Lessons from Out on a Limb

This past weekend I had the privilege of attending a Beth Moore Living Proof Ministries conference with my good friend, Val (and 7,298 other women from 24 states). It was a refreshing weekend. It was a needed retreat. It was a heart opening message for me.

Beth's theme focused on trees and she used different scripture references to make her point. The most impacting aspect of the conference for me was Friday night when her focus was from Jotham's Fable in Judges 9. She talked about the different trees being different types of kings in our lives. The olive tree = religious life, the fig tree = indulgences, the grape vine = intoxication, and the thorn bush = our struggles, trials, etc.

I had never really thought about the fact that my struggles could be the king of my life -- who would want to worship the struggles they are facing. But what I took away from her teaching wasn't that you worship your struggles, but that you focus on them so much that you lose focus of your real KING and what He is doing in your life through those struggles. It was a wake up call for me to realize I was focusing too much on the difficulties in my life and not on what God is doing through them. I was becoming resentful of some of the challenges I have to face and not embracing them as a way for God to continue His good work in me. I am so thankful for God's grace and mercy and patience as I take my time in learning and growing in Him.

Here is a video from the weekend!

Living Proof Live - Grand Rapids from Rich Kalonick on Vimeo.

I seem to find so little time to blog these days. Life is going full steam ahead. The kids are still enjoying Cubbies at AWANA on Wednesday nights. I have started going to a bible study at church on Wednesday mornings where we are studying Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by Beth Moore. I am also watching a two month old one and a half days a week -- she is a little sweetheart! This past week I was in Indiana/Illinois to be the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding. Val and Dave are perfect for each other and I was honored to be a part of their special day!

Through all of the busyness, God has been so good! I find myself being in a place of contentment. That does not mean that my life is what I would have chosen, it means that God has helped me to accept (and trust) the plans He has for my life. I have realized that I cannot control the things of this life, no matter how hard I try. God knows where I have been. God knows where I am going. God knows when my time on this earth will be over. So I can simply wake up each morning and say, "Okay, God, what do you have for me today?" It does not matter if I wake up one morning and see a very large tree down in my yard (which did happen last week), God is still God. He is still in control and He will still provide and I can still be thankful (for the fact that the tree did not fall on the house and for the WONDERFUL people who took the time to cut it up while I went to my best friend's wedding)!

It is amazing to me to look back over the last 30+ years of my life and to realize that I had not really grown much in my faith until the last 1+ year. I do not rejoice in trees falling or in Ryan's death, but I do rejoice in God's love and faithfulness to me in these times of trial both small and big!

What We've Been Up To

We have been staying quite busy during the month of September. Labor Day weekend was filled with time outside. We visited Daddy's place and went to a park. We also headed to Binder Park Zoo on Labor Day itself. It is a zoo that is a little drive for us, but well worth it! They have an African section complete with giraffes, zebras, and monkeys, they also had kangaroos. The kids had a blast and mom, grandma, and grandpa enjoyed it as well!

Last weekend Lily and Wyatt stayed overnight at my parent's house while I went down to Val's. Her wedding is quickly approaching, so we (bridesmaids) threw her a personal shower! I always love my time with Val but this was especially fun! I even got to see my college roommate who I had not seen in over 6 years.

On Monday, work began on the outside of our house. My brother-in-law is a builder and he and his "crew" are re-siding, replacing all the windows, taking out the two garage doors to put in one big door, and changing out the columns in the front of the house. I am also pleased to announce that the pink front door has left us for a mocha brown one! :) It is a little loud here during the day and there is a lot of construction dust as well (from the windows), but I love what has been done so far and they have only worked for two days!

The kids and I have started a busier schedule too; on Tuesdays we have story time and on Wednesday nights they have AWANA. Lily has done well and Wyatt has surprised me with his bravery! It is so bittersweet watching them grow up, I wish I could slow time down just a little!

July 2009 -- In Pictures

We are already half way through July and I really haven't posted any pictures on the blog to show what we have done, mainly because we have been busy!

Month in Review:

I started the month with a visit to Val's for her bridal shower! It was so nice to be able to celebrate with her and to get a 24 hour mini-vacation!

We went to the 4th of July parade that I have gone to since I was child...it is not what it used to be, but Lily and Wyatt enjoyed it.

We had a visit from Auntie Val and Dave. It was the first time Lily and Wyatt have met Dave and I am happy to report that they have "approved"! :)

We traveled to Navy Pier in Chicago to celebrate Grandma-Great's birthday with all of Ryan's family. It was a whirlwind trip, but it was wonderful to surprise Grandma!

We have spent a day at the beach with friend! (no pictures of that...sorry!)

Catching Up Again

We have had a busy few weeks and I thought that I would update with pictures.

Two weekends ago, we had visitors from Illinois. My good friend, Kandy, her husband, John, and their son, Jackson, came up to see us for a few days. Here is a picture of Lily and Jackson playing together in the basement. We really enjoyed seeing them!

This past weekend we had a visit from my good friend, Val. It was great to see her (and her engagement ring). It was great to have some girl time too! Lily and Wyatt always love having a visit from Auntie Val...especially when she spoils them for their birthday!

Sunday morning, we lost power at the house. We enjoyed our breakfast by candle light!

Lily and Wyatt are turning 3 on Friday, but they have already celebrated twice. Erin (our favorite babysitter!) came over yesterday to give me some time away and to celebrate with Lily and Wyatt. She is such a gift from God!!!!

Unfortunately, birthday week has been interrupted by a visit from a stomach bug. So far it has only hit Lily and I, but it is definitely having a big effect. This is a picture of Lily sleeping on the family room floor at 10 am this morning after being up for only 2 hours. Hopefully some good sleep with help her to feel better quickly!

In case you missed it, check out the post below to see some cute pictures of Lily and Wyatt taken for their birthday!

Happy Birthday, Valerie!

I just wanted to take the time to say Happy 30th Birthday, Val!

You are an amazing friend and I am blessed to have you in my life. I am so excited to see all that God is doing in your life. Enjoy your special day!

First Week In the New House

We have enjoyed our first week in the new house. The kids have done excellent sleeping in separate rooms and they love having a lot of room to play and run. I love the house; everything turned out as I wanted. The biggest thing to adjust to is the size...more to clean...more places to feel the loneliness. (Pictures of the "finished" rooms are at the bottom of the post...blogger won't let me move the pics around, so they are a little random.)

Here is a picture of Wyatt helping me clean at the townhouse.

This is Lily's favorite place to sit and play in the new house (living room steps).

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Yesterday, I was able to go to Val's house to spend some time with her for her 30th birthday which is on Wednesday. It is always good to spend time with a great friend! I enjoyed getting to know Dave a little bit better as well.

Val had a bunch of friends over last night for food, fun and fellowship! Good times were had by all as we played "Pit" for about 2 hours.

Happy (almost) Birthday, Val! Love You!!!

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Here are two pictures of the kids enjoying meals in the new house...one at our new table and one at our bar.

Wyatt and Lily's rooms finished with curtains and furniture (Lily still needs her bugs on the wall, but we have to wait for the paint to be on longer).

Spare room/office with furniture. I hope to eventually paint in here, but that is a project for the future.

I love how my room turned out!

Bathrooms! The main bath still needs a new counter top, but it is now beige instead of blue and yellow.

Living room

Two views of the kitchen and dining room.

The finished pantry!

Family Room with furniture.

Thomas the Train (from Auntie Val)

I was able to have dinner with Val for my birthday last night. She had purchased a small gift for the kids for Christmas. I was given strict orders: take pictures of them opening it and be sure to give it it's own blog post.

Well, Auntie Val, they LOVED their magnetic Thomas. They played with it all night! Hopefully you understood the message that they left for you on your phone.

Enjoy Florida and Wisconsin! We will miss you!!!!!

20 Days of Gratitude: Days 8 & 9

I have to play catch up today because I was having way too much fun in Mishawaka yesterday! :)


Day 8 (Friday):
I am thankful for my friend, Valerie! She has been my friend for over 11 years now. She knows me better than any one else. She knows how to handle my moods. She knows how to make me laugh. I love when I get to spend time with her (which is way too rare)! I am thankful that she has found Dave. He makes her happy and she deserves to be happy. Dave is a great guy and I am so glad that I was finally able to meet him!

Val, you are the BEST and I love you!

Day 9 (Today):
As I drove home from Val's this morning, I was thinking about what I was grateful for today. To be honest, I was having a hard time coming up with anything. I was feeling sorry for myself. I was thinking about Val and her new found happiness (which I am very happy about myself!); it made me really miss Ryan. I miss being able to reach across to the passenger seat and hold his hand. I miss being able to look across the room and catch his eye just to get a smile. I miss having someone know exactly what I am thinking just by the look I give. I miss just having him here!


So, I decided that is what I am thankful for. I am thankful that I had someone so special in my life. Someone who wanted to hold my hand in the car. Someone who would smile at me across the room. Someone who could "read my mind" based on the look I was giving. Ryan was a huge blessing in my life that I too often took for granted. I am so thankful that he loved me so much for the short time we had together!

Bittersweet

Tonight we carved our pumpkin with Auntie Val. It was fun carving the pumpkin, but it was also bittersweet. It was almost 1 year ago that we did the very same thing only Ryan was there too. I remember Ryan video taping the whole ordeal last year and all of us laughing as Lily and Wyatt would sneak pieces of pumpkin and seeds into their mouths. I can imagine him laughing tonight as Wyatt said over and over "pumpkin no talking, mouth missing" after I cut out the mouth on our pumpkin.

I am so thankful for two wonderful kids and a great friend to help me find joy in these bittersweet moments.

Scroll down to the next post if you would like to see some of the 99 pictures that Val took of our pumpkin carving...don't worry, I edited!

Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin Farm and a Friend!

Last night we went back to the pumpkin farm with our friends from church. The kids had a great time riding on the "bumpy ride" (a.k.a. the pumpkin train). They also joined the other kids climbing on the huge bales of hay. We ended the night with a hayride and a bonfire.

Today Val is here for a visit. We are all very excited to have her here and spend some time with her! We will probably carve our pumpkin so watch for more pictures later.