It's a God Thing

Last night we were walking through Walmart to pick up Santa pictures of our granddaughter, when a young man caught my eye. He had on a shirt that said, "God Recycles - He Made You Out of Dirt". I said to him as we passed by, "I love your shirt!". He stopped and replied that it's true, you know. I assured him that I do know, and we continued. But for some reason he stopped again, turned around and asked me my name. Dan & I told him, he introduced himself and asked if he could pray for anything for us.

Now, at this point, most people would say "no, I'm good" and go on. But, for some reason, I said "yes, you can pray for my youngest son".

I should explain that this guy was a short, tough, tatted up Hispanic. He had those mean looking words that I can't read tattooed around his neck, words and symbols on his arms and hands. He looked like a guy that just finished his stint in prison. This is not a judgement, it's a description.

I gave him a short synopsis of why Zach needed prayer. He explained that he's a counseler for Teen Challenge, and also a part of a street evangelist ministry. We said our good-byes and God bless yous and walked away.

Dan commented that this was just the right kind of guy for Zach to talk to when he passed by us on his way to the register. On impulse, I asked him if he only did counseling at Teen Challenge. He gave us a business card, told us to have Zach call him anytime and we said good-bye again.

As Dan & I were driving home, discussing this, Zach called. I told him about this guy, and Zach's predictable response was "I don't want to talk to anyone that's religious". I said, "he's not religious, he's a Christian. And I'm going to save his card for if you ever need to talk to him."

I don't know what, if anything will come from this. But I do know, with every fiber in my being, that last night's encounter was not an accident, it was a divine appointment. And I am so thankful that I responded to God's nudge to speak to that guy. I'm even more grateful that he responded to God's nudge to take it a step further. I'll be praying...

A Happy Thanksgiving

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Gabe's family. We had a great time! The food was terrific, the weather was beautful, and it was great to get to know Gabe's family better.

It was very strange, though, to not be getting ready for a big crowd at our home. We went to the movies to see "Blind Side". It's a great movie, and we enjoyed going, but it was not our typical Thanksgiving Day.

Katie's holding one of her nieces

Look What She Can Do Now!

Playing with Duke

Playing with Daisy

Having breakfast at Grammy's house

Yum, Oatmeal!

Holding her own bottle

(She doesn't do this for her mother)

Holding hands with Gramps

Proud Gramps

Daily Dozen

A few weeks ago I was whining about the "Fat Blasting Mile" video I was exercising to. Well, I must love punishment, because I've moved up to the "Daily Dozen". This is another Denise Austin video that concentrates on 12 exercices for 12 separate muscle groups in 12 minutes. It's broken down so that you're targeting a different part of your body each day for seven days.

Oh my goodness, I do ok on the yoga days, and I can pretty much keep up on the cardio day, but the lower body/abs days... I really suck. It's very discouraging, I mean we're talking one minute per muscle group, I'm lucky if I last 15 seconds! I guess the good news is, I have confirmation about which parts of my body really need help. (As if that isn't obvious by looking at me).

One thing I like about Denise Austin (besides her cheerful, encouraging attitude) is that she shares her #1 slimming secret constantly, and it's one I can actually do: stand up straight. It's true, look at yourself in the mirror as you normally stand. Now, stand up straight. It's like a miracle, you instantly look thinner. Now that I've heard her harp on this for weeks, I catch myself thinking about it several times a day. Stand up straight. I instantly feel better about myself.

There are harder Denise Austin videos that I could purchase, but right now I can't see "Denise Austin's Boot Camp" anywhere in my future! It'll probably take me the rest of the year to accomplish the "Daily Dozen". But, I'm gonna keep trying...

Changes

This year I'm not hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in over ten years. I feel bittersweet about it. On the one hand, I love to do it. I'm pretty organized, and after this many years I have it down to an art. I always have time to enjoy myself with the guests, which is fun. On the other hand, the drama factor has increased over the past few years and I'm happy to be missing that this year.

In deciding to not host, we garnered several invitations, which made us feel good. We're going to spend Thanksgiving with Gabe's family. We're really looking forward to it, and the opportunity to get to know them better.

It occurred to us last night, that we don't have to "work" Thanksgiving morning. We decided to go to the movies! I'm so looking forward to it. Traditionally, we start decorating for Christmas after the big meal, so this year we plan to start a little earlier and be more relaxed doing it.

This year will be radically different, but that's not a bad thing. I enjoy embracing new traditions as our family grows. I'm sure I'll host Thanksgiving again some year, but for now, the break in routine is rejuvenating.

Christmas Music

I love Christmas! I'm one of those wierd people that listen to Christmas music all year long. Not every day, but whenever the mood strikes me.

We got a phone call from Cox offering us their digital package for free for six months. When I answered the call, I said no. When Dan answered the call, he said yes. (It's really because the Chargers play on Christmas Day on the NFL Channel and he & JD didn't want to have to go find a sports bar to watch them in. But that's a whole other story.)

The good thing about the digital channels is the Christmas music channel! I love it (except when they play Madonna's version of "Santa Baby", it's awful). When I get anxious because of the gloom and doom of the cable news channels, I switch it to the Christmas music.

It's so fun to listen to. It brings back memories of childhood expectations, memories of when my own kids were little, and the anticipation of a great Christmas this year when we'll all be together. It reminds me of God's unbelievable generosity in sending His Son to the earth to live as a man, to be persecuted, accused, found guilty, and hung on the cross. Of the miracle of His rising from the grave after three days. Of His mercy to me.

Christmas music... it does a body good! ha ha

What a Difference a Year Makes

Wow, this year is so different from last year. I knew we were stressed, but I really had no idea how stressed we were! Last year, we were facing foreclosure. We had no Plan B for finding a place to live. We were seriously discussing the logistics of being homeless. We had little income, and no prospects for improvement. It sucked!

But, we had friends and family. Accepting help from others has got to be one of the hardest things in the world to do. It was humbling and humiliating and wonderful, all at the same time. While it was difficult to accept help from known donors, it was even more difficult to accept anonymous help... there was no one to thank!

Now here we are one year later. We lost our house, but thank God, due to an exceptional month for appraisals in January, we were able to find a rental. We have survived the humiliation of foreclosure, and have profited from the lessons learned. Dan was able to take extra classes this year to upgrade his license. We are eagerly anticipating an increase in appraisals for 2010.

The thing is, even when we were at our most desperate, we knew that there were many, many families in worse shape than us. We learned first-hand that every gift is important. Whether it was enough money to pay a bill, or a $25 gift card to Walmart, each gift was significant, and literally a life-saver. That lesson will stay with us.

We can't ever thank those that helped us enough. You were a gift from God to us. Knowing that people loved us, and were concerned about our situation made a huge difference in our struggle to make it through each day. If we could speak to each person, we would assure them that your gift to us will keep on giving. Our intention is to pay it forward whenever the opportunity arises. I kept a list of all the help we got, even the anonymous donations. Every once in a while, I pull it out and thank God for all those people who cared. I also pray that I will be sensitive to God as He shows us occasions when we can demonstrate that we care.

If you're facing tough times, hang in there. I'm here to testify that you will make it through. Things will be better, although better may look different than what you are imagining. And better does not mean back to whatever normal was before. Don't be afraid to reach out to others. You never know who's just waiting for the chance to bless you.

Another Fun Night With Gramps & Grammy

Our granddaughter spent the night this past weekend. She is so much fun! I don't want to send her home to Katie too spoiled, so we try to not hold her the entire visit. She loves to play on the floor on a quilt.

Costco was selling these rocking horses this year. This is the type of toy I've been dying to buy for grandchildren! We introduced the baby to "Brownie" this visit. You can see by the photos below that she likes him.

Five Months Old!

Random Thoughts

1. Hallelujah! Dan passed his appraisal test yesterday. He is now a Certified Appraisor. This allows him to do higher priced homes and continue to appraise for FHA loans. Hopefully, his work will increase.

2. I am trying to come up with a new method for opening Christmas gifts at our house. This year there are 11 in our immediate family. This could take hours! I think I'm going to have each couple or family group open their gifts at the same time. This way I can get some great photos! If you have any cool suggestions, please pass them my way.

3. I am sick of the shredder. When Dan first started appraising, he was told you have to keep the files for 10 years. He recently found out it's five years. I'm busy shredding four years of files every day. It is monotonous, as well as physically challenging. I still have over six feet of papers to shred! So, if you call me and I don't answer, it's because I can't hear the phone over the roar of the shredder... leave a message!

Ministry Moments

This may be one of those "you had to be there" things, but yesterday I experienced a ministry moment at church for the first time in a long time.

At Radiant, the worship consists of two fast songs, one slow song, one fast song. Yesterday, during the slow song, they ran video of their recent baptisms. The song was "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)". O my goodness, I was teary-eyed. The video was longer than the song, so the next song was "You Are My King (Amazing Love)". It was such a powerful element in the service.

My chains are gone, I've been set free! My God, My Savior has ransomed me. And like a flood, His mercy rains. Undending love! Amazing Grace!

Fort Hood

Yesterday, as the news broke about the Fort Hood shooting, I watched in disbelief. Selfishly, my first thought was one of gratitude. My son is stationed at Fort Bliss in Texas, thank God it wasn't at his post. Yet even though I don't personally know anyone at Fort Hood, I felt bound to those involved. When you have a loved one in the military, you feel connected to everyone in the military.

Every young person you see in uniform feels like your child. Every scene of deployment makes you cry. Every scene of homecoming makes you cry even more.

In the end, the whys and hows of this tragedy do not matter. There will be investigations, finger pointing, name calling, and in the end, some answers. Security will be tightened, then loosened, then tightened again.

What matters is the lives that were touched by yesterday's events. The lives of those directly involved, the lives of their friends and families, the lives of the other soldiers on that post and, in a widening circle, all active military. This affected those that are retired from the military, and those that are getting ready to enlist.

And, it affected us. It's a graphic reminder that we are not safe anywhere. We'll be more careful for a few days, maybe a week. Then, we'll forget... until the next horrific reminder.

Pray for the injured and their families, the families of the dead, the survivors at Fort Hood, the commanders who have to try to make sense of this. Pray for our country.

Let the 2010 Election Cycle Begin!

I love politics. I am also a news junkie. My idea of "perfect" is to have a bank of six televisions in my living room so I can monitor the cable outlets and one or two local stations at the same time.

After last night's election, I sense that the 2010 campaign season will begin immediately. And not a moment too soon. I can't wait to see who emerges as strong candidates, the effect the campaign season will have on pending legislation, the tenor of the rhetoric.

The entire House is up for re-election and 1/3 of the Senate. Historically, the party in control loses 17 house seats during a mid-term election. The exceptions to this were George W Bush in 2002, and Franklin Roosevelt in 1934.

I'm especially excited by this grass roots movement of voting for the beliefs of the candidate, rather than their party. I have long advocated a multi-party system. Plus, throughout our country's history, the party's have changed and evolved into other entities. Maybe it's time for some evolution!

Regardless, it's definitely time for all of us to pay attention, educate ourselves on the issues, and the candidates, and VOTE when we have the opportunity.

I'm Done

For the first time, I am done with Christmas shopping! I am actually astonished and quite proud of myself. The only gifts I have left to purchase are books that aren't coming out til later this month.

My success this year is due to the kids giving me great lists way early. I estimate that I bought 95% of them on discount, or with 40%-50% off coupons. I even stayed within budget!

Now, we're focusing on making a list of all the fun things we want to do between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe this year, we'll get to some of the things we've had to skip in the past. At the top of our list is taking the baby to see Santa. Katie doesn't want to wait in the lines, so we gladly volunteered.

I know, some of you think I'm really sick. To you I say this, I spent cash, so I'm not anticipating any credit card bill shockers. I had fun. I thought of each person as I was purchasing their gifts, imagining the pleasure they would receive from them. I now have time to have fun with my husband during the Christmas season.

Some of you wish you could do this. To you I say, it's easy! All it takes is a little organization and a determination to not be sidetracked with impulse buying.

Merry Christmas... to me!