It's Great to be a Mother!

For all of you who have emailed me and are still waiting for a reply, please don't give up on me!! It's been a little crazy around here, but I love receiving your emails and I plan on responding to all of them. Just be a little patient with me ....

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! So wonderful, in fact, that it lasted the whole weekend. On Friday there was the annual Mother's Day Presentation at Drew's preschool. The first four of us that arrived all realized we had forgotten our cameras at home. Are we bad mothers or what?

On Saturday I received a small bouquet of flowers from Church on the Hill. (Thanks, Rachel!!) That evening Michael, the boys, and I joined my family at a Mexican restaurant to celebrate my mom's birthday and Mother's Day all in one.

On Sunday Michael had the most beautiful Mother's Day letter written for me ... accompanied by a brand new camera!! I was so excited!! I can't believe how great the pictures look, how much I can do with it, and that I finally have a camera whose lens closes all the way and whose megapixels are a little more realistic for the year 2008. It's awesome!

The four of us went over to Dave & Tami's (Michael's sister & brother-in-law) after church for a HUGE turkey dinner. There was a big group of us and it was fun. Drew had been very "servant-oriented" for me at his school presentation when it was time for the kids to serve their mothers snacks & tea. He did the same for all the mothers at Dave & Tami's. He didn't have the opportunity to serve them anything, but he did (along with Nick) shower them with lots of hugs and let them know they were appreciated.

Do you see this rash? I woke up yesterday morning with what I thought were 3 bites at the base of my neck. By evening I noticed this rash on my right arm and Michael realized my "bites" weren't bites at all. By bedtime it had spread up my neck and around my chin. Today it has gone onto my right hand and near my right eye. I'M MISERABLE!!!!! I have some stuff Michael brought me that is supposed to dry it up and does relieve a little of the itching for about an hour at a time. I can't believe it ... and since heat makes it spread, that means no sitting out in the beautiful hot weather, no hot tub at Craig & Vickie's, no hot showers in the morning. Michael doesn't even want me to do the dishes or give the boys a bath. He's helping out. What a man!

I need to quit for now. I'm getting more itchy just talking about it ...

Tuesday morning a local photographer was supposed to come over to meet with me. She was bringing her 2 yr. old son with her and I prepped the boys on being good hosts. We cleaned the house (well, as good as it got for the day) and made homemade cookies. And then waited... and waited. It was 15 minutes past our scheduled appointment and the boys were drooling every time they looked at the cookies in the middle of the table. I finally told them that if our guests still hadn't shown in another 10 minutes, I would come get them to eat a cookie. Well, my photographer was a no-show (not the first time she's flaked on me either... let's just say that her name has not been added to my own private list of "preferred vendors"). When the 10 minutes had passed and I went down to the playroom to get the boys, this is what I found ... total silence while my two little readers were buried in books. I just had to run and get the camera!

Speaking of no-shows, the George Fox student who contacted me about getting some free experience hasn't been heard from. She wanted to meet with me this week, but hasn't contacted me or responded to my email.

A few days ago I was contacted by a college graduate in Colorado who's planning on moving to Oregon and wanted information on how to become a wedding planner, how to get experience, etc. It was fun chatting with her by email and giving her some advice. After being the focus of a high school student's senior project and then being contacted by two college students/grads, I might just be starting to get a big head!

Until today my head and neck muscles have been extremely tense and painful all week. I'm not sure what's different about today other than the fact that I'm just slowly learning to release and trust.

Last night I attended my first Women's Ministries Bible Study at Family Life Church (Tami, Michael's sister, leads it). I rode with Vickie and joined about 35 other women. I'm not good in new social situations. I feel extremely uncomfortable until I get to know people. However, the video series they've started ("Captivating" by John & Stasi Eldredge) is really good. Stasi talked about how when Eve fell it was because she didn't trust that God had her best interest at heart and would take care of her, so she took matters into her own hands. Hmmm, sounds so familiar to how we women today react ....

It was nice afterward to sit around a table with the women of Michael's family and just talk and laugh. An hour and a half went by before we realized just about everyone else had left long before us.

While I was doing my girly-thing, Michael & Craig were skinny-dipping with the boys in the hot tub. Hmmm, let me rephrase that. Just the two young boys were doing the skinny-dipping. The older two were clothed. At least that's how I'm going to picture it....

Today was our city-wide "Kindergarten Round-Up". Yes, I took the next big step in Drew's life and enrolled him in kindergarten. They don't warn you that there are mounds of paperwork to fill out. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that the paperwork asked for the exact same information 3x. My boys were getting squirrely, the community center was full, my hand was cramped and I was getting ready to go crazy. I think I had imagined some wonderful new "stepping-stone" type of memory. Not so! I felt trapped and just wanted it to be over with. In the midst of me writing in triplicate, Drew announced that he had to go to the bathroom. There was no way I was going to lose my momentum... or my table. So I told him he had to wait. Once we were completely done, we sprinted for the bathrooms. It turns out that he didn't have to pee .... if you get my drift. Not only that, but he thinks that when he has to sit on the toilet to relieve his bowels, he has to undress from the waist down. I advised him (sternly) that he didn't need to disrobe. However, coming from the other side of a locked door, that didn't do much good. Off came the shoes, off came the pants, off came the underwear. And, for whatever reason, off came the sweatshirt. I just wanted to be home!!!!!!!!!!

I've now had my little break. I need to get dinner started early because we're taking it up to Michael's so we can help him clean out and start packing.

P.S.
It was mentioned in casual conversation last night that women who didn't grow up with sisters often don't like things like women's retreats, sleepovers, sharing rooms or clothes with other women, etc. I just have to say, Deb & Bren, that I'm so thankful I have two awesome sisters! Those women who grew up without sisters were so cheated!! I'm laughing just thinking about some of the things we've shared. And I know that, given the chance, we'd still all sleep together in one bed for just a night.

Promise

As I sit here typing, my body is reminding me that it is full of stress and tension even though I know without a doubt that God is in control of my situation. My heart is trusting and I truly believe God will make a way that is beyond our comprehension; however, my head and neck did not get the message and tell me so with a constant pain.

I did have my meeting with the new attorney, Mark Bierly, on Friday. Since I will not discuss my legal issues on this blog, please know that if you would like to pray along with me, I welcome your email and would be happy to keep you updated. I covet all the prayer partners I can get along this scary part of the journey.

Because we are both dealing with extremely stressful situations at the same time, Michael & I made a pact to dedicate the entire weekend to nothing but fun & relaxation (the boys were at Matt's). Any talk of anything remotely stressful, legal, financial, etc., was banned. OK, well at least until Sunday night. Then it was time to regroup and reinforce our faith in God and support alongside each other.

At Michael's church, the kids stay in the service until the worship time is over. Yesterday we had communion during the worship time. As the elements were starting to be passed, Michael leaned over and whispered to me that Drew was now able to take his first communion. It was the first time I had even thought of it! It was so thrilling to be able to share that special moment with Drew. I explained to him in whispers (and at his level of understanding) what each of the elements stood for and why we were taking them. What an awesome moment!


After church we took our picnic lunch and the boys to a nearby park. It was a beautiful day and the boys had a ton of pent-up energy. We had them run their little hearts out... and then run some more.

But their favorite, by far, was the pond. They could have spent all day there. They were soaked by the time we left.

I just love my boys! They're so much fun. I wish I could capture all the memories as vividly as they happen and store them forever.


Also on Sunday, while we were away, Bella Casa (my realtors) held an Open House for me. I found out today that there were two families who intentionally came to this house to look. One family had 3 kids and were looking for a big backyard. They loved ours. The other family loves antiques and old houses and apparently loved some of my antique light fixtures (Michael cracked up at that one!). I'm only cautiously optimistic at this point, but it is definitely something for you to pray about with me! We prayed specifically for people to come who could find something to love in this house. God already answered that prayer. Now we'll see if it leads anywhere.

Bella Casa has also requested that I bring by some business cards for them to display, and they would like to add me to their website. How cool is that?!

This weekend I remembered that God had given me a verse, a promise, over 2 years ago on New Year's Eve. I went hunting through an old journal to find the verse. Let's just say that Michael & I had a good cry together when we read it (Sshhhhh.... don't tell him that I just made it public that he gets sensitive like that or I'll be in trouble!).

Would you like a good cry too? OK, here's the verse. It's Rev. 21:5 (NASB):

And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new. " And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true."

And that, my friends, is my promise from God I found in my journal that He has already been fulfilling since last year.

I am loved.

And again, here come the tears...

Aahhh, I Can Breathe!

Michael & I are hooked on a PBS show called "Carrier". It's a cross between a documentary and reality tv, all about life on the USS Nimitz while on a 6 month deployment to the Persian Gulf. There are only 10 episodes and we've already seen the first 5 in the past 3 nights. It's so interesting because the people on board become real to you. We love it!

What I'm also loving is that last night Michael shared his Sudafed cold prescription with me (Sshhh, don't tell!). Within 30 minutes I was already breathing better. This morning I took a second one and it's like I don't even have a cold anymore!

Today I have to get busy getting this house ready for Open House on Sunday. It's strange to think that a bunch of strangers will be walking through while we're not here. But we're praying big that God brings a buyer out of one of those strangers.

"Be still and know that I am God."

That's our motto right now, what we're clinging to over the next several months. God is good, and He has a plan for all of us... Michael, the boys and me. We don't see it yet, but we're continuing to pray for direction, open doors and miracles. And then, regardless, we will give all the glory to Him.

And you know what? We're blessed with what matters most... we have each other and we have God. That's something all four of us are thankful for every day. Nothing else really matters. We'll get through this, and when we come out on the other side, we are looking forward to dedicating ourselves to helping others.

Not Feeling Good

I'm not feeling good today. It started Friday night and has continued with me since then... not bad enough to be confined to bed all day, but bad enough to keep me from doing what I need to do. Actually, I wish I were in bed right now. Michael's had the boys since lunch so that I could sleep. I tried everything I could to sleep, but nothing worked. My mind is just racing too much to allow me to rest. I feel worse now than I did earlier.

I thought that yesterday I had made progress in getting better. We didn't go to church because I didn't want to infect anyone else. Instead we went up to Michael's and he had me lay down while he took care of the boys. My chest hurt, my eyes were burning, and I think I fell asleep within seconds. Three and a half hours after my head hit the pillow, I woke up to find that the 3 "boys" had already had 2 lunches and one very long walk from Michael's to Craig & Vickie's and back again. As the afternoon wore on, I had more energy and we took the boys out to play in the dirt and then came back inside for a late dinner. It was nice and relaxing.

Today I seem to be getting worse as the day goes on. I don't like this. I want to get well. I could sleep more if I could just get my mind to stop stressing about my legal issues. It's hard. I also can't stop thinking about everything I need to do to get the house ready for our Open House on Sunday.

On a more positive note, I am officially as of today also the Preferred Wedding Planner for 5Rock Ranch. I love those people up there!

I need to go back and lay on the couch....

Overdue Update

So here is my newest appliance... the world's smallest coffee maker. Mine (the normal-sized one in the background) bit the dust this week for some unknown reason. Just decided to stop brewing at all. So my mom found this miniature one in her garage. It works and that's what counts!

This post will be full, but short. Michael just left for home after creaming me in Sequence (our game of choice that we play numerous times a week) and my throat and ears are hurting. I think I have finally succombed to the cold that Nick started and passed to Michael and then Drew. They're all on the latter ends of their colds and I thought I had escaped unscathed. Guess not. I'm sure stress lowered my immune system.

Tuesday was a very difficult day for me emotionally... just pure stress from legal issues with Matt, and a letter from the bank holding the mortgage indicating some devastating news I had not yet been expecting. I did speak to my attorney on Wednesday and was able to see just how much she had the foresight to put protections for me into our divorce document. What a blessing she is. With her help, I have already been able to get the house back on the market and she is sending me to an attorney who specializes in both family law and bankruptcy. (No, I'm not going bankrupt; however, there are legal issues I won't get into that necessitate me talking with someone in this field in order to put in as many protections for me as possible.) I meet with him next Friday and the two attorneys will work as a team. If all goes as it should, I will not be responsible for any of my attorney or court fees. I will know more on Friday. If you'd like to pray with me, here are my requests:

... that somehow, somewhere in all of this legal mess, my anger toward Matt will turn to forgiveness instead of hatred
... that God will protect my credit
... that God will protect my business and will send me numerous clients
... that God will provide a buyer for the house, and that He will provide the means for me to pay the full mortgage and insurance payments until then

Michael & I are praying big together and believing that God can do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine. I know that God may choose not to answer those prayers and may instead simply walk with me through the valley. However, I also know that we're supposed to ask and believe in a big God. I'm not used to asking that way and actually trusting that God will choose to do something that big. So for me this is stepping out in faith... and trusting God regardless.

While on the phone with me, my attorney again mentioned that part-time job at her office she talked to me about last fall. Until now, her business hasn't been able to support bringing me on; however, her legal receptionist is going out on maternity leave sometime in the next month and my attorney would like me to step in for her. It's perfect!... it's with a wonderful Christian person and it's part-time so that I can continue with my business. Plus, if it ends up being only temporary, it will look great on my resume... something more current.

I have had a great week with my business.... I received an excellent recommendation/testimonial from my first bride, I became a preferred wedding vendor for The Mansion at the Bayou, I secured some discounts for future clients with local wedding venues, I was interviewed as the subject of a high school senior's Senior Project (on wedding planning), and I was contacted by a junior at George Fox University who wants to offer me her services in my business for free! It would be an internship of sorts because she wants to be a wedding & event planner after graduation and she needs the experience.

I'm going to have to call this quits for tonight and get myself into bed. But if you get a chance, check out my newest posts on "The 'I Do' Rendezvous" blog and pass it along to any brides-to-be that you know!!

Sweet Day with My Boys

This morning while Drew was at school and I was doing my bills in the office, Nick came in and started looking at the pics on my bulletin board from when Michael & I took the boys to the beach last fall. He became obsessed with the thought of swimming and got out one of his swimming Pull-Ups. Trying to explain to him that we needed to wait for warmer weather just didn't compute with him. So he completely disrobed and proceeded to put on both the swimming Pull-Up and his regular Pull-Up. Except that both legs ended up going through the same hole and he was left with 2 Pull-Ups encircling his waist with absolutely nothing covering his little privates. I managed to get a "G-rated" picture and just had to post it here. I was laughing so hard at him that I just had to share it.

Then this afternoon while I was on the stepper Drew came in the playroom very excited, wanting to share a couple of stories with us. He said he had been using the upstairs bathroom and had left the door half open. He closed his eyes to pray and when he opened them, the door was closed. He is convinced that an angel jumped out of his heart and closed the door for him.

He then told me that he had been having a meeting with God while sitting on the toilet (hey, why not?). He said that he had been asking God about the message he sent up to Him (see my older post on him & Nick using balloons to send letters up to Heaven). He said God told him He had received Drew's message and was working on it as quickly as He could. I asked if Drew was specifically referring to his prayer in the letter for God to send me 100 clients. He said yes. And he is absolutely convinced that God told him that.

At this point, I am willing to believe in the faith of a child and in the heart of a God Who has a special love for children.... so I am going to prepare for an onslaught of clients! I think it was in the movie "Facing the Giants" that they said if you're going to pray for rain, you better prepare for rain. So I'm preparing...