And in the Blink of an Eye. . .

She turned five!!!!

Thanksgiving and her fifth birthday all rolled into one.

It seemed especially fitting because she is definitely one to be thankful for.

Like her mama, she seems to balance things out; ease people.

Her smile and easy going nature just brings about a quite comfortable peace.
And that is a gift I am thankful for.

Her and her Nino.

Love From Nina

Shenanigans with Little and Kendra

Probably the only shot I took that wasn't birthday related.

Her little buddy. Ten days apart.

She is front and center of mom and dad.

Thanksgiving 2014 looked very different from years past.  It was quiet.  It was small.  We weren't all together for the first time in a very long time.  There were some gaps.  There were some small moments of missing.
But there were even bigger moments of peace. Joy. Happiness.  
I am reminded how Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."--Matthew 19:14\

There were certain times throughout the evening, while kids played ball, ran in and out of doors, feasted on the patio, and licked ice cream off plates that I realized they were oblivious to the haunting hurts: dad's friend who passed away six years before, the neighbor who died this summer, but whose husband invited us over, Anthony being with his dad, hurt feelings or pain we adults carry burdened by our pasts. . .the kids missed it all.
They only enjoyed the present, lived it for every little thing it had to offer.
They were thankful in its fullest capacity.
To be five again. . .or at least to live like it.
Try it.
Or die trying.
 

Birthday Blessing

Birthday Blessings, Babe!  Thanks for being so generous with your special day and all the festivities that come with having a ten-year-old tomorrow.  Your birthday is always special because it's the day I went into labor with our first born.  Remember that early morning phone call? I love doing life with you.  I hope your year is blessed and bountiful.  Happy birthday--I feel so lucky to celebrate with you healthy and whole this birthday.  I will always. . .

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus--"

 1 Thessalonians 5:18

November 25, 2012

I will give to the LORD the thanks due to His righteousness. ~Psalm 7:17 

I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good. ~Psalm 54:6 

I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Your name forever. ~Psalm 86:12 

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever! ~Psalm 107:1

I give You thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; ~Psalm 138:1

With Thanksgiving behind us, I can't help but relish in its meaning.  I feel stuck in a place of gratitude and I know there is a good reason for it!!  Through the course of this past week, I have not been able to grasp this miracle that is our God.  In the past two years, I have grown so much in my walk with Him and developed a relationship with Him that is deeply personal and our own, but now?  I feel like I just really know Him. Which just seems strange, as He has been there all along.  He carried me through my mom's bout with breast cancer, deaths, and births. . .but now?  It's like I feel his realness deep into my heart, my soul.

For the longest time, I've heard people give their testimonies and wondered what the heck mine was. I was born and raised Catholic, went to Catholic school, went on retreats, went to church sporadically, have always known my God is there for me.  So what is this testimony people stand up and talk about?  Why can't I place my finger on what mine is?

Testimony:  an open acknowledgment; b. a public profession of religious experience.

And today it hit me.  THIS is my testimony. Not the miracle of how my husband is still alive to love on longer. . .that is his.  Mine is that moment of peace as Janessa and I prayed on our way to the car.  The echoing in my head that, "  He is good, He is good, He is good. . ."  No matter what happens, He is good.  Although it sounds morbid to say aloud, morbid to write here in this familiar space, my brain went to that place what if he dies?  And in that moment I was filled with peace.   
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.--Philippians 4:7

THAT is my testimony.  And the more I share my experience aloud, the more I know this is it.  The more I am in awe of what  an awesome God He is.  The more I realize my walk with Him and the relationship we've developed was getting me ready for that moment.  That moment was my true awakening that He is all he says He is. And my heart continues to swell with gratitude. . .God has filled it so much, that there is no room for anything else. One day Ernie will return to work.  I am confident that God will continue to fill me up where there is no room for worry or anxiousness. He has this.  I know that now.  

Ernie's surgeries are over.  They had to do a skin graft with skin from his right thigh.  He said that was more painful than the burns to his hands.  He is still hospitalized until probably Tuesday--Janessa's third birthday: )  He is in good spirits.  He will talk to his employer tomorrow to recap what happened the day of the accident.  He was doing something he has done many times before, but he had taken off his gloves to pick up a tool which happened to be the conductor and the 7200 volts passed through him because electricity is always looking for the easiest place to ground.  Make sense?  Not really to me neither. . .One day, maybe he will share all the events leading up to that moment--His testimony, if you will.

Now we just work on getting his hands healed.  He can't work for at least a month, could be longer.  Time will tell. For now, I plan on looking at my one day a week work status as an extra blessing as we have time to spend together, doing things to prepare our hearts for Christmas, to revel in our miracle a little longer!

God is good.  All the time.

November 21, 2012

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus--"

 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. . .and we are all together to celebrate it.  Ernie is home now.  Friday morning there will be another surgery and then the healing begins.  There was no nerve damage so at some point this lineman will be back to work and we are truly blessed! Doctors can not believe this is the extent of the damage with 7200 volts passing through him.. .
Have a wonderful time this holiday. . .hug on those loved ones because they are the real gifts in this lifetime. I know who my focus on:  God for blessing me with these: )

Twenty-one years ago today I lost my Nana.  I am very aware of how blessed I am to have Ernie still here with me and I consider her one of his angels.

For the friends and family, who have offered prayers, food, laughter, babysitting, grocery store trips, and joy. . .from the bottom of my heart, thank you!  For my eighteen-year-old son, who sat beside me during surgery--you are as wonderful a man as your father.  I am so proud of you--thank you for being my pillar of strength and for holding your dad up.

November 17, 2012

Yesterday is not the kind of day I want to remember; however it is a day I need to.  I got the call no wife wants to receive, there had been an accident my husband was involved in at work. He was being transported by ambulance to the hospital.

As I rushed from my imoms meeting to pick up Janessa, hands shaking, moving swiftly, all I could do was pray.  As we ran to the car together, we prayed aloud that daddy would be okay.  Thankfully, the hospital was only minutes away and I just murmured, "yes" as Nessa kept repeating, "My daddy hurt?"  All the while praying.

Seeing him in that hospital bed ALIVE and hearing him speak was a rush of relief and I let tears fill my eyes with pure joy.  He told me what had happened and to be honest, it's a bunch of mumbo jumbo technical talk that I really didn't get, but the words I absolutely understood: 7200 volts.  7200 volts is the current that somehow he made contact with.  7200 volts.  He could have been dead.  By all accounts, he should have been dead. . .but he wasn't.  Here he was with me, and even though I couldn't see his hands yet to see the extent of the damage--I cared about nothing else and I started praising God. 

Just the day before I had posted this picture on instagram.

And the next day, I got the dreaded call.  Just like that, our lives could have changed in an instant.  I know my conscious brain knows this, but the reality of following the ambulance as he was transported to a burn center over fifty miles away. . .took my breath away. My stomach ached, my mouth was dry, my muscles ached from the strain of such constant concentration, yet praise filled words swam around my mind.

As I waited for them to call me back at the burn center, I replayed the morning.  I could hear the sound of rain against the rooftop.  "Is that rain," he had asked?  "Yes, " I replied snuggling deeper into the blankets. Of all days, I chose the warmth of the covers to going downstairs with him and making his coffee then riding my bike.  I didn't bless his forehead.  I didn't. . .I didn't. . .

But He did.  God was with Ernie.  God protected him and spared his life.  His injuries are relatively minor for the voltage he was working with.  I am so grateful. . .gulping breaths of gratitude.  Today there is only room for gratitude and love.  That is how filled up I am. It doesn't matter that Thanksgiving is a couple days away.  The day to give thanks is today--or any day that you're alive.

My view last night in the comfort of our own home.  Another gift of the day?  He was discharged.  After talk of keeping him to monitor his heart and such. . .they let him come home to this.  To us.  To a friend/brother/fellow lineman who brought us pizza for a late dinner.  I had no idea how much this profession truly is a brotherhood--word traveled fast and the calls and texts were rolling in.  As I drove home through hours of Friday night traffic, I listened to him speak to the people who understand his words, what happened, way more than I did.  I gave thanks for them too.  These men who do a dangerous job so I can have electricity flowing through this home of mine.

I haven't quite wrapped my head around what comes next.  There will be a burn center appointment on Monday.  I will dress and wrap his wounds later today and again Sunday. I haven't even had a good chance to cry and let the tears spill for what God saved for me and my family to love on for longer.

All I know at this time, this particular moment, is that God is so good!  This accident will forever shape how Ernie conducts business. I have often said God speaks to us in whispers and when we don't get it, we get a thump.  I'm thankful this thump wasn't worse. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change--James 1:17

Thankful to God for my husband's safety, but also for filling me up with such gratitude that there is no room for worry.  Ernie will go back to work again and the possibility will exist for accidents to happen.  But there is no room for me to worry.  God's got this--case in point: yesterday.
⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:34  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

June 8, 2012

The kids begin summer vacation today. . .but I wanted to share our end of the year gifts for their teachers.  I originally found this idea here and pinned it.  It was super easy and I know one of the teachers is a Starbucks connoisseur! I feel very blessed by the teachers our kids had this year.  I'm grateful for all their hard work and the love of learning they instilled in my kids. 

And now the countdown to my summer vacation and new job begins.  One week from today to be exact: )  I. Can. Not. Wait!!!

November 28, 2011

Our Thanksgiving was quite eventful this year.

My mother-in-law has been hospitalized for the past three years in a facility that was in Northern California. Recently she was moved closer which meant we were able to spend the holiday with her.

She was able to meet the baby and join my immediate family for Thanksgiving dinner.

We have so much to be thankful for. . .

 Reuniting with family and reconnecting.

 Pretty centerpieces made with love by Grandma Ray and a great feast!

 Family members home for the holidays...hopefully permanently. B, how we have missed you!

 Feasting with the family.

 Game time with the cousins.

and a little hint of the season that is to come...compliments of Nina and Nino.

My father-in-law thought the verse he saw around my house was funny.

He kept asking me is I was really evil.

I try not to be...but the potential exists...

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline me to any evil thing."--Psalm 141:3-4

Words to live by this holiday season--especially during this time of Advent and waiting--

bombarded with things to get done in order to have the perfect holiday.

Perfect is that baby Jesus lying in a manager.

He is the perfect holiday.

Let us live each holy day appreciating the perfection that He is.

November 25, 2011

Insta-Friday

Dead battery in my cousin's car on our way to dinner.

Been looking at plenty of pictures from the baby's two year photo shoot.

At what age must I stop calling her baby?

Just wondering. . .

Plenty of park days on our week off.

Enjoyed each one immensely.

Grandma decorated everything so festive for our Thanksgiving celebration!

Now I need to get back to the family.

My Mother-in-Law is visiting and she leaves this afternoon.

Just a quick glimpse of our happenings this week.

Now on to planning for the baby's birthday Sunday!!

November 24, 2011

So much to be thankful for!

Enjoy your family, friends and blessings!

November 18, 2011

Insta-Friday

Vacation starts right now. . .in my mind at least--

Here's a recap of our week!

I love when he showers her and brushes her hair straight.

It's not how I do it, but he does. 

And I love that.

She currently loves suckers and these glasses .

Not nearly as much as I love her though.

This television found a new home; in our home.

My husband has worked hard and waited long enough.

The End.

I was trying to take a picture of the baby in the back as I stole glimpses of her from my rear view mirror..
I crack up when I look at this because how in the world did I think it would see what my eye could see?
As my husband and brother would tease, "TWO Master's Degrees. . ."

I love Bubba's thankful list.
I will work on my own next week.
The last sentence says turtle.
He doesn't own one but apparently wants to? 

 I'm a sucker for any type of art that involves my children's hands.
Case in point.

 I love that she can still entertain herself with her stuffed animals.
She built this monkey a home in a tree in the front yard.
I could hear her sweet voice where I sat in the living room.
Precious.

Grandma saved the day when it came to disguising Bubba's turkey.
It was supposed to be a family FUN homework assignment.
The day before it was due--it was not screaming FUN--until Grandma stepped in and got creative.
Bubs was so proud of "their" creation.

That my friends, is our week in review.
Big production tomorrow for Lene...she is a munchkin in, "The Wizard of Oz."
I am so excited to see her on stage--
So thankful for the week off to snuggle, craft and cook with the kids!!
Happy Friday!

P.S.
Could you keep my friend and her son in prayer, please?  
Today is one of those days where prayers will be comforting.

18.  Today I am thankful for my health and a healthy family.

Nov. 11, 2011

Insta-Friday

Our week at a glance...

I was busy working on HAPPY  projects this week, and captured some of those on my Canon--

which means I was lagging with my phone.

You will be able to tell.  Trust me.
Don't fret--if all goes well, I'll have a post tomorrow documenting the ways we shared happy!!

 We finished tennis this week.

She tried it.

She liked it,

but not enough to take lessons again.

I'm okay with that...smiling about it actually. Is that bad?

Don't answer that.

 Hand me downs are the best, aren't they?

LOVE this coat.

So happy our friends were able to part with it and pass it on...

to us!!!

 This guy cracks me up when he sings a song from Tangled--he gets this low, creepy voice and I just laugh and that makes him get more dramatic. I love it!

Time for the turkey art!

There's just something about Fall colors.

Turkeys and pumpkin candles.

LOVE this time of year!

11.  Today I am thankful for the day off with all of us home together, but MORE importantly for our Veterans who selflessly fight for our freedom.

November 10, 2011

This week I wrote to a friend I met almost fifteen years ago or thereabout.

I was a very young, very motivated elementary school teacher who was pursuing a second master's degree in School Counseling.

There was this woman who worked in the library/computer lab and I got the chance to really know her.

I admired how hard she worked to raise her three kids as a single mom;

I was in awe of the obstacles she overcame during her own upbringing.
I feel like our relationship was really cemented when I took a couple of our kids, who had recently lost parents, 

to Camp Good Grief.

She shared her heart and prayers for me and the campers...
and I knew I would always have a connection with this woman.

She and I have both moved on from our old elementary stomping grounds. . .

She is now an amazing teacher who gives young kids an incredible learning experience because God has truly blessed her with the gift of teaching from the heart.
Our relationship flourished in a most intimate way almost two years ago.

I sent out an email to friends in my list of contacts who might want to join me in a  

Good Morning Girls group.

I had this overwhelming desire to get to know Jesus through the Word.

It was a task I was not used to and I knew it would be a futile attempt if I didn't have some accountability.

My Sunny (her nickname--I like to say it's her cheerful disposition) stepped up.

There were four of us actually who committed to the journey and I'm happy to say we are all still committed to being each others front line of defense.

We are prayer warriors.

And Sunny?  

Her words are almost poetic and so prayerful.

An example of her reaching out to me would be the beautiful prayer she said on the phone the morning of my Uncle's funeral.  

I actually felt the holy spirit--I completely changed what I had written as soon as I got off the phone.

The words came from above.

They were not my own and I have Sunny to thank for that.

Her petitioning on my behalf opened me up to the words I was supposed to hear and share.

Last week the morning I went back to work she sent me this text. . .

"There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  We love him because he loved us first."1John 4: 18-19

Then she called me and prayed with me...soothing my soul and preparing me with heartfelt words that would get me through the day.

I am so thankful for my Sunny.

She is my mentor, my friend, my sister in Christ.

 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

 Proverbs 19:20

10. Today I am thankful for my parents perseverance.  
Happy 38th anniversary, Mom and Dad.

November 2, 2011

Every day leading up to Thanksgiving, at dinner before we read our devotion, we will each be listing one thing we are thankful for.
We started yesterday--I took the picture Sunday (just so you know--I am not behind already---I mean yet).

On this day, as I return to work. . .

2.  I am thankful for the time I needed to heal.