Remembering Scott Redfern

Just wanted to share this with you to see if its something you might find interest in. Scott was a dear friend of mine in my teenage years. He led me to Christ in those years and died in a tragic accident when we were sophomores. Scott's life and death has left a legacy that has impacted many, including myself and maybe you too. I love and cherish the memories of my dear friend and of course want to participate. Take a look below (the layout changed a bit by posting it here but you'll get the idea) and if you feel like this is something you want to be involved in, you can contact bonnie@newpathcenter.org

ps. the Byers are actually Scott's cousins who are missionaries in Germany. Cool people (from what I hear) and actually preached a message at First Baptist in Kingsburg when they were home last summer on furlough.

Have a great weekend

KILN FOR KÖLN a project of New Path Center Scott's 30th Birthday We wish we could celebrate with him, but honoring his memory in this way brings joy to us and furthers God's Kingdom around the world. Thank you to those who have responded with your memories of Scott. We are blessed by your friendship and love. We invite you to join us in remembering Scott's birthday with a donation to purchase a Kiln for Köln for Dave and Rachel Byers, missionaries in Germany with Greater Europe Mission. See the details below! Kiln for Köln Last Friday was the db KUNST Einweihungsfeier (Grand Opening). Those who attended shared the excitement as friends and neighbors were welcomed at the new shop at Unter Kahlenhausen 43. What a light in the darkness this shop will be as Dave and Rachel minister through their artistic talents and build relationships with the German people to share the message of Christ. Take a look at db KUNST Opening: What is Kiln for Köln? Kiln for Köln is a project, in Scott's memory, to purchase a new kiln for db Kunst. Dave's kiln, pictured on the left, is no longer working. The cost to purchase a new one, similar to the one on the right, is $3,200. UPDATE: To mark Scott's 30 years, we hope to receive 30 donations of $100 for the Kiln for Köln project to purchase the new kiln for Dave's shop. To date, we have received checks and pledges totaling $1,100. We would love to hear from you so we can send the funds to the Byers by Scott's 30th birthday, November 23rd. Dave reports: "A reliable firing kiln is the most important piece of equipment in the studio. Everything really hangs on it." Perhaps you can't give $100 . . . Three of Scott's friends from high school could not give $100 each, so they are splitting it three ways! Thanks for your creativity! Thanks so much for remembering Scott in this way. Please make your check out to New Path Center and write Kiln for Köln on the memo line on your check. Your gift is a tax-deductible donation and you will receive a receipt for tax purposes. Please mail checks to: New Path Center PO Box 874, Kingsburg, CA 93631-0874 Attn: Kiln for Köln New Path Center PO Box 874 Kingsburg CA 93631 559.897.9225 New Path Center is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Click here to visit the website of db Kunst to see what God is doing in Köln Visit the Byers' website ~ Wired to the Byers ~ to read about their own personal journey of transformation. You will understand why the arts are so much a part of how they live out the gospel message of a God who restores. . November 23, 1979 ~ February 6, 1996 Happy Birthday, Scott Read Scott's story here.

Give This One to Daddy

Last night I stayed home with the kids while Ryan went to bible study. It was good to focus on them for a while. When I was tucking Scott in bed, he was really snuggly and had been all day (the benefit of a sick kid). He gave me the longest, sweetest bear hug. It warmed my heart to think he wanted to hug me that much. In an instant, he let go and asked me to give that hug to his daddy. It was still sweet, even though the hug wasn't for me. It was neat because his daddy is the one who tucks him in and tells him a story every night. He must have missed him last night. He did continue with a few more genuine hugs and named off the individuals who I wasa told to give them to. I love my son!

In case you're wondering, no, he's not perfect. I did leave out the drama of eating supper and the pooping in his undies stories :)

Life Takes Over

Today I have a sick kid at home. Well not really at home, but at his Grammy's. I'm so thankful that they are so involved in our day to day lives. Scott cried this morning when he couldn't go to school. He loves school and had even made a little card for one of the girls in his class. Yes, a GIRL. Not so sure what I think about that. I quizzed him about her and this is the one child who's last name he doesn't know. I'm a protective mama and want to know who his friends are, who their parents are, and WHY he's already making a card for her???? Cute for now, I know. But it will only progress I think.

Got my hair chopped yesterday. It was WAY overdue! Living in cruise control lately. Trying to do everything and not doing anything so great it seems like. This is the season though and I'm thankful that God has put different things on my heart.

Off I go. Have chapter 8 of Crazy Love to read before bible study tonight, even though I'm staying home with the little guy!

Time to Shop

Did you realize that Christmas is 72 days away. That may sound like a lot but when you take out work days, Thanksgiving holidays, school and other activities, that doesn't really give you many shopping days left.

I have a great shopping option that just might be exactly what you're looking for.

Our adoption auction website is up and running. We're about half way through the online auction and still there are many items that have not received bids. This auction site might be the perfect place for you to pick up that special gift at a great price.

Check it out www.j4hauction.blogspot.com

For those who don't know, this auction site is a fundraiser to help Ryan and Tamara [Martinez] Buitenwerf adopt siblings from Ethiopia, Africa.

Been a while

I know its been a while since I've posted but I've been busy. I'm spending my lunch half hour at the library working on adoption and fundraiser stuff and not getting to blog at all. My evenings are full of much of the same stuff. I do have a few baby dolls finally made for my kids so that's exciting. Ryan is slowly getting the bookshelves painted that he built. Its a long and slow process and not enough hours in the day to get all the things done that we need to have done.

If you haven't been to the auction site, check it out before it ends on 10/23 www.j4hauction.blogspot.com.

Bethany's Tutu

Last night I had one tired little girl who didn't like her new tutu at first. She said it was too big. But within a few minutes she was dancing around in her new tutu and cried when we took it off to put her in her Curious George pj's. This morning she had to take it to Grammy's to show off. Thanks for making it Patty. She loves it!

ps sorry for the not so perfect photo - we couldn't get her to stand still!

Small Town

You know you live in a small town when:
1. Your mail carrier calls your cell phone and asks you what to do with the package that won't fit in the mail box.
2. The nurse practioner who's doing your adoption physical calls your office to ask if she can meet at the pizza place to confirm the results of my Tb test rather than at her clinic because she had conflicting plans at 530.

Gotta love it. I sure do. My mail carrier that called isn't the regular one. The regular guy would've just taken it to the vet clinic or put it on the porch. The carrier that fills in does so on a regular basis and happens to be one of my friends. The nurse practitioner is this really cool, really kick-back lady. I love that she felt comfortable enough (some might say that's unprofessional) to ask me to meet her at the pizza place!

Where did our Weekend Go?

I'm not sure where our weekend went. What's worse is that I had Friday off. Really, I do know how we spent our time, I just can't believe it went so fast. Friday and Saturday we had our adoption training in central Iowa. Met two other couples and bonded well with them.

Friday evening we spent the night with Israel and Paola (son of the Pastor of the church in Mexico City). Participated with them in their ministry to the hispanic children. We didn't do a whole lot except during craft time and clean up. I had a few kids asking me questions and the young girls wanted to sit by me. The boys thought that Ryan was a WWF wrestler with his big stature, bald head and goatee. We had a late but tasty supper on Friday night and visited with our new friends. Saturday we had shared another meal and visited some more before we headed back to our training. It was great to be so close to where our friends are ministering and have a few moments to spend with them. What a ministry they have there!

Saturday on our way back home, we made a quick stop in the city to buy some paint for the room remodel project. Ryan has the drywall back up where I asked him to tear it out in hopes of more space. It was a waste of time and drywall but at least we have a solid wall now that's ready to be primed and painted.

Sunday afternoon was our typical hang out time at home. Just trying to relax a bit before the weekend started. As usual, I thought that I could get at least 3 things done in a short amount of time. I ended up practicing guitar lessons for a bit, didn't prime the wall when Ryan realized that there wasn't primer in the paint like he thought, but did manage to make a new black baby doll with my new pattern. I had to change the pattern a bit and the doll is another sample that Bethany has taken from me. I'm excited to get a few of those made to put on the auction but know that my time is limited.

Tonight I have guitar lessons, a conference call with our agency and hope to squeeze in a physical to do for our adoption paperwork. Whew, I'll need my lunch break today to get some paperwork done!

Help Needed

Hey bloggy friends. I need some help advertising our online adoption auction. Would you be willing to put a link to the site on your blog, facebook, etc? Shoot, I wouldn't care if you printed it off and handed it out to your friends, family and clients if you wanted.

The site will go public in two weeks. Here's the link http://www.j4hauction.blogspot.com/ (active on October 1st) and the photo to link it to. Let me know if you'll add the link will you?

Monday is HERE

It was a long but good weekend. I have some great pictures to share but its late and I'm too lazy to find my camera cord. We spent the weekend in Ryan's old stomping grounds. Hung out with a few friends, watched the Cyclones pretend to be football players, visited the Neil Smith Wildlife Refuge, celebrated Grandpa's 89th birthday, hung out with a few more friends and headed home. I thought I needed a caramel frapp on the way home. Got a venti one - Ryan and I used to share one that size. Got my own so I could share with the kids. The kids didn't eat their supper so I sucked down the frapp on my own hence the reason I'm still awake!

Ryan has 3 weekends off in a row. We just burned through the first one. It was a great weekend. We stayed at Ryan's grandparents which is where we were when Scott had both seizures. I prayed and prayed over him but with every cough and noise he made, I was sitting up on my air mattress watching to make sure he was fine. Saturday night I relaxed a little more but still had a late night. Tonight I'm thinking I won't be getting much sleep either. With allergies in full swing, something wierd going on in my trap muscle and coffee, I'm sure tomorrow (or today actually) won't be the brightest of Mondays!

Better Late Than Never

Scott's first day of preschool pictures:

Maize Maze

We went to the Maize Maze last night with the international students from the local university. Scott really wanted to venture through the maze. It was already getting late and I was a little nervous taking a 4 year old through a big corn field and possibly not finishing before dark. We started off with a few of our new friends but soon realized that they were wanting to do their own thing as was Scott. This was my kind of adventure - reading a map, walking through a corn field. I only got slightly turned around once on the circle part when Scott was holding the map and I was distracted by my husband and child who were on the bridge above us. We both had a blast in the corn maze. Afterwards we roasted a few marshmallows for smores and then took our tired children home for showers and bed time! It was my first time in the maze and it was great!

Guitar Lessons

Tuesday I started guitar lessons.  I had looked at one lesson online previous to that.  And about 17 years ago (well that makes me feel old), I played the clarinet for a year. Other than that, I have no experience.  In fact, I have a very concrete memory of my sister telling me at one point in life that I couldn't sing.  So I won't even sing in public... except for church.  I always feel bad for those sitting in front of me. 

 

Anyway, first lesson and Shane had me playing 3 different songs.  I was excited about that but it wasn't real smooth.  I've been practicing each night.  Hoping to improve quickly get sore and build up calluses.  Last night I pulled my guitar out before the kids went to bed and Bethany started singing the song I was playing.  I was excited.  It was recognizable - at least to the kids.  Woo hoo!

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home, sweet, home

Yay, Ryan got home yesterday afternoon.  It was so good to see him again and he was only gone for 7 days.  I love my hubby dearly!  Last night for supper, I really was tired of cooking and just tired in general.  Rather than cooking up something and over-eating, I opted to make fruit smoothies.  We ate those and played with the kids for a bit before our little outdoor adventure.  Bethany had to wear big girl panties last night (she's not in the least bit potty trained) and since we were going outside, I let her.  We played on the swings and slide, picked veggies in the garden and went for a short walk.  Back in the house, Ryan grabbed the kids something more to eat while I tended to Scott in the bathroom.  That's when Ryan noticed that Bethany spilled water all over.  Well she didn't have water so I piped up and commented that she might have pee'd instead.  Sure enough.  Who's idea was it to put her in undies anyway.  She was certainly sad to take her Dora panties off.  Even though I did the changing and bath, I got a kick out of Ryan having to get right back into the swing of family life.

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Protected

Posts keep disappearing from my blog. I know I hit the post button but they don't show up and their not in the draft form either. Guess where I keep finding them... attached to another of my blogs. At least I'm finding them and eventually getting them in the right spot.

...

I'm so thankful for a hand of protection over my life. Not that I expect things to always go perfectly but I'm sure glad when they do. Sunday a tractor and silage wagon were in the right lane going up the hill on the highway. I came up behind him quickly and merged over into the left lane to pass. Just as I did so, the tractor driver decided to turn left, crossing over the left lane from the slow lane, right in front of me. I hit the brakes hard and moved over into the oncoming traffic lane (where I could see no traffic up the rest of the hill). The tractor drive swerved back to the right and then moved to the shoulder before turning right. It wasn't a bid deal but it could have been. Driving my father in laws truck this week, I can assure him that his brakes work. The worst part of it all was when I realized that prior to that, Bethany was holding a Culver's cup filled with red juice. She was wearing a white dress as we were on our way home from church. I quickly pulled over, took my black shirt off and started sopping up the bits of juice on the floor the best I could. When we arrived home, I immediately removed Bethany's dress and washed it. I'm so thankful that there was no accident. I'm used to deer running out in front of me. This tractor incident was a whole new experience. Granted, it is getting to be that time of year. In a few short weeks, silage harvest will begin followed by corn and soybeans. Around here you will see more tractors than vehicles on the road in the coming months!

Adoption Auction

Hi everyone. I'm slowly transitioning from Mexico missions stuff back to adoption details. We're working hard at adoption details, including raising funds. To offset the cost of our adoption, we're hosting an adoption auction fundraiser. This will be an online auction for about 2 weeks followed by a dessert and live auction here in Iowa. We've had several donations of items and greatly appreciate that. Realistically though, there's a need for more donations. If you have an item or service to share, I want you to be able to do so. Please let me know ASAP if you would be willing to donate to our auction. To give you an idea of some of the donations so far, here's a list:
prom dresses worn only once

· tie blankets

· hand knitted scarves

· free baby sitting

· baby quilt

· custom designed cards

· hand crafted jewelry

· antique hand quilted quilt

· framed wolf print

· acrylic painting

· silver bracelet that doesn't fit them

... hmm, i bet I have some stuff like that...especially a bracelet from an old boyfriend. Some other things come to mind as great items too:
gym memberships

· guitar lessons

· educational tutoring

· photography sitting

· photography lessons

· livestock - for a pet or for meat

· something you make - either professionally or as a hobby

· Supplies left over from something you sold (mary kay, creative memories, etc)

· that new pair of shoes or jacket you never returned

· that really cool international item you bought but don't know what to do with
These are things I think of cause they're things I like/want but don't necessarily need. Anyway, let me know. We would be much appreciated to hear back from you either way. Just to give you an update on where we're at in the process, I'll share that too. On Monday night we viewed the profile of a waiting child and will be presented to the selection committtee for him. Chances are it won't amount to anything but I live by faith, not by coincidence. I'm trusting in God's will on this, regardless of the outcome. But before we can move too much further, we have lots to do. We have to pay the remainder of our application fee. We have the contract and invoice at home to sign and return. We have to do our finger printing for our background investigation and gather up our birth and marriage certificates. We will be emailing our tax info today or tomorrow. Those we named as references are working on their surveys. After that, we head to LeGrand Iowa for the first part of our adoption education requirements. The process is moving along now and we're excited for the end result! Thanks so much for being willing to participate in our journey.

solo

Ryan is returning the favor of solo parenting for a week. This will be fun! We're having a camp out this weekend. Safe to say that we'll be tenting it inside the house. Scott thinks all 3 of us can fit in his tent. He's right but it wouldn' t be comfortable. He assured me that if we didn't fit, I could sleep on the frog's tongue (its a frog shaped tent and has a ton that rolls out of the mouth).

Also on the docket, CLEAN house. And maybe can some more tomatos.

Hmm

*** updated to share that I was so tired last night that I wanted to go to bed when I got home. Thank you Lord for providing the energy I needed last night. I did bathe the kids, I didn't finish Mexico TY's but I did get the cards cut that I'm adding to them. I did work on my mexico scrapbook a little. I did get one load of laundry washed and in the dryer. I ate Taco salad for supper. It was healthy and a good thing I didn't say I wanted to eat a small portion size cause I ate a ton of taco salad. The only thing I didn't do was my eval for my mexico trip. Maybe during a lunch break today.
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I totally emailed a blog post last night but it didn't show up... who knows. I'm still in hiding and spending my free time working on my Mexico scrapbook.

Hubby took me on a date last night. It was really fun and very thoughtful. On the way to the theater, we listened to a really funny FamilyLife podcast. We stopped at some friends' for a short visit before walking to the dollar theater to watch The Proposal. It was cute and we laughed and laughed. On the way home we listened to the 2nd podcast from the comedian dude and laughed some more. I needed that.

We got home and had one of our late night chats about life and how I feel like I'm doing as a mom, wife and career person. It was tiring but good.

Today I need a nap.

Unfortunately, I have lots to do tonight: bathe kids, address Mexico thank you's, work on Mexico scrapbook, start some laundry, eat something healthy, finish my evaluation of my Mexico trip, and SLEEP.

Blog Banner

I really need to update my blog banner. But there are more important things in life right now. I hope to have a new post up on our adoption blog this afternoon about something that God has put on my heart. Check it out.

Revolving

I think life is done revolving around Mexico for now. Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of Mexico life but at the same time I think my husband felt like he was a single parent some days.

Friday night our team met for our post trip meeting. It was a good time of reflection and asking questions about the trip. Like everything we've done, it was a little rushed but I'm thankful that our leader is understanding of our need for family time and allows for the rush.

Sunday after church was a mad rush to get home, eat something, and get back to the church. Ryan baked me a cake on Saturday (while I cleaned his bathroom) and I decorated it to look like the Mexican flag. At 330 wet met Mexico City Pastor Jaime's son, Israel (and wife) at the church. They are living just 2 hours from us and came up for our evening presentation. We visited a little and headed to a neighboring town for Mexican food. We got back in time for our presentation. It was a good, but lengthy, time. After the fact I thought we should have spent more time reminiscing on Friday night rather than rushing home. As we sat through the slide show of amazing photography by Kara, I moved to sit with Israel and Paola. Watching the slide show certainly made me miss our experience there so I asked Israel if it made him miss home. It did. So much that he shed a few tears.

We were blessed in so many ways last night. Blessed to share with our community. Blessed to meet another member of the Becerra family. Blessed to connect with each other. And blessed to hear from Israel that according to what he saw in pictures and the stories he heard, that he thinks we did transform that area. I'm so blessed to have played a tiny role in that community.

This morning should be back to work as normal, right? Only its still not so normal. Thoughts of Mexico are still impacting me. Ryan and I had a little date night on Saturday (woo hoo!) and we watched confessions of a shopaholic. It was so sad to think that our culture really is like that after having been in Mexico where people have very little and where $4 is a lot of money. Within just a few hours I received 3 emails from Mexico friends and am distracted beyond mention. Oh how I wish it was 2 hours away and I could go there for the weekend!

*** A big thank you to my amazing love for being supportive and loving while I prepared for Mexico, while I was gone, and even after returning home but still busy with Mexico things. I love you!

Thoughts on Mexico

How I do condense 9 amazing days into something short enough to keep your attention??? Sometimes I write on my blog as a means of journaling and having something to reflect back on later in life. For this trip, I journaled in my actual journal each day while I was gone. Let me try to capture a few things that I learned about myself, about God, about missions in general and about life in a foreign country:

[myself]
There is no doubt that I like to know what's going on and what the schedule will be. It wasn't so much a control issue. Our last afternoon was spent in Mexico City. I knew the shops closed at 6pm and was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get off the bus. After 6pm, I had no clue what was next. I'd heard that the Pastor had a surprise for us. Later, after walking, travelling by subway, then by bus, and then walking a long while more, I asked where we were going. It was closing in on 8pm and we hadn't eaten; my feet were tired and my belly was hungry. From the time we left the shops until the time we arrived at our suprise meal place (they thought we wanted American food our last day... how sweet), there was no communication about what was going on. I enjoyed the adventure but would have done so well if I knew up front that we were meeting after 8pm for supper with the Pastor.
Having a schedule helps keep me sane but so does quiet time with God. This is a constant struggle of mine as I wear many hats. I typically get 3 decent quiet times each week (when Ryan leaves to work out in the morning) and then some sporadic prayer and quiet time in between. Prioritizing time with God was awesome and I realized how much I'm missing... how much I'm cheating myself. Reading through 1 Thessalonians was a perfect fit for the week and I'm treasuring that still.
I continued to learn that I need to constantly check my attitude and also need to constantly be thinking about how I'm portraying Christ. Both of these came as reminders from Isaac when he'd playfully tell me that I needed Jesus or that I need to change my attitude.


[God]
He will use whatever means necessary to bring glory to His name. Even if its through a fun skit that has no biblical meaning. Our translator tied it back to God's love some how.
God wants us to pray for our leaders. That seems so far removed for me. Sure I know who our president is and what he looks like but I don't know him. I've never walked in his shoes or sat in his chair. One evening during our trip we were taken to the state political offices where we were taken right inside. No metal detectors, no police guards. Just people working hard at what they do. We were taken to the Senator's cabinet room where they meet to make the laws that affect their state. And while there, I took time to specifically pray for the man whose seat I was occupying. It was so personal and such an honor to do so. After our speaker, our group gathered together and did the same thing. They believe in praying for their leaders - the ones who can have big and quick impacts on their community.
God gives us love and discipline when needed. When I was struggling with my thoughts and attitude on multiple occassions, God gave me the perfect passage each time. Some of those times it fit right into where I was reading in first Thess and one time it was out of proverbs where I happened to turn. But none of those times did I have to dig and search for something fitting, God brought it right up to the surface.

[missions]
I thought I knew the exact definition of missions. Turns out that I'm wrong about a lot of things, including this. Because of my past experiences, I thought missions meant construction work and VBS. Interestingly enough, I've done at least one missions trip that wasn't related to either of those. Still, I had my preconceived ideas. Missions can in fact be used to encourage the believers and support them. Not knowing the details of our trip until right before we left, I prayed and prayed that God would use me to encourage the believers who are serving there. I think that did happen (in addition to the VBS). I was able to get to know and encourage the youth and a few of the adults. It was so great one day to just sit and massage our translators shoulders. She loved it. Another evening, I massaged the Pastor's wife's shoulders. She loved it.
Missions looks differently to different people. I would have loved to participated at an orphanage with the children, and to enter into more people's lives. I'm prayerfully considering how God would have me involved in Huixquilucan missions in the future - will it be through veterinarian work and Ryan, through conservation, through children... we'll see.

[life in a foreign country]
Culture shock is to be expected. It wasn't shocking to me but that may be because I've been in those environments before. What I didn't realize was that reverse culture shock would affect me for days after returning home. I loved being in a foreign country, having to depend on God when my Spanish failed and there wasn't a translator nearby. I loved seeing how others lived, the meals they ate, the games they played, etc. What I loved most about the times I just got to hang out was playing soccer. No words needed but relationships and trust was being built. Those high school boys and girls who really didn't have anything to do with me early in the week were my little buddies by the end. I also realized the importance of patience when translating and learned first hand how understanding the differences in language can be embarrassing and funny. In the spanish language there is no "th" sound. When Isaac commented about my teeth and left the "H" off the end, he had no clue the impact of his choice of words. You can imagine. I thought it was hilarious and gently let him know to use the spanish word for teeth in the future.
When you stay in a town with a firework factory, its good to know that. Its also good to know that the loud noises in the morning are not gunfire - they are fireworks. At 5am. I still don't understand why, but that's how it was every single day.
Toilet seats are a guarantee in every American bathroom that I've been in. Not so much in Mexico. At the Pastor's house I was surprised to see no seat and only used that bathroom one time to squat and pee. It was way to much work on my lazy legs. I determined it must be a guy only bathroom. Several days later when I inquired about the toilet seat issue, Isaac explained that a bathroom for women only has no need for a toilet seat since they don't stand to urinate and get it dirty. If a guy is using the bathroom, there is a toilet seat so that it can be lifted and then put back down when a woman needs to sit. Who knew. All week I sat on a skinny rimmed seatless toilet!

To say that I had a great time is an understatement. I loved the entire experience. I loved that 12 of us girls could share a bathroom and manage. I loved that at least half of us were having monthly issues yet there were no arguments. I loved that the people were so friendly. I love that the Pastor and his family became like my own family. I don't love that I miss it so much but I love that God gave me a love for a people and a place that I thought I was only going out of obedience and not expecting to like it.

Did I mention that Sunday night we're presenting to the community about our trip? The eldest son of the Mexican Pastor, Israel (and his wife Paola), are living just 2 hours from us. They're coming up to meet us and listen to our presentation. I'm so stinkin' excited to meet them and to share with our community. Join us Sunday night at 630 at the FBC in Elgin if you want to hear about the others' stories and see some amazing pictures (a photographer was on our team). Enough for now... maybe more later.

Mexico Pictures

Click here to view these pictures larger

It works out pretty well to put these here right from Shutterfly. Problem is that I didn't get to explain them. Well hopefully in the next few days I'll get a chance to share some of my thoughts from my journaling over that week and that will maybe explain some of the pictures. Bare with me... I'm trying to catch up on lots of things, including sleep :)

Home

I'm home from Mexico and still trying to process it all. I think reverse culture shock is a bit of an issue. When we stopped Rochester for a bite to eat, I felt really akward walking on such a huge, clean sidewalk with no one and no noise around.

Would you pray for me as I continue to process the trip, seek God on how I feel He's burdening my heart, all while I'm expected to jump right back into the home and work environments that I left.

I was so glad to be home but so sad to be gone from Mexico.

Last night I got the most sleep I've had in 9 days and was even in a bed. But today I'm exhausted!

day 9 - click the photo to read the details

day 8 - click the photo to read the details

day 7 - click the photo to read the details

day 6 - click the photo to read the details

day 5 - click the photo to read the details

day 4 - click the photo to read the details

day 3 - click the photo to read the details

day 2 - click the photo to read the details

day 1 - click the photo to read the details

Better Late than Never

Last night I finally saw the pictures that Uncle Mike took at Grandpa and Grandma's 65th wedding anniversary celebration. Here are a few fun ones:

This first one is of the girls (and Scott who snuck in the photo) after our meal at the Tea Room. Apparently this place gets used for actual tea parties and it was fun to dress up in the old hats and boas.
This is my favorite photo of G&G with the great grandchildren. I particularly like this photo because Bethany is throwing a fit, Grandma is trying to manage her wiggly body, while Grandpa watches on, Isaac isn't sure about the whole situation and Scott is snickering at his sister.
And of course a family picture. Getting all of us to look one direction and smile would take a professional some effort! Bethany was thrilled her her sucker and could care less about the family photo!

Thanks Uncle Mike for taking and sharing pictures with the rest of us.

Snow in July

Though we aren't having our traditional summer heat, this picture isn't of snow in the road ditch. Friday we had two different nasty storms roll through. They weren't wide spread storms but the damage the storms caused was huge for some.

I got a call from Ryan around 4pm. He was out on a farm call and the other vet had just called to tell him about his broken windshield, the calf huts that were flying all over, the broken windows, etc. Ryan was in the hardest hit area. It looked like someone had taken a rotary mower through farms and the clippings were strewn all over the highway. The soybean fields looked hay fields gone bad with little twiggies sticking out of the ground. Corn fields looked like locusts had come through and stripped the stalks and in some fields there was only about 18 inches of stalk remaining.

My phone call with Ryan was entertaining to say the least. Ryan informed me that I wouldn't have to worry about pulling the weeds in my garden. The garden was gone. There were remnants of plants but nothing salvageable. The good news was that we didn't have any trees down and our house was still there.

A short while later I left the office, stopped for a few groceries and picked up the kids. When we were leaving moms the sprinkling was turning to rain. By time I got home (10 minute drive and 7 miles down the road), it was pouring down rain, the wind was blowing and it was hailing like crazy. I pulled onto the lawn and Ryan met me at the van to grab the kids. I moved the van back to its normal spot, pulling it in the old garage as much as possible. As I ran back up the the house, through the rain I noticed a tree had fallen. It wasn't the whole tree and it didn't cause any damage. I was sure thankful that I wasn't still parked by the front door since the tree would have fallen right next to me and scared the tar out of me!

Today brings the usual Monday craziness with the added issue of storm damage. While my boss in on vacation, I get to act in his absence and this time I'm actually having to actually act in his behalf on a few things!

If you would say a prayer for those who have damage: broken windows, destroyed siding, partial and total crop loss. It would be no fun to be in their shoes!

Long Overdue Picture Update

A few from cousin Sarah's wedding: the first is me with cousin Jimmy and his wife Cathy (bride's parents). The second is Bethany dancing with Sarah - we still hear about this from Bethany so she must have loved that. The third is mommy and Bethany on her 2nd birthday which was celebrated at a wedding.

These next few are from the day we ripped the carpet out of "the carpeted room". Bethany was a good little helper and loved playing in the gathered up nasty old carpet.

And a few from the Parade on the 4th of July... neither of my kids appreciate the loud sirens

but they are good sports and wave to everyone...

Bethany and her Grandpa Danny. It was too cute that he drives a school bus and bought her a school bus for her birthday.

One night we went fishing at Beulahland, ate shrimp scampi that Ryan prepared over the fire, had peach cobbler from the dutch oven and played on the swings. Not your typical July weather but we managed to keep warm and have fun.

Kids' Birthday Party

We had a very fun birthday party with the kids. Take a look for yourself:

as requested... the Larry Boy cake

being told to wait to open gifts...

Where is my Hairbrush?

... maybe I have a little bit of Veggies Tales on the brain.  Maybe that's because I spent about 6 to 8 hours making Scott and Bethany an awesome LarryBoy cake for their birthday party on Saturday.  I would never want to volunteer to make such a cake if it hadn't been for Scott's specific request.  I must say that I was quite impressed with it.  I'll add pictures when I get a chance... maybe on Thursday.

 

I may not be searching for my hair brush but I am wondering where my time went.  Yes, the summer has been flying by.  Granted, I'm enjoying the weeks as they go by, but we're into late July and I've hardly been outside to enjoy the summer heat (or lack thereof around here). 

 

This past week or so we've had my dad here visiting.  I've tried to make sure I spend some time with him and at the same time make sure that I'm taking care of my other responsibilities.  I was off on Friday and my poor dad spent the morning amidst the chaos of me and the kids at WallyWorld.  That evening though was a little more fun.  All of us (being Ryan, me, the kids, my mom, ralph, and my dad) went fishing out at the beaulahland.  One at a time, I took the kids out on the little paddle boats with their fishing pole.  It was cool out and windy so we were wearing our sweatshirts and having fun.  The fish weren't biting much but we still had fun.  While the majority of us fished, Dad enjoyed the camping chair and Ryan was busy at the fire pit cooking up shrimp scampi and had peach cobbler in the dutch oven.  After supper, the kids played on the swings and though us adults were chilled, the kids couldn't get enough of the outdoor fun!

 

Saturday was the kids' birthday party.  This year we only invited family.  I debated on inviting kids but then they all bring gifts and I don't want them to do that since I don't buy for each kid on their birthday.  Plus, a friend of mine mentioned that she only did big birthday parties every 5 years and the kids appreciated that.  My kids, at this age, were perfectly happy with just having their family to share their cake with.  And they did share - it wasn't even a problem for the two of them to share the LarryBoy cake.

 

Last night I finally began reading a book that my friend Michelle let me borrow.  It's a book about God's perspective on being the help meet that God designed us to be.  I'm appreciating what I've read and though I've read other books about marriage, this one seems to have a little different twist.  The hard part is saying that its all great information when I clearly am not the stay at home wife/mom.  I don't know if God's working on my heart about that but I keep reading more and more about that and wondering how to possibly make that work out financially.

 

Lastly, I've been slowly working on our adoption fundraiser.  One friend informed me that she doesn't agree with the fundraiser idea.  It's her opinion that if someone feels led to adopt, then they need to sacrifice and do so.  It was good for her to share her opinion.  At the same time, I felt like I needed to qualify how we're sacrificing.  And even with us sacrificing things we want/need, we just can't save up the $40,000 that we've been told we'll need.  So this fundraiser is so far going to be an online auction of donated items from friends, family and even businesses and strangers. [if you would like to donate to the auction, please let me know and I will gladly take your donation].  So, that's taking some of my lunch time each day as I email and talk to people about possible donations and some time in the evenings putting the website together to host the auction.

 

Life is sweet, my husband is a wonderful provider, my kids are precious and God's grace is amazing!

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WHIRLWIND

As of the past few days, I've:

  - gone to a parade with the family

  - tore out carpet in the one room that has carpet in our house

  - watched as hubby tore out the wall in that same room (and was quite irritated with the results)

  - wondered if someone was in our attic when in fact the popping noises were fireworks and us old fogies were already in bed

  - made Bethany a black baby doll.  She's my sample doll and has an ugly shirt, no face and no hair.  Bethany doesn't seem to mind and Scott has requested one.

  - Wondered if it's okay for my SON to have a baby doll... how can I make it masculine???

  - Chopped my hair.  It was cute before the cut but needed a trim.  Now its short and thin (she said she texturized it).  Thank God hair grows back!

  - Practically begged people to provide child care for my little ones

  - Started my first batch of kombucha

  - Missed California

  - Dreamed of the possibility of being home with my kids and working from home.

  - Started thinking through a new fundraiser idea I have for adoption.  It will revolve around a meal and an auction.  More on that later as things (hopefully and prayerfully) come together.

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Go Bulldogs

I wore one of my new Fresno State Bulldog shirts today. Scott thought he had to wear his Bulldog shirt too. Bethany was MAD when we made her take off the Bulldog shirt she wore Tuesday night and all day yesterday. The clean, but a few months older, Bulldog shirt would not suffice for her today. That child!

Home Again

After our flight out to California, I was sure I never wanted to fly with Bethany again. Fortunately Bethany was a different child on our return flight.

Bethany slept the entire second flight. It was awesome. We landed at 1145pm. Grabbed our bags and was headed to my van (along side some kind strangers who agreed I shouldn't walk by myself) to my van. Paid $126 for parking, peeled my contacts out, put my glasses on and was head down the highway towards home by 1215am.

The 3 hour drive was shortened a bit. Even then it was a LONG drive home. By Rochester I was struggling to keep my eyes open and had about 80 miles to go. But I couldn't stop then. With lots and lots of prayer, begging God to keep me awake, and with a little help from cold water on my face, I stayed awake and pulled into my inlaws driveway at 3am.

I snuggled Bethany up to Scott in his bed before climbing under some blankets on the basement couch. Scott woke once and was half way up the stairs when I called him and he had to snuggle me for a few minutes. Bright and early at 7am, the construction crew was pounding away. Four hours of sleep and I could have used at least four more. But who cares, I was [almost] home.

After home-made waffles, I managed to hide back downstairs for a brief nap before Scott found me and woke me up. We left my inlaws and went straight to the clinic so I could see my hubby. Oh how sweet it was to be together as a family again!

Living to the Fullest

Any time I come home, it seems like a mad rush to see all the people I need and want to see. Last September when we we're home for 15 days, we took it slowly. That is so not the case this time. I'm physically in Kingsburg for 5 days and it has gone so quickly. There's so many people I want to see, places I want to stop, pools I want to swim in (it's hot here). But bringing a 2 year old with me [Happy Birthday Bethany] forces me to slow down a bit.

Wednesday and Thursday I spent the whole day with family. Friday I spent the day with some close friends and made a quick trip to the Fair Trade store in Reedley with my Grandma. This morning I stopped to visit various family members before bringing Bethany back to Ashley's for a nap. This quiet time has been fun to blog and iron my dress for sarah's wedding tonight... if I manage to find the iron. I'm hoping for a quick tanning session in the hot sun before Bethany wakes up. We'll see if I get that accomplished.

Tomorrow will be church and hanging out with friends. I have been so blessed to spend time with some old friends that I don't keep in contact with very often. As I sat down this afternoon I was thinking about all the people I still want to see and my mom called to ask my plans for tomorrow. She's hoping our family can gather again. I think that would be great but also want to see those I've not yet seen. The days are full and I know I won't get to see everyone before I leave.

I've loved being near convenience and only driving 5 minutes to a Walgreens where I also happened to pick up a new Fresno State shirt. And only driving a few miles to stop in at my Grandma's for breakfast with her. I love that. Thank you Ryan and Eunice for encouraging me to come out here even though it wasn't in my plans!

For Ryan since it was too big to email

65th Anniv. Pics

I didn't have my camera out most of the weekend but I did catch a few pics worth sharing.

Makin' Cookies

This morning we woke earlier than I hoped and went to my Nanny's house. The word is out to everyone now that I'm in CA so it was no surprise. However, Great Gram was surprised to see me there right away this morning and really surprised to see little Bethany. Of course, Bethany jumped right up to the counter to help Great Gram make cookies (even though Gram was making raisin pie). The two of them had a blast and I'm guessing that the ingredients and therefore the pie won't be quite perfect. It may even have a smidge of a taste of oreo here and there. But the two of them had fun and I even heard Great Gram say that this just made her day.

I'm so glad for the opportunity to be here. Today the family gathers at 4pm to have a celebration of life service for my Uncle James. It will be good to see those who can make it.

Also to note, I couldn't wait to really surprise Kristine so I did call her last night from my dad's cell phone. She was still surprised to make the connection with my voice and the local number but not as surprised as if I'd knocked on her front door.

I'm HERE

Well I made it to CA just fine. As I was driving up to Minneapolis to the airport, I was thinking that it was really no big deal to travel alone with an almost 2 year old. There was no reason things shouldn't go smoothly. Boy was I wrong!



Just after noon we stopped in Rochester to grab a few things at Target (including a restraint/leash for Bethany) and drive thru at McD's. Bethany proceeded to eat a few fries and throw the rest on the floor.



We arrived at the airport and I had to circle it once since I took the wrong lane. It was hot outside (97 and humid) so we rushed inside and got to the ticket counter where Bethany threw the first of many huge fits. She didn't like the monkey on her back that was her leash thingy. I didn't trust her without it. I ended up holding her while fumbling through my bag to check in. At this point, she pee'd through her full diaper and soaked her cute new bermuda shorts and my cute new shirt. Right there at the check in I laid her on the floor and changed her, leaving her in her diaper and me with a soaked shirt. Note to self: next time bring an extra pair of clothes for myself too! I debated on buying a new shirt but figured I was spending enough money so I pulled out the wet wipes and tried to clean my shirt.

Bethany was hungry but she had the opportunity to eat and I'd pitched her food. I also wanted to wait till we got on the airplane to feed her and occupy her that way for a while. Boarding the plane was a mess. She screamed and cried. She wanted her daddy. She didn't want on the airplane. She wanted a nutrigrain bar. She didn't want the bar. She crumbled it everywhere and finally began to eat it. She had snot and bar smeared everywhere (not that I cared about my shirt now). I felt bad for the passengers all within 5-10 rows of us. She never napped.

The layover proved similar. She wanted a hamburger. No, she wanted a sandwich. She wouldn't eat the sandwich. She doesn't like craisins but she really does love them and finally ate some. She wanted the snack mix that the girl across from us was eating. The girl was willing to share but I was a mean mommy. Boarding our second flight wasn't as bad. She only cried for the first 40 minutes and it wasn't hysterical like the first flight. She wanted juice but we were in the last row and the flight attendant started at the first row. It was a long few minutes of waiting. Bethany was mean to everyone and even then two people took pictures of that cute litle girl they sat by. Odd, I didn't think she was being cute at all!!! About 20 minutes before we landed, she finally crashed. I carried her limp body all through the airport and held her while getting the car. She was grumpy with Grandpa Danny who was only trying to help.

Thank you dad for meeting us at the airport. I wish it wasn't so late and we could have grabbed a bite to eat with you.

We made it to Ashley's around 1030. And Bethany stayed asleep. She was finally peaceful!

Thank you Ashley for letting me crash your house last minute.

Long Few Days

It's been a long few days.

We began with a celebration for Ryan's Grandparents:
- Late to their house Friday afternoon after 2 stops that took way longer than needed.
- Scott slept 12 hours that night - with a little help from our friend Ben A Dryl.
- Saturday the whole family and we had a nice meal in town.
- Got to meet Eric's special friend Amanda. We think she's special too.
- Mom called to say that they were losing my Uncle James - he had surgery on Wednesday and never breathed on his own again after that.
- Family left and we headed downstairs and snuggled on the twin air mattress for a while digesting the coming loss of my Uncle.
- Mom is leaving to CA (yes, she just returned from there) to be there for her sister.


We wake up before 6 to our son needing a potty break. He happened to burp up a little substance and told us he threw up in his mouth. I wish that was the only interruption to our morning plans.


Just after 6 I awoke again to what I thought was Scott throwing up. It wasn't. He was having a SEIZURE. Yes, another seizure. Ryan dealt with Scott while I ran up and called 911 after a little hesitation. Scott and I took our second trip to Blank's Children's Hospital via ambulance. He was fine but I was floored because he wasn't supposed to have another seizure; he's supposed to grow out of this random-no-explanation seizure. They think it was a febrile seizure even though his temp went down right away. He shows for having some kind of infection (they think strep throat) thus the seizure.

So while we were supposed to be in church with the whole family, we were in the emergency room. We left Blanks and met my parents (who are on their way to CA) at Panera Bread while we got a bite to eat. We got back to the celebration just in time for a quick shower and lunch. We got to visit with family a while more before everyone left.

We had plans of being home for the closing program for VBS. But are ways aren't always God's ways. And He ultimately has the plan in His hands. So, we're taking the advice of the doctor and are remaining here for 24 hours to make sure another doesn't occur. During this time, we're having fun hanging out with family some more.

Thank you Lord for a healthy son!

GUITAR

About a month ago one of my girlfriends was selling her guitar and it came with one free lesson from her (guitar lesson teaching) husbad.  I mentioned to Ryan that I would love to learn how to play guitar.  Thought it sounded like fun, I have other priorities for the money I've saved and would rather remodel the living room. 

 

Nothing else was said.

 

Until last night.

 

We were about 2 hours over due for bed time and both tired.  Ryan mentioned that he had something for me since he didn't buy me an anniversary gift and asked if I wanted it then or later.  Duh, of course I want it now.  He turned off the light and laid a Big Baby Taylor guitar in my lap.  I was so surprised.  Taylor is a nice (which also means expensive) brand.  He bought it used on ebay.  It's not in perfect condition but it is more than I would need.  Ryan had been in kahootz with Shane (the guitar teacher) about the whole deal.  He'd been watching them on ebay for the past month.  Sunday while out on calls, he stopped at the clinic to check his bid.  He was beat out by 55 cents and with only a few minutes left, he upped his bid and bought me a guitar.  Sweet deal. 

 

Now I just need to find time and money in the budget to get guitar lessons...

 

This morning Michelle sent me a text message saying she wasn't working out.  I was fine with that and spent that time instead making my hubby breakfast in bed.  Scrambled eggs with guacamole... umm good. 

 

Thanks love for the guitar!

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Live Like That

Last night during the intro of our Vacation Bible School with the Boomerang Express located Down Under, there was a short video clip located in and around the harbor in Sydney. While I was thoroughly enjoying the views, the question came to mind if I could live there and still live like Jesus. I've been thinking a lot recently about living more like Jesus and was glad that it came to mind without my direct persuasion. Could I live in a big city, a beautiful city, and still live like Jesus? I entertained that thought for a few moments when I concluded that I didn't think so.

Random thought, I know.

A short while later, we had finished the intro and our bible study time before moving to our music and missions time. Each night during the missions time, they focus on a missionary around the world. Last night's focus was a missionary here in the states, working in Wyoming or Montana. The missionary had moved there to start a church. But because it was so rural and people had chores to do plus a long drive to town, they didn't attend church. This guy started Cowboy Church. No dressing up. Boots and jeans. Sometimes clean, sometimes straight from chores. Nothing fancy. Just every day people with the same goal in mind meeting together. As I watched the brief video, the same thought as earlier occurred to me. Without even having to think about it, I could answer my own question.

I could certainly live like that!

Funny how those thoughts occur and how those things happen. It's been so good to see how God has been working in my life. To see how I happen to cross paths with the perfect people, how I happen, to read a certain book of the bible, and how it all happens to be bringing me closer to God. Thank you Lord for happening to have Your hand in those situations.

Repentance

Saturday we took our neighbor with us to the park in town for a fun-filled kick-off for Vacation Bible School. It went well and the boys did wonderfully together (much better these days than the first time they socialized this spring). They were tired when it was time to go home. On the way out of town, Aaron started crying. Of course I asked to see what was wrong. Apparently Scott told Aaron that he was going to put him in jail. Aaron didn't like that idea and cried (he's not a wimpy kid, it had to have been that he was tired). I assured Aaron that Scott would not put him in jail and by the time we got to Aaron's, he was done crying.

That night when Scott prayed, he remembered little Aaron without my prompting. He was sorry that he told Aaron that he'd put him in jail and said he wouldn't put Aaron in jail. He was thankful for his family, some church friends, and his neighbor, Aaron. What a sweet kid I [sometimes] have.

Cartwheel

Not sure how it happened this morning but while Ryan was gone working out, I was laying in bed reading my bible.  It was ~615am.  I heard someone coming up the stairs and knew it was the dog and it wasn't heavy enough steps to be Ryan.  Should I be concerned???  It was Scott.  I figured he'd went down stairs to find me and come back up.  When I asked him about it, he informed me that daddy let him watch Mary Poppins this morning.  What time did that kid get up???  Thank you honey for letting me sleep since I feel like I got no sleep all night! 
 
I'm not sure if it was on Mary Poppins or something else but Scott began asking me about cartwheels and was trying to do them in the living room.  With a little assistance, he managed back up.  And much to his surprise, I showed him that mommy could do a cartwheel too.  Glad you weren't there because it was embarrassing.  It was by no means a cartwheel that I would have done back in the day!  In fact, I didn't even get my legs straight up in the air.  Maybe mommy needs to go back to gymnastics and take Scott along!

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Thank you Michelle

This morning while working out, I was complaining to my buddies about Ryan being gone a lot lately which has left me doing the solo parenting and putting kids to bed most nights. The past 2 1/2 weeks have also been random schedules because my mom is gone and others are filling in with kid duty. Last night particularly was rough though. I couldn't get Bethany to bed with screaming. I would let her scream for a while before going back in her room. My efforts to soothe her worked until I would place her back in her bed. Tired and with a long list of house chores to accomplish, I was frustrated with Bethany's lack of sleeping. This went from 815 to midnight. At midnight I rolled over and she was out. I was thankful since I knew my alarm would be going off in 5 1/2 hours. Just 5 minutes later Scott walked in the room because he was scared. I thought "seriously, can a tired mom get any sleep tonight?" I finally got him settled in Bethany's bed and carried her limp body in their to snuggle with him. I was so tempted to go downstairs and start cleaning but I knew I needed my sleep!

All that to preface my conversation with my buddies this morning. As I was sharing my story, Michelle shared something interesting with me. As we seek to live like Jesus lived (which isn't easy in our culture), she reminded me that some of Jesus' followers were married. They were gone doing ministry with Jesus which means that they weren't home to tuck their kids in bed at night. When she was really struggling with her husband being gone most nights, she thought about this and it made it easier to deal with. God called them to serve and minister and they weren't able to tuck their kids into bed each night. I had never thought of that. Though I want to be like Christ, I struggle to look to the bible for those kinds of things. I'm so thankful that Michelle shared that with me and a refreshing thought... even though that wasn't what I wanted to hear, it was what I needed to hear.

***Disclaimer***
I'm not saying that its acceptable for husbands/dads to be gone every night all the time. I think there's a difference between those guys out gratifying themselves and being out for ministry/service. I also understand that there needs to be a balance in life and I'm glad to know that Ryan's VBS train building will be short lived since VBS starts on Saturday!

Weekend Report

I spent Friday night and Saturday morning at Beulahland Bible Camp hanging out with the Mexico City team. It was great to bond with old and new friends while we did some cultural presentations, shared what God's doing in our lives, prayed with our partners and studied God's Word. It was exciting to hear two of our team mates express a desire to be baptized. Both of them had been baptized at a young age but want to be baptized now as a public statement regarding their faith. What a cool end to our time together.

At noon Ryan, the kids, and our friend Elaine met me at the camp for a picnic and fishing. It was cold and rainy but we were prepared for lunch and Scott was determined to fish. It was a light rain so we managed that but were cold. Scott caught a big fish right away but after that Elaine was the only one who caught fish. As an international student from Malaysia, this was her first fishing experience and she loved it. I also paddled around the big pond with the kids and they loved it but my quads didn't!

Saturday night we did a quick run to Ryan's folks and grabbed some pizza in town before getting to their house. We ate our "diet" pizza [I think thin crust pizza is like being on a diet cause I love bread] had a quick tour of the remodel project, helped them move some things, showed them the waiting child list for adoption and picked a little girl that I want to get some more information about, stopped at WallyWorld on our way home and got in bed late.

Sunday was a full day at the church. I was home at 3pm and had a lazy afternoon with the family. Ryan left to work on the train that he and a few guys are building for vacation bible school, and eventually I got the wild indians in bed. [I seriously wonder how differently they would act if they didn't have sugar in their diet.] I popped two tylen0l pm's and headed to bed!

Birth Blessing

Did a field visit the other day to survey for a watering system for a field being grazed by long horn cattle. They have those in Iowa... who knew! Anyway, about 3/4 through the survey, we came upon a mama cow with a brand new baby calf. We did not see the birth of the calf but within minutes we were there and aware of this very good momma cow. She was cleaning her calf up and very protective as she watched our every move and we made sure to keep our distance. It was so fun to watch the first few minutes of life for the baby calf. We watched her try to stand multiple times before she finally succeeded, all the while the momma cow licking her and keeping watch. What a cool thing to see!

Oh and I must mention other fun details of the survey. Our summer student tore her jeans on the barbed wire fence as we crossed into the pasture. Also, half way through the survey, it hit me that we should have left a truck at the bottom of the hill. For those who've heard Iowa is flat, don't be deceived. This hill was by no means flat!!! Yes, it would have made sense for me to go back at that point and get the truck but I didn't. Instead, I volunteered to walk all the way back up when we were done surveying. I wish I had the measurements but I'm guessing it was at least 20% slope (think really steep road in the mountains) and 500 yards. I started out jogging, that didn't last long! I walked forward a while till my calves burned and then backwards a while till my thighs burned. I was sore from working out the day before so I continued up the hill, panting, until I got to the top. Oh how glorious! I quenched my dry mouth with water and drove down to pick up my coworkers. As I drove back up the hill to drop off the rest of the crew at their truck, I saw a guy running down the hill and was quite humbled when I recalled seeing him run up it while we surveyed. Whew, it was a lot of work to walk up the hill, let alone RUN.

Mexico Update

For those who want to know a Mexico City update:

• I'm currently taking a spanish class and listening to podcasted spanish lessons.
• I have raised all my financial support for the trip. If you feel the need, you can give to the general group fund or to our adoption.
• We're meeting semi-regularly to get the details worked out about the trip. Please pray for those details.
• Concern for safety. Really, I don't watch the news so I'm not real aware of the issues going on in Mexico. From what I understand, the issues are at the border crossings and border towns. Since we are flying into Mexico City, we understand that it shouldn't be a problem.
• Prayer is essential for our group as we prepare until we get back home. If you have not already let me know that you would be praying for me, and you are willing to do so, please let me know ASAP. I would love to know that people are praying for me. Beyond that, I'm also required to have a list of 20 people praying for me so if you would pray for me, that's one less person I have to ask (aka beg). Thanks.

Full of it today

I've been lacking in posting lately, mostly because of my hectic schedule. Here's another quick update based on this post from a month ago:

• I'm finished in one of the two offices I have to audit. It only took me 2/3 of the expected time. They've changed the process a bit so I don't know if I'll get so luck in the next office. For now, I'm enjoying being in my own office, especially since its my coworker buddy's last week here. I'm supposed to be here for 3 weeks but I might get an early start on the next office so I don't feel like I'm in limbo here.
• I got my passport back two weeks ago. I was really confused with the US Govt envelope since I wasn't expecting anything from my employer.
• Newspaper articles were done. Our small town paper was very generous in doing an article. I wish I could share the article with you but I don't have access to their old files.
• Tonight is round 2 of my HepB shot. We'll see how sore my arm is tomorrow.
• My new nephew is adorable. I hope my parents are enjoying getting to hold and kiss on him while they're out there for a few weeks.

I can do it

Last night while at the warehouse where Ryan was working on the VBS set, I rattled off the words of one of Scott's children's books. Chris got a kick out of the story and I'm not sure he noticed that I had it memorized. Ryan on the other hand gave me a look and told Chris and me that I should be able to memorize whole books of the bible because I've got a good memory. I thought that was funny since Ryan is the one with an incredible memory. I can do numbers, not stories, unless they rhyme and are children's books.

I went home last night and read through Hebrews 11-12. The 11th chapter talks about the things people did because they had the faith. That got me thinking about our ongoing adoption stuff. Then it got me thinking about Ryan's comment from earlier. I've thought more than once lately about my need to hide God's Word in my heart - to learn and memorize and know scripture. But I rarely do it. So I'm gonna try what Ryan suggested. Only I'm going to tone it down quite a bit to one chapter to begin with. I'm going to work on memorizing Hebrews 11 and wee what comes of that. God will bless my efforts, I know, but I'm excited to see how thinking about the faith of others will impact my own life. Anyone wanna join me???

Sent to a friend

I was emailing a friend today and sent him this. It pretty much sums up my life right now, I think.


Ryan got offerred a sweet job only it was ND. I don't think my skin is thick enough for that kinda of cold weather. We didn't consider the job at all. I'm wishing we would have.

Life is good otherwise. Still trucking along with the little ones.

Heading to Mexico City in August for a missions trip. Learning spanish again - I have forgotten a bunch!

Still in the beginning stages of the adoption process and wishing there weren't so many options. Saving money for that.

Playing with the kids. Wishing Scott would understand that pooping in the toilet is normal.

Dreaming about homeschooling the kids. Working 830-5.

Working out 2 mornings a week and thinking about running a few of the other mornings. Still wondering why that extra skin won't go away around my gut... Doesn't it know that I don't want to need that extra area in the future?

Trying to simplify my life. Struggling to not want to keep up with the Joneses.

Lavish Love

It was a fun by busy and tiring weekend. I spent Saturday with some of the ladies from Postville pampering and loving on them while some friends watched their kiddos. It was a much needed day of relaxation for some women who are in the midst of chaos following the immigration raid last year. These women were wonderful and I enjoyed getting to know them a little bit.

Life is busy as usual. Spending evenings playing with the kiddos and trying to cut out the row of shrubs along the driveway. It's tedious work but it needs to be done. I'm cutting out the dead stalks, smashing the nasty beetles that survived the winter after feasting on my once gorgeous shrubs last year, and leaving the tender new growth. What a reminder of God's love. I hadn't thought of it till just now. That pruning process with God reveals the good, new and fresh growth. May those remaining little twigs remind me of God while I remember to stomp out the evil that destroys and sucks the life out of me!

I've been reading in Hebrews lately. To be honest, I struggle having a consistent quiet time with God. I know that getting to know someone means spending time but I feel like I have so much going on. Funny how we can find time for what's important yet rush through quiet time in 5 minutes. I've been late to work several times lately because I'm enjoying my time in the Word. I know I need to get back to journaling which focuses my attention more on what God is trying to teach me through the passage. I'm so thakful for a God who's outside of time and wants to know me regardless of my sporadic time with Him. I'm also thankful that I serve a God who cares enough to want to know me and for me to know Him more deeply than I allow time for!

In light of speaking of love (not the original intent of this post), my folks are in CA lavishing love on our family out there. I'm a bit jealous. But mostly I miss my mom and Ralph. Especially their willingness and ability to easily care for my children!