It’s Been 3 Years!!!

It cant be!!!  Has it really been 3 years since I have blogged?  Looking back at my blog, the last time I was on here was in 2009.  —  WOW!  Life sure has been busy…..and lots of things have changed during that time span.  I was writting a list of activities that I like to do.  And while I was making my list, I remembered how much I enjoyed blogging…..or writting.  So, here I am again.  Ready to make another attempt at writting. 

We’ll see how it goes…….. 🙂

“Fitting In”

It’s not easy to take an unpopular stand.  It’s even more difficult when you must do it alone… thats why for most of us we love the safety that comes with being in numbers.  I know as a parent, I am constantly reminding my three girls that they must stick with the group when they are going to the mall.  I tell them that because I know there is safety in numbers……and easier to be lost when alone……plus it makes me feel better knowing they are in a group.  🙂

Sometimes at work or in school, we are afraid to express ourselves because we are afraid of what the others will think.  I know I am guilty of this…..I dont always speak up because I am afraid of what someone else might think.  Even something as simple as choosing how we would like to dress can becoem painfully difficult as we struggle with the fear of ridicule and other negative attitudes from the people around us.  As a result, rather than suffer the pain of rejection, we bury our true selves and play along…….then we become lost. 

The desire to “Fit In” is normal, and to some degree healthy.  But when we are concerned about what others think, we not only injure ourselves, we loose who we truly are…..that we are one of a kind….we are unique…..we are God’s chosen creation. 

Along with myself, my three girls struggle with this…..especially my oldest.  Boy-oh-boy is it hard being a teenage girl.  I look back on my teen years, and I would not want to go back for anything.  She is struggling with choices right now that have to do with people she wants to know and people she should not get to know.  It has shocked me at how mean girls are……..they say mean things, act out in mean ways and “act” like they dont give a care about who they hurt in the process.

I have been reminding her that she is one of a kind….she is God’s creation….she is unique and that her uniqueness is her greatest strength.  I have reminded her that she knows what it feels like to be left out…..you have been left out for the “cool” group.  I have reminded her to remember “others” feelings when making decisions, but more importantly to remember that God is in control and He is wanting to hear from her about her frustrations and heart breaks.

This whole situation with her has reminded me that God wants to hear from me also.  When I am feeling alone, unsure and worried…..I need to give it all to God instead of figuring out who I can call on the phone to listen to all my worries. 

Thank you God, for being in control of not only my life, but the life of my three beautiful daughters!!!  Keep them safe and sound and help me to always be an encouragment to them.  —Amen

Christine L.

When I accepted the Human Resource position where I work, I was worried that I would not be able to seperate some of my feelings and emotions when it comes to the employees.  And…..this has absolutley been true for me.  I have a little over 80 employees right now, and I take a personal interest in each one of them.  Right now….my heart is heavy and burdened for one in paticular.

Her name is Christine, and she is one of our amazing housekeepers here at the hotel.  Christine is 58 years old and works hard to clean rooms to keep our guests satisfied with their stay.  I see her just about every day and every day I joke around with her.  She has told me on numerous occasions that her stomach hurts and we talk about it.  After much encouragment from not only myself but many others, Christine finally took herself to the doctor.  To make a long story short……she has been told she has cancer and has three weeks left to live. 

My heart is broken.  I am worried about her and just can not believe this is happening.  Will you pray with me about Christine’s comfort?  She has a large amount of discomfort….especially when she is taking deep breaths. 

Thank you….and I will keep you posted.

It’s OK not to do it all……

School’s back in session….and a part of me is glad and another part of me gets a little frustrated with the whole thing.  At the beginning of each school year, the teachers (along with others) start recruiting parents and volunteers for all kinds of different activities.  There’s the PTO’s, Teachers Luncheons, Cookie Dough Sale, Fruit Sale, Christmas Wrapping Paper Sale, Magazine Sale, Coupon Book Sale, Candy Sale……and the list goes on and on and on!  If your a mom with kids in school…you know what I mean.  🙂  Then I go to church, where I really want to serve and give of my time but now am hesitant to do so because I know all to well how I can overcomit myself. 

How do you react when an opportunity for service presents itself?  Do you feel guilty saying “no” and then end up saying “yes”?  Why do I feel as if I need to do it all….why do women in general feel like they need to do it all?  I know without a doubt that I can do just about anything I want to when I set my mind to it.  But, I’ve learned the hard way that I cant do it all at the same time.

I love working in the church atmosphere.  It truly has been an honor to be a part of that.  But, I have had many hard lessons to learn because of it.  For years, I tried to earn the love and apporval of others and GOD by doing everything I could find to do.  If a position needed filling, I filled it.  If a job needed doing, I either volunteered or just did it.  Doing all these important things in the church made me feel needed, important and feed my desire for selfish ambition.  The result was not fun for me, my true friends or my family.  I wound up at the bottom of a deep, dark pit and finally realized it was called clinical depression.  It was as if God just turned everything off.  He allowed me to run to the end of myslef, then He shut the door and turned out the lights.  He needed to get my attention…..and boy-oh-boy did He ever work me over!  After He took many things I loved to do away from me, and let me go without…..I finally broke down and let Him know that He had my attention!

I want to write more about this.  I want to share my heartache, frustration and sooo much more but am not sure how to do it.  Soo, I will only write when I feel the need to.  This I do know….God wants me (us) to have a balanced life.  I in no way feel as if I have the victory in this.  But, I do know that to abide in Christ is certainly a step forward in the right direction.  Even with abiding, I felt a little lost.  I was a pro at “doing”, but an amateur in “abiding”.  But, I am learning that to abide is to rest in Christ with the right priorities in place for my life.

“Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch connot bear

fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you,

unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches;

he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit;

for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

John 15:4 & 5

God’s pretty clear in this verse.  One cannot abide in life without Him.  One of my main problems in my life is that I do not know how to live a balanced life.  I find it difficult to set boundaries, and in doing so…without even realizing it until it was tooo late, I surrendered what I thought was “doing God’s Will” to the emptiness, vain and selfishness of just doing the next thing that came down the path or pleasing the loudest voice.  For me….my balance of life got wrapped up in this and then became a big twisted knot.  I felt lost and lonely.  I even felt despair and sadness.  It became where I could not measure up to anyone’s standards and I was loosing control of my life.  I could no longer balance all the demands of my home, family, friends, work and personal area’s of my life. 

Are you familiar with the verse, ” Run the race that is set before you……” ?  Well, I had been running and running, but I was doing it in my own power.  I had been running the race for the wrong audience and as a result, relied on my own selfishness instead of the power of God. 

That has been almost two years ago that I felt sooo completley lost and I wish I could say that I had it all figured out now and was on the right track.  But, I dont.  Everyday is a new day….a new beginning filled with all its ups, downs and challenges.  I am constantly having to re-evaluate my priorities and goals in order to find the balance that God intends for me to have.  I am still finding myself having to make choices between the good things and the best things.  Depression is an ongoing battle….daily…..minute by minute and at times second by second.  I hate it!  I hate admitting that I am weak and that I need help.  But, I do. 

I find it soo easy to just hide in my own bedroom….throw the covers over my head and pray that the world will just go away.  Have you been there?  It’s at times easier to do the things that let us hide from people and world, but in the long run….you still have to face reality.  God is reality.  He wants to be in the battle with me.  He wants to walk each step of each day with me.  Soo, I find myself reading, praying and taking those baby steps to rest in God so that I can have the life of balance that I soo long for.  How about you?

It’s Been Awhile!

WOW!  It’s been awhile since I have been on my own blog.  To say that this has not been my priority lately would be an understatement.  Between the girls activities, home and work….we never have a dull moment.

Let me try to catch you up real quickly……school started and all three girls are doing real well with it.  Olivia loves school and looks forward to going on a daily basis.  She enjoys the color guard, band and is trying to keep up with her Key Club duties.  Abby is finally starting to feel like she can relax at school.  She had a hard first 6 weeks, but she now knows where all her classes are, she is in a routine and is finally making friends.  Leanna is in 7th grade this year, but cheerleading practices and all the games that she cheer’s in keep her busy.  So far….she has managed it all real well.

Bobby and I both are still working at the DoubleTree.  I enjoy my new job here, but have to admit that I do feel a little overwhelmed at times.  My guess is that with time and a little more experience, it should all get easier. 

That’s it in a nutshell…..I will post more soon…..I promise!  🙂

Three Beautiful and Fun Daughters

Abby and Leanna playing dress up at the Mall

 

Our Livie-Love

Blondin 3 Ring Circus

It’s is definetly a circus…or maybe I should rename it to my zoo!  My life, which I know is similar to every other mom’s in America, is fun but busy and at times crazy.  🙂

Olivia loves school and even tho she wanted a little break, she was sad to see school end. Towards the end of the school year, she told me that she thought she wanted to try-out for the color guard.  (the girls who wave the flags during the half time show at football games with the band)  She had a couple of friends who were going to try-out and they all thought it would be fun to do together.  Much to her amazement….she made the team….along with all her friends.  She was very excited!!!  She is still a part of the band, but during football season she will be in the color guard.  As soon as the season is over, she will be playing again.  Last years theme for the football band was Hughie Lewis songs.  This years theme is Michael Jacksons Thriller.  🙂  They should have a lot of fun with that.  🙂  She has practices every Monday and then she must practice at home.  She is loving it, and we are excited for her. She also is learning to drive.  I have been letting her drive in our neighborhood and to the gas station and back.  She can go get her learners permit now, but her dad and I are making her wait a little more. Right after school was out she flew to Arizona to visit with my mom and dad.  This was her first time to fly alone and I was worried.  But…she handled it all amazingly!!!  She enjoyed being “out west” for a couple of weeks and loves all the joking that her and my dad do together!!  Olivia loves to tease and pester……hhmmmm…..I wonder where she got that from?  🙂  Could it be my dad?  🙂  The world may never know!!  🙂 

Abigail broke her arm in early spring jumping off the trampoline.  She was dodging to miss a girl who had jumped off in front of her and when she hit the ground, she landed wrong and broke both bones in her arm.  She had some minor surgery and several different types of casts.  She finally got it off two weeks ago and is now in a brace.  She was THRILLED to get the cast off but brought it home to keep as a souvinier.  It’s kind of weird to walk into her room and see a cast sitting on her desk.  🙂  Other than her arm….she is doing great.  She went to Gasden, Alabama with her best friend to spend a week with her friends grandparents.  The grandparents have a swimming pool which Abby and Taylor spent the whole time in.  She came back brown, brown, brown!  She has her daddy’s skin….not mine.  🙂 She was looking forward to going to soccer camp and trying-out for the junior varsity team at the highschool, but because of her arm she would not be able to pass her physical that she would need for sports teams.  She was sooo disappointed about that.  I want her to pick her music back up but she seems to frown at that.  I cant believe she will be in highschool…..she just seems too young to be going into highschool.  My babies are growing up!!! She just had her 14th birthday and invited several friends over for a sleep over.  They did facials, and hand theraphy then stayed up all night talking, laughing and giggling. 

Leanna loves being involved with gymnastics.  She looks forward to Tuesday nights when she goes to Elite Gymnastics and learns techniques for her tumbling.  It’s good to see her really enjoying this. She comes home and does all her flips on the trampoline…..she’s getting pretty good.  🙂  She seems to get sunburned sooo easily with the fair complexion she has.  We always slather 50 and 70 sunscreen on her, but she still gets sun….especially on her face.  Neutrogena has come out with a sunscreen that has Helioplex in it, so we are trying that.  It seems to help a little better, but not around her eyes.  We are going to take a little time in July and go spend some time on the water.  I always worry about what the sun is doing to her fair, fair skin.  Both Abby and Leanna are always on the move….which I love.  They dont sit for long….they are outside riding their bikes, walking the neighborhood or jumping on the trampoline….or when inside, they are playing dance pad, sing star…etc.  I like seeing them active.  Of course, right now the big thing is Disney’s Camp Rock….a movie that premiered last week on the Disney Channel.  It comes on every night and I think all three girls have seen it at least twice….maybe more. 

Bobby is doing good.  After being layed off in December from his construction job, we went without work for a little while.  I work at the DoubleTree Hotel and they started rennovations on sleeping rooms.  Because of this, they hired Bobby to come in and do some odds and ends work.  During this whole process, the Chief Engineer of the hotel quit and the General Manager offered Bobby the job.  We were both hesitant to take the job because the pay was a HUGE drop in income for us.  But, after a couple of weeks we realized that having a job with a steady paycheck was better than not having a paycheck at all.  The economy is really hurting the housing industry right now and there just is not any construction work being done around the Murfreesboro area.  So for now, Bobby is working here with me at the DoubleTree Hotel as the Chief Engineer.  It’s been kind of strange to have us both working at the same place.  It may not seem like much, but he really has a BIG job.  Keeping this building with a restuarant, 170 sleeping rooms, ballroom and meeting space, along with an indoor – outdoor pool maintained and running smoothly is at times very hectic.  Right now he is learning the ins and outs of elevator maintenance.  Other than learning a new job, he is still golfing on a regular basis and fishes anytime he gets the chance. 

I am fine.  Trying to balance my home life with my work life is a daily struggle for me.  It really is not easy and I am constantly asking God for guidance.  Bobby and I are taking a week off in July…using our vacation time…and I am really looking forward to it!!!  I am excited to have some days where I do not have to dress up and I can just relax!!!  🙂 

I think that cathes you up!!  We love all of you and look forward to hearing back from you!  🙂  Enjoy your summer!  🙂

Rx: Smiling

   “A glad heart makes a happy face;

a broken heart crushes the spirit”

Proverbs 15:13

A smile in your heart means a smile on your face.  I can remember my dad saying that when you hear someone who is whistling, humming or singing on a regular basis…they are happy….they have a song in their heart.  I love that!

But, how can we smile when we are having such a hard time?  With three girls in our home….2 teenagers and 1 pre-teen…..we have a lot of emotions.  Its amazing to me how one minute they can be singing and talking on their cell phones and the next they are sulking, pouting and not talking.  This basically comes from the fact that they ARE girls and are growing up!  Lots and Lots of hormones to deal with.  🙂

But then there is guilt.  Guilt does not know any songs.  It is very hard to crack a smile when we are dealing with guilt.  Guilt has a way of making us feel soo ashamed over sinful behavior that we dare not even look to Jesus because we know he wont be smiling back at us over the sin that has been committed.  Guilt is God’s way of getting our attention but once we ask for forgiveness, guilt is the devil’s way of making us feel worse.  Once God forgives us…he remembers it no more.  This is hard for me to fathom, but the Bible makes it clear that He not only forgives us but never brings the sin up again.  WOW!!!  So, the sin and guilt that we keep hanging on to is the devils way of making us loose our focus…..and when we loose our focus, we quit looking to Jesus for our healing.  God offers forgiveness that mends our memories, and he smiles when he hears our whispered “sorrys” and turns them into joy. 

That’s some pretty amazing medicine God has for us!  FORGIVENESS!!!!  This medicine is always available thru prayer.  It cures the guilt so we can move on to share his medicine with others and then leaves us with a song in our heart!!!  🙂

Abby’s Broken Arm

Abby broke her arm.

This is our first experience with a broken bone…..both Bobby and I have had broken bones before, but not our children.  When I went outside and saw Abby’s face, I knew immediatley she was hurt.  When I finally got her to show me her arm, there was no doubt about it being broken and off to the emergency room we went. 

To make a long story short….that was five weeks, one surgery, one E.R. visit and 4 doctor visits ago.  Abby has handled all of this amazingly and I have been proud of her.  She only has one week left to go and then she will be cast free!!!  She cant wait….and neither can I.  🙂

Olivia’s Band Trip

Arlington National Cemetery  –  Cold and rainy all day long!

 

Korean Memorial

Olivia & I at the Lincoln Memorial

 

         Olivia at Busch Gardens

The Tulips were beautiful!!!

Olivia & Hannah in front of the Washington Monument

 

 

 

Cheerleading

  Leanna’s a cheerleader!  A couple of weeks ago, she asked her dad and I if she could try out for cheerleading….to which we reluctantly said yes.  It’s not that we dont want her to have this opportunity…it’s just that she has not had any formal training at a gymnastics gym….and all teams require that now.  I was just afraid she would not make the team and then we would be scooping her up off the ground in tears.  BUT…we did agree to let her try…..and TRY she did!

I have to say that I am rather proud of her spirit of working hard and really “trying”!  The week of auditions, they had cheer camp every day after school where they learned a cheer, a chant, a dance routine and jumps.  Then, on Friday they had auditions.  Before the auditions began, they gave each girl a number and told them that later in the evening the roster would be posted on the school doors.

Bobby’s sister was in town visiting so we went over to his parents house to have a cookout and visit with her.  Leanna was pretty quite while we were there…..nervous about her auditions.  Around 7p.m. she asked me if I would drive her over to the school to see the posted roster.  All the way over to the school, she did not say one word…..and I was sitting there thinking about what I was going to say to her when she did not see her number posted.  I had it all planned out…..I would hug her…..tell her that there is always next year…..and then offer to take her to Sonic to get ice cream.  I thought it was a good plan.  🙂

When we arrived at the school, there was a young lady standing looking at the roster with her mom and she was crying….she obviously had not made the team.  I looked at Leanna and asked her if she wanted me to go with her to look at the list and she said that she wanted to go by herself.  She walked up to the door…..looked at the list…..turned around and looked at me with her mouth wide open.  I rolled my window down and asked her if she was o.k., and she said in shock, “I made it!”  I jumped out of the suburban, walked up to the door and asked Leanna, “What number are you?”……”Mom, I’m 11″…….”Oh My WORD….YOU MADE IT!!!!”  Needless to say, we both were excited and started jumping up and down! 

 Practices have already begun and she is loving every minute of it.  Her shoulders and arms have been hurting because she is one of the bases for the team pyramid.  This is all new for her so she has a lot to learn.  Cheer Camp is in July…..and she is looking forward to it. 

What Kind Of Superhero Are You?

Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what’s going on before anyone knows that anything is going on!Why you would be a good superhero: You don’t care what people think, and you’d do whatever needed to be doneYour biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

http://www.blogthings.com/whatshouldyoursuperpowerbequiz/outcome.php

I took the superhero quiz and found out that my superhero ability is mind reading.  —-  are you serious?  I think that’s funny.  What about you?  What kind of superhero are you? 

 

Always Late

I have a confession…I am perpetually running late.  I admit it! My husband hates being late….and I seem to always make him late. 

Definetly need to work on this…..prepare in advance a little better…..get up earlier…..get the girls moving faster…..

Is the impossible possible?  hhmmmm…….I’ll let you know.  🙂

The Never Ending House Chore

Laundry!  Piles and piles of laundry!  Never ending…always around…laundry!  It seems to grow….like a weed.  No one is watering it…I certainly have not put any fertilizer on it…I am not weeding it or cultivating it.  SO HOW DOES IT SEEM TO KEEP GROWING?

I mean…I wash and wash.  My mom taught me well….I make my piles….whites, colors, darks, towels, etc.  I wash them…take one night off to fold, iron and put away….then go to bed feeling much better about it….when I get up the next morning and it’s there again!  And not only is it there again….it seems as if this pile is larger, bigger and definetly has a mind of its own! 

It’s like Pinocchio’s nose when he gets caught lying….the more I wash…the bigger the pile grows!  Of course, my two dogs thank me.  They both go and lay on top of the piles of dirty clothes and take long, restful and peaceful naps. UGH!!!  Now that my girls are getting older, I think its time to teach them the joys of gathering up, separating the loads and washing….what a wondrful idea!  🙂 

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Your FAT!

  I went to visit my 93 year old grandmother on her birthday a couple of weeks ago.  I absolutley love her with my whole heart and find her to be an amazing woman.  Because of her age…her eye sight is a little dimmer and her hearing is just a wee bit off.  🙂  I walked into her home and told her I was there.  It went kind of like this:

Me:  “Hi Grandmother!”

Her:  silence

 Me:  “Grandmother….it’s me, April!”

Her:  “who?”

Me:  “April”

Her: “WHO?”

Me:  “APRIL…I CAME TO WISH YOU A HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Her:  “OOHH!”

Me:  “Are you doing o.k.?”
Her:  “WHAT?”

Me:  “How are you?”

Her:  “I’m fine…who are you?”

Me:  “April…your grandaughter”

Her:  “Your FAT!!”

Me:  “Thanks… :)”

I laughed then, and it still makes me smile tonight.  I can actually remember when I was very, very skinny as a kid and on into college. 

Summer is just around the corner, and I am still carrying around all my holiday festivities!  🙂  You see…somewhere along the way, the wonderful metabolism I had laid off half of it’s workers and the other half went on strike….leaving my metabolism at a snail’s pace.  I did try getting my metabolism back by offering all those who are on strike better benefits…like better health plan, more vacation days and shorter work hours….but I dont think they were interested. 

Sooo…my grandmother is right.  🙂  Dont you hate it when you know they are right?  🙂  I guess I better go and get some celery sticks….or a treadmill…..or something!  🙂

Leanna Claire on Cleaning House

Leanna, who is my youngest….but, my youngest is 11 years old…was doing laundry and cleaning house last night when I got home from work.  She was folding laundry and ironing some shirts.  I was a little nervous at first, but she really did a great job…..ironing wrinkles out and NOT burning herself or the materials.  I was shocked!!!

Later in the evening, when dinner was over…I realized she was busy in the kitchen.  I walked in there to find her unloading the dishwasher….reloading the dishwasher….washing pots and pans and putting them away….and then she actually disenfected everything – countertops, sinks, stove top  –  wiped it all down, and TOOK THE DIRTY RAGS TO THE LAUNDRY ROOM!!!!!  The kitchen looked amazing and when I got up this morning, it was such a wonderful feeling to walk into a CLEAN kitchen.  🙂

Leanna, I dont know what got in to you….but, I am just thrilled! You did a fabulous job, and I am proud of you for taking the initiative to clean up!  THANK YOU, sweet girl! 

Why Do I Love You?….Let Me Count The Ways

 It’s Valentines Day, and I truly have a wonderful valentine to share it with.  I had a crush on my husband before he ever knew I even existed.  My dad would get soooo frustrated with me when it came to my husband and sat me down one day.  He basically told me that I was going to college…and going away to college…he wanted me to work hard while there….meet lots of people….make lots of friends…..make memories…..make good grades and graduate…..BUT, DO NOT think about Bobby….AT ALL!!!  After you graduate and come back home, and your a little bit older and HOPEFULLY a little bit more wiser….and you still want to date Bobby….then, AND ONLY THEN, will we sit down and talk about it.  🙂  I will absolutley never forget that.  I came home four years later, saw Bobby at a birthday party and it’s nothing but history from there!  We have been married 17 years, and I truly am blessed for it.  Here’s just a few reasons why:

1.  He definetly is my best friend.

2.  He is a gift from God.

3.  He puts up with all my tears.

4.  He loves his three girls.

5.  He loves me.  🙂

6.  He is a wonderful father.

7.  He listens to me….when I really need him to.

8.  He loves me….without even thinking about it.

9.  He loves me….even without makeup.

10.  I can be myself with him.

11.  He can be irresistable.

12.  He makes me laugh!

13.  He makes up pre-tend words to songs that are just silly.

14.  I feel safe in his arms.

15.  He IS my better half.

16.  I love that he isnt perfect.

17.  If I ask for something, he always makes sure I get it.

18.  He loves my family.

19.  He loves his family.

20.  He loves his church.

21.  I love the way he hugs me tight every morning before he leaves for work.

22.  The way he stands beside me, and not in front of me.

23.  He makes sure I have everything I need.

24.  How he forgives me over and over.

25.  How he cleans up the kitchen for me.

26.  He does not mind going shopping with me.

27.  He watches chick-flicks with me.

28.  Absolutley…with out a doubt…an incredibly gifted carpenter!  He amazes me with the abilities and talents God has given him.

29.  Loyal to his friends.

30.  He may not be able to direct my wind…but he always knows when to adjust my sails. 

There is sooo much more, but for now….this will be a beginning place.  I will be adding to this list occasionally.  I am IN love! 

Happy Valentines Day to each and every one of you!  🙂

15 and counting…

She’s 15!  I just cant believe it!  It really is true that time flies. 

Olivia Christine Blondin was born on February 2, 1993.  She was our first child, and boy were we new parents.  I did ask the nurse at the hospital before they sent us home if a manual came with the baby so I could look up the directions and “How TOO’s” when I was not sure what to do.  The nurse just smiled at me and told me that it would all come naturally….I’m not sure about naturally….but, 15 years later we still have our Olivia and we are very, very proud of her.

She was born with bright red hair, and now has auburn hair with red streaks all thru it…just beautiful…but she hates it.  When we talk to each other, we look each other in the eye….just cant believe she is a wee bit taller than me now.  She has her daddy’s green eyes that seem to turn grey with dark colors, green with bright colors, and blue when she wears blue. 

She’s smart!  WAY smarter than her dad and I.  We have both wondered on numerous occasions how we got such a smart child.  She has initiative….on her own she studies, does her homework, fixes her snacks, takes her showers….no reminding….no pushing….no prodding…..I LOVE IT!!!!  She has a desire to make good grades and she is already thinking about college and what she wants to do with her life. WOW!!!  I KNOW I was not thinking about my future at age 15, and I definetly know her father did not think about his future until he was in his twenties.  🙂 

Olivia, your mom and dad love you and are sooo immensely proud of you!  No matter what you do or dont do, No matter where you go, No matter who you become…your mom and dad will ALWAYS love you and will ALWAYS be there for you!  You will ALWAYS have a place to call home! 

YOU GO GIRL!!!  You can do anything you set your mind and heart to!  You can accomplish anything you want to!  Aim HIGH!  Reach for the STARS!!!!

Finding My Safe Place

Have you ever wished, when you are having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad day, that you could just run and hide in a safe place?  Do you have a safe place?  I admit that I do….my bedroom.  Everyone needs a place where we feel safe, and my own bedroom has become a refuge for me.  But, I am beginning to realize that my refuge has also become a crutch…..

God has convicted me lately that I am not seeking Him for refuge….seeking Him as my Safe Place.  While reading my devotions this week, I read Psalm 91:2, “He is my refuge and my fortress.”  I decided to look up refuge in my concordance and was re-directed to Deuteronomy 33:27, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”  I do find comfort in knowing the God’s arms are outstretched and ready to catch me when and if I fall.”

I have many fears….but the fear of being pursued is one of my greatest.  Being pursued by never-ending pain and discomfort. Pursued by the unknown.  Pursued with finances, and more….I know that God does not necessarily remove the difficulty in my life.  I have prayed and prayed and asked God to eliminate my pain and struggles, but the difficulty remains.  It is in this time I must take refuge in God’s love and have the faith to believe it to be so. 

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”  Psalm 34:8 

No matter how bad things appear, under the protection of God’s wings, I am safe.  I realize that it is not a place of no pain, but it isa place of comfort and hope.

Comfort and Hope that I am clinging to.

Socks on Vacation

I have a small box in my bedroom that is full of socks….mis-matched socks.  I have come to the conclusion that sooner or later, every sock in my house will come to reside in this box.  I go thru the box once in a while looking for mates….but often with little result.  The thing is….I know I put them in the laundry, transfer to the dryer, and then on to the basket for folding.  But, always without fail they seem to disappear. 

Where are they going?  What has happened to them?  It really depends on who you are asking.  If I were to ask a person with a High IQ, I am sure they would say that it has something to do with the law of averages.  If I were to ask a person who loved the new age way of thinking, they would probably tell me all about karma.  While, other people would look at me and tell me that it’s just Murphy’s law….”Just the way things are.”

But, I am beginning to come up with my own theories.  Either I have a sock thief living in my house….or socks have a mind of their own, and they choose to go on vacation rather than stay with their sock-mate.  I think that the minute you set them free, socks trot off to all sorts of new and exoctic places.  For example, they go to visit all the dust bunnies under our couch, or they find residence in the garage while exploring all the exciting tools and equipment, or they sneak outside by the trampoline and soak up the sun (and rain, and dirt, and mud, etc). 

I have a friend that has all boys.  She decided they would all wear the SAME sock.  She went out and purchased all white tube socks with red stripes at the top that way when one gets lost, she can just replace it with another.  This sounds good in theory, but now she has 24 pair of white tube socks running around her house looking for the best place to vacation.

This is all crazy enough, until one day last week I was going thru my closet and found one tiny sock with a purple toe and purple heel.  ONE tiny sock….like a baby sock….now, I have not had any babies in my house for awhile now.  Where in the world did that sock come from?  hmmmm……the world may never know.  🙂 

Then there are the socks that get laid around the house in random places….the front door, the back door, the hallway, the bathroom, the bedroom and even the kitchen.  I casually pick them up with some tweezers and announce to all who live in the house with me, “Whose socks are these?”  I go down the line and look at each person for an answer.  In return, all I get is blank stares…and then they finally come to the conclusion that NO ONE wore them.  —— Clearly, these socks came from a tourist visiting other socks in our house who were on vacation.  🙂

The bad news is, there is nothing I can do to prevent socks from going MIA.  They obviously have minds of their own.  The good news is that just when I get totally sick of hunting them down, summer comes along and all my sock worries are laid to rest due to the fact that we all start wearing sandals…. at least for three months…..then the whole sock vacation starts over again.  🙂