Tonight, Rayden is visiting with a friend that he made during the last class he took and I am in the hotel room monitoring 3 sleeping babies. Lots of things are floating through my mind. Want me to share? I thought you might...
---I am so amazingly proud of my husband. He is such a hard worker. He is a genius communicator. But mostly, he is a man with complete integrity. What you see is what you get. And what you will see if you really take a gander is a man who loves the Lord, studies Scripture with fervor and tenacity, changes his ways to match HIS ways....even when it's unpopular, and a man committed to his family. I am a most blessed woman.
---Tonight at dinner my friend Katie called to let me know that we were not going to get to see each other next week as we thought. It's kind of a rip off (not really "kind of" more like a "tremendously huge" rip off) She lives in Dallas but was leading a mission trip to Branson this week. We completely missed each other. Bummed as I am, I am thankful for such a sweet friend. To say it late nineties lingo, "she's the bomb diggity, yo!" I can not believe that after living together throughout the majority of our college years she still wants to be my friend. Perhaps what she really wants is to be my cohort. Either way, I'll take her. She's the best. She's held my hand as I squeezed an almost 10 pound baby out of my lady parts and she's made silent sympathetic glances at me in the emergency room waiting area as doctors evaluated my mentally ill mother. I'm doing my best not to stomp my feet and throw my fists in the air thinking about what trouble...err...fun we would have found ourselves in next week had the stars aligned in such a way that we could be together again. No use, I suppose. But, thinking about her makes me know that I am a blessed woman.
---Thinking about Katie makes me think about other darling friends who live too far away for my liking. And thinking about such precious people makes me terribly sad and embarrassed. I am embarrassed at how horrible I am at long distance correspondence. You would think that facebook would make it almost idiot-proof to keep connected over the miles. But...I am here to say that in spite of all the amazing technology the world has to offer me I am failing at letting those wonderful friends know how much I love and miss them. Karen, Lindsey, Danielle...this is lame I know.....but a Blog apology is all I got right now (the kids are sleeping and we are sharing a hotel room so I can barely type quietly enough let alone make a phone call!). I want our lives to be continually connected and I have let distance physically take precedence over emotional distance. I will work to change because I know that because of you I am a blessed woman.
---I took the kids to the zoo yesterday and we had such a blast. I am going to love the field trip aspect of homeschooling (oh yeah...did I tell you that we decided we are going to homeschool next year....probably not....I'll get to that later). We learned so much. For instance, did you know that the difference between monkeys and apes is that monkeys have tails and apes don't? Well, if you didn't before, you do now. Consider yourself blogschooled. Also, otters are super smart. They find clams and lay them on the beach. Then they sneak off and wait. The clams decide to sun themselves and when they open up....swoosh....the otter jump in and have their dinner....no effort involved. The kids loved reading the signs more than I thought they would. I am a blessed woman.
---Rayden and I have enrolled in Financial Peace University. We are in the 5th week and it's been so great. Our group is hysterical and we have so much fun together. Not to mention that Dave Ramsey is pretty much a money stud....and hilarious to boot! Anyway, as a part of this we have created our zero-balance budget and have begun to knockout our debt. Thankfully, the only debt we have is our van and a medical bill or two (not counting our Memphis house). On the way to Dallas we were discussing our goals and we considered that we have 17 payments left on our van (boo!) but our "gazelle intense" goal (if you know anything about Dave Ramsey you will understand that term) is to pay it off by 2012! In just 9 short months we will know we can set and reach big goals. And for this I am a blessed woman.
---I love being away with my family. There are no other 4 people that I would rather be with. But, I also love being HOME with my family. And what is so fun to me is that God is reshaping my idea of home. Forever I have considered St. Louis my home. Living there from 6th grade through highschool and then again when I got married. All the way up through becoming a parent 2 times St. Louis was home. But now....home looks different. Home is much smaller. It has a beautiful square in the center that looks gorgeous lit up in Christmas lights. It has one main road that is so terribly frustrating to turn on to in the middle of the day. Home has grandparents that adore my kids and help us raise them to know and love the Lord. Home has an amazing church that is striving to honor God in EVERY way. Home has the most amazing friends that I never expected. Bolivar has made me a blessed woman.
Perhaps you have noticed a theme. As I end this I will snuggle down into a warm cozy bed, wrap myself in a big white comforter, sigh a contented sigh, close my eyes, and thank Jesus for the life He has given me. I am indeed a blessed woman. How are you feeling tonight?
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