So, I did it. I woke-up this morning at 5:00am, hopped in the suburban (thank you, Jesus, for 4-wheel drive), drove to the rec center and hopped in the pool! I swam 10 sets of 100 yards. I was shocked I could swim more than 50 yards at a time! Woot! Not regretting it a bit. I have muscled fatigue and burning that hurts so good! I may have not worked so hard if it weren't for the awesome receptionist who remembered my name before I even checked-in. I need to sit down and write a letter to the director of the rec center. Seriously, Nancy's like the best cheerleader ever! She was clapping and cheering for me as I made my way to the pool. Also, the computer applauded for me as I checked-in. Hello? Awesome! It's the little things, people :) I'm going to do it all again tomorrow! Yeah, buddy! I'm praying this motivation lasts. I tend to burn-out and give-up after a while. Why do I do that when the reward is so worth it? Because food tastes awesome...that's why.
So, my goal. I'll just keep losing until my body looks healthy. My sister has a tentative wedding date of 10/17/15. I'm going to be her only attendant. She's going to look stunning and I don't want to look like a hippo standing next to her!! Looking at that date, it makes me feel like I have plenty of time to get down to where I want to be, but not exactly! My sister has a goal to lose 35 pounds. Ha! Hahahahahahaha!!! I laugh at that because I have about 100 more pounds than that to lose. I'm thinking I really only have a year to get down to a reasonable weight because we will be doing dress fittings months ahead of time. MONTHS!!! Okay, I might be freaking-out just a bit. I think I could manage to lose 100 pounds by the time dresses come along. I hope. Something else I had hoped I would have time to do is skin removal surgery, but I'm not thinking I will get down enough to make that a possibility. Maybe I will? Ewwww!! Grossing myself out.
Back to school with the kiddos. Who knew they couldn't teach themselves ;) Speaking of school... It's going well, but I anticipate we will be doing school through the summer this year. No big deal, just... ***yawn*** Yeah, that.
Happy Monday!!
Monday, January 6, 2014
Friday, January 3, 2014
The mom I want to be
I want to be the mom who has it all together. You know her. I'm not her. I know that no mom has it completely together. Nothing always goes as planned. But, I feel like I will never come close to being the mom I want to be! It would just be nice to not leave the house looking like and feeling like a train wreck! How do you other moms do it? I see other moms looking cute in their boots and sweaters in the midst of winter... I throw on my yoga pants and flip flops and feel pretty good that I even made it out of my pajamas. Or are those pajamas? Am I jealous I don't have more time for myself? Maybe a little. Okay, a lot.
I laugh to myself as I type this because honestly, I think I use to juggle mommyhood pretty well. I thought I would only get better and better at it, but it is seemingly the opposite! Perhaps it's the lack of time for myself? Who has time to put on make-up when you have a baby tugging at your pants? Who has time to curl their hair when your two older kiddos are yelling, "Mom!!! I'm hungry!!!" Seriously, people.
I'm sure part of it is just the season in my life and age of my children. You know who makes me want to scream? Michelle Duggar! That lady is wonder woman with 19 kids and I can barely manage our 3. Someday, every room in our house will be clean at the same time. I have to reprogram my mind to realize THAT DOESN'T MATTER right now. I'm a mom with young kids and there is no way to have the perfectly cleaned home. Get. Over. It. Phew! That is a hard pill for this neat freak to swallow. Especially as I am sitting here with clothing donations all over the table and a living room floor covered with toys. I know this scene warms some hearts, but it sends me into a panic attack. I spend way too much time fussing over cleaning when I should be fussing over my kids and soaking up these young, impressionable years. I don't want them to model my behavior. What a horrible observation of my own character. HELP!!
"Breathe. Enjoy your children." This is my mantra for the this year. If I can just be still and enjoy my kids, everything else will get taken care of in time and I will slowly become the mom I want to be. Not the mom who seemingly has it all together, but the mom who loves and lives. The mom who builds tent forts with her kids and gets wrapped-up in a game of hide and seek. It's the seemingly little things that are really the big, important things. The word "seemingly" is key. Those things that are "seemingly" insignificant? They're significant.
Those are my thoughts this morning as I guzzle my chai tea and prepare for my crew to wake-up. It's going to be a beautiful day today, so we are going to the park and leaving this messy house behind... *whine* The kids will love it and their happiness is my reward. The mess will still be here when we get back and we aren't expecting company, so who cares?
I laugh to myself as I type this because honestly, I think I use to juggle mommyhood pretty well. I thought I would only get better and better at it, but it is seemingly the opposite! Perhaps it's the lack of time for myself? Who has time to put on make-up when you have a baby tugging at your pants? Who has time to curl their hair when your two older kiddos are yelling, "Mom!!! I'm hungry!!!" Seriously, people.
I'm sure part of it is just the season in my life and age of my children. You know who makes me want to scream? Michelle Duggar! That lady is wonder woman with 19 kids and I can barely manage our 3. Someday, every room in our house will be clean at the same time. I have to reprogram my mind to realize THAT DOESN'T MATTER right now. I'm a mom with young kids and there is no way to have the perfectly cleaned home. Get. Over. It. Phew! That is a hard pill for this neat freak to swallow. Especially as I am sitting here with clothing donations all over the table and a living room floor covered with toys. I know this scene warms some hearts, but it sends me into a panic attack. I spend way too much time fussing over cleaning when I should be fussing over my kids and soaking up these young, impressionable years. I don't want them to model my behavior. What a horrible observation of my own character. HELP!!
"Breathe. Enjoy your children." This is my mantra for the this year. If I can just be still and enjoy my kids, everything else will get taken care of in time and I will slowly become the mom I want to be. Not the mom who seemingly has it all together, but the mom who loves and lives. The mom who builds tent forts with her kids and gets wrapped-up in a game of hide and seek. It's the seemingly little things that are really the big, important things. The word "seemingly" is key. Those things that are "seemingly" insignificant? They're significant.
Those are my thoughts this morning as I guzzle my chai tea and prepare for my crew to wake-up. It's going to be a beautiful day today, so we are going to the park and leaving this messy house behind... *whine* The kids will love it and their happiness is my reward. The mess will still be here when we get back and we aren't expecting company, so who cares?
Monday, December 30, 2013
Date Your Spouse - Special Needs Edition
Disclaimer: I tend to ramble my thoughts rather than organize them. Welcome to my brain.
So, I read a blog article by a dad who has a son with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He talks about how he and his wife (despite having a son who is non-verbal and autistic) still enjoy getting out and doing the things they did when they were younger and how most of their friends (even with typical kids) have turned into fuddy duddies (that's not recognized by spell-check by the way) and rarely get out for a date night. I am completely torn with this concept. I totally agree that we need to continue to date our spouses, but having two special needs kiddos complicates things a bit.
First of all, finding someone who can handle two special needs kiddos and a baby...all at once. I am very thankful that we do have a great friend who will gladly take this on and has dropped everything to come serve us when we've had an emergency (Nick nearly cutting his finger off), and award to receive (Nick aiding in the rescue of flood victims). But, we have a hard time asking. Honestly, I can count on two hands the amount of dates Nick and I have had since we've had kids. That's rather pathetic considering our oldest is now 7. We do have a babysitting "credit" to use (Nick replaced a car battery for our sweet friend who has rescued us in the past). I think this is a great way to have baby sitting covered...exchange of services! Who needs some car work done? Piano lessons? You think I'm joking...I'm not!! I desperately want more time with Nick. We're a great team, but I feel like we have forgotten what it's like to be in love and to really know each other.
Something else that bothers me is having to stay local for dates. Special needs parents are jipped. Nick and I would love to get away for an entire day and drive alone in the mountains, but we need to be close by (as in staying in our town) for emergencies and to only be gone for a few hours (any longer and we start worrying our baby sitter is going bonkers). In order for us to be further than local, our sitter needs training on administering Jenna's rescue meds and when to give them...that feels unfair. Handling an emergency and giving rescue meds is scary! And then there are Joshua's meltdowns. He has done pretty well with these lately, thankfully.
So... After getting this all down in writing makes it more abundantly clear that Nick and I need to get out more. We are tired, worn and ragged. I miss the sparkle in Nick's eyes and how we use to laugh together. We still laugh, don't get me wrong, but it's usually a laugh of sheer exhaustion and hysteria. And let me make this clear... We love our kids. We are truly blessed and would not change anything. But we're tired and have forgotten what it's like to "date" each other. Dating should not end after marriage. It's a lifetime event we (and everyone else) should work on perfecting.
So if you're a parent of typical children or special needs children... Come up with a plan to date your spouse. You need it, your spouse needs it and your marriage needs it to survive. No excuses. Even if it's out for a cup of coffee...do it.
So, I read a blog article by a dad who has a son with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He talks about how he and his wife (despite having a son who is non-verbal and autistic) still enjoy getting out and doing the things they did when they were younger and how most of their friends (even with typical kids) have turned into fuddy duddies (that's not recognized by spell-check by the way) and rarely get out for a date night. I am completely torn with this concept. I totally agree that we need to continue to date our spouses, but having two special needs kiddos complicates things a bit.
First of all, finding someone who can handle two special needs kiddos and a baby...all at once. I am very thankful that we do have a great friend who will gladly take this on and has dropped everything to come serve us when we've had an emergency (Nick nearly cutting his finger off), and award to receive (Nick aiding in the rescue of flood victims). But, we have a hard time asking. Honestly, I can count on two hands the amount of dates Nick and I have had since we've had kids. That's rather pathetic considering our oldest is now 7. We do have a babysitting "credit" to use (Nick replaced a car battery for our sweet friend who has rescued us in the past). I think this is a great way to have baby sitting covered...exchange of services! Who needs some car work done? Piano lessons? You think I'm joking...I'm not!! I desperately want more time with Nick. We're a great team, but I feel like we have forgotten what it's like to be in love and to really know each other.
Something else that bothers me is having to stay local for dates. Special needs parents are jipped. Nick and I would love to get away for an entire day and drive alone in the mountains, but we need to be close by (as in staying in our town) for emergencies and to only be gone for a few hours (any longer and we start worrying our baby sitter is going bonkers). In order for us to be further than local, our sitter needs training on administering Jenna's rescue meds and when to give them...that feels unfair. Handling an emergency and giving rescue meds is scary! And then there are Joshua's meltdowns. He has done pretty well with these lately, thankfully.
So... After getting this all down in writing makes it more abundantly clear that Nick and I need to get out more. We are tired, worn and ragged. I miss the sparkle in Nick's eyes and how we use to laugh together. We still laugh, don't get me wrong, but it's usually a laugh of sheer exhaustion and hysteria. And let me make this clear... We love our kids. We are truly blessed and would not change anything. But we're tired and have forgotten what it's like to "date" each other. Dating should not end after marriage. It's a lifetime event we (and everyone else) should work on perfecting.
So if you're a parent of typical children or special needs children... Come up with a plan to date your spouse. You need it, your spouse needs it and your marriage needs it to survive. No excuses. Even if it's out for a cup of coffee...do it.
Friday, December 27, 2013
New LIFE's Resolutions
My friend, Amanda, gave me a new perspective on New Year's Resolutions... New LIFE's Resolutions. We want to make the change permanent, right? That is our goal when setting new goals, right? Well, here are my NLR's:
1. Improving my relationship with the Lord;
2. Being a better wife and mother;
3. Building a healthier lifestyle for our family.
Those seem to be the same ones each year. My prayer is that I will not falter and will seek the Lord for His strength to see these all come to fruition. If I can accomplish the first on my list, I know the others will fall into place because this list is also the Lord's desire for my life. This list is very telling of how previous years have gone. I have not spent enough time at all with the Lord and my life is evidence of that. I was going to say that from the outside it may not be evident, but that would just show how much I am in denial.
So what keeps you focused daily on the Lord besides the obvious things that help (reading the Bible, prayer, worship)? Something I would really like to do is to hand write Bible verses and have them in various places through the house. That way, no matter my attitude or what is happening during the day, His Words are there right before my eyes. Which verses help you stay or get back on track?
Another idea which I received from a Facebook page I follow is having a JOY jar filled with random acts of kindness. Too often, I get wrapped up in the needs of our own family and forget there is an entire world out there hurting and needing someone to care. Even the people who seemingly have their lives together need to be told/shown that God cares for and loves them. This would be a great thing for our entire family to participate in. I can really see us growing from this.
What are your NLR's? I'd love to hear them.
1. Improving my relationship with the Lord;
2. Being a better wife and mother;
3. Building a healthier lifestyle for our family.
Those seem to be the same ones each year. My prayer is that I will not falter and will seek the Lord for His strength to see these all come to fruition. If I can accomplish the first on my list, I know the others will fall into place because this list is also the Lord's desire for my life. This list is very telling of how previous years have gone. I have not spent enough time at all with the Lord and my life is evidence of that. I was going to say that from the outside it may not be evident, but that would just show how much I am in denial.
So what keeps you focused daily on the Lord besides the obvious things that help (reading the Bible, prayer, worship)? Something I would really like to do is to hand write Bible verses and have them in various places through the house. That way, no matter my attitude or what is happening during the day, His Words are there right before my eyes. Which verses help you stay or get back on track?
Another idea which I received from a Facebook page I follow is having a JOY jar filled with random acts of kindness. Too often, I get wrapped up in the needs of our own family and forget there is an entire world out there hurting and needing someone to care. Even the people who seemingly have their lives together need to be told/shown that God cares for and loves them. This would be a great thing for our entire family to participate in. I can really see us growing from this.
What are your NLR's? I'd love to hear them.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Oopsies! It has been a while :)
We moved into our apartment November 4th. It is in a nice area and our view is amazing! Rocky Mountains (including Pike's Peak) and a big, open valley. God sure has been good to us :) I love that we live in the city, but you can't really tell. Walking distance to two major grocery stores and more importantly...Starbuck's! Ahhh...city life ;) We do long for that small town community though... Come on, retirement!!! :)
The Lord has blessed us with some amazing doctors for Jenna. There have been a couple I haven't been too thrilled about, but we're working on fixing that :) New diagnosis for Jenna... Cavernous transformation of the liver. We were told, "She just has a big liver." Well, yes, that is true, but it's not the whole truth. Here's what it is in a nut shell...
Jenna has a clot blocking her portal vain (main source of blood flow to the liver), so her body (part of God's miraculous creation) created alternate sources of blood flow stemming from below the clot to the liver! Cool, right? God's creation is amazing! We do have to keep an eye for troublesome varicese. Varicese form around the esophagus and stomach and can bleed. If bleeding occurs, it will be evident and a banding procedure will be performed to clamp off the bleeds. In some cases, these bands are not sufficient, so Jenna would then be medi-flighted to Chicago or Cincinnati where they have the highest success rate by performing a Rex shunt operation. We are holding onto the hope that this will never become an issue for Jenna; He has answered our prayers so far :)
Joshua is excelling in school! He loves doing school everyday and I try to keep it as fun as possible. He has developed a love for the story, "Alice in Wonderland." We have read, "Peter Pan" and "Pinocchio," but "Alice in Wonderland" is his obvious favorite :) Such imagination went into writing that story. Joshua also loves his other subjects; writing is at the top of the list. I didn't think little boys cared for writing? We use the "A Reason For Handwriting." I love that there is a story that goes with each lesson and as he progresses, a Bible verse will accompany each lesson.
Nick and Joshua have really taken to model trains. I love that they have a hobby they can share together :) It will be nice to have a bigger space where they can really spread out and build their set. Right now, Joshua has a very large train table hogging his room, but he doesn't seem to mind in the least. Only thing about model trains...$$$!! Nick joked that he might have to pick-up a second job to support their hobby. No way!! We like having daddy around too much for that :)
Nick and I have been a little discouraged about not being able to find a church. Jenna is on germy alert! We have been visiting my parents congregation (Yeshuta Tzion) because it is smaller; Jenna wears her mask and doesn't seem to mind. With some prayer and consideration, Nick and I have decided to attend the New Members class to learn more. I have felt the Lord calling us there and Nick is open to going there, but he needs to feel the Lord's hand directing us there as well.
I am really excited to embark on the Extreme Couponing scene. I had a hard time with it in Oklahoma because it seems that most of the coupons were for things I wouldn't buy. Here in Colorado, however, eating healthy is more of the trend, so the coupons follow suit :) I am a bit rusty on coupon lingo and need to learn about the stores and their policies, so I am going to a class offered in March by Bargain Blessings. I found Bargain Blessings via Google :) Thank you, Lord, for Google!!
One last thing... Rocky Mountain Miracle Moms. Ever since we moved from Oklahoma, I have been in search of a mommy support group for moms of kiddos with special medical needs. I had no success and after encouragement from friends and submitting to the Lord, I created a Facebook support group. We have expanded off of Facebook and had our first get together at the beginning of this month! I am excited to see where the Lord leads and how He uses this group to bless mommies and families like me. Please pray that I keep my hands off the reigns...the Lord needs to steer, not me!
Okay...this is the last thing...maybe... The snow is gorgeous! I love seeing the snow-covered mountains and snow flocked trees. Absolutely breathtaking! The kids are loving the sledding hill outside our apartment; I think Nick enjoys it just as much as they do :) So much fun to see them outside enjoying time together.
Okay...last thing...seriously! Two encounters with wild life to report so far. One, at 4am, a coyote made a kill right outside our bedroom window; second, we saw a coyote out in broad daylight prancing around with a rabbit in it's mouth right outside our apartment window! Wow! Really cool :)
I told you that was the last thing, but I would like to end with this Bible passage that the Lord has been using to speak to me...
II Timothy 3:10-17
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 1415 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Lord has blessed us with some amazing doctors for Jenna. There have been a couple I haven't been too thrilled about, but we're working on fixing that :) New diagnosis for Jenna... Cavernous transformation of the liver. We were told, "She just has a big liver." Well, yes, that is true, but it's not the whole truth. Here's what it is in a nut shell...
Jenna has a clot blocking her portal vain (main source of blood flow to the liver), so her body (part of God's miraculous creation) created alternate sources of blood flow stemming from below the clot to the liver! Cool, right? God's creation is amazing! We do have to keep an eye for troublesome varicese. Varicese form around the esophagus and stomach and can bleed. If bleeding occurs, it will be evident and a banding procedure will be performed to clamp off the bleeds. In some cases, these bands are not sufficient, so Jenna would then be medi-flighted to Chicago or Cincinnati where they have the highest success rate by performing a Rex shunt operation. We are holding onto the hope that this will never become an issue for Jenna; He has answered our prayers so far :)
Joshua is excelling in school! He loves doing school everyday and I try to keep it as fun as possible. He has developed a love for the story, "Alice in Wonderland." We have read, "Peter Pan" and "Pinocchio," but "Alice in Wonderland" is his obvious favorite :) Such imagination went into writing that story. Joshua also loves his other subjects; writing is at the top of the list. I didn't think little boys cared for writing? We use the "A Reason For Handwriting." I love that there is a story that goes with each lesson and as he progresses, a Bible verse will accompany each lesson.
Nick and Joshua have really taken to model trains. I love that they have a hobby they can share together :) It will be nice to have a bigger space where they can really spread out and build their set. Right now, Joshua has a very large train table hogging his room, but he doesn't seem to mind in the least. Only thing about model trains...$$$!! Nick joked that he might have to pick-up a second job to support their hobby. No way!! We like having daddy around too much for that :)
Nick and I have been a little discouraged about not being able to find a church. Jenna is on germy alert! We have been visiting my parents congregation (Yeshuta Tzion) because it is smaller; Jenna wears her mask and doesn't seem to mind. With some prayer and consideration, Nick and I have decided to attend the New Members class to learn more. I have felt the Lord calling us there and Nick is open to going there, but he needs to feel the Lord's hand directing us there as well.
I am really excited to embark on the Extreme Couponing scene. I had a hard time with it in Oklahoma because it seems that most of the coupons were for things I wouldn't buy. Here in Colorado, however, eating healthy is more of the trend, so the coupons follow suit :) I am a bit rusty on coupon lingo and need to learn about the stores and their policies, so I am going to a class offered in March by Bargain Blessings. I found Bargain Blessings via Google :) Thank you, Lord, for Google!!
One last thing... Rocky Mountain Miracle Moms. Ever since we moved from Oklahoma, I have been in search of a mommy support group for moms of kiddos with special medical needs. I had no success and after encouragement from friends and submitting to the Lord, I created a Facebook support group. We have expanded off of Facebook and had our first get together at the beginning of this month! I am excited to see where the Lord leads and how He uses this group to bless mommies and families like me. Please pray that I keep my hands off the reigns...the Lord needs to steer, not me!
Okay...this is the last thing...maybe... The snow is gorgeous! I love seeing the snow-covered mountains and snow flocked trees. Absolutely breathtaking! The kids are loving the sledding hill outside our apartment; I think Nick enjoys it just as much as they do :) So much fun to see them outside enjoying time together.
Okay...last thing...seriously! Two encounters with wild life to report so far. One, at 4am, a coyote made a kill right outside our bedroom window; second, we saw a coyote out in broad daylight prancing around with a rabbit in it's mouth right outside our apartment window! Wow! Really cool :)
I told you that was the last thing, but I would like to end with this Bible passage that the Lord has been using to speak to me...
II Timothy 3:10-17
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 1415 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
exploring and birthday fun
Nick and the kids relaxing during our mini-hike. I forgot to pack Joshua's shoes, so the poor guy braved it in his flip-flops. Thankfully the path is clear of sticks and rocks and the buggies have already said bye-bye for the year :)
Our handsome little explorer.
Gorgeous blue sky against the contrasting trees and golden field. Love it.
They had such a blast! The Flying J Ranch is a beautiful piece of land donated to the public by a very generous family.
We were fortunate enough to enjoy the peak weekend for the Aspens. Simply breathtaking!
Happy Birthday Grandpa and Daddy! One of our favorite places in Evergreen...Beau Jo's! Amazing pizza and salad bar. I think Joshua was asking for Pepperoni in this picture.
Me, my mom and Jenna. Jenna loves the salad bar, too. Notice her Ranch go-tee. Hilarious!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
suddenly colorado
We have been here a week. Here's how it came to be...
I wish I had the exact dates this all happened; perhaps Nick and I can sit down and put them together in the future. I visited my parents in July. An 11 hour road trip with two kiddos is not something I recommend, but it can be done and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
Seeing the kids with my parents really caused the wheels in my head and heart to turn. They love time with their grandparents and it's not fair that they don't have that at a moment's notice. I felt jealous for them. Both of my brothers' families have one set of grandparents whom they see quite often. I guess the idea of moving to Colorado had been an idea quite some time ago. I had already done some prior research to find the best Children's Hospitals in the nation and currently, Colorado is #5 over all and #1 (also world renowned) for Endocrinology (Jenna's main area of need).
When I returned from Colorado, Nick and I talked it through and decided that he would start looking for a job online and that we would pray the Lord would shut the door if this was not his will. We prayed, "If this isn't Your will, Lord, don't let us find any jobs." Nick found a job and applied for it. We prayed, "If this isn't Your will Lord, don't let there be a request for an interview." Nick was called a week later and a week later we were in Colorado for Nick's interview. We prayed, "If this isn't Your will Lord, don't let Nick get the job." A week later, Nick received the call that the job was his and about two weeks later, we moved. We were praying the Lord would shut the door while He was opening them and pushing us through them. Definitely a growth moment for both of us. The Lord spoke clearly to both of us that this was His will, entirely.
Leaving was so hard. Our church, our family, our friends... I can't help but cry every time I think of them. I know the Lord will lead us to the right church family and I know our obedience will be blessed in other areas as well. I continually remind myself of this passage and claim it for our family:
"..He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
We are currently staying with a friend of mine from college. Her husband is on the road continually, so her house is pretty empty and the company is welcomed; we stay with my parents on the weekends for some family time and delicious meals! My parents buy only organic groceries; we're hoping to make the switch too, but I will save that for another blog entry. Our apartment will be available for move-in on November 7th; until then, we are holding off on school for Joshua and allowing the kids to adjust and enjoy the nice weather while it's still here. My friend says our area is due for a blizzard, so we are going to soak-up all of the Vitamin D that we can and save the school for our snowed-in and cold weather days.
The kids are pulling on my arm, so I will have to get off for now. We have errands to run and a park day planned! Oh, and forgive my grammar. I never was much of a writer, but I am going to try!
I wish I had the exact dates this all happened; perhaps Nick and I can sit down and put them together in the future. I visited my parents in July. An 11 hour road trip with two kiddos is not something I recommend, but it can be done and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.
Seeing the kids with my parents really caused the wheels in my head and heart to turn. They love time with their grandparents and it's not fair that they don't have that at a moment's notice. I felt jealous for them. Both of my brothers' families have one set of grandparents whom they see quite often. I guess the idea of moving to Colorado had been an idea quite some time ago. I had already done some prior research to find the best Children's Hospitals in the nation and currently, Colorado is #5 over all and #1 (also world renowned) for Endocrinology (Jenna's main area of need).
When I returned from Colorado, Nick and I talked it through and decided that he would start looking for a job online and that we would pray the Lord would shut the door if this was not his will. We prayed, "If this isn't Your will, Lord, don't let us find any jobs." Nick found a job and applied for it. We prayed, "If this isn't Your will Lord, don't let there be a request for an interview." Nick was called a week later and a week later we were in Colorado for Nick's interview. We prayed, "If this isn't Your will Lord, don't let Nick get the job." A week later, Nick received the call that the job was his and about two weeks later, we moved. We were praying the Lord would shut the door while He was opening them and pushing us through them. Definitely a growth moment for both of us. The Lord spoke clearly to both of us that this was His will, entirely.
Leaving was so hard. Our church, our family, our friends... I can't help but cry every time I think of them. I know the Lord will lead us to the right church family and I know our obedience will be blessed in other areas as well. I continually remind myself of this passage and claim it for our family:
"..He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
We are currently staying with a friend of mine from college. Her husband is on the road continually, so her house is pretty empty and the company is welcomed; we stay with my parents on the weekends for some family time and delicious meals! My parents buy only organic groceries; we're hoping to make the switch too, but I will save that for another blog entry. Our apartment will be available for move-in on November 7th; until then, we are holding off on school for Joshua and allowing the kids to adjust and enjoy the nice weather while it's still here. My friend says our area is due for a blizzard, so we are going to soak-up all of the Vitamin D that we can and save the school for our snowed-in and cold weather days.
The kids are pulling on my arm, so I will have to get off for now. We have errands to run and a park day planned! Oh, and forgive my grammar. I never was much of a writer, but I am going to try!
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