Being Filled..

As most of you know, the Lord currently has me stuck smack-dab in what is one of the hottest places in America. I wonder if the weather forecasters ever get bored working in Phoenix. You know those little hooks that they say to keep you tuned in to their station...things like, "Is the hot weather going to hold? I'll have the forecast coming up in just a few minutes!" And you think "DUH!!" in your head, even as you "stay tuned" to hear the forecaster give you the predictable summer forecast of 10,000 degree weather. (sorry to sound so caustic...being baked at 112 degrees for two weeks running makes me a little cranky) I think the weathermen (or women..:) hold out for what is called the "monsoon" season - a wet couple of weeks/months where Phoenix finally starts to see some of the wet stuff actually hit the ground.
Until the rains come though, many previously filled streams in the Phoenix area simply dry up.
The tell-tale signs of a packed dirt cracking under the sun can be seen in washes around the Valley. They are more than a little depressing to behold - hollowed out pieces of earth empty and devoid of water. EMPTY.
The Lord has been speaking to me a lot lately about what it means to be filled up with Him. And how I can get that idea across to myself - not only spiritually, but emotionally as well. I could make this the Stacy-climbs-on-her-soapbox and declares the three spiritual truths to being filled, but I don't have a soapbox......and really, why a soapbox...when a five point sound system connected to a REALLY SNAZZY power-point presentation with loads of TOTALLY ROCKIN' clip art would work much better :)
So, no presentations. Instead, let me open up my heart to you for just a minute. I can tell you that the closer I get to HIM, the more I am able to recognize when I'm running on empty. When I'm feeling empty, I often start looking to other people to "fill me up". The end result? People, intentionally or not, often let me down. Ever been in a room filled to the brim with your friends and still felt alone..empty? I have.
Or, instead of people, I start looking to other things to fill me up. Things like stories in books, television programs, or shopping trips. The end result? If I'm using these things to try to fill myself (instead of just for enjoyment/relaxation), then it's like trying to fill a river with a dropper. The enjoyment is not enough to "fill" me.
Water - and imagery involving water, is everywhere in God's Book. I went to http://www.blueletterbible.com/ and looked up every reference to water. It occurs 460 times! Some of you will be familiar with the story in John 4 where Jesus refers to himself as living water. John 4:14 states - "But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (NKJV)" Those of us who have made the choice to be Christ-followers never have to worry about that part of our spirit going dry. We have everlasting life...it springs up in us.
The type of empty I'm talking about comes from not drawing from that living water on a daily basis - allowing that living water to heal us, sustain us, and overflow from our lives into the lives of others around us.
So, if we are feeling dry, where do we start? With Him.
Psalm 107: 35 says "He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. (NKJV)" God can make something out of nothing, or in this case, bring water where only emptiness existed before. We can turn to His word with the expectation that He will use it to speak to our thirsty hearts. God promises this -
Isa 55:10-12 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hill shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."
Wow! Isn't that awesome! Think of it this way. When you sit down to read the Word, the God of heaven and earth sits down beside you, with His arm wrapped around you, and uses the Holy Spirit to speak truth to your life - specifically your life, your circumstances, etc. And that water reaches down to your soul, begging you to dig your roots into Him and His word. As you do, God promises this - Jeremiah 17:8 "For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. (NKJV)"
Another way to fill yourself up is to daily be in prayer. Talk with God like a child talks to their Daddy, delight yourself in all of His creation, praise Him for all he's done, and rest in His grace. Also, pour out your fears, cry your tears of dissapointment, and give him your angry words. Basically- give it ALL to Him. Psalm 68:19 says "Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. (NLT)" Choose to let go and climb up into His arms.
So, my encouragment? Don't run around on empty. Don't run from the grace, peace, joy and love this is available to fill you up and fill all of the empty places within you. I'd like to end with two things. One is a poem that I wrote many years ago, on a dark night when it was, strangely enough, actually pouring down rain in Phoenix. The second is Steven Curtis Chapman's song Dive. My prayer is that you will go deep with God - and come up soaking wet!

Rain
Falling freely
Pours over my face
My lips, my eyes
My nose, my chin
Bathing my shoulders
My arms, my hands, my fingertips
Drenching wet
Shaking
Praying
Praising
The rain is the grace of my God
And I am getting wet

More VBS Pics...

The Preschoolers Hear A Bible Story...

Lore-lin riding one of the "decorations" in the main auditorium

One of church members owns a local Chik-Fil-A restaurant. On the last night of VBS, he brought his cow costume down and dressed-up for the kids. Lore-lin is NOT to sure about this cow, though..

K-Bug LOVED seeing the cow, and gave him lots of hugs and high fives!

Vacation Bible School - Wild RIde!

I'm just now getting my bearings after a wild n' wooly week of Vacation Bible School at Compass Church, where I was a "Crew Leader" for a wild bunch of elementary-age kiddos. In hind-sight, I would say that the commitment to be there each and every night was a LOT for our little family of tots and preschoolers, but my dear hubby was committed to be as flexible as a bendy-straw....and made it possible for our family to fufill the role. The theme for our Vacation Bible School was western. It was called "Avanlanche Ranch - A Wild Ride Through God's Word!" Each night, a different animal helped us to remember a different truth about God. Let me see if I can remember..
1. God is real - Buc The Horse
2. God is with us- Shadow The Dog
3. God is strong - Range The Buffalo
4. God is awesome - Skye The Eagle
5. God is in charge - Boss The Longhorn Cow

WA-HOO! I remembered them ALL! Anyway, the songs, stories, crafts, games, etc. for each night all centered around the showcased Bible point. One of the GREAT things about our VBS is that they included preschoolers, who did their own version of all of the activities the "bigger kids" were doing. So, my sweet K-Bug got to experience her very first Vacation Bible School. My "flexible"hubby came and took lots of great pictures of our girls on the final night of VBS. I wanted to share a few of them with you!


The Preschoolers were called "The Prairie Dogs" Here's K-Bug with their mascot!

The preschoolers joined all the other kids for an opening time of worship each night..

Here's K-Bug making a "sheriff star" craft project..

This was K-Bug's teacher, Miss Hannah. I know that she tirelessly loved on my daugter all week long! THANK YOU!

Tummy Ache - Update

Hello All,

After a loong twelve days of nausea and stomach pain, I finally made my way to the doctor's office yesterday. He asked a long litnay of questions, and took two vials of blood to test for a whole gamut of ailments. He says it is probably one of three things:
1. Severe Heartburn (manifesting itself in my tummy/back...weird, huh?)
2. Gallbladder Issue
3. Ulcers
The GOOD news is that I just got a call back from the doctor's office about an hour ago, and ALL of my bloodwork came back clean! Thank you Lord! I know that the doctor was testing for some of what could have been more serious culprits behind my issues.
He is sending me for an ultrasound test as well, so I'll let everyone know what we find out there. Thanks to ALL of you as you have prayed for me and this health problem. God is so good, and I'm quite sure we'll get to the bottom of it yet.
Please continue to pray as I do still deal with this still mysterious nausea and stomach pains.

Tummy Ache

Hey there... I've got all these blog posts just swimming around in my brain, waiting to be typed out (do you fellow bloggers notice that you start to view different events, funny happenings, or sayings as "Ooo...I've got to blog that." :) Anyway, today my blog will just be informing everyone that the longer posts will have to wait - due to my tummy-ache...ooo- that rhymes if you read it just right in a sing-songy kind-of voice...
Anyhoo....
For the past few days I've had a nauseous stomach after the hour of 5:00 p.m. Now I know what you all are thinking, and just so you know I took a prego test which read very negative and I've had a very normal cycle this month already. Soooo.... what gives? Today is the first day that I've kind-of felt nauseous during the morning/daytime hours too. I was up from about 3:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. last night with just waves of sickey-feelings. Amazingly, I still have a normal appetite, and no imminent feelings of tossing my cookies... I just feel plain sea-sick. I will get through this weekend one way or the other (the other being that this is a stomach virus which chooses to pass of its own accord). If my tummy is still rebelling on Monday morning, I'll call my primary doc to try and get some relief.
I would please ask for prayers for my tummy issues. I'm due to work a full week of Vacation Bible School at church all next week....in the evening hours.... please pray that I'm feeling fully back on my feet by then. Blessings!

Happy Birthday Lore-lin!

Hooray, hooray, today is the day - Miss Lorelin turns two! (okay, so yesterday was the day, I'm a little delayed in getting out the post...:) You might be able to tell a little from her picture, but Lore-lin is a rather long-legged girl, coming in at the 99% percentile for her height at the last pediatrician's check-up. More than her height though, Lore-lin has grown up and into our hearts in SO many ways. Here's just a snapshot of our beautiful girl:

Favorite Book: Twinkle, Twinkle (Christian Mother Goose Version)

Favorite Food: Cold Cereal

Favorite Program: Little Einsteins

Favorite Toy: Anything that Sissy is playing with!

Favorite Comfort Item: Fuzzy striped blanket

Favorite Saying: "Wazzat?" (what's that?)

Lorelin IS: Very Snuggly

Lorelin IS NOT: In diapers anymore - It's Pull-Ups now as we PT

Lorelin Enjoys: Bubbles, balls, puzzles, swimming, and playing outside

Lorelin Does Not Enjoy: Trying new foods or meeting new people

Lorelin LOVES: To play with her family &

WE LOVE LORELIN!! Happy Birthday!

Think Cool Thoughts...

Well, folks, here it is...summer in Phoenix. Today is actually supposed to be in the high 90's - everyone here is talking about how "cool" it is today (evidence that the heat really does warp our minds), but the rest of the summer will be in triple digits. It's like baking in a large oven set to BROIL...To be honest, I DREAD the summers here. I'm definitely a chilly-weather kind of girl. I will take a winter sweater and pants over shorts and tank-top anyday. The heat seems to sap my energy, and make my cranky. SO, in a spirit of postive thinking and being THANKFUL, I decided that I would focus on those things that I like, even love, about the summer season. :)
1. Sandals - all of those adorable sandals and cute flip-flops in twenty different colors! And what a great excuse to get a pedicure and show off your well-manicured tootsies!
2. Watermelon - I plain ol' love watermelon! And it's a summer fruit, to be sure. I have GREAT childhood memories of the watermelon festival that our little church used to host each summer.We had seed spitting and watermelon eating contests among other things - it was a BALL!
3. Sno-Cones - Another fond childhood memory - getting sno-cones after spending a day at the pool...a special treat! If there was a Sno-Cone shop near us (don't you think there would be more in Phoenix?) my kiddos and I would probably try a new flavor every week. My favorite as a kid was called "Tiger's Blood" (mmm, sounds yummy, right?) It was a cinnamon-cherry combo...
4. Swimming - Cooling off in the pool has always been a favorite past-time. With K-bug taking swim lessons for the first time this year, both of my girlies are both turning into regular little fishies who LOVE to be in the water!
5. Sun-Dresess - to go with the cute sandals and flip-flops of course. While I am NOT a big shorts-wearer, I love the comfort, ease, and cuteness factor of a sundress. Thanks to gifts from my family and friends, I was able to hit the racks at Old Navy and find two dresses that I love! (my Mom has asked me if I plan to wear them every day, and I could give some attention to other items in my wardrobe...but I digress...)
6. The Beach - I love the beach anytime of the year. But my entire family always gets the urge to migrate toward San Diego in the summer, and so, of course, we are headed back this August for another round of san, sun, and surf (and Sea World too...)
7. Fourth Of July - Really, truly, one of my favorite holidays on the calendar is fourth of July. I love remembering and celebrating our country's independence. I love that everyone wears red, white, and blue! I love the BBQs and all of the trimmings. But most of all, I love, FIREWORKS! As a matter of fact, it's hard to tell who gets more excited about seeing them - my kiddos or me.
8. Iced Tea - This is one of my favorite drinks anway, but nothing tastes quite so good when it's super-hot outside. I'm currently drinking a Herbal Rasberry-Blueberry blend. I'll try new flavors (most of them fruity) all summer long. Come over and have a glass with me!

I'm sure I could think of even more, but to be honest, I'm feeling better already. Happiness, even in the midst of a Phoenix summer, is a choice. Dear Lord, thank you for filling my cup of joy to overflowing and for blessing me with so much more than I deserve. May I refresh myself daily in You!

Now it's your turn! What do YOU love about the summer?

Operation Missionary: Kamie

Hello All! I just wanted to ask everyone to pray for my forever friend Kamie (on the far left-hand side of the picture above) as she gets ready for a six-month stint on the mission field in Guatemala. She will be leaving the first of July and will not return to the states until late December. Kamie and I have been friends since grade-school, and have enjoyed many adventures together. Now Kamie is going out on an adventure of her own. She will travel from place to place in Guatemala with a ministry team called Cocina del Amor, helping to coordinate in-coming ministry teams and working directly with the people however she is needed. Kamie will be leaving behind family, friends, her job, and MANY comforts of home (including electricity) to go out and serve God with all of her heart. My dear friend, I am so VERY proud of you, not just for serving, but for loving God enough to follow wherever He leads. I will miss you, and I will be praying for you. I am asking you, all of my bloggity friends, to be in prayer for her too!

P.S. My other forever friend, one Miss Lori, is on the far right-hand side of the pic. I wanted you to see both of them, as they are star players in a story that I will be posting soon! ;)

The Whole Truth

Have you ever had an experience where you are 1000% sure that you are being truthful about something, but there's no way to prove it? That was my experience today when I took a book back to the library. See, I got a call a few days ago stating that one of my library books was overdue by at least two weeks. I knew this couldn't be possible, as I had specifically taken all of the books back to the library at the same time and had a librarian physically re-check them. I DO remember thinking at the time that the librarian seemed very distracted and I wondered if she had really re-checked them all, but I had the girls with me, I was ready to go, etc...Now, I know that I don't exactly have a mind like a steel trap, BUT I KNOW with everything in me that I had that specific book in my possession that day, because I remember wanting to return it, when Kaelyn asked if she could take it home again.
Anyhow....
I took the book back to the library today thinking surely they would understand that these occurred charges and the crazy idea that Stacy-is-a-bad-book-checker-and-we're-putting-it-on her-permanent-record were simply not due to any fault of my own. Hah! That would mean that the said library lady would have looked at me like she actually believed me, instead of like a criminal trying to make up a "dog ate my homework" story to get out of paying the PIDDLY $1.80 fine!!
I didn't care about my pocketbook, I just wanted her to believe me! "Are you sure that you didn't just leave the book at home that day?" she asked me in a rather sarcastic voice that implied that she didn't believe a word of what I had told her.
Now the Lord has been convicting me lately about kindness and about being Christlike in all social situations. So, what I said and I what I really wanted to say conflicted at this point. I chose to just let go. I truly didn't want to be unkind, so I said in a voice that I really hope was a lot less perturbed than I felt, "Yes, I am sure, but I will pay the fine. How much did you say it was again?"
This whole experience caused me to drift back to another experience where a look of disbelief DID cause me to say what was on my mind to a total stranger. My dear hubby and I had been married a little more than a year when the possibility arose (despite b/c) that we "might" be pregnant. Now, I didn't think this was the case, but you know how you always want to be sure.
{Keep in mind for this story - Most people tell me that I look younger than I actually am, but when I was married at age 20 there were many people who thought I was still a teen. }
I had never taken a pregnancy test before, so I didn't even really know exactly where I should start looking. I wandered around a Fry's grocery store for half an hour with no luck, and was absolutely too embarrassed to ask. I was on my way home when I decided to stop at a drug store for one last try. I did indeed find the pregnancy tests - under lock and key. A male teen worker had to bring the key to come and open everything up so he could stand there while I chose one. I'm sure I looked awkward, seeing as how I had no idea which one to pick. I grabbed one and quickly headed to the counter. It was there, as that clerk gave me the "once over"....I could see in her eyes that she thought that I was a teen sneaking in for a pregnancy test.For whatever reason, I felt something rise up in me, and in a flash of boldness, I said, "JUST SO YOU KNOW, I'M TWENTY YEARS OLD, I'M MARRIED AND I WAS A VIRGIN ON MY WEDDING NIGHT!" (still don't why I told her that part....talk about a Lot-O-Personal Info.)"Oh, well.." she stalled "You know, you just look so young..I just thought...."
I went home that night surprised at my sudden boldness - maybe I was tired, maybe a sudden rush of hormones overtook my brain (Hah! That still happens!) Whatever the case, I still remember that night as being one of the only times that I spoke to a stranger with such ZING...
Lord, fill me with kindness, even when librarians and store clerks don't believe me (and I have such an honest face!! :)

Just One Word...

My friend Tracy tagged me for this one...so here are my answers. And as the rules state, answers can only be one word....being a prolificly wordy person myself, this taxed my chatterbox considerably....:)

Yourself: Fun-loving
Your Spouse: Funny
Your Hair: Short
Your Favorite Item: Pillow
Your Dream Last Night: Weird
Your Favorite Drink: Iced Tea (ok, so that's two words. sue me..)
Your Dream Car: Convertible
Dream Home: Beachouse
The Room You Are In: Bedroom
Your Fear: Aloneness
Where You Want to be in Ten Years: Speaker
Who You Hung Out With Last Night: Grandma
You're Not: Organized
One of Your Wish List Items: Open Spaces
The Last Thing You Did: Read
You Are Wearing: Sundress
Your Favorite Weather: Chilly
Your Favorite Book: Undecided (can't pick one...just love em all!)
Last Thing You Ate: Popsicle
Your Life: BUSY
Your Mood: Cheerful
Your Best Friend: Trustworthy
What Are You Thinking About Right Now: Sleep
Your Car: Van
What Are You Doing At The Moment: this
Relationship Status: married
What Is On Your TV: nothing
What Is The Weather Like: HOT
When Is The Last Time You Laughed: today

Whew! Now I can talk again! We highly extroverted people need to just get it out...AND IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE WORD PEOPLE!! We highly extroverted people also sometimes expend more energy then we realize...hence the reason my body feels as though someone encased it in concrete..my bed is calling me....Good-night all!

A Wet N' Wild Weekend

It was wet n' wild weekend for the Smiths - so busy! My Meemaw and Uncle were down from Texas to visit for five days...but more about that later. We celebrated Miss Lorelin's second birthday with a beach-ball breakfast at the local "Splash Park" near our house. For those that don't know, a splash park is a small water-play area located in public parks throughout Phoenix. This particular splash-park is brand-new, and has only been open a few weeks.



Here's a picture of what it looks like with no water and no kiddos playing on it...

We had the party at 9:00 a.m. in the morning (come on people, this is Phoenix, and it gets HOT early!!!) and we made it a breakfast party. We served watermelon, donuts, and cold cereal (which I put in sand pails for that cute, crafty touch.....God must have given me the idea, because I am not normally one to just think this kind-of stuff up....)

All of the guests seemed to enjoy the breakfast (especially the birthday girl!). Being the consumate picky eater, Miss Lorelin likes cereal and watermelon just about best of all!

Here's a picture of Miss Lorelin and K-Bug playing in the Splash Park after it got going, and they got wet!

Now, to be honest, Miss Lorelin's actual b-day is still a little ways away, but I wanted to have her birthday party early while I was still in the " party mode" , having just had K-Bugs party at the end of April. Also, we have some good friends whose daughter was born just a few days after Lorelin, so her party is usually around the same time. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to ALL of our friends and family who came and helped to make the day so SUPER special for Miss Lorelin and for us, her family!

She keeps talking about her "birf-day potty" - Happy Birthday our sweet little one!

Sweet Potatoes Ain't Always Sweet...

For the last few days, I have been smelling an odd odor coming from the pantry in my kitchen. I had looked through all of the contents I thought might smell strange...but no luck. Today, however, the smell was stronger than ever, and I was determined to find it and be rid of it once and for all. Digging in the lowest shelf in the back of the pantry, I found a sack of VERY ROTTEN, VERY MOLDY, VERY LIQUIDY, VERY STINKY sweet potatoes. Making what I thought was a quick move to transfer the sack into the kitchen trash to be immediately taken out, the sweet potatoes (and all of their yucky brown juices) spilled out onto the floor with a mucky wet splat. Rotten chunks of sweet potato flew onto the walls, my feet (and my flip-flops) and the sides of the trashcan. Immediately the kitchen smelled like a dirty diaper on steroids (the smell was really that bad!). As you take into account that we were literally about to walk out the door to drive to K-Bug's swim lesson, the moments immediately following the "potato incident" went a little something like this:
Me: HELLLP!
K-Bug: Oh, no! Are you OK?
Hubby: EWWW? What smells?
Lorelin: oh-no-smelly!
Hubby: Girls - get back - NO, DON'T TOUCH! Get back!
Me: Get me a paper towel, a dish-rag, anything!
K-Bug: It's a big mess alright...
Lorelin: oh-no-smelly
Hubby: Girls - get back - STEP AWAY FROM THE PUDDLE!

We did somehow manage to get the mess cleaned up (without any help from the girls) and still make it on time to the swim lesson. Still, our kitchen carried the smell for hours, wearing it like a badge for it's part in drama. Who knew vegetables could be so ruthless (or so stinky?)

My Birthday...

Well folks, last Friday was my birthday - my twenty-eighth birthday - to be exact. Now, I wish I could tell you that I am aging ever so gracefully, but in truth, it freaks me out a little to be so close to the age of "30". I distinctly remember being in my teens, and thinking that "30" sounded very....old. My own dear hubby turned 30 last year with all the grace in the world - didn't bat an eyelash (which is too bad, as he has very cute eyelashes...:) However, all of my freaked-out feelings aside, I wanted to give you a list of of why this birthday was one of my best and most blessed to date...
(1). My mother-in-law sent me some amazing flowers that were very unexpected. They were Irises - and for the past few days - they have bloomed into colors of deep purple, bright yellow, and pure white right before my very eyes. Thanks Susan!
(2). My parents knocked on the door the morning (quite early in the morning) of my birthday with cookies and balloons in hand. My family enjoyed the cookies and my girls are still enjoying "Mommy's birthday balloon"
(3). My dearest friends and Sisterchicks gave me expressions of their love all over the place - phone calls, cards, and sweet and unexpected gifts.... I felt so incredibly loved... Andrea gave me a candle that she knew I loved, Brandie gave me the means to go and treat myself to a Jamba Juice (which I did last night!), Jess gave me a mug and a gift certificate to go out and get a new book, Jules gave me a yummy caramel drink from Starbucks, Nickle-Pickle gave me a gift certificate to Old Navy (where I bought the CUTEST sundress)the list goes on...:) I actually shed a happy tear or two in my gratefulness to God for giving me these friends!!
(4). My parents graciously baby-sat for Bri and I as we went out to dinner and then over to the Robinson's house to watch some UFC. My dear Nickle-Pickle had gotten me some cheesecake, and insisted that we put candles in it and have everyone sing Happy Birthday. I was also gifted with an...ahem...rather interesting pair of panties...you wacky ladies know who you are!
(5). I spent three hours on my actual birthday in the Urgent Care for an bladder infection. You might wonder why this made the list of things that mad eme birthday so awesome - honestly, because it was just a time of thankfulness for me - thankful that I live in a country where I can go and get the medical treatment I need. Also, all the doctors and nurses wished me a Happy Birthday after seeing my date of birth on the chart - nothing like getting birthday wishes from happy, smiling strangers!!
(6). My dear hubby bought me a giant scrapbooking kit from Costco, which was just the most perfect gift for me - I love it and have already used it! Thanks again, honey!!
(7). My best friend Christy, in the middle of what has been one of the most stressful times of her life, still surprised me with an awesome birthday present that meant worlds to me.
(8). My Mom put together a scrap-book night at her house, where my friends came together and we did a lot of chatting and little-bit of scrapping for a few hours in a totally relaxed environment. It was AWESOME!! Most notably, my Mom prayed a prayer for all of us in which she told the Lord (out-loud) how much she loved me - thanks Mom, I love you TOO!

Lord, thank you for granting me another year here. Please work through me to bring more glory to you.

Keep Smiling !!

I just wanted to relay a quick experience I had about a week ago that left a deep impression on me. I was out on a Thursday morning shopping at Wally World for a new toilet bowl brush (WE REALLY NEEDED ONE, OK?) after having a leisurely breakfast with friends. My precious Mother was watching the kiddos for the morning and I was practically celebrating the short break. As I walked through Wal-Mart, I found myself smiling, and as I went through the check-out line (with only a toilet bowl brush..the fact that I went into Wal-Mart and came out with one item is just strange...) I cheerfully asked the clerk "Are you having fun today?" "Oh yes," she said with a smile, "I have fun everyday. Life is too short not to have fun!" We exchanged some more lighthearted chit-chat and as I started toward the exit, I called out a chipper "Have a great day!" to a very bored-looking Wal-Mart greeter. Suddenly I heard a voice. Turning to look, I saw a Wal-Mart worker - a middle-aged man in a wheelchair. Pointing his finger at me he said, "Hey, you keep smiling. It's really working for ya!" I don't exactly remember how I responded (I believe I said a quick "Thanks!'). What I do remember is smiling clear all the way out to my car in the parking lot. The truth is, he just about made my day. I've thought a lot about his statement these past few weeks. That man had given me a great gift - his cheerful disposition, his encouraging words, and his gentle reminder that a smile can be a gateway to joy for everyone we meet. Now, I'm not saying that we can always be in a state of constant peppiness and perkiness....there are times and situations that call for gravity and decorum. And there are days when the stress of life seems to squeeze us from all sides. However, as a child of God, I believe that I am called to live this life here on earth in a joy-filled manner. God is the author of laughter, joy, and FUN!! So, keep smiling - it's really working for ya!

P.S. K-Bug took this picture of me with her Fisher-Price digital camera..hence the reason it's a little blurry. Nothing makes me smile like my own sweet girl telling me "Smile Mommy! I'm going to take your picture!"

Lens Of Truth ( & His Love)

Before my dear hubby and I had two adorable children filling up all of our spare minutes with their endless energy, we were a couple of cute, clueless DINKS living in our little apartment, dwelling in an endless cycle of newlywed love. Part of that cycle included my dear hubby's gaming systems from years past (NOTE: my hubby drools over the new Nintendo Wii every time we go to Costco..could "Wii" get one soon?? Given the fact that he has two daughters who would rather host tea parties and play dress-up does not give him many votes in his favor...maybe his sweet wife will surprise him for his birthday??)
Anyway, one of his favorite games used to be The Legend of Zelda - Majora's Mask. There are a lot of illustrations that I could talk endlessly about, based on the fact that the lead character (Link) morphs into whatever mask he is wearing BUT...(resist the urge, Stacy, resist the urge) I won't go there.
Instead, what is coming to mind tonight is a particular item that Link uses throughout his travels in the game. It is called "The Lens Of Truth" What looks like a pair of pink goggles allows Link to see things that he couldn't see before, fuzzy things become clear, etc. One memorable part of the game has Link using the goggles to "see" an otherwise invisible suspension bridge - the only way out of an otherwise snow-filled moutain.
Of course, the obvious thing to point out is that my Lens of Truth is the one and only Book. God's Word. Many of you know that my dear hubby and I are wrestling with several large life-change decisions right now - should we stay, should we go, should we start this, should we stop that....etc...etc...etc... and with every fiber of my being I am asking God to show us a a way where there appears not be one, and to make what seems fuzzy very clear. And, I know He will. He (God) takes it one step further though - He is so MUCH MORE CONCERNED about our realtionship with Him then He is about us running around in endless little circles trying to "figure out" what His will for our life is.
My dear hubby and I have been doing Experiencing God together- and I just have to say it TOTALLY ROCKS OUT LOUD!! The author of Experiencing God had this to say about our lvoe relationship with Christ, and taking a time-out for God each day - "Early each day, I have an appointment with God. I often wonder what happens when the God who loves me comes to meet me there. How does He feel when He asks "Henry, where are you?" and I am just not there. I have found this to be true in my own walk with the Lord: I keep that time alone with God, not in order to have a relationship, BUT [emaphsis mine] because I have a relationship." (Experiencing God, pg. 49)
If you are a child of God, then you have the relationship with Him already. Meet with Him because He loves you, desires to know you, and yes, even tell you about all of the good things He's got going on all around you.
And, you know, that little Zelda guy DOES run around collecting little hearts to increase his life points, SO, you know if he, like, uses the Lens of Truth, like, all the time then he can do better and get more hearts which is really, you know, like increasing his love realtionship, and if we use our Lens of Truth all the time then we can like, you know, get all of our little hearts and.....Ok, ok the game illustration is dead now.... GAME OVER.... [*groan*]
Oh boy, folks, it IS late....
Goodnight and Blessings to everyone...

Ten Random Things...

So, my friend Tracy challenged me to come up with ten random things about myself. So, here is a list of things you may or may-not know about me..
1. My last name was the same before and after I got married.
This obviously made dealing with Social Security a breeze (seeing as how I never had to). To make things even stranger, my dear hubby and my brother also share the same first name, so they are twinkies in every way.
2. I am a college football junkie
Yup..it's true. I keep up with the whole college season, and could spend my entire Saturday just blissfully watching college ball on TV. My favorite teams are OU (Sooners), Ohio State (Buckeyes), Texas (Longhorns), and Notre Dame (Fighting Irish). My good friend Jess (also a college football junkie) and I even went to a ASU vs Oregon Ducks game this past season!! (ASU IS SO GOING TO WIN THIS NEXT SEASON. GO DEVILS!!)
3. Twila Paris is my cousin
Not making this one up...cross my heart! She is albeit a somewhat distant cousin, but a cousin nonetheless on my Mom's side of the family. I have met her and have a signed CD that says From Your Cousin Twila. Now everyone knows where I get my good looks and on-pitch singing voice. :) I had been a big fan of Twila's music before I ever knew we were related - go Twila!
4. I sleep with four pillows at night
I should also mention that one of the four is a double-sized body pillow, bought for me by my dear hubby when I was preggie with my last daughter. My dear hubby sleeps with THREE body pillows and one regular, making for a combo of eight pillows in our queen sized bed. We are all very um...cozy.. I absolutely CAN'T SLEEP WITHOUT MY PILLOWS!! Seriously, the last trip my hubby and I took together we packed an extra suitcase full of nothing but our pillows (thus also confirming our status as King & Queen of Strangeness)
5. I am a total night owl
My friend Tracy wrote this one about herself, but it is totally true of me as well. MORNINGS HATE ME, and I'm not really a big fan of them either. I have had to change my habits a bit, as my girls are up and ready to go early in the morning, but my average bed-time is still around 11:30 p.m .each night...sometimes later. I love these late-night hours of reading, doing my quiet time, and tonight - blogging! :)
6. I spent a semester at ASU playing in the steel drum band
Some of you already know this random fact about me, but for those of you who don't, you may not picture me as the steel drum, reggae playing kind of girl. I had to have a music combo credit in college, and this was one of the only things open for me to take. However, I abosolutely fell in love with playing, and would have continued indefinitely if I'd been able to. I was part of the large group combo called The Steel Pan Devils. Besides playing concerts at school, we also did "extra" gigs for banquets, etc. It was in a word - SO MUCH FUN!!
7. Rock-climbing is my favorite "sport"
When I was sixteen, I spent a week back-packing in the White Mountains in Wyoming. Part of that adventure included rock-climbing and rappelling. I am NOT what you would consider athletic (although I did come in second place at the hula hoop contest at my women's retreat last fall...) I fell in love with rockclimbing from the start. I have done some real rock climbing in Tuscon and various locations throughout Arizona, but hardly any since I've had my children. Somehow the idea of hauling all of my pasty white flab up the side of a cliff isn't as appealing (or as easy) as it used to be. However, my friend Teri (who just so happens to be a super in-shape physical therapist) has it in her mind that we should get back into the sport, as there is a brand new rock gym that just opened up near us. So, come June, we are set to climb.... pasty white flab and all.
8. Pedicures are my favorite form of pampering
I had my first pedicure a few days before my wedding, and I've been hooked ever since. I am just so blessed to have an amazing Mom who treats me every few months. Thanks to her, my tootsies are in an almost constant state of cuteness!!
9. I love, love, LOVE the Cosby Show!!
This is on my Blogger list of things that make me happy, but it is my goal to own ALL of the seaons of the Cosby Show on DVD someday (no other show makes me LOL like it does) That way, I can take Mr. Cosby with me wherever I go!!
10. My first (and last) experience with TPing someone's house ended up with a call to the police
This will be a story coming soon to a post near you...stay tuned for details..

WHEW!! This list was harder to put together than I thought.....maybe I need to diversify....
Now it's YOUR turn. I am tagging Scott over at Scott's Thoughts and my friend Theresa over at Bullfrogs & Butteflies. Go to it guys!!

Quick PMS Post

I have not been blogging lately...I always get the craving late at night (I'm a confessed night owl - Hoot,hoot) and the computer is right next to my dear hubby's side of the bed and he has this weird urge at night to do things like sleep.. which leaves my girl's naptime, when I should be doing other things like cleaning my house or rearranging my sock drawer, or making home-made double-fudge brownies ( to mail to BooMama of course www.boomama.net ). In any case, I am going to make this a short post and do my epic posting later. I got this on my e-mail and while I never foward things on, this one made me laugh out loud (or LOL for all you computer geeks) Being a PMS sufferer myself, I can relate.
12 Things PMS Stands For:
1. Pass My Shotgun
2. Psychotic Mood Shift
3. Perpetual Munching Spree
4. Puffy Mid-Section
5. People Make me Sick
6. Provide Me with Sweets
7. Pardon My Sobbing
8. Pimples May Surface
9. Pass My Sweatpants
10.Plainly; Men Suck
11. Pack My Stuff
12. Potential Murder Suspect

I truly did suffer from some awful PMS until I started taking a natural supplement for PMS sufferers called Premcal (www.premcal.com) I seriously went from Green Monster to totally tolerable within one month - my dear hubby was the first to make WILD, JOYOUS comment on this very fact (sheesh, was I that bad? I asked him...he wisely didn't say anything, but his look said it all... guess I was....although I've always thought I looked good in green. ;)

Stalling..

I started this post a few nights ago...I just now finished it.
Tonight the kiddos are in bed on time...snoring away. However, at ages two and three, both of our girls (but especially K-bug) have perfected the fine art of "stalling" when it comes to bedtime. Some nights, even after the lights go out we will find the girls "reading" books in the light of the night-light, singing songs, or just giggling at each other. Most recently, K-bug will tell us she has to get up and "go potty". Although she still wears a Pull-Up to bed, she knows that we, her well- meaning parents will give-in to most requests to use the bathroom pretty much anytime she asks (which always seems to be when we are driving down the the freeway with no bathroom anywhere close...hmmm...maybe it's a conspiracy) Soo, this is where I found myself the other night - K-bug on her little throne (a half-hour after her bedtime) and me, sitting beside her on the bathroom floor. I kept urging her to hurry and "go pee-pee" so that she could get back into bed. A few minutes into our little pow-wow on the potty, I figured out the game...just keep talking. Although I was SOO on to my little preschooler, the random subjects she was bringing up started to crack me up. I found myself keeping the dialogue going, just to see what she would say next. I can't remember verbatim, but here is brief synopsis of the conversation:
Me: I don't see any pee-pee. It's time for you to go back to bed
K-bug: No...hafta go potty still. Mommy, I go to Chuck E Cheese!
Me: Yes, we did go to Chuck-E-Cheese ( a few weeks ago for a birthday party)
K-bug: I rode the truck...up,up, up...I play the fish game and bumblebees
Me: We did have fun
K-bug: Daddy made the fans...they go round and round and round. Good job Daddy! (my dear hubby put up ceiling fans in the master bedroom and family room this past week)
Me: Daddy do do a good job
K-bug: Daddy's so silly...he's funny [insert lots of giggles here]
Me: Daddy is silly (Can't disagree with her there)
K-Bug: I got an owie on my knee...it's a big owie..."Ouch!" I need a band-aid
Me: Honey, your owie is fine. You don't need a band-aid right now. Honey, there's no pee-pee, let's go back to bed.
K-Bug: No, I hafta pee-pee. Mommy hafta go potty?
Me: No, I'm fine right now.
K-Bug: Mommy has holes right there... (she's pointing out some holes in the inner leg of my worn-out pajama pants) Is that for Mommy's pee-pee? (she want's to know if the holes are there so I can just go potty anytime I please...)
Pretty much at this point, I am holding my sides with laugther, but decide the game has gone on long enough. We finish up at the potty (with no pee-pee) and K-bug scoots back to bed. I had back to the bedroom with a smile on my face.

Plan "B"

Wow, it seems the week has flown by with all of the preparations that I did for K-bug's birthday party, as well as having two baby showers on the same weekend (I love baby showers...but that's another blog). K-bug's Curious George party was quite fun...even though things didn't quite go as planned:
It was Saturday-4:30 p.m. All of the preparations had been made for K-bug's party. The taco meat had been browned (K-bug chose the tacos, her favorite food, to serve to party guests), the presents wrapped, and the balloons blown up. Everything had been put into boxes, ready to take to the near-by park where the party was to be held. Just then the phone rang - it was my mother-in-law, telling us to go outside and look at the sky. Stepping out onto the front porch, we saw it; a huge brown cloud rapidly heading our direction. Arizona dust storms are common in the late spring/early summer and can come one quite suddenly, as this one did (the weather had been sunny and clear most of the day). Taking one look at the cloud of dust, I did what every calm, clear-thinking twenty-seven year old Mommy of two would - I went next door and cried to my Mother :) Really, the only option was to move the party inside...inside our house, our messy house that I had been cooking and doing party preparations in all day long, with nary a thought of cleaning. With less than an hour before the party was due to start, guests were called, and the house was marathon cleaned. We live in a rather smallish house, so guests were treated to a um...cozy environment. The nice part is that everyone still had a great time...most importantly, the guest of honor had a fabulous time. My dear hubby did some kids songs with the little ones on his guitar, and we had "just enough" food and chairs for everyone. The cakes were the cutest things I've EVER seen (my friend Jenny made them for K-bug) - one was a yellow hat cake, another was a George/monkey face. Jenny had even made K-bug her very own mini-cake, decorated like a monkey holding a banana. All of our freinds and family made the evening so special for Miss K-bug. Outdoors or in, small or big, it is always a blessing to be able to celebrate another year in the life of your child. I consider myself very blessed.

Our Baby Turns Three!

It's hard for me to believe, but three years ago today, I became a Mommy for the very first time. More importantly, our little K-bug entered the world - a very squirmy, bright-eyed seven pound baby. As a baby, K-bug's pediatrician was always noting how alert and "wiggly" she was. She's grown so much.... from a wiggly baby, to a busy toddler, and now, a preschool girl with a budding imagination. She can talk of nothing else except her Curious George birthday party coming up this Saturday. She keeps taking the Curious George plates, cups, etc. out of the box and talking about each item. She's very excited the cake, the balloons, the games- and most importantly, the "pink camera" that she wants so much, since she saw it in the Toys R Us catalog a few months ago (yes...she is getting it. It's a digital camera made by Fisher Price for preschoolers - thanks Nana and Grandad!) K-bug's tender heart is emerging - it shows as she cares for her sissy, and expresses great concerns over everyone's "owies" (any bump or brusie she sees). She LOVES to sing and dance, and has been learning a new series of Bible verses set to music by heart (I LOVE to hear her sing them throughout the day!) K-bug does have a tendency to be a "drama queen" (any needed discipline is usually taken with many tears and much " carrying-on"), but she is also quick to make us laugh with her funny quotes and fresh way of enjoying life. Happy birthday, our dear K-bug! May our Lord continue to bless you and keep you. May He make His face to shine upon you. You shine in our lives every day, and we eternally grateful that our Heavenly Father placed you in our lives!

Prayers..

I have no words sufficient enough to express my sorrow, sympathy, and prayers for the families that lost a loved one in the Virgina Tech massacre just a few days ago. If you get a chance, please visit the blog of Hugh Hewitt (a radio talk show host I listen to) at www.hughhewitt.townhall.com Hugh has linked several sites that memoralize and honor the vicitms, as well as links to pastors who have offered comfort for victims and observer alike.
My tears have fallen, my heart has broken, and my prayers continue.

Oklahoma Update - Part 3

The end of the trip..thanks for hanging in there with me. We went to wonderful Faithpointe Baptist Church that morning. The church is so small that they currently hold Sunday School in their main sanctuary. They just gather the different classes in the four corners of the church - everyone huddled together with their group (except for children and nursery, who I believe each have their own classroom). The young adults group was very warm and welcoming - my sis and brother-in-law had told them we'd be visting and everyone went of their way to make us feel very welcome. The service was awesome! The worship was simple, but genuine, and in the middle of worship, the pastor had people stop what they were doing to go and not just introduce themselves to someone new, but to pray with that person as well. Really neat! The pastor, Brad has a really amazing heart for God , which is obvious from his solid and passionate teaching. After church, we had a very interesting, albeit short, visit with the pastor. We told him of some of our feelings about wanting to move, and about some of the ministries that were near to our heart. That's not the intriuging part though... more of that to come later...
We left from church back to my bro-in-law's family's house, where it is their tradition to gather for Sunday dinner. We had a simple lunch of Chinese take-out, and spent our last few hours in Norman gazing at the "dream house", taking quick naps, and packing up our suitcases.
The coolest part of the whole trip is when we sat down with my sis and her hubby a few minutes before we were to leave for the airport - together we prayed. Prayed for God's will to be revealed (for ALL of our lives), and for safety in our trip back. It was a very divine moment. :)
We piled in the car, and very soon, my hubby and I found ourselves through security with a good hour to kill before having to board our flight. After a fruitless search for a Starbucks inside the airport (and one really yucky cup of regular coffee later), we settled on combing through the airport gift shops for a few souvenirs to take home to family. We found some "Tornado Seeds" (chocolate covered sunflower seeds) for my mother-in-law and some other goodies for our family. Joining the long line to get on the overly full flight back to Phoenix, we were lucky to find two seats together in the very back of the plane. It was a very bumpy flight, and for some reason, it felt very looong. We arrived back in Phoenix around 7:15 p.m. , and headed down to baggage to find an overflow of people crammed into a very busy, bustling area. People pushed and shoved like a bunch of three year olds at an Easter egg hunt to get to their bags on the carousel. After some confusion, we found our bags and shoved our way out to the sidewalk where my Dad picked us up an drove us home. I wish I could say I was glad to be home.I was glad to be back to my babies (how I missed them!!). I was glad to be back to my bed ( I missed that too!). I was glad to be back with my friends (they make my life so full of joy!), but I had not missed Phoenix. Not at all.
Life resumed it's normal pace, and a few days later, a letter arrived from FaithPointe in the mail. My dear hubby and I both assumed it was a customary "Welcome" letter sent out to first-time visitors. Instead, we found a personal letter typed to us from the pastor of the church. He said he had been very "intigued" by our conversation after church, and wanted to talk to us further about this journey that were are on. What does that mean? I don't really know...
Here's what I do know. God is God. God is in control. I trust God with all of the details of my life, both large and small (some days better than others, I admit). I don't know what's next, and I don't know if it's Norman. I don't don't know that it's not Norman, either.
So stay tuned....maybe we're just getting started... :)

Oklahoma Update - Part 2

Now, where was I? Oh yes...so the rain continued, but we went to sleep (with no more tornado warnings... :) Saturday morning dawned clear and bright, with a forecast high of 68 degrees. We ate a leisurely breakfast and embarked on a day of "touring" Norman, with my knowledgeable brother-in-law as the guide. Our first stop was my brother-in-law's parents' house, who live about five minutes down the road. His family had just adopted their sixth child - a newborn baby girl, born just three days before our arrival (There are eight children in my brother-in-law's family. He is the oldest). We enjoyed a relaxed visit with all of the Craig clan, and during the course of conversation, started talking about all of the houses we had seen the day before. My brother-in-law's Mom asked if we had seen any in their neighborhood, which we had not. She pointed out a house just down the street, which we had passed on our way in. Being curious, we drove down the street to find "IT". The house. The dream house. The house that you look at and it has it's own heavenly theme music....ok, so I'm being a little dramatic, but even from the outside, the house seemed like something we'd be very interested in. Turns out the owners were there, cleaning some things out of their garage. A contract with her realtor wouldn't allow her to show us the inside, but we called our realtor on the spot, and he arranged a 2:00 p.m. showing for us that same day. As we walked into that house that afternoon, it was one of those moments that my dear hubby and I were on the same page almost instantly. If there had been papers to sign in front of us, we just might have thrown all caution to the wind...and well, maybe not, but we were both instantly "taken" with the house. Now, we were both big dummies and didn't take any digital pics of the house, BUT if you would like to take the time to see it, you can visit the listing realtor's website at www.doncies.com Click on the Virtual Tour Gallery link to the left of the page, and on page seven you will find 2327 Lindenwood. You can see several pictures there.
The rest of our day was spent visiting differnt places around town. We went out for lunch at a great local Mexican food restaurant. The most unique thing is that all around the restaurant are closed-circuit TVs that are linked back to the kitchen so you can watch the food being made. The food was GREAT, and the meal relaxed. We also went to this amazing chocolate/coffee-shop in dowtown Norman called Winan's (to my sis - did I spell this right?). They make their own homemade chocolates - I had a white chocolate mint that was to die for! They also brew their own speciality blends of coffee - I had a decaf snickerdoodle coffee that was also very rich and yummy! The artwork on the walls of the coffee-shop was created by the kids from one of the preschools in town (where my sister was a teacher) - it was really cool. All of the artwork was for sale, with sales going to help the school (which is a private Catholic preschool). We went in and out of a few other stores and shops throughout the day, and generally just had a lot of fun wherever we went.
Unfortunately, although no dark storm clouds gathered in the sky, the dark clouds of pain started pounding my head in the late afternoon. By early evening, I had developed a full-blown migraine. I spent my evening hours lying very still in a darkened room with a heat pack on my head and a water bottle in my hand. Several hours (and a few doses of pain medication) later, I emerged feeling human once again. By this time, night had fallen, and we all were desiring a reasonable bedtime in order to get an early start for church the next morning. I returned to bed for a somewhat restless night of sleep, and emerged feeling ready to visit a real Midwest church.
Before we arrived at church, we took what I call a "drive in the country". My sis and her hubby drink raw milk that they get from a dairy just a few miles outside of town, and they drop off their container to be filled before they go to church on Sunday mornings. Sooo, off we went driving over green hills dotted with barns, houses, and livestock. We arrived at the dairy, where the big black- and-white splotched cows noted our presence with large, blinking brown eys. A seperate pasture held a small handful of baby calves, who were too busy with their breakfast to give us much of a look at them. They were still cute though..... :)
Driving from the dairy back into town for church, a sudden twinge pulled at my heart, and tears came to my eyes involuntarily. It was the wide open spaces that I felt were causing a part of my heart to breathe again. I felt that I wanted to run, stretch my arms open wide, and take it all in. Not being able to leave the moving car at that moment in time, I did it with my eyes and heart instead - I drank as much of that space up as I could and promised to hold it all in my memory.
Well, the story, believe it or not, doesn't end here. There's enough here for just one more post...I'll talk about our church experience and our "intriguing" visit with the pastor... :)

Oklahoma Update - Part 1

So, I thought I would take just a few minutes to give everyone an update of our trip to Oklahoma. It was in a word - WONDERFUL!! My dear hubby and myself said good-bye to our two beautiful children, and climbed aboard the airplane headed out of Phoenix and into the great mid-west. Our flight to Oklahoma was perfect - smooth, short, and on time. We sat beside a very nice older lady headed back to Oklahoma after a visit with family. We touched down in Oklahoma Cit shortly after 10:30 p.m. to find a small, quiet airport. My sister and her husband picked us up for the short drive from Oklahoma City to Norman, and quick hellos were exchanged with good-nights as we all went immediately to bed. The next morning, my dear hubby and I awoke to the smell of coffee and the sound of birds outside our window. The biggest shocker to our Phoenix senses were the waves of green - green, mature trees and miles of grass and flowers. The clouds were overcast, gray, and the air was thick with the smell of rain. Without small kiddos to care for, we were able to eat breakfast, shower, dress and leave for the realtor's office all in an hour's time. Driving my sister's car, we made our way easily from my sister's house to the realtor's office for our 9:30 a.m . appointment (OK, so we stopped for Starbucks along the way and were a teeny bit late :) A few quick handshakes later, we were riding in a large, white SUV with our very confindent realtor at the wheel. What followed were multitudes of neighborhoods and houses, all in one long parade. It was SO much fun! The realtor was very friendly and knowledgeable, and we found some great houses that we liked very much. The realtor taught us the trick of giving each house a nick-name so that we could remember one house from the next. - the houses we liked best were nickenamed "Lil' Buffy", "The Cat House", and "The Party House". If you want to hear the stories behind WHY we nick-named them that...well, that's another post. My sister got off work at noon, and was able to see several houses with us as well. We ate a late lunch and picked up my brother-in-law from work just in time to head back to the house for dinner (homemade lasagna made by my sis - it was the best I've ever had, and I am telling the truth!!) The weather had really picked-up in the early afternoon, but we had slogged through the rain to see the rest of the houses, no problem.
Now, as dusk fell, the rain was turning into more of a thunderstorm, with flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder. We were just finishing up our lasagna when there came the sound of a very loud and shrill siren. My dear hubby looked around the table and asked, "What's that? Is that for tornadoes or something?" My brother-in-law looked up from his plate and said, "Yup, it's a tornado warning. Guess we better go turn on the TV." So, we all gathered around the TV in the living room to find out where the tornado action had been spotted..turns out it was only a few miles down the road. I grew up in west Texas, where all of this tornado-stuff became rather second nature for me, but I had been concerned about how my dear hubby might react to a real tornado warning. He handled it great...like a seasoned pro even. We stayed up chatting with my sis and her hubby, and all decided that our plans to leave that night for a dessert-out would best be changed to a night in. We munched on warm apple crisp (again homemade by my sis - it was SOOO awesome.. where did she learn to cook like this? ) and went to bed.
I'm sure your rubbing your eyes by now...so ends this chapter...more about the rest of our trip and the discovery of our "Dream Home" to come...

I Was Saving It For Later

Ok, so I really need to blog an Oklahoma update, but for now, I have to tell this brief, funny story on myself. I've been battling a cold since I got back from Oklahoma (I blame the crowded airplanes...no amount of Airborne could stop the germs from getting to me). Anyway, recently the cold has decided to take a nice little trip to visit my lungs, and this has left me hacking and coughing, especially at night. Sooo, on one of my recent trips to the grocery store, I bought myself a bag of Halls Honey-Lemon Vapor cough drops. A few nights ago I laid down to go sleep, and sure enough, the tickle started and the "coughies" began. The "coughies" are my new word for when you start coughing and can't stop...especially annoying when in a public and quiet place such as the library or a crowded elevator.....but I digress. Soo, I popped a cough drop in my mouth and propped myself up on a few pillows. The vapors from the cough drop quickly did their work, but I found myself getting very sleepy, and not wanting to fall asleep with the drop in my mouth, I took it out and stuck it on a tissue on my nightstand. Well, I thought I had put it on the nightstand...somehow, in the night, the cough drop ended up in my bed. I got up around 6:00 a.m. and headed to the potty. Suddenly, as I moved my head, I felt something heavy tugging on one side of my hair. Reaching my hand up, I found my cough drop, thorougly "stuck" and embedded in my hair. I had to take a shower to get the cough drop out (note: the vapors from the drop mixed nicely with the steam from the shower.. it was very soothing). I suppose I could have left the cough drop there..after all, if someone asked about it, I could just tell them, "Oh, that? I'm just saving it for later." Hee,hee!

Letting Go..

Saying Good-bye is a necessary life skill. My mind jumps ahead to all of the times that I will inevitably have to teach my children to say "Good-bye" Just because it's necessary doesn't mean that it's easy, though. In one week, I will be saying good-bye to my job of two years as the administrative assistant at Compass Church. I have LOVED this job, even with it's various stresses. I have enjoyed playing the role of supporter, encourager, and go-to gal for the staff at Compass. I was honored to be considered an integral and valued part of church staff. I was deeply blessed to work with each of the Compass Staff members (although only one still remains). I'd like to dive into my nostaliga for just a moment and remember each of them out-loud with you.
1. Here she is, the faithful, the lone orginal staff member - Gay, the children's coordinator. When I first started my position, she patiently took me under her wing to show me the "ins" and "outs" of the copy machine and other various cranky office equpiment. She and I have had what I would consider to be the healthiest working relationship of my life - and she's my friend outside of the office too (thanks for ALL of the lunches!) Gay has put up with my wackiness and randomness for hours on end each week - truly, she defines patience!
2. Russ, the Associate Pastor - I quickly learned that Russ possessed a huge heart, dry wit, and a genuine need for Starbucks coffee in his bloodstream! :) It took me a few weeks to determine that what you see is really waht you get with Russ - from that point on, we worked together very well. Russ really shone when our church had some inmates from the local prison doing work on our church building. He treated those inmates with respect and geniune kindess - showing them Christ's love.
3. Kevin, the Youth Minister - Kevin....where do I start? Kevin and Russ were oft-teased for their joint Starbucks runs - yup, Kevin was a Starbucks junkie too. I truly respected Kevin for his amazing love towards his wife, and his genuine intrest and care in the lives of Compass's youth. I also respected Kevin for his strong veiwpoints, which 90% of the time seemed to be polar opposite of my own. We had many a "heated" discussion (at least heated from my view...Kevin was really always pretty laid back) and interesting exchanges over certain political ideas. Kevin, you kept me sharp, and I appreciated that.
5. Scott, the Senior Pastor- Scott and his family are now moving foward as Scott fufills a calling for ministry at a church on the East Coast. I remember starting work at Compass - Scott's lovely wife graciously showed me the ropes of my new position, and Scott answered all of my little piddly office questions for months on end. I vividly remember the time that I couldn't get my computer to do anything for me - even though the light on the bottom of my monitor glowed green, the screen was still black. After pusing buttons for several mintues, I went to Scott in desperation. Scott got up, came out of office, and with one glance he surmised the problem - reaching down, he pushed the "ON" button on the computer's workstation/tower. Believe me, at that moment, I wanted to crawl under the desk and die! :) Brian and I were privealged to get to know all of Scott's amazing family, and Scott taught me so much about maturity, grace, leadership, and strength in the Lord. Scott is number one in my book as a storyteller - both in his sermons, and in the office. I posses to this day a huge respect for this man of God - my husband and I are blessed to continue to enjoy friendship with him, even as both of our families move on.
I waddled into this job six months pregnant with my second child - the entire staff gave me understanding and grace, as I took maternity leave just three months into the position. Also, I did much of my work from home - the church worked with me on this as well, allowing me to be a Mommy first and a church secretary on the side. I am SO blessed to have walked this path - thank you Lord for this part of my journey!! Please pray for me, as I let go and move foward to the next great adventure God has for me.

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

I have a few vivid memories of traveling to Oklahoma with my good freind Kamie and her family when I was around thirteen/fourteen years old. I was part of their trip to visit with Kamie's Uncle (and family) living in Oklahoma City. I remember the night we arrived was very stormy, and several tornadoes had been spotted in the area. I also remember the family being very relaxed about the threat...even going out on the back patio and looking into the sky to see if they could watch anything form. After a long, stormy night, which I primarily spent in the bathroom applying my fake tan in a bottle (believe me when I say that's a whole story unto itself ;), we traveled the next morning to a local water park for a day of wet and wild fun. What I remember MOST vividly however, was going to see a live production of the Broadway musical Oklahoma in a large, outdoor ampitheater. They used real horses, and I remember that the haystack really caught fire at the end. The music was fabulous, and the night ended with the entire cast singing and dancing to the production's theme song, "Oklahoma, Ok!" (for all you Broadway junkies out there, I don't know if this is the song's actual title, but I think it is...I'm too lazy to go and look it up at the moment). I especially loved the part of the song where they spell out the state's name over and over again...O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A
That's the memories from my teenage mind. I don't remember ANYTHING about the general landscape, the look of the town, or the overall friendliness of the people. The truth is, I didn't have much of a reason to notice. However, as I board a plane this Thursday headed for Oklahoma once again, these are the questions foremost in my mind. My dear hubby and I are headed to Norman, Oklahoma for a weekend trip to see my sister and her husband. While it will be a wonderful weekend away with my hubby, and a time to visit with family, there is more to our trip. For over a year now, my dear hubby and I have discussed the possibility of moving our family to a smaller town. Most everyone who knows me will know that it has long been a desire of my heart to move back to a somewhat slower pace of life. My sister and her husband have lived in Norman for almost a year now (all of her hubby's family lives there). They have extolled Norman's many virtues, and asked us to consider making a move there. So, that's what we're doing....considering...not to mention praying, wondering, questioning, and asking God for some of what my friend Nicole would call "crazy wisdom". I wish I could tell you that I felt something one way or another, that I had a "feeling" about what might happen, but I don't. We are getting a realtor to show us around some houses/neighborhoods one morning while we are there. I am trying, really trying, to just "relax" and leave this at God's feet. I will, of course, continue to keep everyone updated as to what God has in store for the Smiths. I think my hubby is going to be taking the computer too, so who knows, maybe I'll get to blog from there...

Squeezies...

It seems that so much of what I write has to do with Miss K-Bug. Her budding preschooler antics leave me with endless stories to tell and write. Lore-lin plays a co-starring role in most stories, but tonight I'd like to give her the spotlight. Lore-lin is in every way different from K-Bug. While K-Bug tends to be more cautious, Lore-lin embraces life (literally) head-on. She is very independent and most of all, inquistive. She wants to touch, see, feel, and experience everything in a hands-on way. I have found her going through my make-up, with ALL of the jars opened, lids un-screwed, and contents dumped out. She has the ability to open and or take-apart virtually anything she can get her hands on. But, most of all, Lore-lin is a very physical littl girl. K-Bug will give the gentle hug every now and then. Lore-lin will knock the wind out of you while sqeezing you in a full-body embrace (I know, I know, just like her Mom...). Needless to say, lots of positive hugs and kisses go a loong way for this little girl's love language ( for more information, check out all of the Love Languages books by Gary Chapman). Lorelin's favorite thing to do right now is get "Squeezies". Getting squeezies involves hugging Lore-lin's full body into my own (or squished like peanut butter beteween my dear hubby and myself) - and then giving her several short, tight body squeezes while saying, "Squeezie, squeezie,squeezie," over and over again. Short, fun game, right? Except Lore-lin never tires of it. Every time I'm done, she looks at me with those sparkling, blue eyes, and says, "More?" Truth be told, I don't ever get tired of it either. I love to love on this tiny toddler (who won't stay that way) and I'll take ALL of the "squeezies" that I can get!

Anniversary Gift

This past Sunday was my seventh wedding anniversary. My dear hubby and I will be taking a trip to Oklahoma at the end of this month (kid-free!) to celebrate and to visit my sis. Our actualy anniversary, March 11 , fell on a Sunday, and we had no plans to do anything in particular (we did go out the night before for a nice dinner while my Mom watched the kiddos - thanks Mom!) So, imagine my shock when my dear hubby surprised me with a beautiful and priceless anniversary gift. It was the gift of.....laughter. Now, to tell you why this gift meant so much to me the morning of our anniversary, we have to back up to oh...around 9:00 a.m. I had left the house early and dropped the bulletins (we had folded and stuffed them the night before) off at the church for their weekly Sunday service use. I had to get them there before first service started. The plan was for me to drop the bulletins off and then return home in time to pick-up Brian and the girls for our attendance at second service. Everything ran according to plan, right up until I pulled into the driveway at our house. Bri has often teased me about parking the car in the driveway SO close to the house and garage, but I've never thought anything of it. After all, it's not like I've ever hit the house....until now. In my defense, let me say that it was purely an accident, and as I pulled in, my foot slipped off the brake. Even as I heard the "thunk" I knew that I probably didn't want to see the damage. A sucker for punishment though, I immediately looked. I'll post a picture of the hole tomorrow for the world to see, but let me say that my immediate reaction was one of dread and panic. Crumbled stucco and chicken wire stood out at odd angles around a fist-sized hole. I meekly crept into the house and told Brian what happened. He threw back his head and........laughed. He lauged and laughed and laughed. He held me and told me it was OK, that it was just stucco, and then proceeded to tease me mercilessly the rest of the morning. My amazing hubby, whose reaction could have been one of anger or frustration, instead chose to give me grace. It made me think of all the times over the past seven years that he has given me mercy, grace, and laughter as gifts in our marriage. Brian's ability to see the lighter side of life has helped us through many a "bump" (or in this case hole) in our marriage. My dear, sweet, amazing hubby I love you more and more with each passing year. You are without a doubt my favorite, my soulmate, my warrior. Thanks for being you. Thank you for one of the best anniversary gifts I have ever received - I have a feeling I'll remember this one forever! :)

High Tea

It was the sound of fine china, a string quartet playing softly in the background, and a little voice asking me... "More tea, Mommy?" K-bug got a real glass tea-set from my dear hubby's step-sister last Sunday, and was thrilled with the idea of using only the glass pieces (not her regular plastic dishes) for a "high tea". Sissy Lore-lin played with Daddy while Mommy set the stage. A quilt on the floor, some real milk, and animal cookies completed the ensemble. K-bug insisted on wearing a full "Princess dress" and I surprised her (and myself for still fitting in it....smirk...:) by changing into one of my old bridesmaids dresses (complete with matching heels) to wear to tea. Once K-bug found me a hat, and my dear hubby put on a classical CD, we were set. I used my best English accent to discuss everything from the weather, our clothes, and the tasty cookies set before us. K-bug kept giggling at my accent (can't blame her there), but took seriously her role of pouring tea, offering sugar, and stirring cream into my tea cup with her glass spoon. Lore-lin, of course, knew that something was going on with her sissy that wasn't involving her, and came out to investigate. Although K-bug was intially very upset with her sister's apperance, we transitioned into a Royal Parade, led by my dear hubby, the King himself. K-bug found "wands" for all of us, and off we went, marching in a line around the coffee table, into the kitchen, and back into the girl's room. I'm sure this will be the first of many "high teas" through the years - as this was the first, it was very precious to me.

The Roof Caved In- Part 1

I have felt led to talk about an experience that my dear hubby and I have walked through recently with our family....our church family, that is. It will easily be rememberd as one of those times that I prayed harder, hurt more, and asked more questions of God. Still, as I pause to dive deep and share my heart with you all, I have to blog about the roof caving in, not colletively, but individually, on so many of my sisterchicks around me. I am so blessed to be part of an amazing women's bible study. We have dubbed ourselves The Sisterchicks (not an orginal idea....it's based on one of my favorite author's book series. Check it out yourself at www.sisterchicks.com). In any case, we have loved on, prayed for, and gotten to know each other's hearts incredibly well over these last few months. As we were all going along, it seems that the roof suddenly caved in for so many members of our study. By "roof caving in", I mean huge, life-changing issues. Parents/friends dying of cancer, divorces, and premature birth...just to name a few. I believe that the Lord has us together for such a time as this in one another's lives. And, to be honest, some of these problems have forced me to re-evalute my heart and attitude about the church situation. God is working here, no doubt about it. Still, my freinds and family, keep this little group in your prayers. Pray for God's comfort and victory like only HE can bring it! And, if you are my sisterchicky reading this, you know that I love you, and continue to pray for you, even as you pray for me. I'm excited about God's plans for our group.

A Perfect Park Day

For some, a perfect February day might include snowmen, snow angels, and hot chocolate. In Phoenix, Arizona, it includes green grass, warm weather, playground equipment....and, of course, a good friend. Last week I met my friend Lindsay at the park for a picnic lunch and playtime. She has a little girl about K-Bugs age and the most adorable son, just starting to pull-up from crawling. My girls and her daughter are just reaching that age where they actually want to explore play and interaction with someone else "their size". We let the kids play on the playground, munched on sandwiches, took the older girls to go potty, and then decided to have some playtime on the grass with varous size balls that Lindsay had stashed in her SUV. All of this might some boring for me to write about, but it was the impression the day had on my heart that matters to me. It was simply enjoying my children - like the way that K-Bug and Lindsay's daughter went around holding hands, and the cute way that Lore-lin's hips swivel when she ran after the balls in the grass. It was the way the grass tickled my bare feet, and the sun shone on my face, and the conversation was comfortable, casual, and deep all at the same time. It was quite simply, a perfect morning for me - enjoying being in God's creation, and surrounded by those I hold dear. I don't want to forget it - truly, I wish to slow down often enough to repeat it as much as possible.

Valentine's Day - Part 2

I have to so much to say about this holiday, I couldn't even fit it all in one post. I have to tell you about the WONDERFUL experience of the Valentine's exchange that my women's bible study did - I love my batch of Sisterchicks SO much! It really was one of the higlights of my Valentine's experience this year. Due to my large affection for Valentine's Day, I lightly suggested - or strongly forced- I don't remember....:) that we do a Valentine's exchange among all the women in our group. Most of the women were open to the idea, but were a little unsure of what to bring, what to do, etc....
The night came, and everyone's creativity came out in the form of cards, candy (thanks, Nickle Pickle, for the edible bracelets which everyone crunched on the rest of the night), and Bible verses. The love that these gifts displayed was overwhelming, and while our little Valentine's goodie bags were full to the brim, I know that my heart was overflowing with the gift of friendship that each of the Valentine's represented. I haven't been able to let go of the cards - I made Brandie's butterfuly into a magnet for my fridge!
The greatest gift of all is the irresistable love of Jesus, who romances us, pursues us, and loves us with a love that we can NEVER be seperated from!

Valentine's Day - Part 1

Those who are know me (and especially those who happen to go to Bible Study with me), know that I am slightly obssessed with Valentine's Day. As a matter of fact, my friend Lindsay just told me last night that all of the Valentine's books at Barnes and Noble are 50% off, and I have literally been thinking ALL day that I need to go and get some for next year. I bought window clings (K-bug went around counting all the hearts on the window), spent an afternoon painting and decorating Valentine's with the girls, and basically found an excuse to stop at the Valentine card section whenever I went grocery shopping. My dear hubby only ended up with two Valentine's cards, even though I wanted to buy him at least a dozen, and I made up some Valentine's packages to send to my brother, sister, and their respective spouses across the country. I bought the girls Valentine's dresses (matching, of course) and make the trek (with dear hubby in tow) into Kiddie Kandids to get Valentine's pictures (we were happy to get even ONE good shot though, since Lauren decided to not cooperate during picture time.....that's another story...).
So, you get the picture, that I am Ga-Ga over this holiday. The truth is, I always have been. I have vivi childhood memories of Valentine's. I rememer getting Highlights magazine, and each year, turning to the craft section to see what the Valentine's crafts were. Then, I did ALL of them -every single one. Even though I was homeschooled, I made my Mom a special "teacher's" valentine. In college, I worked for a few years at a Hallmark store, and Valentine's was OUR day (I know that many of you men out there complain that it always has been Hallmark's day). Anyway, I LOVED it! I loved helping the men find cards, gifts, etc for their wives, girlfriends, and family members. Each year, from opening to closing, a wall of men would strech in a line that went all the way to the door. :)
As I grew in my love for the Lord, I would always take extra time on Valentine's day to remember His awesome love for me. So, what an amazing gift the Lord gave me, when I met my hubby on Valentine's Day. My best friend, Christy, and I had just gone out for pizza and a movie (we agreed to be each others dates, sinces we were "dateless" on this particular V-Day). Brian had just come from his Grandmother's funeral, and was hanging-out at Christy's house with Christy's older brother, Rob. My dear hubby jokes that it was the handshake that went on forever, but our lives both changed that day. The Lord started our love story on that day - and every Valentine's since, we celebrate Bri-met-Stacy Day (or vice versa). This year is our Tenth anniversary of the day we met - WOW! My dear, sweet husband - you rock my world!

Sharing A Room

First of all, let me say a big "Thank you!" to my friend Monna for being kind enough to e-mail me and ask when in the world I was going to get my be-hind in gear and start blogging again....her prodding worked and here I am, back in the blog-o-sphere.
I will go back in time to share some of the Christmas adventures of '06 with you (and I of course have to tell you about Valentine's Day!) but I thought I would start out by sharing the most recent news of the Smith household. Just last night, we moved Lore-lin into K-bug's room. It's a little tight with a crib and a toddler bed in the same room, but that just means that they are cozy, right? We have talked about the girls sharing a room from the time that Lore-lin was born - we've only just now had the guts to actually do it. They are both sleeping through the night (with the occasional nightmare or sickness keeping them awake), and putting them in together means we free up a whole room in our tiny house - maybe my hubby and I will temporarily get our bedroom back (instead of having it be the office, the music room, etc....) Yesterday's first go of the shared bedroom was at nap-time - hubby was off for President's Day, and we though this might be the perfect time to try. Of course, as we expected, the girl's chattered and squealed and laughed their way through "nap-time", despite our own repeated attempts to calm and or mildly discipline them. Last night, though, they both laid down, exhausted from the lack of nap, and slept like angels through the night. Naptime today was a little better, with Lore-lin sleeping well, and K-Bug, while not sleeping, amiably reading books for the duration of an hour in bed.
I have many, many memories of sharing a room with my sister as we grew up. As a matter of fact, I was in college before my sister and I had seperate rooms (or seperate beds, for that matter). Despite the blanket wars, the closet wars, and all of the other things associated with sharing a room with my sis, I wouldn't have changed a moment of it. I love you Autumny! :) I hope my girls will feel the same...

Blogging 2007 - I'm Baaack!

It's been a long road back to the world of blogging, but as I looked at all of my old posts today, I realized just HOW much I miss this blogging - the chance for me to share my heart with so many of the friends and family I don't get to see on a daily basis. So, here I am, back to blogging, with LOTS to share!!

Cold Spaghetti, Cold Spaghetti

Wiggles, anyone? I have long been acquainted with these zany kid entertainers hailing form Austrailia, but have only recently become intimately familiar with a few of their tunes and DVDs. We only have two DVDs (both early releases and both for under $8), but K-Bug is a HUGE fan, and loves to sing and dance to them. Now, I've been struggling to find a way to work out that will work for me. Nothing super fancy at this point, I just need to get the discipline of actually doing a consistent workout. Jogging in the morning didn't work (no-one to go with, which for me means no accoutability). Sooo, starting last week, I started doing my own Wiggly Workout. I put on one of the Wiggles DVDs with the girls and kept myself moving throughout the entire DVD. Even when there were slow songs, I still pushed myself to do leg lifts, etc. After one week, I managed three successfuly workouts! Celebrate the small victories, I say...The best part is that I can do the workout with the girls, and have fun at the same time. BTW, the cold spaghetti reference in the title is from a song that the Wiggles do called "Hot Potato" The girls and I groove and move to it! :)
On the whiny side, I was so sore for most of last week that I couldn't move (if that gives even a small indication of how out of shape I am). My husband is now asking me to take the Power90 challenge with him (my sis-in-law started with this program and is now ripped like Xena, Warrior Princess). It's an intense work-out/eating program. Can I do it? Yes, I believe I can. I'll keep everyone "posted" as developments incur. Believe me, I'll probably need everyones support to push through the ninety days of the Power 90 program.