God was busy today...

(Last night's journal entry)

God was busy today...

*HE listened with a tender ear as I prayed over a list of specific needs.

*HE answered promptly with clarity.

*HE prompted a spirit-led friend to deliver a sum of money for some work I'd done for her....it was exactly what was needed to cover a checking account....she had no idea!

*HE helped a kind lawyer explain that payments could indeed be made to speed a relative towards a safer, happier life. Oh, the relief.

*Tonight, one of the children thanked God for our trials, "so we can learn lessons from our mistakes". I felt His love then, and am grateful that my children are learning gospel truths.

*My Heavenly Father was in a meeting behind closed doors today. Unbeknowngst to us, a certain hard-working intern was a topic of discussion. Needs this month will be met. Gratitude abounds.

*Did you know that our Father in Heaven loves Boy Scouts? I didn't. But, HE was at a Pack Meeting tonight. Jake received his Arrow of Light award, and work pays off for everyone involved. I received a much-needed testimony of the importance of Boy Scouts for this particular son. I'm thankful for Spirit-led leaders, too.

*HIS Mighty Hand was there when the keys got locked in my van. Helpful neighbors came to my rescue. One offered a phone number, resulting in the prompt arrival of our maintenance man to let me into my house to fetch my spare keys. The inconvenience was short-lived. (If you've ever lived in OP Estates, you know that "maintenance" and "prompt" are rarely in the same sentence.)

*I saw God at work late this evening, helping the Kansas State Wildcats advance to the Elite Eight!

*And did you notice what He did outside just today? Oh my goodness. Blossoms are popping out, and buds are coming to the surface. And that lucious green grass--- oh. so. vibrant. But, best of all, gray skies be gone! The sunshine and warmer temps feed my soul.

He loves ME. He did all this for ME. God was busy today.

Wading and waiting...

Well, Joe is off to Colorado Springs today for the very last leg of his internship with Atlas Chiropractic.

Only 3 weeks left. He's been out there since the first week of January, and he's completely enjoyed the work out there. The doctors are welcoming, helpful, and they are teaching him more than he dared hope. The practice is his high-energy, high-volume style. And he loves being in the mountains. He's been able to come home every 2-3 weeks, so the separation has been manageable. The most difficult part for Joe has been the sheer loneliness during his abundant down time (the office is only open 3 1/2 days a week). But even that has worked out to his benefit so he could study diligently for his Board exams! The worst part for me has been ridiculous anxiety about our financial future, and the humility of realizing I'm being ridiculous! (See Matt. 6...HE watches over the sparrows, and clothes the lillies of the field. Are we not more than they?)

So as with every other stage of our life, we have been offered some trials to help us learn and grow as well as sweet, sweet blessings that prove that we are not in control, and our Father in Heaven still has our best interests at heart and He will make sure those deep desires are granted!!

Everyone asks me all the time what our plans are. I wish I had a more clear-cut answer to give. But, we just have to WAIT right now. We stare at our list of exciting and not-so-exciting options, and WAIT. We have work to do, and lessons to learn and to improve upon in the interim. Lessons like humility, endurance, trust, patience, time-management, gratitude, partnership, self-reliance, optimism, and striving to always do our best even in challenging circumstances....

Admittedly, some of these lessons make me feel like I am WADING through a stinky, mucky bog on the way to my destination. It's not easy, fun nor pleasant. "Bogs" are on the map, you know. They should not come as a surprise. I was forewarned. But even when adequately prepared, WADING through is just plain tedious.

Joy in the journey!?! Surprisingly, yes! Of course! I'm moving forward, and I know the road continues on the other side of this bog. There is an end. The map says so! And for this particular bog, that end is in sight.

So, that is where you will find us for awhile longer....WAITING and WADING...

Winter Band Concert

This year, Jacob joined Band at his school and has learned to play the trumpet! I have to say, he's a natural. He learned quickly and easily, (astounding his parents, for sure). So, his band gave a Winter Concert performance, and I especially enjoyed learning the fact that he chose to learn the more challenging harmony part for "Jingle Bells". I walked away from the concert proud of him.
Here is a portion of his practice session before the concert...As a side note, Jake rarely spends any time practicing at home. You may be able to figure out why in this video! (And all the more reason I'm impressed with Jake's skills!) :)

On turning 2...

So Levi turned two years old. What better to way to celebrate HIM, than to surround him with the things and people he loves the most?

Pizza! Ice Cream! Family! Dancing! Elmo! (Thanks, Daddy!) Balls, books and bubbles!

Levi is a bundle of "G-O", go! He must be watched every minute, as he explores the why's and how's of the world around him. He climbs onto everything and jumps off! He dumps out his cups, bowls and buckets. And he THROWS everything and exclaims, "Here! TATCH!" (catch). He is proud of his every accomplishment and will request "high-fives" and "thumbs up" in celebration and will say, "I DID it!" His vocabulary expands weekly, and he loves to play every kind of ball. (This is funny to watch as he often tries to catch and throw a basketball with his mitt, or hit a soccer ball with a bat.) He loves horsey rides and is always in the middle of everything and everybody. For the saftey of all invloved, right now everything is planned around his developing social skills, the testing of his limits and his learning the do's and don'ts of his little world. Eeeeeekk! But, his smile is amazing and his charm is irresistible, what more could we ask for at any stage?!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

This year, for our Christmas present to ourselves, Joe and I got tickets to the KU/Cornell game on January 6, 2010 in Lawrence. (And, yes, in case you didn't know, my grandpa informed me that KU is the birthplace of Basketball, and I've been a fan since the 1980's!) Would you believe there was a terrible snow storm that night?! We just couldn't let it stop us, though, and we easily became two more fanatical fans in stands, and truly enjoyed the thunder/PHOG that is a KU home game!
At first, I thought our attendance was going to jinx the winning streak, because Jayhawks were down by quite a bit...But, in what I think is true Jayhawk style, they pulled out the stops at the last minute.

Look at this score board!

That's how they play basketball in Kansas.

And at the rate they are going....they could be bringing another one of these beauties home SOON!
Go Jayhawks!