35 Years

Hi, everybody!! Today Jon and I have been married 35 years...wow, I feel like I must have gotten married and age 4 or so! No, I was 4 1/2, that's right! Of course if I count that way we've been married less than 9 years. Now I'm all confused! We don't have any big plans for the day. We went to Council Bluffs Friday night and ate at Quaker Steak and Lube...very fun place...thanks for the suggestion, Trever and Tabbi! The weather has been beautiful this weekend...maybe a motorcycle ride later. We'll be celebrating more in 3 weeks when the kids gave us a night in Kansas City and tickets to a Royals game! We're really looking forward to that!! Thanks, everybody!

Thought for the day

Thank You, Lord, for the gift of my husband. Thank you, Jon, for sticking with me through every part. Marriage is a blessing. It is also hard work. We each are fortunate if we find that person who wants to share our lives, but it takes constant care and adjustment to nurture and keep that alive. And it takes faith in a big God when our efforts seem to fall short or we just mess up. If I have advice apart from the obvious, it is to remember always that first friendship you and your spouse had...what you have shared...what drew you to each other in the first place. Then hang on to that against every force that would want to distract or attack that bond. Sort of like the siblings that may have differences but defend each other on the playground and stand up for each other allowing no one else to come between them. And always find every opportunity you can to laugh together.

WOW!!

Okay, I have to give credit where credit's due. The addition to my header was from a Veggie Takes DVD we watched this weekend..."with great chocolate comes great responsibility". Just made me laugh, but the DVD had a good lesson about temptation. I think it was called "Larry and the Bad Apple". We had SO MUCH fun this weekend. Tabbi and the boys and Kelli and the girls all arrived around noon on Saturday. We went out to the lake for a couple of hours, then came home and put a pork loin on the grill. We got to visit with some of our closest friends visiting in town for a while. Jon (son-in-law) spent his daytimes helping his parents with a project and his evenings here. On Sunday Megan and Greg came till Monday morning. We went to the new Night at the Museum movie in the afternoon---VERY FUN!! The kids played at dream playground for a little while. Jon and Kelli went out for their anniversary. Trever came and made us all fried mushrooms to go with supper---YUM!!! Then Tabbi and Trever took all four on the kids to their house for a sleepover. Everyone slept a little later this morning, then Tabbi came back with the kids. Greg and Megan took off late morning, and both girls and their kids left mid-afternoon. We went for a motorcycle ride this evening and stopped at Tabbi and Trever's to give the boys rides. WHEW!!!!! It was AWESOME, and we are TIRED!!

Thought for the day

Back to temptation...the DVD made the point that there are many things that aren't wrong, but can become traps and entangle us. I'm pretty sure that's a universal issue for each of us...I know it is for me. It may be a hobby that takes over our lives, food or substance of other kinds, needing others' approval...any one thing can become a prison that will not let us go. We must be on guard and ready to flee temptation of any kind that may become a snare.

Redeeming the Time

We have kids coming and going for parts of the weekend...we're excited to see everyone again. So now we're busy getting things ready...Jon mowed and we're finishing up some things outside. I still have to get lots of groceries and get some food preparations done. Then the craziness will start!!! YAY!!! I got a little more sleep last night, but I need to do that on a more regular basis.

Thought for the day

I find odd moments during the day when I just want to have some time with God. I can't physically do that, so I try to withdraw within and focus for a few moments. The weird thing is that later when I could take that time I let myself get distracted by meaningless things that just eat up time. It's great to "touch base" through the day, but I sure miss the boat on "making the most of the opportunity" and "redeeming the time" when it comes to my free time. I know this makes no sense to you young moms...you have no free time! But I can make some pretty good chunks of it when I plan, and I don't want to fritter it all away! Have a great day, and redeem what time you have!

More Walking

OK, I seem to be confused. We plan to see the new Night at the Museum movie this weekend. I must be a little whacked out. More season finales...got in my walk tonight...YAY!! My foot seems to be holding up well, and I hope to stay really regular with the walking. I want to get my cholesterol and blood pressure down...they were higher than last year even after 6 weeks of being really strict. I don't need to let this get away from me. Now that my foot is tolerating longer walks, I hope to make some real progress.

Thought for the day

I need more sleep...this getting up earlier doesn't work so well unless I go to bed earlier, too, and that doesn't seem to be happening. Another area where I need to set some goals and priorities that contribute to life without becoming legalistic. Or maybe I just need to go to bed earlier. See you later! Love you all!!

More Season Finales

Tonight was our season finale of 24....ended with another cliff-hanger...see you next year, Jack! I think Wednesday night is our last night for finales of our favorite shows...just sad how addicted we are this year! I know you're all very disappointed in us for setting such a bad example! But in good news today, Kelli notified us that Chuck will return next year with a half season for sure, full one if it goes well. YAY!!!!
We're looking forward to this weekend...Kelli's family will come for the long weekend, and the other kids will be coming and going as they can...not definite yet on all the details. We're hoping to see the new "National Treasure" movie sometime.

Thought for the day

How do we keep balance? We know people who are great Christians...dedicated, Spirit-filled, then somewhere along the way there is a detour. Something seems to go wrong...or maybe I just don't get it. They get on a track that leads to an extreme view along a particular line, or they track in a way that seems to remove them from reality. There is the other extreme of a faith and life that sees, hears, feels, expects nothing more than a secure eternity (not that that's a small thing!). Obviously, we can let ourselves remain too attached to the world and miss the life God would have for us. But can we also lose a grip on reality and everyday truths when we get chasing down a side trail? I believe that there is a balance...not "middle ground" that keeps us hanging between the world and the kingdom...but a true seeking and embracing of the kingdom in THE MIDST of everyday, common, ordinary life that can transform the common into the significant. Does any of this make sense, or am I rambling? Whether I can put it into words or not, I think this balance, this seeing the eternal in the ordinary, is worth striving for.

Feels Like Deja Vu

Wow, I think I've been here before. But this time it's more fun and easier to save...program, track meet, and preschool graduation all took place in less than a week for Tre and Tru. Emmy will also graduate from preschool next week! "Back in the day" we could take some pictures, get film developed, pay even for the ones that didn't look like anything, then if we were really organized put them into something called a photo album. Remember that? If we were living the good life we could use a huge camcorder and record the event to play on our VCR(?) later. Now we can take a palm sized camera and take endless pictures and shoot video all day long...just have an extra battery. Later you hook up a cord and move the pictures to your computer, burn to a disc, even play on your TV (we haven't tried that yet). Your pictures show up at work on your monitor, in a picture frame, or on a key chain. Pretty cool. Here are some to share from the week, probably more later...

Busy Mother's Day Weekend

I hope all of you had a nice Mother's Day!! We kept Tre and Tru from Friday evening till this afternoon. Tabbi had to work yesterday and was planning on coming for church this morning. Ron Dotzler was our speaker at church this morning which was a real treat. We hadn't seen him or his family in a long while. Unfortunately, I didn't get to visit with them personally. We were occupied with getting prayer time started, and they had other plans for lunch. China Pan has relocated uptown and we went there for lunch..had a very nice time. The boys got their motorcycle rides before going home. Later we took my mom for a drive and DQ. I'm kind of tired tonight (for some reason!), so I think tonight will be quiet! On Friday morning I went to Tre's track and field day where he won 3 blue ribbons! He was quite delighted and had a great time. Later I will get my pictures downloaded and will share some with you all
Again, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL YOU MOMS!! YOU ARE INCREDIBLE!

Thought for the day

In our prayer group today we prayed, of course, for moms. But it made me aware of the moms who face more trying circumstances...I thought especially of those who have children serving in the military (thinking of you, Kathy), those who have sick children or have lost children, those who are serving as spiritual heads in their homes. There are lots of challenges facing all moms, and we need to KNOW Who our refuge and source is. I know that as our kids grow up and our roles change that we need all the wisdom that God can give to relate well and wisely to leave the legacy that we want to give our children.

EMMY GET WELL!

EMMY, EMMY, EMMY!!! You are just too cute to be sick! I heard that you have an ear infection and pnuemonia...that's not what we want to hear! GET WELL QUICK!!! We love you lots!

More Fun

Pix and Videos From Today

Check my earlier post tonight for words...the pix and videos are for fun!

Big God

It's been an absolutely beautiful weekend here...sunny to partly cloudy...low 70's today I think...no wind, just a slight breeze now and then. Tabbi, Tre, and Tru came over for church and we spent all day outside with them...including motorcycle rides. I don't know what the forecast is out ahead, but I could sure take more of this!! Our plans for this week include going to Tre's spring concert on Wednesday night...then Jon goes on call for a week starting Friday morning.

Thought for the day

In church today we had a video by Louis Giglio that was incredible about the greatness of God and how huge and massive He is. And yet He knows all our ways and cares about all the details of our lives. There is no way I can reiterate what he shared so powerfully, but we must realize that we ALWAYS see God as too small. However we are experiencing or seeing Him, He is ALWAYS MORE!

Nice Friday Night

No takers on the vinegar and honey? Really? Okay, but if you change your mind... Today was cloudy all morning, but we had mostly sun this afternoon. Jon and I went to Joe's on the Square for supper tonight, and then took a walk afterwards. It was perfect outside...even Logan went with us and really liked it. I don't usually walk here because it may aggravate my shoulder, but Jon took her leash so that worked well.
What are your plans for the weekend? We're hoping to get some things started around the house this spring...inside and out. I'm not sure what will happen this weekend in regard to that, but we may get some supplies and and stuff to get started.

Thought for the day

We're planning to focus our prayer time on Sunday by gathering a small group together with each of the people on the search committee to pray specifically for that person. We're hoping that these groups will continue to pray for that person privately through this process. It really is a huge job they have to do, and we need to appreciate and support them all we can. It's convicting to be encouraging prayer...easy to realize how little I pray myself.