I Have a Good Excuse...

I'm not dead...no worries.


And there was no disaster in tiny-town that caused my evacuation...this time at least.


It just so happens that we took a tiny whirlwind mini vacation, and because I absolutely positively do not enjoy packing for our whole family and the fact that I put it off until the very last minute, meant that I ran out of time to blog and tell you I would be gone.


Ben thinks that was a tad rude of me...I assured him of how kind ya'll are and how you'd totally understand because you get the whole packing nightmare.

I didn't blog for three whole days! And I didn't even have symptoms of withdrawal. Go me.


We had a fun little trip, that of course requires bullet points.

• Our neighbors loaned us their DVD player for the ride up. It saved our children. Without it, we may have left them somewhere along the interstate. Oh, I kid. I wouldn't actually leave them...I'd just imagine it for a bit ;)


• We traveled up to where we lived the first 5 years of our married life...the city. Turns out, I've turned back into a total rural girl again...you know the kind...grasping the dashboard anytime we even get close to the back end of another vehicle or heaven forbid...switch lanes. Sad times. I used to love driving around up there...well, except for that one time I totaled the car because of that little fender bender...anyways...


• We went to The Mall....The Mall of America. My admiration for it runs deep. And now, because it is the home of Lego Land, I've passed on my love for it to my children.

I give you pictures:

Noah made me take a picture of every ginormous Lego thing there. I'll spare you...Ben and Noah rode bumper cars and I rode this with Jake. (We made Eli ride one thing...he was too distracted by the Legos.)Why Ben didn't want to ride on the pink Blues Clues ride, I'll never know.We ate a lot. A LOT. But my favorite was Bubba Gump's (as in Forrest Gump) It is my new favorite restaurant! And if we ever have another child, I'm naming it Bubba in honor of it...

I love visiting the city. The diversity of it. The fashion. Bubba Gumps. But underneath it all...I'm a small tiny town girl.

Now I'm off to read your blogs and find out all I've missed out on while I was gone!

Happy Monday!

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Glad In It...

Yesterday I mentioned my blind lunch date :) Here we are! She totally let me take a picture (thanks Nicole:) We had such fun chatting for 2 hours, and her sweet little guy was SO GOOD!

Meeting Internet friends is so fun! Seems like I'll have to head south to meet the rest of you guys y'all!

I woke up in the middle of the night with an old song coursing though my head. It's one that I haven't heard in years...we used to sing it at the church that I lovingly refer to as "the church I came from."

I've gone to several churches before tiny town...but this particular church is where I met the real Jesus for the very first time. I met the Jesus that wanted to transform me, and know me. Who knew the worst in me, and loved me the same. Who willingly went upon a cross for the worst in me so that I could be free from it. The Jesus who didn't require me to get my act together first (which was impossible) but instead said, "let me help with that"...and He's still helping with that...

From the ages of 15-20 the people of this church mentored me, loved me, taught me truth and showed me what it meant to really truly live for Him. Since then, it has still played an important role in my spiritual walk...the people there still continue to bless and encourage me. It really is where I come from, it shaped me into who I am today. And just like family, I'll always be one of them, no matter where I am.

The song is just this verse: Psalm 118:24

"This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Sounds so simple, doesn't it...too bad I don't do this often enough.

So thankful for His reminder...today is the day He has created, planned and designed...I don't have to fix it, complain about it, or change it. I just need to rejoice and be glad in it.

I remember my life before Him...and I know life with Him, and the two are simply incomparable. I long for so many to experience Him, to know Him, trust Him, to feel the sweet release of forgiveness...all of which has nothing to do with religion, but with a relationship with Him.

It's the cry of my heart today. And I'm so thankful that 15 years ago I walked into that church, rather unwillingly at the time, and experienced a new kind of life.

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I Say it Like the Roadrunner...

I've been blogging for about nine months now and I'm always learning something new.

The latest thing cracks me up. After hearing several of you mention the word Meme on your video posts, I realized that ALL THESE months I've totally been saying it wrong (not that you can hear me say it, but still)

I say, ME ME, but apparently it is pronounced like "meem"...the funny part is...that for the life of me, I can't change how I say it! I also spell it differently every time I type it, I figure that way I'm bound to get it right at least once.

So here's another MeMe from me to you :)

I'm almost positive that the last thing the bloggy world needs is more info about me...but it does say "random things" and you know I can't turn random down...or my bloggy friend Hollie that tagged me :)

Here are the rules.....
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!!

1 - I hate the sound of people clipping their nails...HATE it. If I clip my own, it doesn't bother me so much, but other people...yikes. Don't even get me started on people clipping in public...or my teacher in high school that clipped his during class...barf. I also like the word barf, but not actual barf.

2 - Today I am going to lunch with Nicole...who leaves comments on my blog, and we "know" each other through facebook and mutual friends, but have never met in real life. I also have no idea what she looks like, so hopefully I'm not standing in the restaurant for too long before she finds me...it's kinda like a blind lunch date. I will most certainly take my camera along ;)

3 - I laughed my butt off last night while watching Jillian on The biggest Loser chew out the ladies for being lazy whiners. The best was when she said she wanted to puke all over herself for how nice she'd been to them...I heart her and her meaness...because it's effective people :)

4 - My hair in the morning is cra-zy. I don't mean a little messy or flat...I mean totally outta control...sometimes my Nike baseball cap can hardly contain it.

5 - I almost always never finish a whole book. I read 3/4 or so and then stop...figuring I've gotten the gist of it. Weird, huh.

6 - I am easily amused. Obviously.

Wow...I just made that meme really boring...that's unfortunate.

Need a post? I tag you.

I also have a little award to pass on...

Barbie from Moments. Memories. Milestones. graciously passed this on to me because of this post. Barbie is an amazing mom and woman of God, I always enjoy finding out what she's up to, go check her out...she's got some fabulous hair too ;)

You know by now, that I am terrible, TERRIBLE at following linking rules...I blame it on my laziness. Click these rules if you're a rule follower.

I love reading funny stuff from you guys...and let me tell you, there's a lot of funny stuff out there that makes me smile...all of which I can't remember right now. Memory: you fail me miserably.

But there is one that sticks out and makes me smile just THINKING about it! So, I'm passing this award on to Life's Little Quirks for this stinkin' adorable post! I love her, her blog, and the way she shares her heart and life...she's a witty little thing too. Amie...consider yourself awarded.

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Goodbye Fake Wood-Grain...

OK, some updates from yesterday.



For clarification purposes I think I should tell you that we just painted the paneling rather than removing it. We're pretty sure the paneling was installed way back when in order to hide cracks and wallpaper. And to remove it, would probably mean the walls crumbling...remember this project? Yeah.


Ben and I managed to get the office emptied, taped, primed, painted with 2 coats, and then reassembled all in one day.(thank you to this friend for taking Jake so we could accomplish this!)


I mentioned before that we were having some issues with the color choice. I had been dreaming of the office in a lovely shade of butter-yellow. But-tah.

Ben did not share my dream. (Sad, isn't it?) He was thinking something more manly...like green, since it's his office and all...and the fact that I've gotten the choice in every other room in the house, he won. In theory...this makes sense.

So...I submitted. And spent the day convincing myself I liked the green while at the same time grieving the loss of the but-tah dream. *little tear...still grieving*

He loves it. Which really does make me happy...and I really do think it will grow on me. And it really is his office...

Before:

Paneling. And lots and lots of shelves that house lots and lots of books.

More paneling:

And now Internet friends, meet talipot palm green.

The books: This is just half of the wall of books and shelves. For those of you married to pastors...you know they come with lots of books ;)

Go Green. Literally.

....maybe I'll paint the kitchen in creamy buttery yellow....

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Finally Breaking-Up With the Paneling...

Ben is on vacation from his "secular" job this week. YAY!

Today we're starting the project that we've both been putting off for the three years that we've lived in the parsonage.

The office. More importantly...the paneling in the office.

Not pretty. Paneling and I are not friends.

Before we actually moved in, I painted the paneling in all three bedrooms, but ran out of time for the office.

Since then...it has been driving me NUTS! The office is right off the living room...and ya'll know it's where the computer is...so I'm in here...well, you know....I won't specify the exact amount of time.

We've not been able to agree on a color...but on Saturday, we went ahead and picked one out...and then spent all of Sunday having second thoughts.

I should have some before & after picks soon!

In the mean time, we get to paint together :)

Let the prayers begin ;)

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The Dead-Bolt is Necessary...

This is why I have to dead-bolt lock our doors...during the day, while I'm home...

He's mastered the art of sneaking out of the house, ever so quietly...to fill up the watering can and then make a mud hole at the bottom of the slide...where he proceeds to play in it...fully clothed.

Did I mention it's like 50 degrees out while he's doing this?

Little rascal.

He's seriously lucky he's so dang cute.

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I Make it Difficult...

Have you ever been absolutely positively certain about something? I mean really thoroughly convinced of what you feel, certain that your feeling won't change?



I have.



And I've had those very same feelings change, in the blink of an eye...which always tends to feel a tad bit disturbing at the time.



I know, deep in my heart that God knows the desires of my heart better than me. He's proved this over and OVER about a zillion times in my 30 years of existence.



Why then, do I go about life, trying to push my own agenda? Trying to convince Him of what I truly want, sometimes feeling like He's gonna make me do something I don't want to do and I'll be totally miserable?



It makes no sense...it's gotta stop.



I mentioned yesterday that God is ever so gently showing me areas in my life that I have maintained control of...haven't quite handed over to him...or handed over and then snatched right back.



I'm good at that. Hanging onto something till I realize I've completely messed it up or I'm completely unsure of what I want...then go before Him, begging for His wisdom and direction, and then getting discouraged when He doesn't immediately tell me what I should do.



I realized this week that He doesn't immediately tell me what to do, because I'm not even in a place to be able to hear Him.



How do I get to that place? It's a question I ask all the time...it's a question I was asked this week.



The answer is simple but I don't often like it.



Obedience.



His way...trusting Him, taking those hard steps of faith that are sometimes so very scary. Out of the boat and onto the crashing waves, so to speak. Sometimes the steps are so very basic that we ignore them...thinking they're too simple, wanting to just jump ahead.



I generally want Him give me some sort of assurance that this is gonna work out for me...that whatever the step of faith it would feel easy. But that is not required of Him...He owes me no guarantee, except that He will be with me, and that I am required to obey if I want His blessing on my life. And, I have the absolute guarantee that He knows more than I do.



So, today...if you're feeling His nudging in some area of your life, but you're resisting...you're not alone. And, if you're choosing to obey, and are still scared outta your mind...still not alone. And if you're resting on the assurance that it's ok to be scared, but trusting He's got a plan...not alone. I'm with ya on all of it.

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