Found Where I Belong....

First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO STEPHIE! I hope you are having the greatest day ever, my most amazing friend!

Second of all, HELLO NEW FRIENDS! I saw the number of comments on the last post and thought a bunch of solicitors must have stopped by (actually, one of them might have been.....). I'm so glad I brought my camera to lunch so Linda and I could prove that we did indeed have a date. So sad that I don't have that opportunity with so many of you long-distancers - what a party that would be!

Alright, to follow up from Monday night, boy was I one tired puppy Tuesday. I didn't leave the Trinity house until around 11pm, and by the time my mind turned off, it was past 1am. I'm not a young pup anymore! But, it was so worth it. I had a blast, and based on how well all the girls paid attention, at least it didn't appear they were bored. While my romance history wouldn't sell any books, it can be a little entertaining with its ups and downs, especially as I can laugh about all of it knowing in hindsight all of the tears, heartache and feelings of rejection were worth it in the long run. My hope was that the girls could each relate to some element of it all, and even if they couldn't, that my ability to laugh at myself would make me approachable to them. And, you know what, the fact that they all loved my cookies made it even better!

So, the rest of this week has been interesting. I've been checking the sub website at least 20 times a day to see if anything is available - and NADA. But, in the Inbox of our Facebook page, there are requests from some of these Trinity girls to "possibly get together" and it just has me wondering if that might not be where God is directing me to spend my time. The "let's control things in life" part of me wants to run to the rescue of our budget. To help offset the "leaner paychecks" that stem from sales in a weaker economy. But, it doesn't appear, at this rate, that I'm going to be able to make much of a dent in the income. It won't stop me from trying, but recognizing God seems to be opening other doors makes me that much more aware of in control of everything He is - including our economic livelihood.

Last night, as I was lying in bed, happy about a Facebook conversation I'd just had with a gal that reminds me so much of myself 12 or so years ago.... that song from the Disney movie, "Hercules" came to mind. The lyrics to "Go the Distance" aren't completely applicable (but I love that song...) but within them are: "And a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be" and then later "To find where I belong". And, really that's how I feel about our family's complete involvement within this college ministry. Within this week, both Mikayala and Brayden have each individually (on their own initiative) written letters to members of the college group (granted, Brayden had to pick someone in class to practice letter writing skills - but over family and long-time friends, he chose one of the guys from CCF). John has met with two different guys this week, I've met with two different gals - and next week we get to go bowling with one of our favorite couples of the group. Of course, there will be some struggles, as there are within every ministry, but as for our family, we've found where we belong......

Lunch Date

You gotta love the results of a picture taken when you hold the camera yourself. But, here's proof that Linda of "Growin' with It" and I are friends and really do live in the same town. I think yesterday was attempt number four to get ourselves together for a lunch date. As I joked with Linda when I "rain-checked" attempt #3, "God must really want us to get together, if there are so many obstacles being put up to keep us apart!"

We enjoyed some great pizza together and even better conversation. I love someone that you can immediately "go deep" with - we both know so much about each other because of our blogs that our conversations were basically extensions of what we've already discovered. It was a great time and so refreshing for me! Thanks Linda!

Cured or In Remission?

I'm watching "The Bachelor, After the Final Rose" right now. How ironic that I'm watching this gripping drama about romance. Because in just a couple of hours I get to tell my own tale of drama regarding romance to an audience of about 40 women. I've been asked to speak to the ladies at the Trinity House (the college women living at the house on campus owned by our church). I'm going to share with them my "Relationships Testimony" - and can I just tell you that I have such a heart for the woman "leaving in the limo" because I've been her! No, I've never been on a reality show competing with 24 other women for one guy (who would do that to themselves?!) - but I have been the one hurt, the one wondering why it all ended, what I did wrong.....

I am SO EXCITED to have been asked to share tonight. I can't even tell you what a thrilling opportunity this is for me. I know that my stories of romance and heartbreak aren't life-altering, but they were for me. And, I learned a ton through those experiences, and every step of the way longed to be able to turn those triumphs and defeats into something that would ultimately glorify the Lord in demonstrating His hand through it all. And, tonight's my chance.

But, wouldn't you know it, but these last several days have been very trying! In regards to the title, an old enemy of mine has returned. I've written about it in the past, but I used to really struggle with anxiety - particularly worry. It really began after Brayden was born, subsided and escalated at different times, but came to its full ugly head about 4 years later. The worry was primarily in regards to my own health. After Brayden was born, I just started falling apart. Looking back (as so often hindsight is 20-20), I can recognize just how difficult physically being a new mom was for me. I produced a ton of milk (yes, my record in pumping was 24 ounces in one sitting!) and that's hard on a body! By the time Brayden was 6 months old, my muscles ached, I was running a low grade temp, my neck was so out of whack due to carting around a huge baby - and thus it would result in nerves being affected - muscles quivering, feeling weird. I was sure I had MS, leukemia, lupus, or rheumatoid arthritis. Medical tests revealed none of that - not even anemia. And then, the whole "Catch 22" sets in - you are thankful you are clinically healthy, but wondering why everything is still wrong. Not to mention, feeling so anxious - but even more worried because you are so anxious.

Some of you can relate. Others might think I'm a nutcake. However, I will say that in 2003, I saw a new doctor, was prescribed Lexapro, was given some further diagnoses regarding tightness in my chest at the time (gallstone) and told that due to my family history, having an SSRI in my life might be similar to a diabetic needing insulin. Literally, physical symptoms would emerge for me - racing heart beat, palpitations, and a heart beat that would pause and seemingly somersault. Ultimately, given heart disease is also a familial inherited issue (but no cancer, yeah!), I decided to forgo my pride and "scorn" of having to take an "anti-depressant" and recognize that God gave scientists the amazing talents to create such medicines and there is no good reason for me not to take advantage of them.

That period of my life was one of the hardest I've ever gone through. I remember feeling like I would never be free from this burden that plagued my mind 24-7. I remember one conversation with John asking him if he could relate to having a sin in his life (my sin being the constant worry) that he was thankful would finally be stripped from him in Heaven. It was bondage in the truest sense of the word. However, it did draw me to the Lord - I was constantly in His presence just to get through each day.

I can give you the silver lining that the first medication prescribed for me - and simply finding answers, was nearly an overnight success. I know it doesn't work like that for everyone, but it did for me. I'm a different person than I was - and those issues are VIRTUALLY a thing of the past.

And therein lies the danger; to believe I'm cured and not merely in remission because of God's daily grace. This week, I let that sneak up on me. I let Satan get a foothold. Something seemingly insignificant, a total medical "non-issue", turned into a big deal to me (I won't even detail - really, that stupid), but I turned to my "old ways" and panicked. It was awful! I felt that darkness start to settle in over my mind, threatening to overtake all my thoughts of peace and wellness. And, then, of course, I turned into that person I used to hate - a shell of myself - just trying to fake my way through the day to exist.

About 24 hours later, it hit me. I was going to be giving a talk on Monday night and, boy oh boy, this strategy of Satan's has been employed before. Because, I have had the opportunity to give talks before, and although I tend to forget when the time comes, almost invariably, the week before the event - I am attacked. I go through circumstances where I feel worthless, incapable, hopeless, or totally distracted by drama. BUT, when I put the pieces together, and recognize the battle being fought against me - I gain the victory. I recognize this sort of thing wouldn't be happening unless I have something to offer that is a threat to the enemy - and there you go, the tide is turned. This week was a bit of a new strategy, but even stepping back and putting all of the pieces in place has allowed me to recognize one more way I need to be on guard - and grasp that God is so much bigger than all of this.

So, there you go - I'll show up at the Trinity House in about an hour, dozens of chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies in hand (what can I say, I'm a suck-up) - and hopeful to impart a bit of wisdom to some amazing ladies. Little do they know, though, that the wisdom I've already gained through just this week is probably so much more valuable than anything I have to share...

Gettin' Cozy with the Cousins

Please excuse the double (triple?) chin..... But, I couldn't resist putting this up. This is me and my buddy - oh how Baxter loves his Aunt Stephie - enough to use her face as his pillow to sleep on. I think the fact that I choose to perch on the brown bean bag helps matters as he loves to hop up and join me.

As we went to snapping pictures, he woke up and started doing some serious kissing....

While John and I relaxed in the living room, the kids retreated to their own forts - John helped the to girls create this one as they were very jealous of what the boys concocted on their own in the other room.....


This was what the boys put together, complete with a portable tv/dvd player showing "Game Plan".

Michael and Michele just now arrived..... ready to take their munchkins (all 4 of them) home with them. In two weeks, it's our turn, John and I will spend about 36 hours on a get-away to Portland and our kids will stay with them.

LET'S-GO-ALI!

Stephie, Mikayla, Ellie, Nati, Leona, and I spent a big chunk of the day today at the State Fairgrounds. We were there to watch my niece, Ali, perform in an All-Star Cheerleading competition. There were A LOT of performers - in fact, just in the division that Ali was competing in, there were 65 sets of performances. Ali's group was #38 out of those 65, so, we got to wait a while. (It didn't help that the event was poorly organized and already 45 minutes behind pace once we arrived). But, it was very special to see so many focused, enthusiastic kids - demonstrating such extraordinary talent.

This is a close-up of Ali - taken right before they went out to the mat - I was so delighted that she saw us as we never were able to locate her mom, Mary Beth, or sister, Andie. At least Ali knew we showed up!

This is where the girls spent about a third of the time we were there. They enjoyed getting high fives from the cheerleaders as they went by. Incidentally, the reason we had Nati and Ellie is that the Schilling kids are ours for the second half of this weekend - Michael and Michele are enjoying a much-needed overnight get-away.....

Ali's team - the group huddle....

Ali is in the forefront in the back row.....

Without a major zoom lens, I wasn't able to really grab some awesome shots - but I thought this one, catching the girl mid-air, was pretty cool.
I'll have to add a post-script once I find out how Ali's team ended up placing - as we had to leave immediately following her performance so that we could go get Traig and Baxter and take all of the kids home. No matter what the awards say, we know Ali is a star!

Not Sure What Simon Would Say.....

But we were all "thumbs up". On Friday night, Travis, Stephie, the kids, John, and I all attended CCF's (Collegiate Christian Fellowship - the college group we hang out with from our church) Third Annual Talent Show. It was a hoot, and in this economy, a wonderful way to entertain ourselves for a mere $2 each. Mikayla was bummed that she couldn't compete in her dazzling (and obsessive) jump roping talents, but they did reserve the evening for college-aged performers.

This group of guys were hilarious - they were playing "Rock Band" and according to Travis and Stephanie, doing an amazing job - Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" made the performance even more entertaining.....


This is Abby and Mary Ann, aka "The Cougars" - who were the emcees of the show. Very funny.

The guy that looks like Grizzly Adams is Reid, and the other gentleman is Andrew. Despite their sketchy appearances they are two TOTAL CLASS ACTS. In fact, my gal, Kara, gets to claim Andrew as hers. Recently, all three of them returned with a handful of others from a mission trip to New Orleans. They sacrificed half of their holiday break to go help those in need. So impressive - almost as impressive as the balancing act that these guys did with the big beach ball.

This little dude CRACKED US UP. He, and his slightly older brother, were running all over the place without shirts and had very little sense of personal space or stranger concern. This guy came over to our table and sat right down, helping himself to the plate of goodies Brayden had just got for himself from the refreshment table. Brayden's expression says it all, "What's the deal, dude?"

This group was awesome - they did a performance based on "The Newsies".


Just so you know, this guy was in the middle of a backward flip in the air.

Finally, an overhead view of the program (the event took place in the lobby of our First Baptist Church). These performers were doing a repeat of the "Joyful, Joyful" act from "Sister Act 2" that they first debuted when I was acting as a judge for the womens' Trinity House dance-off.

Go Worship Leaders!

I'm being very careful to not post this until after West Coast results of American Idol. But if you haven't watched it, but are planning on it, don't read any further.

I'm just giddy because out of the 6 finalists - HALF of them are worship leaders! Is that nuts or what? I had heard yesterday on K-LOVE that Kris Allen from group 2 was also a worship leader (in addition to the two guys picked last week - I knew one of them was, but K-LOVE verified the other one was too). So, last night we rooted for Kris and he did a great job with "Man In the Mirror" - and what do you know - but HE'S IN! Can you imagine the camaraderie among those guys in the emerging Top 12? So, incredibly cool...... America has done a good job in their voting...... (And it makes me wonder who deserves to be among the Top 12 from our church!)

The PC Term is "Guest Teacher"....

.....And that was me today! Yup, first day of subbing. Not bad since my name only got put in the system on Tuesday. I have a feeling it was luck, though, I think I checked the computerized system (I'm obsessed) at just the right time.

Anyway, today I was the guest music teacher. Mmmm hmmm, that's right - me and music. Qualified, oh no way! But, it was in the elementary, so I laid in bed last night thinking about the lyrics to fun camp songs just in case I had to find a way to fill time......

Fortunately, that wasn't necessary. I'm sure the teacher I subbed for was tortured over having to have a sub for the 4 hours that I covered as it only contained 3 half hour classes! Bummer for her, praises for me. Therefore, I spent a lot of time cutting out "Cat in the Hat" pictures for her, and those classes I did have were pretty good. They were 4th and 5th graders, who, according to lesson plans, got to pick the groups of four they wanted to be with. That meant: 1) there was lots of drama over who got to be in each group and 2) all of the rowdy boys grouped together. By the third class, I had a much better handle on the management aspect, but even class #1 was tolerable.

So, I survived. And, I'll still be obsessively looking for those assignments. As most subs, er, I mean "guest teachers" would tell you, it is so much easier working for a job that you already knowing is coming, vs. waking up to the phone call, wondering and waiting.....

From Neutral to Nascar

That was the best I could come up with a title for this post. I'm basically saying this day started so lazy, so relaxed, and by the time I'm writing this, I feel like we had to hit 100 mph, and woah, I sure wasn't ready for it.

As for the start of the day, after taking Mikayla to school, I just hung out with my Brayden. We started out playing Bolt on the PS2 - and then moved on to the Lego Star Wars game. In this game, two people get to play simultaneously. We were moving through the "Empire Strikes Back" storyline, me playing as Princess Leia and Brayden as Han Solo - what a hoot! Sometimes, you get stuck in rooms where you don't know what to do next, and I found myself killing time while Brayden tried to figure it out, by taking out C3PO - leaving him without an arm or a leg - or randomly slapping Han Solo. We were both laughing so hard, it was a priceless moment together.

Then, the time came where we had to head to the school to pick up Mikayla, drop off Brayden's class' fundraiser stuff, and then pick up the work that he had missed and had as homework. That's when the day changed. SO MUCH WORK! Not to mention, the teacher making the realization as I was standing there, that he hadn't even done a couple of assignments he was supposed to have finished last week (incomplete journal entries). All this stuff, it all involved WRITING! Let me tell you, that's not an easy task for my boy. Sure, he likes the idea of creative writing, but getting the thoughts from his head then on to paper, in a well-formulated thought pattern.....a very difficult thing for this guy!

Case in point, once we got home, he sat there with that Journal Entry assignment (he's supposed to pretend to be a character on the Oregon Trail and journal what his experiences and feelings are) - and it took an hour to get two sentences written. This is without the tv on, Mikayla in the other room, as much stripped away to keep him from being distracted. I finally allowed him to dictate his ideas to me while I "transcribed" so that he could "keep up with his thoughts" without forgetting all of the train of thought by the time he reached the second word in the sentence. Of course, he had to rewrite it all on his own (and even just recopying the words took a LONG time). He's seriously been at work on some aspect of his homework for about 4 hours at this point.

This writing thing, my gosh, so tough to teach! I feel like, on one hand, I'm totally enabling, but then, on the other hand, I'm modeling the right way to write. Long story short, since grades are kind of a moot point (and his teacher never returns anything to us to let us actually know how he did on stuff....), I figure it's better to err on the side of over-helping when it comes to writing. It's not like math where, if a parent steps in too much, they never learn the concept. You don't just all of a sudden have a light bulb flash on when it comes to writing. Sentence length, remembering punctuation and capitals, topic sentences, adding your own "voice" - like I said, not easy. And, especially not easy when you have a child that struggles with his attentiveness.

So, there you go. The day ended much differently than it began. We're all about to head to bed, and Brayden is still finishing a different part of the Oregon Trail work (deciding which of the 92 items and how much of each he'll take on his wagon). Health-wise, Brayden is doing better, but needed some more medicine this afternoon as I think it was all too much and he was getting warm again. I think it's sad that I'm sending him off to school tomorrow (at least for the morning) so that we don't end up with him even further behind - and we're only in 4th grade. Because, really, I just want to be Princess Leia again......

Introducing Celila

Early Saturday morning, a new member of the Alexander family arrived. Her name is Celila, and she is a 6 year old Lipizzan mare. It's really a neat story of how Mom acquired her, and was able to find Jubilee (the white horse in which all of the pictures of the kids' riding were taken with) a home with someone who was more compatible with her. Yes, horses have personalities, just like people - and when you are training and partnering to achieve goals in Dressage, "liking" each other is important. Jubilee could be a bit of snot with Mom. Jubilee very much loved all of the attention she got from the kids though, probably because she was being treated as the Princess she felt like she deserved to be. However, Mom was getting a little tired of her "royal" attitude.

As beautiful as Celila is, she is not done growing and changing. As is true for Lipizzans, she was born dark, and over time is becoming more and more white. She's never been ridden or trained, as she was born at a location where breeding was the priority. (She's already been a mom). Mom is a little frustrated at the idea of starting from scratch, but I believe it will be an extraordinary opportunity as they work together and Celila learns all of her skills just from Mom.

Mom thought that the attention we all gave her yesterday was probably more than she's really ever received. Me, being the foolishly fearless person around horses that I am, willingly got in the paddock to love on her. You could tell from some of her ear posturing that she was a little concerned, but in no way threatening. I think she's a real sweetie - and very photogenic!




And, let us not forget Holly. She's a beauty too - and very special to Mom's heart. At 15, she'll quickly put Celila into her right place, and probably let her in on just how lucky Celila is to be part of Mom's family........

Back from Urgent Care

Two and a half hours later, my poor little man was finally able to exit our local hospital's Urgent Care facility. Long story short, while I was out grocery shopping, Brayden really started wheezing and John felt like he should head on over. Fortunately, Michele was still down, so both John and I could focus on our little buddy and Mikayla could play at home.

As I suspected, Brayden has some sort of chest virus - nothing Antibiotics would fix. His oxygen level is fine, so he's just wheezing through some chest muck. He left with a temporary inhaler should he experience that breathing struggle again.

Because Brayden had missed his "next dose" of Advil, by the time he saw the Triage nurse, he was up to 104 degrees. Fortunately, that prompted them to dose him immediately with Tylenol. By the time he got back to the real doc, he'd perked up considerably.

So, everyone's home now. Brayden will for sure be home from school tomorrow and now I won't have to take him to his normal pediatrician. Based on the amount of people in the lobby, it was clear there's a whole lot of other sickies out there! It sure makes us thankful for the health we do have.......

Our Sick Little Boy

Brayden is fighting a pretty intense respiratory bug right now. We first noticed it in the middle of the night (following Friday) as he was having intense nightmares and sweating tremendously - not to mention running a fever. We went ahead and let him go to his basketball game, as he seemed to be feeling better (compliments of Advil), but as it turned out, I took him home after the second half so he could just "lay down"..... Poor guy. You know he's feeling cruddy when he asks to leave a sport he enjoys and all of his favorite buddies.

It's one of those scenarios that as long as he has a fever-reducer in him, he's doing "okay" - but declines in a hurry after about 4 hours. He's wheezing as he breathes now, has a terribly "croupy" cough and has all but lost his voice. I'm anticipating a no-school day for Brayden tomorrow....not to mention, a likely visit to the doctor. I'm also giving him Mucinex, hoping that will keep things from getting too terrible in his lungs and make his coughs more productive.

It's been a while since we've seen Brayden deal with this kind of "sick". More recently, it's been a stomach bug that's taken the whole family out - or the occasional run-of-the-mill head colds that don't put a stop to daily activities. And, I know this sounds awful, but there is something incredibly tender, endearing, and cuddly that happens when Brayden gets sick. All of my mothering instincts go into overdrive, because he's a "brave little soldier" who doesn't whine at all, and it makes me just want to take care of him. Some of his best character qualities seem to shine even brighter when he's under the weather. Honestly, when he was a really little guy, one of my favorite time periods with him was the week following his tonsil removal. He was more subdued, super sweet, braver than expected - just really special to hang out with.

So, while I pray Brayden gets better - and nothing becomes too serious - I am savoring this reprieve from the normal crazy routine we get lost in. Last night, Brayden cuddled with me on our monster bean bag as we watched HSM3 on DVD. The evening was made even more cozy as Michele and the kids were down - and the Whites were over. Just the sort of night I've been longing for..... Throw in Monday's "Chuck" episode and laughing with a DVR'd "Wipeout" and it was a very entertaining television evening.

Hope your family is able to avoid the "creeping crud", but if not, I hope you are able to see some sort of ray of light through it all.....

Our American Idol Choice

John and I just got around to watching the conclusion of American Idol this week. We didn't realize it, but we actually missed the final performance from Tuesday night - not aware that it was our favorite guy, Danny Gokey that performed.

So, to hear his performance AFTER it was announced he made it to the TOP 12 made it even more special. He sang Mariah Carey's "Hero" - and did a phenomenal job. We then went back and watched his original performance from Tuesday night and saw all of the judges giving him such positive feedback.

Yup, that guy's our hero. Upon further investigation, we found out he works for Faith Builders International Church as a music director (looks like a great church from their Statement of Faith). As has been repeatedly mentioned, his wife died just four weeks prior to his first audition, and his best friend, Jamar, (who also attends the church with him) made it to the Top 54. Apparently, his wife died during surgery for a heart condition - and he never got to say good-bye to her.

John and I not only love his sound, but also his whole character. Sometimes, on this show, you get a feel from the very beginning about who you want to root for all the way through. (Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, both Davids....yup, all of our early picks-) This one is our guy. It was also nice to see Michael Sarver, the oil driller, and Alexis Grace, who did not have her past story highlighted through the previous shows (which I think is very unfair) go through. I think John and I would have stopped watching had Tatiana beat out Danny at the end!

Here's a YouTube link of Danny's performance, if this doesn't show it, undoubtedly, there will be some video on there that will showcase him.

How about you? Any early pics?

Yikes!

This came in the mail last week. Of course, I knew it was coming - I had to pay for it, afterall.... But, its arrival officially took out any and all barricades left to keep me from being in a position to start earning a paycheck of my own.

For those who live in other states, Oregon requires that you have a degree in education in order to substitute. I have that, but not all of the furthering education to take on my own classroom at this point. Which is fine, I have absolutely NO DESIRE to do that......

As it is, I'm only opening myself up to work during the mornings and I sincerely doubt that it will amount to much more than one morning per week. (Talk about part time!). We'll see; by only committing to the mornings it doesn't take any time away from the kids. Our school starts early enough for me to be able to drop them off and still get to the assignment beginning at 8, and ending by 12 has me home before they are, even on early release. But, by restricting myself just to morning calls only, I wonder how often I'll get called at all.

Am I excited about all this? - Nope, actually a little scared and nervous. I think the fact that Michele puts in about 30 hours every week doing this makes me realize I'm capable. It's funny; it's the pace of the elementary school environment that intimidates me, and the kids in the middle school that intimidate me. However, it will be kind of wild to go back now that my kids are deep in the public school realm themselves. (BTW: I'll make myself available to grades K-8, and will not be working in the same district as where my kids go to school....I'll stick to the schools I am familiar with, where I used to work - and even went to school myself).

As for the reasons why I'm making this "return" - well, it was something that was on my heart since last year - thinking it might not be a bad idea once the kids are both in full-time school. With the economy being what it is, well, putting a little extra money aside is always smart. (Particularly if we want to get to Disneyworld next year and splurge while we're there...). Plus, I hope that I can be a "good day" for kids when I come in. Sub days are always "unique" days for kiddos, and if I can turn them into special days, (and still get the job done) - well, that would mean I'm doing a good thing (though, I guess, it would technically just be special mornings.....).

So, don't hold your breath for my first "sub-report", it might take a while. But, tomorrow, I'll take this certificate in and sign myself up - here goes nothing!

Our Kind of Get-Away

We just returned from Applebee's and Cold Stone Creamery. Through the compliments of gift cards and coupons, this has turned out to be a very inexpensive adventure. Most of our eating has been done in the room with food we've brought from home that we can keep in the fridge and microwave. (Gotta love that John is in love with Lean Cuisine Paninis right now....).

After 2 and a half days together in tight proximity to one another, the family has really bonded. I know it sounds very odd and makes little sense - why we would leave a house with plenty to offer, to hunker down into a very ordinary hotel space without that much to offer - but, it is very cozy for our family. Everybody hangs out on the king size bed - or perhaps in the couch area within eyesight, and we all do "our thing". John and Brayden have discovered a dirt bike racing game off the internet, I finished reading Ted Dekker's THE KISS (good, but not his best) - and while I was reading, Mikayla asked that I pull out big words and see if she could pronounce them. (Unbelievable how that girl has taken off with her reading.....). Earlier, the boys played football in the pool (we had it to ourselves), while Mikayla and I worked out in the adjacent workout room. All pretty exciting stuff, eh? But, it's the sort of thing that draws us all close, has us uttering the words "Cozy" and "I love you" over and over. Pretty much the only tension is just how hyper the kids can get, conspiring in their giggles and silliness, which, in itself, can be a hard one to be too upset about.

I want to put a special shout-out to a dear friend that moved away to Arizona a couple of years ago that I found out reads my blog. I wrote on your blog, my friend - but know that we are thinking of you and missing you!

Hope you all enjoy your extended weekend tomorrow, if you get the chance - Gotta go - the new season of "Amazing Race" is just about to start!

A couple of pictures to add:

Ever since our trip to Hawaii, Brayden has requested that any time our family goes on vacation, that he and Daddy would get to take a special walk together. That happened this morning - it wasn't a long walk - just across the street to the park, and it didn't last long - it was mighty cold!


And, here's a shot of the kids watching the snow fall out the hotel window:


Finally, a couple of I-Phone shots taken while we were eating at Applebees:

Happy Valentines Day!

Greetings everyone!

We're in the high desert of Oregon now where it's currently snowing outside and everything's blanketed white. It's gorgeous and all is practically perfect. We're all snuggled in our little hotel room, the kids already playing with their Valentines' treat.

What keeps it from hitting the "perfection" level? Hmmm, that would be my stress about leaving the Marriott gift certificates home!!! Can you believe it? I wrote so many lists this week, I can't believe that MOST IMPORTANT THING did not make it to any of them!

So, we're in a bit of a standstill right now- trying to decide if we need to make the 6 hour (5 hour if snow and traffic aren't part of the mix) round trip back home to retrieve the "golden tickets". We have some friends back home that we think might be heading this direction so we've been trying to get a hold of them to see if they might be able to swing by our house and grab them on their way out of town.

For someone who prides herself on planning get-aways and being pretty organized in this area of life - I'm feeling awfully humbled!

P.S. - I think we might have found a solution - Jodi's dear friend, Jaylene is heading over the pass today and she kindly agreed to break into our house to retrieve our certificates! We'll forever be in her debt!!!

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Here's a picture of our sleepy-eyed kiddos, tearing into their Valentines' treats:


And this is the front and back of the VERY precious Valentine Brayden made for me, all on his own initiative, that just blessed my heart so much. Nearly 10 years old, and he still wants me as his Valentine, sigh...... (Mikayla's card accidentally got left at home, hmmm, I can't believe she'd forget something so important.....!!! - she's nothing like her mommy, huh?!)



P.S.S. - Huge thanks to Brian, Jaylene, Jodi, and Travis who all worked together to get our certificates to us! And, for the record, "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" is a pretty fun little flick!

NOW, All is well!

I Got Nothin'...

Somehow, last night, some little elf got into the house and put a vice grip on my head! At least that's what it felt like when I woke up! Thank God for Advil and Cold Medicines. I was just telling Linda that after dealing repeatedly with tension headaches, to have a headache of another nature (i.e. - head cold) felt so strange......

Our family is headed to Bend this weekend. We are staying three nights in a hotel (courtesy of some gift certificates we have) - and just having our own little family retreat. I envision lots of tv viewing, game playing, swimming in the indoor pool, and perhaps going to see "Paul Blart, Mall Cop" at the movie theater on Valentines Day....talk about romantic!! I really can't wait - I am so excited to escape for a while, just the four of us. In the meantime, I just have to get to Friday.

So, since I have nothing inspiring to write - or am simply not inspired to write anything inspiring, I'll throw these two questions out, just for fun.

1. What is your current favorite breakfast cereal - particularly, the sugary, sweet kind if you ever indulge in such things.....

(I love all dry cereals - it's the hardest part of doing any Atkins diet for me. I think if milk were involved I'd have to say, "Honey Smacks" - and without milk - "Lucky Charms" - I eat all the non-marshmallow pieces first, and then indulge in the crunchy marshmallow goodness)

2. What was your favorite cartoon as a child?

("Superfriends"!!! We recently found a VCR long-play tape from where I recorded about 8 hours of vintage "Superfriends" off of the Boomerang channel about 5 years ago. It's been a kick watching them as Mikayla falls asleep - love those "Wonder Twins" - Zan and Jana, and their space monkey, Gleek. Can't tell you how many times between Michele AND John that the words "Wonder Twin powers activate" have been said with the fists reaching out to each other..... I guess it's a twin thing.....)

What a Treat!

My original plans for Saturday were to strip and wax the kitchen floor and sort and put away about 7 loads of laundry. So you can imagine my total disappointment when we were given 4 tickets to the 12:30 Duck basketball game and realized we would be otherwise occupied as a family during that time I had intended to devote to slave labor..... MAN! What a rough life I live.

The seats were exceptional - and despite the Ducks' poor record this year - they delivered a very entertaining and competitive first half against Arizona. It was made even more special as Nike's Phil Knight was in attendance, along with Ahmad Rashad, Dennis Dixon, and Dave Frohmayer (who sat just two rows down from us!) in order to celebrate the ground-breaking of the new Arena. Pretty cool.

On Sunday morning, as John was looking at the paper's write-up, he noticed that we were in the sports' section front page picture. You see the two basketball players and as you look to the background, there we are - standing against the wall! We were actually preparing to leave a minute early......glad we weren't caught in motion walking out!

Special thanks to the special folks who gave us the tickets - for a very special family treat!

Sphere of Influence

After having spent a couple of months with the presence of Facebook in our lives, it's got me thinking. How many of the decisions I've made have been influenced or motivated by the folks I've chosen to keep company with: my community, my circle of friends - my "sphere of influence"? Last night, in bed, I started accumulating a list of things that could possibly be different if I were around different friends.....

1. How we handle our finances; i.e. credit card debt, envelope plans, college savings, extravagant vacations?
2. Would we be homeschooling, or having our children attend private schools?
3. TV viewing: at all, reality shows, soap operas, evening dramas, late night comedy?
4. Extra curricular activities for our kids- participation in certain sports, AWANAS, boy/girl scouts, at all?
5. Reading material: Christian nonfiction only, Christian fiction, anything else - or even gossip magazines?
6. The responsible consumption of alcohol- never or done with appropriate moderation?
7. Movie viewing: G, PG, PG13, and what you allow your children to see?
8. The specific denomination and style of the church we choose to attend?
9. Involvement (or not) in Bible studies or ministry activities?
10. Clothing, hair, and make-up: Keeping up with styles, professional hair colorings, etc?

I know there's a ton more, I believe I had quite a list going in bed last night, but it really was a fascinating thought process I was on. If I lived in Dallas, in Michele's community, what might be different? If I lived down in Medford, near some of my friends from college, what might be different?

It does make me ever so thankful for the wonderful and positive company that we do keep. And, makes me ever-mindful to make sure that when it comes time for deep decision making, John and I are doing it based on what we believe God has in mind for us and not based on whatever "everyone else" is doing......

A Total 180

This is the third year Brayden has played basketball. I think he began when he was in first grade - skipped second grade, and then has played for the last two years. His coach is Mike - that would be "Growinwithit" Linda's next door neighbor and Kyle's dad. Mike is an exceptional coach, absolutely encouraging to the kids, with a high value placed on sportsmanship. We feel very blessed to have him. After the first game, Mike asked John if he would be willing to be "Assistant Coach". Originally Mike intended to rotate through the dads for that position, but after that game, Mike felt like he and John worked well together, so John's had that job ever since. It's neat to see John take on this role, and of course, gives Brayden a lot of pride - and bonds he and his daddy even more.

The title refers to Brayden's demonstration of skills from last year to this year. We weren't even sure it was something Brayden wanted to do again this year - he enjoyed last year, but didn't show that much proficiency or interest. But, it gave him something to do, and with Mike coaching, it was hard to resist. As it turned out, several of his closest friends are also on the team - particularly Mark and Amy's son, Andrew. Because they attend different schools and have different sports interests, it's been a while since they've been on a team together. So, even before the first game, we all felt great about our decision. And then, we watched Brayden play and thought, "Wow - that's our boy?!" He's playing with focus. He's hustling. He's competitive and aggressive (not obnoxious though). It's actually impressive - and so exciting.... So, while he still could use some "ball control" improvement, we are mighty proud parents of how far he's come.

Here's the team - this game was at 8:30 this morning - and you can tell that all the boys weren't quite prepared...they still look half asleep!


When Brayden was going for a shot, he got fouled. Here's his shot - and the result! Way to go, dude!



Here's Andrew's shot - midair - that did count for two points!


A little dribbling action by our boy-


The game ended with the ball just released by one of the boys on the other team as the buzzer sounded. The score WAS 28-28, but unbelievably, that ball soared through the air and swished through the net. While our loss was a bummer, I bet that boy will remember his heroic effort for the rest of his life!