Closing Out The Year

I'm not going to waste time explaining my lack of writing, because by now, you all know what a horrible blogger I am. I also won't waste your time by promising to write more in the coming year because I really don't know that I can. But I'll try....how's that?

This year has been full of ups & downs, as most people can say. Personally, I'm at a place, spiritually, that I've never been before. My faith is stronger, my trust is deeper and the refining fire has been H.O.T.!!!

I'm a woman of few words, but I pray each day that my actions will reflect my character & integrity, and that others will be inspired to live & BE for God, as they take THEIR steps of faith in the new year.

Blessings,
Kim

Voice of Truth

I've just been thinking a lot this morning about all the "things" we do to feel loved and accepted. I pray that I have and will continue to instill in my children that there is NOTHING they have to do to be loved and accepted. God loves us because he created us. There is nothing that this world can tell me or do to me that's going to change that. I CHOOSE to listen & believe the Voice of Truth.

Something smells in here!

Yep...it's the "stinkiness" of my blogging!! I shouldn't even be allowed to have a blog! :)

Perhaps I should do some blog-cleaning!

This concludes my thoughts on that subject at 6am.

Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

I'm incredibly weepy and humble and grateful today....so I needed to write a Thankful Thursday post....

Thankful for a hard working, loving, compassionate husband, who is seeking God for wisdom and direction and perseverance.

Thankful that my daughter is coming home with a broken heart for the people of South Africa, with the deepest love down in the depths of her spirit for God and what he wants for her life.

Thankful for a son who is growing closer to Jesus each day as he learns and searches and loves.

Thankful for the gift of music. It speaks to the heart like nothing else.

Thankful for opportunities to grow closer to my Abba Father.

Thankful for guidance from the Holy Spirit in my daily walk with God. His still small voice.

Thankful for tears.....they wash my soul.....

World Traveler

I don't know how to write something without getting all sappy and reflective and going on and on and on about my kid, so I'll just share one of the things that's happening in our family right now.

Peanut is flying out of O'Hare airport at 5pm, bound first for London...a 12 hour lay-over, and then on to Johannesburg, South Africa. She'll be there until flying back to Chicago on the 29th.....she's going with a mission group from the church she attends up in No. Indiana.

My baby is so grown up.....sigh.

Lord, keep her safe, give her rest, and make her heart overflow with love for each one she comes in contact with. She's yours, use her for YOUR glory!

Thankfulness

I realize I'm a really stinky blogger. It's a fact.

I've been up since 3:09 this morning. This is when I got a txt from our precious, dear friends that their third child had just been born. Mommy & Baby are doing just fine and I cannot wait until the break of dawn, so I can begin my day, take Matthew to school, Mike to work and go get me some baby lovin'. :)

The past few days I've just been in awe of God's goodness and love and can't seem to stop the flow of tears and overwhelming thankfulness that won't stop pouring from my heart. HE receives all the glory for my life. HE receives all the praise for answered prayers. HE receives the glory for ALL...........

Last week, my dear friend Ginger's daughter, Sarah, was in a horrible car accident. She was life-lined to Indy. She was texting while she was driving. She ended up with 37 or 38 stitches in her face and a fractured sternum, but was spared from death by God's great mercy and given another chance at the life that He has planned for her. You see, as a child, Sarah prayed and accepted Jesus into her heart and was baptized. But as she grew up, she was running further and further away from God. She even began questioning and declaring he didn't exist. But last week, God proved to her that he did indeed exist and has had his hand on her life from the very beginning of her life....and through God's great mercy and the prayers of faithful warriors, Sarah recognized exactly who it was who spared her life and turned her heart back to God. She is a new creature in Christ and her new life, her second chance to give HIM glory, has just begun.

Lord, I am in awe!

Isn't it ironic?

I don't know....you draw your own conclusions.

BUTT....(yes...pun intended here! HAHA!)

I just HAD to post this today because Greg wrote a great post today about American Standard potties...only it really wasn't about the potty...but it's a funny one! Check it out!

Not long ago my hubby, son and I were staying in a hotel for a quick overnight....and this is what we found.



Please look closer at the "name" of the potty.



Now...I'm not trying to be cynical or get into any debates about the state of our churches today, (and I KNOW it isn't ALL of them...) but I'm just sayin'.....

My Firstborn

I think that every momma looks back on their child's life each year as they celebrate their birthdays and wonder....."Where has the time gone?" I get especially sentimental and weepy around this time of year because we celebrate both Boo's AND Peanut's birthdays!

20 years ago this one became the center of our universe.....



HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!

My Boo..

I had planned on celebrating my little man here today anyway, and then Greg at Greg's General Store had played along on a tag...go to your photo files, choose the 4th folder and post the 4th picture in that folder. So I told him I would do the same...

Well here it is!



This was my little man in Kindergarten...getting ready for Camp something or other in their classroom for that day.

And today, he turns 9! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOO!!! You were prayed for, and God answered our prayers....you truly are a "Gift from God".

sidenote: when, btw, do I have to stop calling him "Boo"?? When he's 15? 20?

Stranded...

First of all I want to state the incredibly obvious and say, "I am a HORRIBLE blogger!" I was chatting with a friend the other night and she asked when I was going to update my blog and I assured her I would do it soon, but that truly, I don't lead a very exciting life and am not generally good with words, so really, why would anyone want to read my blog?

And then something terribly exciting and adventuresome happened....

Are you ready for this? Sitting on the edge of your seats? Ready to laugh your head off?

It all began.....

We have one vehicle to drive in our family, and I needed to take Peanut back up to school after Christmas break, so my parents, who are ALWAYS incredibly helpful in these instances, offered their van to us so that my hubby could have the car we have to drive to work.

I taught water aerobics on Wednesday morning and our plan was to leave (K & I) as soon as I got home...around 9:45-10am. On my way home from the gym, the power steering went out on the van, so I called my dad. He then borrowed my Grandma's car, and they brought my dad's truck to us so that we could go ahead with our plans. They had the van towed (it ended up being the water pump...it sprayed fluid on a belt and it slipped off) and we finally got on our way at 11:30am.

We were havin' a GREAT trip! The roads were completely clear! The sun was trying to peek through the clouds. We had the music jammin', we were talking about all we hadn't caught up on in the past couple of weeks, we were rollin' right along and I was on course to get her and her (incredibly large pile of) stuff delivered to school and return home by 8ish Wed. evening. We were literally 30 minutes from South Bend...ALMOST to our destination...(remember it takes 3-3 1/2 hours to get there)...and the oil gauge plummets and the "check gauges" light comes on.

Earlier, before we had left, my dad explained to me that this might happen. That there was a sensor messed up, and that it would recover.

It wasn't recovering........

It started knocking.........

I immediately pulled off the main highway, turned onto a side street and off to the side of someone's long driveway. In the middle of farm country. No town or service station or anything "public" close by. We were....stranded.

I called my dad, and making an incredibly exciting (read:boring) story short, they were coming to get us.....so, we waited, and waited, and waited......remember, it's a 3-3 1/2 hour drive to our destination, we were almost there!!!!!! They had to tie up loose ends at home and they left to make "The Rescue". By the time they reached us... (thank you Lord, for technology, cell phones, and wireless internet connections in the middle of farm country in north central Indiana!!!!!)...we had a 3 1/2 hour adventure in the truck, on the side of the road!

Now most of you who will read this know me personally, so you know that I just looked at the bright side of it all, and K and I had us a party!! We laughed! and we crocheted! and we sang! and we thanked God for all the blessings that were coming out of this! and we prayed for safety, talked on the phone, texted with our friends, and just made the best of our great adventure!

And of course, what kind of "paparazzi" goes anywhere without her camera to document what MIGHT happen?!?! Not this one!!!

The view around us...





Our stash of snacks!



Our HAPPY FACES!!





By the end of the adventure, we were pretty cold, but we had dug out all of K's hats, mittens, and scarves that she had packed away.





The end of the story is just as exciting (read:boring) as the rest...K (and all her stuff) has been delivered to school, I finally made it home a little after midnight, and all is right with the fam now. My parents already have their van back and the truck is in the shop!