Life Events and Pics

It has been so long since I made a post.

...So many life events.

In the last few years...

         All my living kiddos have graduated from high school

            My boys both graduated from college

                 Micah is married to Emily in Australia

                         and has a beautiful daughter

                     Jacob started  grad school in Wheaton, Illinois

                          Lynn is engaged, working and living in her own 

                                apartment

              And I have an empty nest!  

                   Life keeps moving forward and I am thankful for each beautiful person in my life.

Here are a few pictures that make me happy. 

Baby Evelyn...My grandbaby!  :)

Our trip to Australia for Micah's wedding!

Jacob, Micah and Emily

Me with Micah and Lynn

Zach, Jacob and Lynn with Yankee Doddle.  :)

 

Tumble Weed Release Program

Tumble Weeds

These shy creatures can usually be found rolling along country roads or blowing across Western landscapes. 

Here in Wyoming the annual winter migration has begun.  Hundreds of these wild creatures catch rides on the Wyoming wind and roll across the great state.  Nowhere else can one find such amazing and sustained gusts of wind. 

Unfortunately many have become trapped on man-made structures and can not continue their great migration. 

 

 

That is were the tumble weed release program steps in. 

 

 

 

As dawn begins to color the world with light, the tumble weed experts begin the slow and ardorous task of releasing these noble creatures back into the wild.

 

 

 First they must capture one of these dangerous weeds.  The tumble weed has a protective outer skin that can puncture the hands of a human rescuer so it must be approached with great caution. 

The rescuer transports the tumble weed away from the building and then releases it back into the Wyoming wind.  Good bye and happy journey to you!

This weed has just been released.  Lets watch and see what happens.

 

 

 It looks like the wind has caught it!

Oh no!  It is blowing back towards the structures!

 

Sadly...at the time of this writing, it has blown behind another structure.  The job of the tumble weed release workers is never done. 

 

 

Goodnight to 42

Tonight I say goodnight to 42.

-A year of changes for me.  Adjusting to life as a widow. 
-Learning to forge a new path for me and my children. 
-Wading across the complicated river of grief and climbing up the other bank.   
-The sun is setting on 42

  Tomorrow begins a new year...Hello to 43. 

I like this article (even though I'm not Catholic).
The Lines Have Never Been More Clear

  I agree with most of what it says, especially with how our country is becoming more dependant on the government and becoming antagonistic to churches, traditions, family.  I have seen traditional values being attackted over and over again and few have the courage to say anything against these attacks.   I have seen multiple cartoons and quotes all over the internet bashing anyone who doesn't want to vote for the legal rights of homosexuals to get married.  I have felt the desire to comment back but was worried I might hurt my friends feelings or worse then that, be labled a "hater."  I have been effectively silenced by the "other side" because they talk louder and meaner then I do.

   I am a Christian.  I believe the Bible is God's truth for mankind.  Keep in mind that I believe all of us are sinners.  All of us fall short of the glory of God. I don't believe adultry is worse then lying is worse then same sex relationships is worse then me sitting on my behind watching tv or playing computer games when God has something else for me to be doing right now.  I know and love many people who I believe are choosing to continue in a form of sin.  I sin every day so I am no better then any of them. And Jesus loved us all enough to die for us...that is not hate...it is pure love.  But  I can't look at what I believe to be sin and call it right or even OK.  I can't look at a red kettle and call it white.  I can't vote for something I believe is against God's will.  I feel like today the unforgivable sin is to  "be a hater"  which really means having an opinion about what is morally right and wrong.  Today, people can say anything they want  unless it has to do with calling something sin.  To believe something is wrong is a sign you are mean and heartless.

 There are a lot of really nice people who love and care for others but don't agree that same sex relationships are Biblically acceptable.  They can't say what they believe because they will not just be disagreed with but mocked and verbally abused because of their beliefs.  They will be called haters.  The need for kindness and love even when we don't agree with people goes for both sides of any issue, but I have noticed it more from the people who want others to accept their lifestyles...their choices.  They want others to say their choices and desires are good.  They are hurt when people don't agree and lash out in anger and mean spirits.  We have the freedom to vote our beliefs...thats what is so awesome about this country.  But please don't slander and hate those who disagree and vote differnently then you. And please realize that just because I disagree with you doesn't mean I hate you.  In fact my Biblical world view allows me to love you and want the best for you in spite of the choices you make.  I just can't say something is right when God says its not.    


 

The Beginnings of Faith

 

I don't have a flashy testimony or a dramatic conversion experience. For as long as I can remember I have always known the Lord. My mom and dad faithfully took me to church and lived for Jesus. I have had the privalege, thanks to Godly parents, of growing up in the faith. The first time I really remember calling out to God on my own and beginning to develop a personal relationship with Him was when I was a kid and I was in trouble.

We had a big ugly grey navy bus that my Dad bought. As kids we were facinated by "the bus" and loved to play in it..swinging from the grab bars, playing games in it and just using it for a big fort. For reasons I couldn't understand, my dad decided to forbid us from playing in that bus. Well one day as I was playing in the bus and having a great time, I looked out the window and saw my dad coming down the driveway towards me. Fear and panic flashed through me and I quickly ducked down below the windows and hoped that he hadn't seen me. There was to be no escape. My dad came straight to the bus and found me.

Now we had something in our family called the "board of education". It was a benign looking bread board. You would think it was there to chop things on or slice bread...but nooooo.....this was used to paddle behinds (for educational purposes of course). Now as I was walking up the driveway with my dad, I was trying to hold back the tears because I knew that the board of education was waiting for me. My dad was not one to forget something or to be talked out of something. I was scared to death. I knew I walked to my doom.

Just then, one of my dad's business assoicates showed up. Oh joy....a short reprieve from certain doom. He went to talk with his associate leaving me with the assurance that we would finish this later. My doom was just postponed. I sat and cried and cried and then I prayed. "God, please save me. I promised I will never ever go in that bus again without permission. Please make my dad forget! This was a very sincere pray from a scared child. No this wasn't a grand confession of sin and redemption. But it was a heartfelt pray to the Lord. It was a personal interaction with God.

Finally the business associate left and I waited with trembling for what was sure to come. Could I trust God? Would he save me? I knew I didn't deserve to be saved. I had thrown myself on God's mercey. I stayed away from the house for as long as I could but eventually I had to make an appearence. Nothing was said about the board of education or about my terrible disobedience. I made it to bedtime and nothing happened. Did my dad forget? Did he just choose to let it go? I still don't really know....but I did begin to understand that I could have faith in my God. He answered my prayer even though it was self serving and childish. And I kept my end of the bargon with the Lord. I never went in that bus again without permission.

This small grain of faith that was planted has grown over the years. I have seen that when I trust God he is faithful. God used something small to begin my personal relationship with Him. My faith became my own that day.  It wasn't just something my parents taught me. It came from my own personal experiencs with a God who answers prayer. He has always been worthy of my trust and faith. He has prepared me in advance with signs and assurances of His goodness and faithfulness for the difficult times that I would endure of losing a son and a husband. My faith has been tested and survived some very difficult times. Romans 8:28 says "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose." I trust my Lord and believe that no matter what happens it will be for His glory and my eternal good.

Happy New Year?

On the first day of two twelve the new year gave to me:   a broken heater in 20 degrees. 

On the second day of two twelve the new year gave to me: carbon monoxide poisning and a broken heater in 20 degrees.

On the third day of two twelve the new year gave to me: ?  We shall see what the 3rd brings. 



I've been telling my kids this is going to be a great year.  It has got to be better then last year right?  So what if we started out with some "adventures."

So after a wonderful Christmas week with my sister Terry in California, we flew back to Denver and drove as far as Cheyenne.  Bad winds, icy roads and some closures convinced me to hole up in Cheyenne and wait til New Year's day to finish the drive home to Casper. 

When we finally got home on Sunday afternoon our house was freezing.   The heater was broken. BRRRRR.  I called our maintenance man and he came and fixed the heater.  I was so happy to have heat.  Finally I started to warm up.  That night when I was about to go to bed (around midnight) Jacob woke up with a horrible headache...the worst he had ever had.  It was so bad I took him to the ER.  I brought Lynn with me but left Micah at home.  No need to make him stay up all night in the ER.   Apparently as we left Lynn saw micah getting some ibuprofin for a headache.  On the way out the door Lynn said she had a headache and felt sick to her stomach. I thought, " Oh no, We must have caught Terry's flu  (but worse!). I felt a little sick too as we headed to the ER. I was praying I wouldn't end up with a stomache bug cause I was getting a headache and a flutter of nausea in my tummy.   At the hospital it was packed and we waited for a long time (a couple of hours).  They were very sweet and let us wait in an empty consulting room away from the noise and brought in a matress for Jacob.  Finally we got in.  The doc came and started asking questions.  Lynn said Micah had a headache too and that she had thrown up in the ER bathroom.  Finally Jacob said that his friend Noah (who had been going to spend the night) had gone home because he wasn't feeling well.  The doc thought it was odd we all got sick at the same time and mentioned carbon monoxide.  (I love that doc).   A light bulb must have popped up over my head.  The gas heater was fixed  today!  How dumb was I to have not thought of it?

 I was really scared now for Micah and I shot up some prayers to my Lord on his behalf.  It was around 4AM now...four hours after I had left him alone so he could rest.  The ER called the fire department to go check on him and check the house for carbon monoxide.  I waited anxiously (Sorry Lord  I know I am to be anxious for nothing but I want my kids here with me!)  Finally I heard news.   Micah was sick and had thrown up but was consicous and they were bringing him in.  Yes the carbon monoxide levels in the house were very high.  We spent the rest of the night with the kids having oxygen masks on and getting blood levels checked for carbon monoxide.  Finally we were sent home at around 7:30AM.    I just thank God that He woke Jacob up with that headache and I took him in to the ER.  If it weren't for Jacob's plea that his head hurt more then it ever had, I would have laid down thinking I was getting a flue and gone to sleep.   God has a reason for us to be here today.  :)      So tonight, we camp in the living room with an electric heater  plugged into the wall (no fires aloud!).  In the morning the man comes with a new heater to replace our broken one. 

So what will the rest of the year bring?  I hope it isn't quite so eventful as the first two days.  A little adventure is all good, but some peace in between would be nice.  It's all in God's hands.  Romans 8:28 says all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purposes.  I am glad my three red heads are safe and that God protected us from what could have been a horrible newspaper story about a family tragically killed by carbon monoxide while they slept New Years night.  It's not our time yet.  :)

QWERTY?

I was searching the internet for Christmas ideas for my kids and ended up looking at iphones.  Ha ha...not for my kids.  I am thinking about getting myself an iphone for Christmas since I'm due for an upgrade.   Well...I guess I am not as techno savy as I thought.  I kept reading about how these high tech phones have this really high tech option called qwerty.  "What is qwerty?"  I wondered.  I looked and looked but all it would show was a regular keyboard on the touch screen.  I gazed at the keyboard wondering how do "qwerty" and keyboard go together?    Qwerty should be a little robot that says funny sayings or  a voice that comes out of your computer or phone that talks to you.  Well...as I stared at the keyboard...  Suddenly a little light bulb popped up over my head.  Duh!!!!!    For all of you who have known what qwerty means since you were two,  I'm really not dumb...really.  For those of you who have no idea what qwerty means....look at your keyboard right above the letters a,s,d,f, and g.    The letters Q,W,E,R,T,Y.  Sigh.  Ya know,  to me a keyboard is a keyboard, not a qwerty.  And maybe those high tech iphones aren't as high tech as they want you to think.  Hmmm....I still might like one for Christmas. :)