needed during this season, but it also has challenged me in ways I've never been challenged before. It has been amazing and difficult all at the same time.

There have been many times I've wanted to share parts of the study, what I've learned, things Beth Moore said, but everything seemed kind of pulled out context when I would start to share just one part it. But this morning, as I was going over this last weeks homework, I read again two different parts that I had underlined and really wanted to share them. They're a little long, so bear with me. It's worth it!

"I believe God can use any motivation to get us into His Word and into prayer, but then I believe He wants to refine our motivations until they become first and foremost the desire for Him. My motivation for Bible study and prayer could still be all about me. Fix my circumstances, Lord. Use me powerfully, Lord. Direct me in obvious ways today, Lord. Make a way for me, Lord. Make me successful, Lord. Listen carefully: not one of those prayers is wrong. But if my motivation for my relationship with God is what He can do for me, a lust for His power may grow but a yearning for His Presence will not. God deeply desires to hear our petitions, but His greatest joy is to hear them flow from the mouths of those who want Him more than anything else He could give."

I don't know about you, but that hit me upside the head like a ton of bricks. If there's one thing that I continually have felt like God has been trying to tell me over the last 2 1/2 years, is that it's not about me. So many times I have prayed for Him to deliver me, guide me, make my life comfortable again, etc. and very, very few times have I just sought Him. Period. And isn't that really what so much of this life is all about?

This next part was another one of those things that I really needed to hear right now and am trying to stay focused on. Hopefully the point gets across, as I'm pulling it from a larger concept...

"Isaiah 40:31 offers the perfect prescription for former captives who sometimes get tired in their struggle to maintain freedom: Seek the presence of God and hang on to Him. Go where He goes and let Him fight for you. Invariably when we're most exhausted, we'll find we're expending more energy fighting the enemy than we are seeking God's presence. More than you seek to win, seek Christ! More than you seek to defeat the enemy, seek his Foe! More than you seek victory, seek the Victor! As you do, you are binding yourself to His presence and trusting God to carry you onto victory. You'll never be more beautiful to God than we He can look down and see you hanging on to Him for dear life!"

I had a very sweet and encouraging conversation with Kate's teacher yesterday where she reminded me that God never makes mistakes, He knows what He's doing and He absolutely can be trusted. We may never know why we were moved here for such a relatively short period of time, and we may never know the lives that were touched and the things that God accomplished through it. But as I step back, I am able to see lots of little things that I am so thankful for, and being a part of this Bible study the past ten weeks is definitely one of those things.

"Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and His understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint."

Isaiah 40:28-31