CAMPING AGAIN!

So we just got back from our annual camping trip. Sorry for not posting but every time I sat down and opened the computer it felt wrong...just wrong. Staring at the screen like I do at home just took away from being in the great outdoors. Every year we go I have a list of things I want to do while away. First, take a long walk to the beach just me and my hubby. Second, take a little morning jog and end it with a little devotional. Third, nature/photo walk. Fourth, spend a lot of time playing on the beach with my kids. Sounds great right? Unfortunately, I forgot to pack the list and so once we got their a new list was re-written which included, freezing my butt off and getting sick. Despite all that we had such a great trip!

I'll be back with more pictures and post later, but for now, loads of camp laundry are calling me and I am still a little under the weather.

I'll leave you with this...We stopped on our caravan home to take a group shot under the redwoods. I think we all imagined that beautiful money shot you see in magazines. Unfortunately we are not the group that ends up in magazines. So this is what we got...

trying for a little organization, I shout "Let's do a jump shot!" and unfortunately, we are not a "Jump Shot" group either, so here is what we got...

However, the genuine smiles and laughing that came with each shot was priceless and I'm so happy that we got each one!

Today's Reflection:

Sometimes we try to go for picture perfect, but picture perfect, although lovely hanging on your wall is not always as great in your heart. Picture perfect can sound nice, but sometimes it's those bloopers in life that we remember always. The camping trip was not exactly how I pictured, but it was still so much fun. Besides, who ever says "Hey remember that time everything went right?"

Lord, thank you for a safe trip. Thank you for joy and bloopers. Thank you for your presence, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Thank you for the joy you bring to even those who are not picture perfect!



RECALCULATING

I know, I've been very absent lately. First, thank you to anyone who sent me an encouraging word or even noticed I was gone...it does help me out of my slump and is greatly appreciated! I thought, since I've been gone for a bit, I'd share some photos from July, it was a busy month...

and according to my camera, it was spent mostly with these little faces...

There were a lot of rough moments for me this month. I lost my temper a lot more than I should have, I was a Negative Nancy on more than one occasion and I felt defeated as a wife. I found myself struggling to make time for just my husband and I, our hours for alone time became between 10 pm and midnight but most nights we only had the energy to watch the evening news. I quickly lost my attitude of grace, getting on his case for little things, big things, medium things...anything really. I was starving for his attention, but didn't speak up. I fought with him instead of loving him, and did it in a way I told myself I never would. Let me rewind, I love my husband and couldn't imagine life without him, I'm opening up right now because I have found in my experience that a veil of shame is sometimes placed over trouble in marriages. I am not ashamed. In fact, I feel like the troubles we are going through are real and just and in need of a a healer...the only true successful marriage healer I know of is God. Look, I tried talking to another, older wife about this and was told that it was all my fault, as a person, as a wife that's a cruel blow. I had a moment when I want to give up on being a 'great' wife and just go for being a 'thorough' wife.

This weekend we had my Niece and her family stay with us. During the visit she had to make a trip to the Bay area and having never driven there, she was worried about getting lost. Her dad told her she had GPS and that if she did take a wrong turn, the GPS would say "recalculating.... recalculating" and soon new direction would be given.  

BRILLIANT!

I feel like somewhere on my way to become a Godly, loving wife I took a wrong turn. I don't know these roads, and my first instinct is to give up and turn around, but then I hear my GPS... God... whispering..."Recalculating....Recalculating."

All is not lost, he's going to get me where I need to go, we are 'recalculating', and trusting his next direction. I may take another wrong turn, but I can trust that if I keep following God's direction I will get where I need to go.

Today's Reflection:

This scripture pierces me every time:

"The wise woman builds her house,  but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down."

-Proverbs 14:1

10 MONTHS

I wanted to take a moment to mark this occasion, my girl is 10 months old...10 months stronger, 10 months taller, 10 months smarter, 10 months marked in my heart. She is a spunky little gal, she likes to chat and make farty sounds with her mouth and sing along with me. She's mastered crawling and climbing the stairs and although I tell her she doesn't have to prove anything to anyone, it looks like she's got walking in her sights. She keeps me on my toes, because although she looks very much like her brother she is definitely her own person, a little person I'm in love with. So when she's 30 or 50 or 70 let it be known, that when she was just a wee little one, her momma declared to the world she was in love with her! 

Today's Reflection:

I am a mother of two, that's my current profession, "mothering." I know sometimes it doesn't make sense to people, I know sometimes people want to encourage me to explore my other talents and skills as if I got to this point through circumstance and not by choice. If I'm honest I occasionally let the thought of "am I doing enough" stir inside. Sometimes I get a little taste of fear envisioning an older me, kids out of the house and me searching for direction. Usually that fear is short lived as I have a poopy diaper or crying child to attend to. Lord, you have asked me to do this job, you have placed me here and charged me with this. I know you don't hire everyone for this job, so the fact that you hired me, makes me feel confident that it is not a dead-end job. Most days it is extremely fulfilling and I do love those two little faces, but on the days when it is not as "fun," I will not give-up or let my mind wander to what I could be doing or what others think I should be doing. I will work because I work for you and you are one heck of a boss!

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."

-Colossians 3: 23-24

ELBOW GREASE

So the work has begun on the trailer. the last couple of weeks we've been trying to clean it up and fix the things inside that need fixing. My job so far has been pretty easy, I've been doing more of the cleaning which can be a little therapeutic and fulfilling as everything begins to shine like new. My curiosity goes wild with each dent and ding I come across. I start to imagine how it got there, who did it and of course, did they get in trouble for it. I imagine we'll put a few of our own dents in it leaving behind our own story. We've cleared out the storage area which was packed with with more than we expected...

and cleared the way, out with the old and room for the new...

Now, Steve on the other hand, he's been busy working on some of the wood rot. There's not enough to worry me but just enough to keep him working hard...

So there it is, our progress so far, getting us a little closer to shiny and 'like' new.

Today's Reflection:

I'm excited about the restoration of this little trailer. Some of the little dents and dings need a lot of work and quite a bit of elbow grease but I know that those little things won't keep it from it's full glory and being filled with my little family. We just have to put the effort into it.

I think about the 'dents' and 'dings' in my life and how thankful I am that God continues to put a little elbow grease in fixing me. I'll never be perfect, but he has the ability to get me all shiny and new. Forgiving me for the imperfections that happened in my past and will come along, not leaving me in the 'driveway' to rot, but having a plan for me and a use and my own little restoration.

"Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me."

Psalm 51: 7-10

A LETTER TO MY BIG BOY

Dear Son,

I can't help but notice you're starting to act like a big boy. I know it's lots of fun becoming a big boy, you can eat more ice cream, and watch cooler movies and run faster and jump higher...  

leap over tall buildings and even fly...

 

I'm very proud of the little man/superhero you're becoming, but do you think...for my sake...you could just let me cherish this moment a little longer? I know the day will come, when mommy's kisses are no longer a hot commodity, or when mommy's kung fu no longer scares the monsters away, but for now...can you just stay my little boy just a tiny bit longer? For my sake...please.

Oh and one more thing...could you pass the message along to your sister? She's growing up a little too fast too... 

It's just getting ridiculous...

love,

your original superhero who loves you more than the world itself

Today's Reflection:
I know it's going to happen, they are going to grow up and I'm so grateful I get to watch it happen.Thinking of this scripture and the joys of my heart...

^"For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart."
-Ecclesiastes 5:20

LOVING WHERE YOU'RE AT MONDAY

I feel like this photo best sums up what the last two weeks have been like. We have been go go go and our days have been full. My poor children have napped wherever they could whenever they could and rarely in the comfort of their own bed. It's been busy, but I think we could all agree they have been a fun last couple of weeks filled with smiles and family.  We had late night dinners at neighborhood diners (because who really wants to cook after a long day?)...

We had Fourth of July fun and evening girl chats in our little trailer...

we celebrated my mom's birthday...

and helped shower my cousin and her baby boy on the way...

There was much more, but I'll save that for another day! Right now my knee is swollen, perhaps from too much fun and my bed is calling to me asking me to say hello and dream a little! Loving where I am at today, because the best sleep is well earned sleep!

Today's Reflection:

Tonight I was thinking about the fullness in our days and trying to find God in it all. Immediately what dawned on me was that in all my rushing around and trying to figure out what needed to be done next, I wasn't making personal time for God. I was so caught up in all the activities of the day, that my time with God somehow made it to the bottom of the list. In reading my devotion tonight I came across this scripture...

"Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me {as a vital necessity} and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:13

The title of the devotion was 'Your Most Important Commitment'

How timely is that? So in all my rushing around and going here and there, I need to make  sure I remember my most important commitment, I need to pause everyday and make sure I am seeking time with God, where ever I am and he will meet me there.

Thank you Lord, for your message...I got it!

OUR LITTLE TRAILER

Well, we did it! At one point I didn't think this post would ever happen, but here it is. I'm so excited to share with you our newest addition. Please meet our little vintage trailer. It is a 1965 Aristocrat Lo-Liner. I love this little thing, every time I look at it I want to giggle like a little girl finding a brand new puppy under the Christmas tree!

It's not perfect, but neither are we! So it's a match made! For it's age though, its in really good condition, just needs a little love to spruce it up (well, maybe a little sweat too). It's just as cute inside and has some great features, my favorite is the kitchen area with the original stove/oven and icebox...

There are a lot of original touches, which I find quite charming and feels a bit like you're entering a time capsule...

We brought it home on Saturday to a lot of happy faces. The kids love it and have been playing in it calling it their "ship". At one point we were all able to just sit in it and chat, which for me is a great start to this journey...

 

 

  

It's going to take a bit of elbow grease to bring it into its full glory, but already, I'm excited for the memories that lie ahead in this little thing and so grateful that it's finally all ours...

Today's Reflection:

We've been going back and forth on this purchase, weighing the pros against the cons. Sometimes it's easy to just jump up and yell "I'll take it!" but what comes after you have it? We didn't know if our money should be spent on a trailer, we try to be conservative with our money, but we also knew that this trailer would provide a lot of family time opportunities. We were diligent in searching, and took the time to research and look at a few. Even with that, I think our hearts could not be settled on taking this leap until we asked God for a little help. There are the big things that I have always prayed for but sometimes it's the little things that I really need to have him guide me on. My husband is better at this than I am, and he continually prayed that God lead us to the right decision. I feel like God cleared the way for us and lead us to this little thing. I know it can sound silly to thank God for a beat up trailer, but I imagine like any father, he was happy we asked him for help and his opinion. He wants us to come to him with everything, even the things that may not matter much to others, matter greatly to him.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

-Proverbs 3: 5-6