Take Heart!

I was listening to one of Lincoln's memory verses cds in the car yesterday (which are the main way I've been memorizing verses lately) and was singing a song-when I finally tuned into reality and paid attention to the words I started crying...does anyone else need to hear this today?
"Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed
for his compassions never fail.
His love is new every morning.
great is your faithfulness Oh Lord."
Lamentations 3:22-23
It amazes me that when I feel consumed by life, I'm not--because I serve a God who loves me furiously.
So much so that every morning I wake up and his love is brand new...
that's refreshing...cause sometimes, yesterday is still hanging on for dear life.
Amen?

It's been one of those weeks

You know when you wake up and you honestly have the thought, "Maybe I'll get the stomach flu so I can just stay in bed all day" (and--if I'm being honest "then I'd lose a few pounds too").
It was just one sucky thing after another, and it was really hard for me.
Let me hash it out for ya.
Between whiny children, babysitting on my birthday, running late for BSF and spilling coffee grounds on the counter followed by bagel (cream cheese side down) on the floor, and a weird series of conversations with a good friend that made it really hard to communicate effectively, topped off with a severe lack of sleep as Ellie parties in the bassinet next to MY side of the bed (while husband snores peacefully in my left ear)--it was getting to be a bit much. (And can I just say those are the highlights, I didn't really do it justice)
It culminated today when Ellie wouldn't stop crying, I was starving and lunch wasn't ready yet (Yes, frozen pizza again..I know, I know) and Lincoln was singing "LaLaLa" progressively louder in a passive aggressive and highly annoying way. I quickly stood up, left the crying baby and the whiny toddler in the living room and shut myself behind the nearest closed door I could find (which happened to be the pantry if you're curious). While I'm in there...in complete darkness...I realized the craziness of what I was doing and, with one hand holding the door closed so a curious 2-year-old couldn't open it (maybe he just thinks I'm getting a snack) I started praying. And it went something like this:
"Lord....you know how much I can handle.....and I'm not going to say I can't take this because you would know whether or not I can....you wanted me to come to you when things are hard....so here I am.....help."
not nearly as eloquent or inspiring as one would think eh?
But what happened next was nothing short of the miraculous in the mundane.
I sensed God's presence.
The toddler still whining, baby still screaming and the pizza still...frozen, I suddenly had the strength to get through. I went out and dealt with things (without screaming) and it got easier. Afterwards I found myself reflecting on something I had learned this week (don't you love object lessons?)
When reading about the Israelites under Egyptian oppression (which lasted four........hundred.......yearssssssss...ugh) our Bible study leader mentioned the point that:
1. God allows difficult people, circumstances, and situations in our lives to change us. We can either allow them to push us away from him, or toward him.
2. He is always with us in the midst of it.
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."- Jesus (John 16:33)
So I realized that while the Israelite boy babies were being killed by the Egyptians under the decree of Pharaoh (Hello,they were throwing the babies in the NILE) and the Israelites were enslaved by a people they didn't belong to (oaky stay with me, we're almost to the point) it was in God's plan.
And when I was locked in the dark pantry borderline insane with a circus going on in my kitchen...it was in God's plan.
And he was there with them, and he is there with me. Just wanting us all to turn to him and tell him how freakin' hard it is to follow him right now, but how bad we need him.
I love those little moments of application (after they're finished of course).
And hopefully next time I've learned enough to shut myself in the pantry at the beginning of the day, instead of at the end of my rope.
(Picture used with permission by my good friend Nicole, documenting when her daughter Ani was having "one of those weeks.")

Work it!

It's my birthday....haaaaaayyy!
So I'm laying in bed last night after 26 years of not feeling any different at the idea of being another year older and it starts hitting me.
I'm 26.
That means I'm beyond the halfway mark of the 20's decade. That means in 4 years I'll be 30.
That means...I'll be...thiiiiiiiiiiiiiirty.
Okay, so all my friends already are (which means I can't say that I'm thinking how really old that sounds in my head) but I CAN say that also means my hubby is 36...which means in 4 years he'll be (carry the 2) 40!
This is half way to 80.
It is also ten years shy of being half a century old.
Wha....
Yeah. It sounded a little weird to me too.
I remember being in high school and watching the show "Friends" and thinking how grown up and cool they seemed. I thought, "yeah, when I'm that age I'll be a total hottie, at my lowest weight because I'll work out all the time, working at some major cool company that does something really....neat (like makes slingshots or something) and I'll wear all these great clothes and be able to walk in high heels without breaking my neck and I won't have a boyfriend cause I'll be so completely satisfied on my own that I don't need no stinkin man and I'll have a treadmill in my penthouse apartment and run while I watch some sophisticated news program with a guy that has two last names like "Anderson Cooper" (or Lincoln Schmidt) and I'll yell at the tv if I don't agree and be all....savvy."
Boy was I off.
A better picture of reality would be that I wear the same jeans everyday with a shirt that may or may not have spit up on it, but definitely has syrup on it, I'll chase a two year old around the backyard and call it excercise, the shows I watch are primarily starring people who have completely made up names like Mary Poppins or Dumbo, and if I tried to walk in high heels I'd likely look ridiculous and would possibly break something. Not only am I not at my lowest weight (hello...two kids in two years?) but I don't even remember what it is anymore.
All this sounds a little sad huh?
Then apparently you're not reading it right.
Did I also mention I get more hugs and kisses than any other person in the workforce, I get to hold the tiniest giggliest sleepy little bundle of snuggle whenever I want and also get to be her favorite person in the world (for at least 12 years). My toddler looks at me when I even make an attempt to look nice (which can be as simple as combing my hair at this point) and says "Mommy looks so princess" (which is now an adjective in our home and means "wicked cute"). How often do you get to walk into the office and hear that greeting? (You should, make sure you have someone tell you you're lookin "so princess" at least once a day) and I also get to play....as much as I want and it's considered a "team building exercise".
For example--yesterday I chased Linc around the house wearing an indian chief headdress and jumping into a giant beanbag. So I'm thinkin...26 is lookin better than I expected. And the next time I can't sleep because I'm thinking I'm more than a quarter of a century old and in another 14 years I'll be 40...I'll relax
...at least I'm still younger than all of you! (ooh, did I type that?)

There's something about the Jimmy.

What is (and is not) on my playlist for running:
Is:
A Little Less Conversation-Elvis Presley
Not:
A Spoonful of Sugar- Mary Poppins
Is:
Canned Heat-Jamiroquai
Not:
Anything from the CD Spidey and Friends (which IS now in my trash can)
Is:
Eye of the Tiger-By....the people who sing it
Not:
Anything by C&C Music Factory (sorry friends)
Is:
Get on the Good Foot-James Brown
Not:
The Hokey Pokey (which I listen to the rest of the day)
And my current power song:
Get up offa that thing-James Brown (what can I say I've got soul)
And yes...I do punch at the air and sing out loud while running.

Lady Riders Unite (I almost typed "untie").

I apologize in advance for the suckiness of the layout here. Would someone please tell me how to upload pics in a straight line...I'm such a goober (and even more so for saying the word "goober")









OH the joys of truck stops and water slides.
Recently John and I were blessed (by the joys of Grandparents) with the opportunity to stay the night in a hotel away from my favorite 2 year old for our anniversary. It was SO fun.
While we did have little E.P. with us, we got to do many fun things thanks to her...ability to sleep in any circumstance (It's a super-power inheirited from her Daddy).
We started off the evening by going to a yummy restaurant called the Bent Fork, where I ordered ravioli-olis and John ordered...something that wasn't very good. Then we went to see a movie (See pics of Ellie's first movie--which-by the way, was Batman).
Afterwards we got ice cream sundaes from McD's (see pic where my head is cut off, I am not quite as skilled at the long arm photo as my hubby).
Then we watched a show about fat people on cable while laying in our oversized bed (which is now the same size as our normal bed) under the covers in our room with the thermostat set at (GASP) 65 degrees (till John turned it up...*frown*)
We woke up at (5:30) then 8:30 and decided to go get Breakfast. While John wanted to sample the same fare at Cracker Barrel that I've been eating since I was 5 on family vacations, I chose a less...conventional locale. Johnson's Corner.
"What is Johnson's Corner?" You're asking?
It's a truck stop restaurant, but not just any truck stop restie...voted BEST truck stop restaurant by the Food Network, AND home of the world famous cinnamon roll.
John's curiosity was not at all peaked, but mine was soaring high. And while it didn't deliver quite the "hole-in-the-wall/have a cup of coffee with the old ladies in the picture on the ad" charm I thought it would with a 25 minute wait time, and the cinnamon rolls were...well, not being talked about in India let's just put it that way, it was a great opportunity for John and I to go on a hunt in the gift shop to find the strangest item:
See Photo: "The last pencil you'll ever have to buy"
Photo: "The kissing monkey salt and pepper shaker that you might be getting for Christmas"
Photo: "Who doesn't love a purse that looks like someone's...butt"
Photo: "The patriotic notepad" When we actually heard someone say "What's the matter, aint you patriotic?"--in trying to get his wife to buy a bumper sticker from the same section.
and the winner...
Photo: "The Lady Rider leather motorcycle vest and "Hair Glove"
Okay, what is a hair glove? "It is the most dynamic and talked about hair accessory in the marketplace today" according to their website, www.hairglovecycle.com, and it's unisex.
After all that hilarity, we went back to the hotel and John got to go down his beloved waterslide. I don't think I've seen him that happy since 5 years ago when we were married.
Ah, a man and his water slide.