I Feel a Little Cheated

Drew wrote a letter to God and he wanted to send it up to Heaven. So we went to the Dollar Tree to buy a balloon (the dollar, courtesy of Grandma). Since Nick always wants to do everything Drew does, we got him one too, and we helped him "write" his own letter to God.

We then went into the backyard to let them loose. I was already feeling a little cheated on the weather... instead of beautiful, warm, spring-like sunshine, we had mostly high clouds all day. Well, the boys quickly felt a little cheated as well. First it was when the balloons wouldn't fly. If you can imagine this, that one lone piece of paper attached to each balloon was enough to weight the balloon down. I couldn't believe it!






We finally got Drew's to start a slow ascent. We were so excited. We had purposely chosen the backyard so there would be no trees in the way.

Hmmm, can you guess why Drew felt a little cheated? Just when we finally get that balloon off the ground, it goes and finds the nearest tree and gets stuck way up out of our reach.

Next it was Nick's turn. His balloon didn't take quite as long to get off the ground. However, we realized rather quickly that there might be trouble when it sailed right over the roof toward the front of the house.

Sure enough, it found an even taller tree and made itself at home.

Although the boys were disappointed, I know that God saw those letters and had a huge smile on His face.

Ever since reading "The Shack" I've been thinking so much more about God and Who He is and my relationship with him. Imagine my shock when I learned from my dad on Monday that the book is not based on a true story at all but is rather theological fiction. I was stunned. The copy I read even said "Inspired by a true story" right on the front cover. The author had reasons for that, I now know; however, I have spent this entire week feeling somewhat betrayed and cheated. It's still a good book. I just would have read it with a whole different frame of mind if I had known I was reading "theological fiction". Some of what was one man's version of what God might be like I was taking as potential truth. That's why I feel so cheated. If you haven't read it, you should still get a copy and form your own opinion.

I borrowed my parents' lawn mower and spent two hours today mowing both yards. My hands have blisters, my feet hurt, and I am so tired....

New Chairs!!

Take a look at my fabulous new client office chairs!! Michael has been wanting to help me get sufficient office furniture and the other day he saw on Craigslist that a company who had relocated to Seattle was selling all of its high-quality office furniture. We were hoping for a desk, but the ones they had were simply too massive. Michael insisted that I get these chairs so my clients can sit in my office instead of at my dining room table. These are high-quality leather (they were $400/each when purchased new!) and they are soooo cushy! I think I could actually sleep in one. Do I have an awesome boyfriend or what??

I was out and about all day.... first meeting with my June clients at the church site in Amity, then getting these chairs in Tigard, then meeting with a rep from West Coast Event Productions in downtown Portland. Not only did we come up with a design for my clients' reception, but I also got to tour their entire showroom/warehouse. They have EVERYTHING... and if they don't have it, they will either buy it or make it. I was like a kid in a candy shop! Now I'm just drooling at the bit to get a bride with some outrageously high wedding budget so that I can go crazy. To top it off, I'm going to be meeting with the manager next week so she can make me one of their preferred vendors. Essentially that means I will get a discount I can pass on to my clients.... which just makes my services that much more valuable to a bride.

OK, so I'm sure you're wondering what my "new" things for yesterday & today were. Truthfully, as I was laying in bed last night I all of a sudden realized that I had completely forgotten about it. As I was wracking my brain for something I could do at the last minute, I turned to the clock and saw that it was 12:02 a.m. Too late for anything to count for yesterday.

Unless you count what I hung on my fridge... a list of 7 motivational reasons for me to lose weight. (I also emptied the house of all Easter candy -- two large bags worth! -- and gave it all to Michael; the boys won't even notice.) I have gained back a significant amount of the weight I lost last summer/fall and I am determined to apply self-discipline and get all of my weight off once and for all. I had a random Victoria's Secret bathing suit catalog arrive in the mail today. I decided I would pick out a bathing suit I like, tape the picture up to my list (better that than a picture of me!) and then treat myself to that bathing suit once I've reached my goal.

Oh yeah, back to the "one new thing a day" problem. In talking to Debbie today, I agreed that one new thing a day is simply much more than I can do. So I'm revising it.... one new thing a week. That way it will count more. And no, I'm not really counting the fridge list as one...

What's New...

Last week was our Spring Break. While this picture may look simply like your stereotypical Northwest spring day, it was anything but. Our Spring Break consisted of some mixture of rain, snow and hail (along with very cold temperatures) every day. It was CRAZY!! Anything but typical.

This week the warmer spring-like weather has started showing itself. I am so thankful! This girl needs warm sunshine!





I just have to take a minute and brag on Michael. Last Thursday he showed up with these beautiful flowers. Not for any reason; just because he's that sweet.

The boys were at Matt's this past weekend for the first time in a month. It gave Michael & I a chance to do some fun "couple" things. One thing we had been looking forward to was going garage saling on Saturday. We made out quite the list of what we were looking for.... Michael did great on his part; I didn't have as much luck. The weather ran the gammut while we were out.... pouring rain, snow, hail and sun. You name it, we had it. But we had a blast. And that night we had dinner with both sets of parents.

Gary (my brother) is in town again for a few days working on his aerial photography business. He brought Makenna (my niece) along for fun. Today I snatched her as a babysitter. It has been a godsend because I have TONS of work to do on these weddings. Been doing lots more networking as well. Nothing new on the job front, so I am concentrating 100% on networking and marketing.

Friday I met with my June bride at the reception site. Before now I never considered myself too creative when it came to decorating & design. However, she is relying on me to pull her vision together and I found that I had a whole bunch of creativity that had apparently been hiding until now. It's been so fun to dream up a design based on her desires (simple, yet elegant; no flowers, only candles).

My first wedding is coming up in only 12 days. Much to do!!

I'm thinking of trying something new.... I heard of a local Portland guy who has a blog to record his goal of trying one new thing every day for the entire year of 2008. The more I think about it, the more it sounds like fun to try something similar. I'd love to get to the end of the year and be able to look back on all the ways I was able to stretch myself and think out of the box. Could be a big thing one day and a little thing the next.

Since today is the 1st, I thought it might be a great day to start. I have no idea yet what I'm going to do.... I guess I'll let you know tomorrow what I came up with!

Anyone else game to do this with me? It could be pretty fun!! If nothing else, perhaps you could just shoot some good ideas my way...

Wild Wednesday!

I told you Spring Break was filling up, right? Yesterday the boys and I spent the day at my friend Maria's house and visited my grandma in the hospital.

Today and tomorrow I've temporarily gained 3 children during the day. I'm watching my cousin's kids (Amanda & Jordan), as well as their friend Luke who flew in from CA for the week. I'm actually going to use it to my benefit. Since the two older kids are 13, I can leave them "in charge" for a short period of time to go run some errands. Plus my boys are very happily engaged in play for the next two days. The noise level in the house gets quite high at times, but I think the tradeoff is worth it.

In the past 4 days I have had two friends who have been an incredible blessing to me and the boys... because of them, I was able to pay all of my bills in cash today. You two have no idea how huge that is for me and just how much you have been Jesus to us. I think often of the day when it will be me who is able to reach out to single moms and help them in very tangible ways. It is a strong desire of my heart.

Last Thursday I was taking time to sit and do my devotions. I am embarrassed to say that it had been a little while since I had taken the time to just sit with God like that. Because of that, I was feeling extremely guilty as I started praying to Him. Have you ever felt that way?.... I prayed a little and then opened my Bible to read. I was really craving the Word. I opened to where my little ribbon was marking the last place I had read in that particular Bible (I have a few that I use). It was Isaiah 41. Verses 9, 10 and 13 jumped out at me because I had them underlined in red. They said:

I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

I was immediately emotional and just felt God's love for me. My guilt slipped away...

I continued reading and was again moved when I came to verses 17 - 20:

The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together, so that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the LORD has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.

I believe with my whole heart that this is God's promise to me... that He is going to provide a way to take care of the boys and me in a way that will leave no doubt that it could have only been Him. I have no idea who or what He will use to do that. I have no idea if that means answering Drew's prayer that I will get "100 clients", or if that means another job or means of income, or if it is something I couldn't even begin to dream up. But I do know what He's promised me and that He always keeps His promises.

Until that day, my heart cannot begin to express enough gratitude for those of you who have stood in the gap for us and have given of your own means to help us through this time. Your reward in Heaven will be great!

Post-Easter

Yesterday was a wonderful day for us. So wonderful that I didn't even stop to take pictures. It was nice just to live in the moment and enjoy it. We spent the majority of the day with Michael's family. It was one of the best Easter's I've had in a long time.

In the last couple of years, these Resurrection Eggs have become one of my favorite Easter traditions. Every year Drew uses them to tell the Easter story multiple times in the days leading up. Yesterday he had quite the captive audience when Val (Michael's aunt) had everyone sit in a circle in the living room so Drew could tell the story. Every year he tells some part of the story a little funny, although he gets more and more accurate as he gets older. (Bummer!) This year's funny part had to do with Jesus riding the donkey into Jerusalem. The way Drew told it, the people were waving "pom pom branches". Next year Nick should be able to tell the story. That'll be fun!

Thursday was such a nutty day for me.... one of those days where my frustration level was very high, my head hurt and I wanted to strangle someone. It started when I had to spend 2 1/2 hours on the phone with Verizon trying to get my internet connection to start working again. That in and of itself is enough to drive a person batty. Then my downstairs phone battery died. And the upstairs one needed to be recharged. Something else happened too, but I think I've mostly managed to block it all out. Thankfully the day got better and better as it went on.

Saturday Michael & I (and the boys, and his parents) looked at another house. It was a gorgeous house in a gorgeous (very remote) setting in the hills; however, it had just as many negatives as it did positives.

The boys helped Michael fix our gates and that night Michael & I watched "The Passion of the Christ" after the boys were in bed. I couldn't handle watching that movie very often because it is so intense, but this year I just really wanted to remember what Easter is all about.

Things are really hopping for the April wedding I'm doing. Call me crazy, but I love it... I relish all of the organizational aspects!

Today I hand-delivered a letter to someone who is going to be having a huge Grand Opening in a few months. My dad gave my business a "plug" yesterday with this person and so I wanted to follow up ASAP to see if I could land them as a client. If I do, it will be huge. I realize that I am being very vague here and that is on purpose. I hesitate to divulge my leads publicly until it has been decided whether or not they will come to fruition. That's the same reason I didn't divulge the identity of the wedding site manager I met with a week and a half ago who is considering me as their preferred Wedding Planner.

It's officially the start of Spring Break today! I wondered what I would do to keep the kids from getting bored all week, but my week has quickly filled up already. How did that happen???? Right now the boys are happily playing downstairs with Jordan (my cousin's son). They're playing some kind of Transformer/Dinosaur/Boxing/Shooting make-believe with a little of the Easter story thrown in for good measure. I love their imaginations!

Too Much To Update!

I'm not even sure where to begin, so here's the best condensed version I can give....
Gary, Khonda, the kids, and Khonda's parents arrived on Thursday and stayed through Monday. We had a great time, but the day that stood out the most for everyone was Sunday. After church and lunch everyone went up to Michael's. We gave tours of Michael's place and the view from Craig & Vickie's, then Gary, Khonda and her parents went to tour the wineries nearby.

The kids stayed with Michael & I and had a blast playing... ... in a bucket of water,




... in the dirt,

... and on the four-wheeler. Michael took all the kids for rides, then let Brock and Makenna each go off on their own.

When the adults returned, Gary took his turn playing on the four-wheeler as well. When all was said and done, Gary & Brock ended up wearing some of Michael's sweats because their pants got so muddy.

After all the fun outside, the group moved indoors. Michael & I set out all kinds of snacks while everyone played games. We had a big pizza dinner and then sprawled all over the living room to watch "Facing the Giants".

It was a great day.

And a great weekend with family.

I have been extremely busy now that I'm working with two brides. They are both so wonderful; it makes my job fun.

I have also been networking like crazy... met with a cake designer on Thursday, a wedding venue on Friday, another wedding venue on Monday (where it looks like I will be their preferred Wedding Planner!!!!.... more details to come!), and a great DJ yesterday who may likely be my best contact yet. He is one of the top DJ's and came prepared to give me all kinds of helpful info and books for our line of work, as well as referrals.

So now, my friends, I think you are all caught up for the moment. Back to work for me!

Girl Talk

If you're not a girl, you might just want to skip this particular post. No, seriously, just click on to another site. I'm not kidding. OK, all of you of the male gender, please know that you've been given fair warning at this point...

OK, girls, here's the deal... because I no longer have health insurance, I could no longer afford to continue taking "The Pill". I ran out a couple of months ago and figured that it would be just fine, that whatever symptoms the Pill had been regulating would be minimal and easy to adjust to. Not so, my friends!

I do remember (pre-Pill) dealing with pain and nausea and other girlie-symptoms I won't get into. However, I've never (at least not to my recollection) had to deal with hormonal (i.e., emotional) issues at "that time of the month". Imagine my surprise when my hormones went all out of whack on Tuesday. I was a basket case. If you looked at me wrong, I would cry. If you talked to me, my hormones misinterpreted most things you said before they reached my brain.... and I would cry. If you didn't talk to me, I would cry. If you said something nice to me, I would cry. I WAS NUTS!!!

Poor Michael... I think I about scared the bejeebers out of him! He was about ready to run for the hills and never look back. He didn't know how to handle me or how to take it or what to do. He really got the brunt of it. When I think back over Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, there are so many nothings I made into somethings. Wow! It's really, truly crazy. Thank goodness he's a forgiving man.

The worst part of it is that you know what you're doing, but you're helpless to stop it. At least I felt that way.... perhaps because I had no prior experience in knowing how to handle such out-of-control emotions. For those of you who have to deal with that on a regular basis, what do you do???? I need some practical advice! I don't want to be a crazy person a couple of days out of every month. How do you combat hormones when they take over?? Any creative solutions? There has to be something! I really don't want to be that person again.... I had a hard time dealing with myself, so I can only imagine how it affected Michael & the boys and any other unsuspecting victims.

Thankfully I woke up this morning with everything back to normal. The real Becky returned and whoever that other person was went away. I can't tell you how good it feels today to be "normal" again. I'd like to think that the hormonal imbalance was a one-time freak occurrence. And yet I'd also like to be prepared for next month just in case.

Can any of you help me?.... I'm open to any and all suggestions!