Missed.

Yes. I figured out why Laurel missed the blue house. She was afraid that the bus would "miss" the house and she would never get home. Now that we have that cleared up...

She didn't really miss me at all, she was just afraid of being missed.

Bus

Laurel ran off the bus today and said, "Mom, I missed you! I missed you and the blue house!" (Which is what my girls call our new house.) She is such a homebody.

Laurel

Today is Laurel's first day of school at her new school. She's been out of school for a month now, we pulled her out early because she wasn't doing well at Riley. We've been really psyching her for school, just these last weeks, she was finally beginning to get excited about going to school again. I'm just glad she isn't dreading it anymore.

When I took her in, I started to get really excited too. They have a lot of programs and different things that Riley just did not have. And the programs that Riley had, Colt is taking a step farther. For example, RIF (Reading is fundamental), it's a program where kids get to look at new books and the focus is that reading is fun. At Riley they got to pick a book out and send the tab home, for the parents to buy. At Colt, the PTA financed RIF so that the kids can each take home 3 books for free!!!! How is that not awesome??? And Laurel's teacher is amazing! She excited about the kids and interacts with them constantly, helps them out. It's just amazing. I can't believe what a difference. This school is going to be much better for Laurel.

I'm so excited for her!!!

Weird

The most weird thing happened to me today. I'm not even sure weird is the right word for it, it's was astounding, and just overall amazing.

I usually make my way through life not making eye contact or talking with anyone besides my own kids. I think it's just I don't have the confidence. I'm not sure I try anymore.

I tend to go to the grocery store and pretty much apologize my way through it. Usually one of my girls are running into someone or gets into someones way, so I am constantly saying that I'm sorry. But I actually see people then, I look them in the face and for what little time I have, I try to be as gracious as I can be. Some people are super grouchy, others, it makes them smile that 3 little girls are following around their mom like ducklings. That may be the only smile they have that day.

A guy today said hi to me, and usually I just say hi back and keep on going, but today I said, Hi, how are you?

He wasn't pretty. In fact although his hair was freshly cut and clothes were clean, he walked limply with a walker and his face was severely scarred. Slowly and stuttering, it was hard to hear and understand him, but his story poured out of him that 23 year ago, he went out in the street on his bike, and got hit by a car.

The words that keep haunting me is when he told me, "Never give up." Like my own personal message. "I haven't given up," he says and that was very clear.

I keep thinking about Jesus and the lame beggar, or the blind man. Both outcasts of society, overjoyed when Jesus healed their needs; unlike them this man didn't let his outward appearance deter his desire to talk to people and tell them about Jesus or his willingness to never give up. He was living proof that Jesus doesn't have to be alive to be evident in our lives, to have a desire to keep on keeping on, no matter what is handed on our plates.

Last night I went out with my sister-in-laws, and the waitress came to drop off the bill, she fumbled around in her pocket and finally started unloading it. Embarrassed she pulled out a Gideon Bible, and said, "Yeah I got handed this today, it's just been one of those days. I guess someone thought I needed to get me some religion."

I keep thinking, what could I have possibly said? It just seems that God placed her in my hands for a reason, just like He placed the man at the store.

I don't even think I'm trying to understand the why, I'm trying to understand the what do I need to do next. I'm lost here. It just feels like someone is barging in and throwing people into my lap when all I want is just to make it to the end. And I know I have a small life, I don't deny it. All I can handle is taking care of my girls. These little encounters throw me off. I have to step back and think before I act as I shake off the impact.

I don't know what to think right now.

It's not my birthday.

Wow.

So much has been happening that I can't think of where to start.

So let's start with today.

Today was suppose to be an immensely productive day. My in-laws came over to help Josh with a few things around the house. We dropped off the girls at my mothers house to spend the night, and were planning on a nice relaxing day after we had worked. However. Today just did not start out right. It was one of those days were everything started a new problem. I woke up this morning to a sink that wouldn't drain, so with all my power and might I tried a few things to get it to do, well, something besides just stand there. And the water didn't budge.

So I left it.

After we dropped off the girls and gave the sink some time to think about draining, we came back home to fix it's problems. After a bit of pulling and pushing, water still standing in the sink and backing-up into my dishwasher, my father-in-law decided it was time to take a look downstairs. He found an entire section of basement soaked in water. After the area was cleared, he took a look at the pipes, which I returned back upstairs, where my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law and I stood by the sink, talking and waiting for my father-in-law to tell us what he needed next. Instead there was a yelp, then the sink gurgled and drained, all in the matter of seconds.

"Why is the sink draining?" I asked and then realized that the yelp may lead to an answer.

There stood my father-in-law, drenched in whatever had been left in the sink for eons, and a smell arose so vicious that it awoke any senses that may have been sleeping. Josh ran back and forth with buckets and I ran for towels, as the pipes were still leaking this grey sludge, with rocks and onion peels left for us to contemplate what kind of people lived in our house before us.

It didn't stop there, my father in law had brought what he called "The Snake" which was a cord that he fished down the line about 2 feet or so, dragged back whatever had been in the pipe and then going in another 2 feet, trying to reach and pull clear a clog. He went in 20 feet before calling it quits. We hauled out at least 5 gallons of grey sludge.

And at this very moment, we still don't have a working kitchen sink. However, our bathroom and laundry facilities are fully functional, since they are at the opposite end of the house.

And I'm not at the least bit upset. In fact, I was more upset over the fact that I pinched myself in the closet door this morning than I was over the cascading waterfall of grey sludge on my basement floor.

I think God was preparing me, you know, the 'pinch to grow an inch' that you get each birthday as a kid.


No.

It's not my birthday.

House

I can't believe it's here. The morning we sign our lives away on a house. It seems like it was never going to to be a possiblity again and yet, God swept us away and blessed us outragiously. How does He do that???

Keep us in your prayers, as the next few days of moving will be stressful. I've gotten everything I can packed. Yesterday I hit a point in the day where I was just wandering around the house looking for something else I could pack like I was obsessed or something. It took me a good half an hour of wandering to finally say, Yup, I'm done, and sit down to a (now cold) cup of tea.

Oliver is getting pretty sick of me packing. He crawling now and follows me around the house. He gets so angry when he finds me near a box, that he turns over on his back, yowls and starts kicking the box full force with both feet as if to say, "Hey! You're paying more attention to that inadimate object than me!" Kick, Kick, Kick, Kick, I hear his feet as they turn in rapid spinning circles. So I pick him up and twirl around with him, which then he smiles and turns back into the happy baby he once was, before he saw me and the box within 2 inches of each other. Eventually, I return him to the living room to play and it starts all over again.

I wonder how he's going to react to unpacking.

Moving

Okay, I have a few minutes to post. I can't say I've been entirely busy with packing up to move, since I have maybe 15 boxes packed. It's hard to pack up a house when your stuff is still intertwined with other peoples stuff. You tend to forget who's is what. Well, that and you're still living there. So dishes are a no, and any bathroom necessities are a no... I'm so used to packing up in one week or less and moving. This is a little backwards to me.

We have a few genius touches this time though. My mother-in-law painted each girl a box so they can pack and find their personal stuff. We actually have a truck thanks to my brother. And I have a couple days to clean and paint BEFORE we move in, which is a novelty.

I'm curious where this is leading us because it's all happening so fast. It seems like there is something bigger in store for us, and I'm both excited and nervous to face it head-on.

Merge: Communion

Last night Josh and I went to the Merge meeting at Riv. The theme for this year's events is communion, so this time, it was decided that we would actually take communion. The people were sat down at a table of six or eight, and were given time to talk with one another. Then we were asked to talk about the idea of communion and what it means, then the table would pray together before they broke the bread. Afterwards they were given time to talk with people. I was taking pictures at the time, so I could hear the conversations and the prayers throughout the room. These are a few that struck me.

I saw a 20something male tell about his life and then admit, "It's all that I have."

I ended up talking to one woman who doesn't attend Riv, and she asked me about how Riv got started. Eventually it led into her life story. She was excited at the boldness of Riv and was even more excited about how she could help.

Another woman was excited to lead a small group but couldn't lead it in her own home.

I talked to a man who when it came time to pray, led in a bold prayer that left the table silent and awestruck. "I don't remember exactly what I prayed but when I said Amen and lifted up my head, one woman looked at me and said, 'Awesome.' That opened up the table for honest and real discussion."

Another woman said when I asked her about the whole event, "It's needed. The communion, the sense of community, people just need that."

I can't say for sure lives were changed or that people even left with the right idea in mind, but I did see several people exchange phone numbers, email addresses and encouraged several to fill out surveys. It's a start. People were curious and excited to know what Merge was doing next. And that is exciting.

This said from simply an observer.

Halloween

Laurel was Wendy from Peter Pan.

Dar was Princess Dora. She looks good with black hair.

Cassie was Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Last year Laurel went as Belle and Dar was all disappointed because she wasn't a pretty princess too, so this year we made sure that Cassie wasn't left out of the prettiness. She was so thrilled to be Belle. That costume has seen several Halloweens in the past few years.

This year was the first year in downtown St. Johns where they had trick or treating open at several businesses for the little kids, who probably won't make it for the actual trick or treating later that night. I had no idea how many kids under 9 years old lived in St. Johns. There was so many kids, it was hard to find parents.


Dar looks like her Aunt Sam in this picture, it's the black hair I think. I never thought Dar looked like a Pung, but this seems to prove it.

Grandma's cup

So I sat down to my morning coffee, and the cup I usually use was dirty, so I grabbed another mug, not a big deal.

Not realizing that it is a big deal to Cassie who said...



"Mom that's Grandma's cup."

"Yes, it's Grandma's but I'm using it today."

After several minutes of trying to convince me that it's Grandma's and that I should use another mug, she turns to Josh and says.

"Daddy, look at Mommy. Mommy is using Grandma's cup."

Obviously I did something wrong.