13

It may seem strange that I settle into writing a wedding anniversary post over a month after our actual anniversary, but that is a testament to our lives right now. 
I didn't know if I would get around to this one, but something kept nagging at me to write it.  Just write it.  So I'm writing it.

We were hanging out with some great friends late, late, late one evening(could have been morning) a few weeks ago, and we were talking about our early years.  The Navy years.  Our young selves.  It struck me so hard then that those years feel so foreign.  So far removed from us now.  It was almost like telling them someone else's stories. 
 
Talking about those years reminded me(as if I needed reminding) that we have never really taken the easy road.  We kinda stacked the deck against us from the start.  Married at 19, baby at 20, moved far away from family.  Military life. Another baby 19 months later.  Those years were tough and I don't think that was an accident.  Trial by fire.  Would we make it?  I was a young single mom a lot of the time.  Would I survive it without resentment?  Chad was in a world he thrived in.  But it wasn't easy for us.  Those first years were so groundbreaking and foundation building.  We had many opportunities to choose to turn away from each other or turn towards each other.  Each time we fought the urge to turn away and instead turned in towards each other, I think we put one more brick on that foundation.  We didn't always, but we did more than we didn't and it's made all the difference.

Some of our days now are hard. And some are easy.  But most are a little of both.  I don't always like him and I know he doesn't always like me.  We laugh a lot. We fight some, we make up more.  I cry sometimes, he doesn't.  I fight resentment about some things.  He's good, if I'm good.  We dream.  He works so hard to fill our lives with what we need.  I'm shocked at times how much I need him.  It scares me.  Sometimes I'm shocked at how easily I can get on without him.  That scares me too.

I am absolutely certain that we haven't seen the hardest of life yet.  I don't think we get off that easy.  I don't think God is done with us yet.  I've seen Him refine Chad, refine me and He holds us together.  Sometimes by a thread, but we hold. 
It's been so much more good than bad.  We've got this dreamy life.  Not by grand standards, but by our standards.  Sometimes I forget that. There is so much about this life that rains beauty around us.  It's hard to imagine what else we'll encounter so I won't.  We'll just keep taking it day by day.  Tying that cord a little tighter around us and one of those days I'll turn around and we'll be another decade in and I'll remember us now and how young we were and how "unrefined" and hopefully I'll smile and laugh at how far we've come.

 
 

Summertime bullet points

*So far, summer has been blissfully dull save for one week where 4 kids were suppose to be in 3 different places at the same times and the occasional evening where Chad is working, I'm coaching and kids need to be at games.  Hasn't been too bad yet.

*The bigs wake up late, wander around, read books, take naps, go to the library, go swimming.  The littles follow suit for the most part.  We've had a few weekends of basketball for Elijah, T-ball for Caleb and baseball for Cory.  Autumn is doing summer dance and the 3 older ones are taking piano lessons.  Aside from that, they fend for themselves.  I do not "entertain" well.  "Go play" is my most used phrase in the summer.

*Autumn has a babysitting job this summer for her teacher's two sons.  She is loving making some money and she's a natural caretaker.  A play games, read books, make crafts, kind of babysitter.  That girl is organized and efficient.  She is clearly just like her mother. HA!

*The gym is going so well.  We steadily have at least 1 or 2 people in Foundations with a pretty good retention of members.  I so enjoy the community aspect of it!  We're hosting a fundraiser for school tuition for Mathou, Roby and Junior next Saturday and I'm super excited about that!

*I've had a recent rough stretch of reality checks.  Mostly about friendships and relationships.  Apparently I tend to be a bit more invested in people than they are in me. I realize I may not be the most consistent friend, but it still hurts sometimes when you realize they don't view you as the friend you thought you were.  C'est la vie.

*I'm somewhat sure I'm going to take a class or two this fall.  I'd like to get my PT assistant degree.  This is not the first time a degree has caught my attention, but this is one that has stuck around for awhile.  Long enough to make me seriously consider it anyway.  I'd like to start working on it for a lot of reasons.  One being, if we could ever have Chad just at the gym, I would need to be working.  Two, I think I would really like the actual day to day of it.  Three, it would be very helpful in our gym setting.  And four, I could really use that information and knowledge in Haiti.

*It's the 4th of July.  I love, love, love the festivities around this holiday.  BBQs, big fireworks(I hate spending $$ on the stupid firecracker stuff, but love the big shows), and most importantly the focus is should put back on what so many men and women have fought to retain.  Freedom!  Having lived that military life for a few years and having so many family members serve, we are acutely aware of how difficult that life can be.  It does come at a price and we are so grateful for those who have paid so we can live free.

*I think that's all.  I think I'm caught up for the most part. 
I never wrote an "anniversary" post last month.  13 years.  Seems like a lifetime.  We were talking with friends last night about some of our early married years and it was a lifetime ago.  Yet, such a huge part of who we are today.  I may need to write that anniversary post...It's a big deal that I still love that guy like crazy. 

Happy Independence Day!!

Fathers

I've got some blog catching up to do, but today it's a shout out to the dads.

What a monumental job these men have in the lives of their children.  It's not a straightforward, step by step, do this and you're going to be a good dad kind of gig. 
It's messy and confusing and hard some days.

When I look around my life, I see men taking on this task with confidence and determination and a capacity for love that is incredibly endearing. 
My daddy is one of those men.  He has always been the calm in life's storms.  A peaceful, wise counsel.  A beautiful example of loving his children unconditionally.  He is why my standards were so high when I decided to marry my husband.

And speaking of confidence...Chad has taken on fatherhood with a confidence that is contagious.  He doesn't balk at the hard stuff.  As the years have rolled on, he's settled into this gig so amazingly well.  He gets it.  The big picture.  That we're raising adults.  He wants so badly for our children to be good strong Christian examples in the world.  He makes it apart of his conversations, his actions, his choices.   I am so thankful for all he does for our family.  It's impossible to quantify the impact he has in our children's lives.

And still more, I see my father-in-law, my brothers and brothers-in-law, my friend's husbands, all taking on this role so fantastically.  Each one is a shining example of what it means to be a father and I'm so grateful for each one of them.

 

Identity crisis

It's not the first time this has happened.
This unsettled feeling.
It has always happened when dynamics shift and we enter a new stage of life or kids or jobs.
The excitement of a new milestone has passed and the "grind" has set in.
Disclaimer before I continue...I am happy with our decisions of late to start a business, job change for Chad and everything else about the day to day.  This is more about an internal battle, then an unhappiness with my external life.

I have a tendency to just go with the flow.  Basically that is my entire existence and every once in awhile, I catch myself asking "What do you want?"  Its not a question I like to answer, mostly because if I were honest I want just what we have now OR nothing resembling what we have now.  And I can't have both. 
It feels very much like I'm standing in the shadow of someone else's dreams.  I play a part, and some would argue a valuable part, but I'm not leading this pack. 
I don't put up much of a fight for or against things, because I think things always seem to work out, in general.  Even the nasty hard, gut-wrenchingly awful, painfully life-changing stuff.  Those work out too.  I don't really battle for things, which is why I circle around to feeling this way periodically.  I don't know why I am this way, but I am. 
I don't have any real drive or direction or motivation.  We're healthy, happy, and blessed.  Can't ask for much more, but that is exactly what I find myself asking for.  I feel like I'm jumping up and down, waving my hands behind everyone trying to see if anyone wants to know what I want.  Problem is as soon as people turn and ask, I just say, "Oh, never mind.  I don't really know. Carry on."

I married someone who has all the things I don't.  Direction, motivation, ambition, drive.  When you put someone like me with someone who has a goal, an "inner fire", what you get is 2 people doing what the driven one pursues.
And that is where I am. 
I realize that I have had a choice here.  I chose exactly where we are today and I'm glad I did. 
But I am also absolutely certain I would not be doing anything like this if it were just up to me. 
So I wonder about how much of this is really me.  I feel lost in someone else's world. 

Another piece of the puzzle is where we are with kids.  We have older ones.  My time is not entirely dictated by their every breath.  I have spent the past 12 years being a mom to littles.  That is not the case anymore.  This leaves me with time and a bit of freedom.  And I genuinely do not know what to do with it.

I'm grasping.  Wondering who I am and feeling like I don't have any real traction.  Debating on what I should do differently, if anything. 
The reality is I've been down this road before and ultimately nothing changed, but me.  I let go of any plans I entertained and just kept plugging along, swallowed my pride, let go of some resentment, and embraced what I had. 
My greatest fear right now is that I will do the same thing. 
 

The sweet spot of margin

I've settled into what I call the sweet spot.  Not too much, not too little.  This has happened time to time and when I notice it, I realize why I work so hard to get here and wonder how the heck do I ever let myself lose it. I could blame the kids or the husband or all the "things" I "have" to do, but really it's just me and my brain working to find peace amidst chaos or contentment in boredom. Or vice versa.
That sweet spot of margin has always been fluid and the challenge is to be aware and know yourself well enough to fight for the extra room between your walls.
Sometimes I'm really good at it.  Other times...not so much.

With itty bitty babies, endless diapers, nursing, sleepless nights, tantrum filled days, my margin was quickly consumed.  All that baby stuff took over life.  It was all I could do to find a few minutes to pee alone, read alone, sleep alone, often unsuccessfully.  I chose to almost always have a little side job that would allow me time away.  This was often because we needed the extra dollars, but it also made me feel a little more human.  Looking back, I wish I had just settled in those early years and fought like crazy to slow the days down instead of speed them up, fought harder to find peace in the madness, then always looking for a way out.  I know people told me that then, but I didn't care much.  I was too exhausted to want to stay in that stage.  Sad how that is.  My walls of margin were tight and often overflowing and I just.wanted.to.breath.my.own.air.

It felt like I was always in a struggle with my identity, although I didn't really recognize that then.  Who was I?  "Just a mom" wasn't good enough by so many people's, and even my own standards, at times.  I knew myself well enough to know I didn't want a full time job, although some days that looked really appealing.  It was in brief flashes of peace, in times that I had space to breath and think and reflect, that I came to better understand myself and others.  If we're constantly barreling through this life, when do we have time to pause, to let our mind settle into a thought, a prayer, a smile, a friend?

The past few years, I feel like a fog has lifted.  Most nights I sleep uninterrupted.  I can mostly choose what fills my day.  It's not dictated by naps and nursing and diapers.  All 4 kids can somewhat fend for themselves if they are hungry.  They can bathe and shower themselves.  Work the DVD player and TV and get themselves dressed.  I randomly find myself home alone.  I usually take a moment to bask in the silence, but then I miss the noise. 

As all this "kids growing up" gradually happened under my nose a few years ago, I started adding things to my life to the point that I was again well beyond my walls of margin.  I took on a job at our church, I worked the waterpark during the summer, and then started working at what I call "the best job ever" as a barista at a coffee shop.  All that with 3 kids still home during the day, one homeschooled and the youngest still waking up several times a night and going to battle with every day and Chad working long hours.
I was exhausted and it rolled right into fall and winter that way.  I found myself depressed without really knowing it.  Depleted nutritionally without really caring and oblivious to how much I was asking of myself.  I blindly kept rolling through life like that, thinking I was good.  Busy, accomplished, holding it all down.  What I was, was tired with no margin to even see I had pushed myself to the walls and over. 
So I fought back a little.  I tried to eat better, although I still don't eat enough for my activity level, which I'm working on. Last summer, I let go of the church job I was doing poorly anyway, I sent Autumn to school in the fall, Chad's job changed which relieved a good bit of stress, I let go of any solid expectations of schooling Cory and just focused on being his mom, I fought and fought and fought to understand Caleb and how we could parent him better.  Each little step, brought me a teeny bit more margin, space for peace, for a moment to do NOTHING, which we don't do nearly enough of, in my opinion.  It took time to clean out what I had piled into my walls.

So six months ago, we opened our CrossFit gym.  It's success continues to blow us away.  How is that we added a major responsibility and yet I feel like we have settled into the sweet spot?  Partly it's because we love it so it doesn't feel like work.  My coffee shop job came to a close a month ago, which was terribly sad, but was good timing in the "need more margin" category.  Chad's job, which he started last July, creates chunks of time that he is 100% available which is completely foreign to us.  Elijah and Autumn being older and responsible enough to watch Cory and Caleb occasionally is a huge factor. 
But maybe more then anything, it's perspective.  I've been stupid, crazy busy and I don't love it, but it took being in that place to know that.  I can manage it for a time out of necessity, but I much prefer a slower pace.  My house is still not clean, although I probably have the time to clean it.  I still don't make dinner every night, although I'm better then I used to be.  I still get flustered and stressed and forget things and yell, but it's noticeable less then when I'm maxed out of margin.  What I love the most about this sweet spot, is there is space for me to say yes to a friend who needs a ride, a lunch date with Chad, a mid-morning nap after being up at 445am, an afternoon to hang out at a park.  It's the ability to say yes to what I truly feel is valuable.  That's the sweet spot.

It's worth the fight, the mental battle, to find where yours is.  I'm sure it's different then mine.  I'm going to hang onto this one as long as I can.  Summer is fast approaching which means busy kids, but I'm looking forward to it.  I'd like to think we can stay here awhile.  Time will tell, but hopefully I'll see the walls closing in and push back or at least have the sense to ride it out in peace.


 

Words

A few quotes I love and why.

"Stop the glorification of busy."--This one stops me in my tracks instantly.  We live in a world where busy=success, busy=important, busy=valuable. And that's wrong.  I get caught up in that too.  I catch myself being prideful about my busy days.  The ones where I pack too much in and end up tired and stressed, but  oh look at how much I can do.  Ridiculous, but true.  So stop it, I say.   

"You don't have a soul.  You are a soul.  You have a body." C.S. Lewis--I work in a field that focuses on bodies.  Movements patterns, work capacity, exercise is what I have found myself studying and coaching.  Our bodies are not what we are, they are what we have.  Our soul needs as much, if not more, studying and coaching.

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." William Morris.--This quote has literally changed my home.  I have to revisit it often to keep it that way.

 "To believe in something and not live it is dishonest."  Gandhi.--Makes me want to nail down what I believe so I can live life honestly.  That takes work.

"Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."  Albert Einstein.--I often exist in clutter, discord and difficulty.  This turns me towards "finding" simplicity, harmony and opportunity.  They don't just show up.  You have to look for them.

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:19.--There is nothing more powerful then hope.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10.--And hope comes from this place of knowing who is in charge.

Sometimes just a few words I read can change the course of my day.  All of these can do that for me.  Words are so powerful. 

Blogging lull

It appears that I'm going through a lull in blogging.  I've noticed over the past several years of this online journaling thing that periodically, I just have nothing to say or at times, that I have too much to say.
Right now, I have too much to say.  My mind is a jumble of thoughts and ideas, opinions and stories.
Nothing that is overly profound, but much that is taking up brain space.
Generally, when this lull hits I resort to bullet point posts to unload a bit, but I can't hardly do that right now.  My mind bounces from one thing to the next without resting anywhere for long.
In any given minute, I will have thought about Haiti, Elijah homeschooling next year, the Boston bombing, my grocery list, how badly I need to clean the basement, how maddeningly busy May is going to be, my siblings, my parents, my friends, the bill I need to drop off,  the books I'm reading, working out, what's for dinner, why do my little boys fight so much, how yuck I feel when I eat just carbs, and...and...and...

Geez, I think they have medication for this kind of thing.

When good things end.

I have had ALOT of jobs in my short adult life...daycare sub in Pensacola, Mary Kay consultant for too many years in Virginia and Joplin, elementary/middle school volleyball and basketball coach in Joplin, ad stuffer for the newspaper in McPherson, YMCA volleyball ref, waterpark admissions, church secretary, my favorite-barista at Kettle Creek, and my latest being CrossFit trainer. 
That's a good bit of experience under my belt.  A lot of people to encounter and work with.  Each one served a very distinct purpose for where we were in our lives and what we felt like I needed to do either to have some time for myself or to add a little to our income.  I can't say I regret any of them. I learned so much from each one about myself and about others.
It is the first time in many years that I will be a one "job" momma. 
Today is the last day that Kettle Creek Coffeehouse will be open and I think I may be in denial about what that means.  For the past two and a half years, I have happily gotten up to work a few morning hours in what quickly became a haven.  I was so excited to start working there.  It seemed like the perfect combination of things I enjoy. Coffee, people, and conversation.  What I didn't anticipate is how quickly I would become attached to the people.
Joan and Walt immediately made me feel at home.  I remember those first few weeks/months of asking Joan how to make this or that, how much certain things were, if we could even fulfill some of the orders customers had.  Soon, it all became second nature and the customers became friends and Joan and Walt became family.  I have spent hours talking with Joan about EVERYTHING.  I am certain we left no stone unturned whether it be family, society, politics, religion and on.  We hit it all over the years.  I couldn't have asked for a better, more understanding and loving person to spend my mornings with.  She loved on my kids, let them feel like Kettle Creek was there second home, and was always accommodating to my often unpredictable life with littles.  She was often the first to hear about sick kids, potential job changes, drama with family or friends, and all things in between.  I will wholeheartedly miss those daily conversations.
The customers, too, became apart of my life.  I looked forward to seeing them each morning, knowing their orders, and talking about our lives.  Eldon was the first to engage in conversation about McPherson football, my kids, his granddaughters and on.  He soon brought Marc, who quickly became and still is a good friend.  Les, recently widowed, was there each morning with a smile, a hug, poetry, art and a beautiful story about his life well lived.  Pat and her sister and mom or her husband spending time chatting and catching up.  Friends would often come in and spend time on the couches, strengthening those relationships.  Business meetings were held, acquaintances became friends, babies were brought in to show off, engagements, marriages, births, deaths and all things in between were shared.  It was a safe, special place for many, myself included. 
I know Joan and Walt are ready to move on to other things and I will be forever thankful that I was a small part of the past few years at Kettle Creek.
It truly has been the best job that never once felt like work.

Warfare

The fight is on.  I am constantly battling to mix the perfect cocktail of all the things I love.  It's a bloody fight sometimes and there are at times, casualties, and most of the time that is me.
And I wouldn't have it any other way. 
More often then not, it's a slow bleed.  One more thing gets added.  Seemingly harmless.  Usually something I feel is valuable and deserving of my time and attention.  Then, the days start to fly by without real pause.  I find myself wanting to escape from day to day life.  Then, it starts to crumble because I get tired and frustrated and I can't figure out why I feel so yuck all the time.  When I get going like this, any reading, whether Bible or otherwise is forgotten.  It's been replaced by my smartphone apps and Facebook.   Conversations revolve around who has to be where at what time and meals and cleaning slide to the point that I wonder if people knew how much I sucked at housework and cleaning they would still be my friend.  Pretty soon, I'm annoyed constantly with the incredible not so little people that have been entrusted to my care because they require so much stinkin' work and quite frankly the man I will spend the rest of my life loving, can do no right.  And, I think that I just need a drink, or a night out, or a day alone or something for ME.  By this point, I'm 2 or 3 meltdowns in, wondering what the heck happened to my life.  I didn't want it this way.

What happened?  Why am I so unhappy?  This would seem like a logistics problem, right?  Too much on the calendar. Not enough ME time. I like to talk about my life as being a logistics nightmare, but the reality is, it's not.  I'm no busier then any other person and I don't need me time.  I spend every day with me and I'm not all that fun lately. We all have the same amount of time.  We just choose differently and I'm terribly disappointed with my choices lately.

And so it does come back to me, oddly enough.  I must die just a little bit more to myself and lay my life back where it belongs, at His feet.  I come to terms yet again, that this is not about logistics, it's about my heart and what corner of it is holding onto pride and self-reliance and greed and envy.  And I feel yuck again because I don't want to be like me.  I'm not very nice when left to my own devices.  I want to be like Him. 
So, I get picked up again, brushed off and reminded that I get another shot.  My days may look exactly the same with just as many "logistics", but I want my heart different.  And, in order, for that to happen, I need time with the ultimate Heart Surgeon. 
I wonder if I'll ever get to the point where I really get it.  That life is better run under His care.  That I don't do well running on my own.
I love my life, but it runs so much better when I remember Who's behind the wheel.   Hands are off the wheel and I'm sliding into the backseat.

One more rep

My head has been in some deep places the past few weeks upon returning from Haiti.  I found myself having a difficult time caring about much of anything.  My house will attest to that fact, my refrigerator will attest to that, and my workouts will attest to that. I kept finding myself saying, "I don't care" to everything. 
I didn't mentally check out entirely from life, but I'm not sure that I wouldn't have without the gym and my family.  Something about a screeching 4 year old or a class full of people that pulls you away from any mental break you were taking. 
Between the screeches though, I found myself waffling between trying to figure out if I even want to try to care or if this kind of mental lapse of motivation was actually a good thing.
I'm not entirely convinced either way at this point.
No motivation means no goals which means no failure.  Safety in it's truest form.  No motivation means slipping into an almost robotic existence, which I can at least see the benefit of for a short period of time. 
When you run a CrossFit gym, lack of motivation is not exactly something you want to broadcast.  But if there is one thing I love about people it is there ability to show their weaknesses and right now, I am weak.  I'm worn down from wanting so desperately to be in two places.  I'm worn down from loving babies from so far away.  I'm worn down from battling a tough little boy for 4 years.  I'm worn down with all the pain I see in friends' lives.  I've had several conversations with friends and family over the past few days about some really tough stuff.  The kind of stuff that makes you want to curl up in the fetal position.  The strength and sorrow I've seen in these friends' eyes reminds me that experiencing painful emotions and battling through the dark places, is a worthy goal.  And often its the most important goal because it gives us courage to face the next unseen battle.
In my current lackadaisical state, I have still seen some profound correlations between what I get to do on a daily basis as a CrossFit coach and life in general.  The farther we get into this adventure, the more I realize why I love it so much.
It is for the mental PRs.  Both in myself and in others.
I do not have any major fitness goals.  I want to get better. Period.  However that looks, is ok with me.  The lack of a solid goal can be a disadvantage, but what it allows me to do is be able to make room for other people's goals.  I haven't figured out how to do both yet. 

So I choose, for now, these friends who show up every day and work so hard to be better, physically.  What I have seen in my CrossFit experience, and what I hope to see in each of our friends, is that our mental fitness gains match our physical fitness gains. 
There is so much about body image, and courage, and humility, and acceptance that I have made incredible improvements on.  I hope I'm not done yet, but I find myself wanting others to grasp this priceless aspect of CrossFit because of how it helps you deal with what life is certain to throw your way.
I put a whole lot of effort into helping each person improve their fitness level, but if I can have one conversation, one encouraging word that helps to rewire their brain, I consider that a PR. 
So much of what we battle in day to day life, is replicated in a CrossFit WOD.  The ability to keep moving, one rep at a time, is a priceless life skill.  To learn to work when we're weary is difficult to teach, but is practiced in CrossFit.  To learn how to manage your rest time and your work time is the difference between failing and finishing.  To finish a WOD through tears, reminds us that we're human and life can get the best of us.  And having a community of people that are invested in you as an individual, not as a member on the books, is a solid feeling to take out into the world. 

We cannot know what tomorrow will hold, but I will always be thankful that the time and effort put into CrossFit has reaped both physical and mental benefits. 
I CrossFit for what it does for my brain and I wish I could wrap it up in a pretty package and give it to everyone.  It doesn't come that way, though.  Like most things that are valuable it comes with some bumps and bruises, tears and sweat and it's worth every bit of it.  So when the dark places arise and life is fighting against you, you know that it's just one rep at a time to get through it.

Haiti Days 4, 5, 6

I figured I better knock this update out or it will be months down the road and I'll have never done it!
Day 4 was Sunday and proved to be what was dubbed a "Spirit-filled" day.  We went to Good Shepherd Delmas 75 for morning service and although we were not able to understand the French service, it was still amazingly powerful.  I could listen to French for days.  I love it.  The music is always my favorite part as the Haitians have such a soul and beat to their worship.

Josie was there with several of the children from the orphanage and they had choir practice after church.  We were able to stay and listen for awhile.  Hand motions and swaying were all part of the songs and I loved every bit of it.
Our afternoon was spent down in the palace area, which is no longer standing.  We all found a few or a lot of things at the market and most people felt like they had honed their haggling skills.  Some liked it more then others! 
We then headed to Leonard's house for pizza! 

Nadine, George and Theo were there!  It was so good to see Nadine again.  We had spent our whole last trip with her and Theo.  George let several of us call home which was an unexpected treat!  After pizza, the piñata came out for Theo.  Hilarity ensued as Theo, then Uncle Jeffrey and then Grandpa Leonard all took a turn at it.  Finally, Leonard it off the string and smashed it on the ground.  That was one tough monkey piñata!

Soon after people started to gather in Leonard's driveway.  And more came, and more came and more came.  Every available chair was pulled from every crevice of the house.  We had a translator for this service, which was great and I was thoroughly impressed as he translated at lightening speed the message.

  As more people came for the service, Leonard would appear on the roof of his house to pass 2 more benches down for people to it.  
It was so wonderful to see Leonard excited about church and his community.  He is truly in his element when he is helping and serving.  A heart like his is rare and precious.

Back to Gertrude's for bed!

Day 5 was spent at Leogane again and what a day!! 
I was able to sit with Josie the whole way out and back from Leogane and not only got to know her better, but we were able to talk more about the children, which is obviously my favorite topic!
Many from the congregation in Port Au Prince came out for the day.  The youth from the congregations had a youth conference going on under the trees, the ladies were cooking for us ALL (150) with kettles on rocks and charcoal, and many were there to work on the building or dig the well. 

The well diggers blew me away.  Imagine digging into the ground with a shovel to make a 4-5 ft. wide hole.  Now imagine digging that hole 30, 40, 50+ ft. down.  By hand.  With a shovel, a bucket and a rope.  And still not hitting water.  These 2 guys were working on Friday and were again at it on Monday with still no water.  They thought the water would be there.  I hope they are right.

I spent a good part of the day chatting with 2 young Haitian men.

  Mathou, and Roby knew English well enough to have a great conversation.  They were very interested to know about my family and life and were quick to help me with my Creole.  I learned much about them, as well.  They all go to the school at Good Shepherd Lutheran and have aspirations to go on to college.  I asked them what they thought of these groups coming to help in Haiti.  I was still struggling with the idea that we were even helping at all and wondering if we were not really being a part of a solution.
They were quick to say that they are so grateful and appreciate connecting with their Christian family in the states.  It was reassuring to hear them say that.  I feel like my friendships there are developing and it's more then a selfish opportunity to "experience" Haiti.  I am invested in these people's lives and livelihoods. 
We were all very tired when we got back from Leogane and spent the evening at Gertrude's relaxing, playing UNO with Rosie, Gertrude's daughter. 

Day 6 was filled with highs and lows.  We first went to the school at Good Shepherd and Pastor Thomas gave us a tour.  Over 270 children attend the school, K-12. 

 They recently opened a computer lab for technology classes.  The classes are cramped and the space is limited, but the appreciation for education is so great here. 

There is also a medical clinic on site with nurses/doctors coming in 3 times a week.  The clinic is a storage container and is sparsely stocked.  Thomas said that they administer whatever it is they have to who needs it, but it, of course, is not sufficient to provide what they desire.

We then went to The Home for the Dying.  We were not required to go in, but most did.  The women headed up to the women's floor to massage and paint nails, while the men went to the men's floor to massage.  Kim S. and I painted nails and it was something that I will never forget.  A room full of cots, 20+ with women ranging in age and health.  As I sat down by the first woman I was immediately thankful that Mathou and Roby had taught me how to say "What is your name?" and "My name is...".  As each woman picked out their nail color and I painted, I was able to pray for each one by name.  I had no idea what ailment had brought them there or if they would be leaving soon.  It was truly a gift to be able to sit with each woman and hopefully provide just a little color to their day.

We then headed up to Lookout Point, a place high above the city.  My very first initial impression of Haiti was that it's so beautiful from the top and Lookout Point shows that.

  What I have come to realize and appreciate is that Haiti is just as beautiful from the bottom.  On the streets, in the homes, in the hospitals, in the smiles of this country, is real, authentic beauty.  I loved the view from Lookout Point, but I crave the view from the streets. 
It's the same here at home, too.  We, so often, skim the surface of a person only seeing the view from above, with out getting down into the streets with them, where it's messy and dirty and hard.
I'm as guilty as anyone in doing that.  Haiti has yet again given me a hyper-awareness of how valuable it is to meet people in the hard places.  I so badly want to be available to people on a street level, not a Lookout level.
 The next stop was the Children's Hospital.  I'm not sure words can sufficiently describe this place, but I will try.  3 rooms, 25+ cribs in each. All full.  With babies.  2-3 nurses per room.
We spent about an hour and a half there and it will never be enough.  Some picked up one baby and held he or she the whole time.  Matt, a first timer in Haiti, held a baby for the first time ever.  Read that again.  The first baby this young man had ever held, was a crying, tiny, sick baby in a hospital in Haiti.  Soothing it's cries, whispering in it's ear and rocking it to sleep. 
The overwhelming number of babies was heartbreaking.  I couldn't hold enough of them.  I moved from crib to crib, holding some a little longer then others and not getting to them all.  I didn't have time to hold them all.  Some were clearly malnourished.  Some were feverish and lethargic.  Some were bubbly and joyful.  All of them cried when you laid them back down.  Ages ranged from just a few months to 3 years in the baby rooms.  There was also a toddler area that I never even got to.  I was so thankful that Leonard had taught me how to say I love you in Creole.  I whispered to each one, "Mwen remen ou."
A part of me shut down as we prepared to leave that I'm not sure I want to open yet..  How do you leave a place like that? 
We headed back to Gertrude's for the final evening before heading home.  It was spent packing, organizing, chatting, and playing with the kids one last time.  It's always so surreal to leave.
Devotions that night were a wonderful way to close out the trip.  We all went around and talked about our high and our low.  My high was this...

And this...

And this...

 

It was so good to hear each person's perspective on what we all did. 
My low will always be that first flight out of Haiti.

I am so thankful I got to spend this time with these two.  Deep cords were tied around our hearts for each other and this place.  I imagine we'll be back together in Haiti soon.

Until next time...

Snowbound

I'm not gonna lie. 
I love snow! 
In very short, intermittent moments. 
I even like to get out and shovel it.  I like to watch the kids play in it.  I went skiing once and loved it. 
I probably like it because we get one decent snowstorm a year if we're really lucky.
I would maybe change my tune if we lived in it for months.
This snow storm that blew through was an answer to many prayers for moisture. 
It also gave us some mandatory down time.  I went to the store for a few things between the first snow and the second snow.  And of course , stopped at Family Video for the real essentials...movies!
The kids, in general, watch too much TV, but a snow day requires hot chocolate, movies and snow gear for the quick bursts of energy to go tackle a snow fort or snowman.
Mission accomplished!  Movies have been watched(several times), hot chocolate is all gone(that took about 12 hours) PJs were worn for multiple days and snow forts were made. 
The snow will be around for a few more days, I'm sure, but I'm ready to get out again.  And I'm ready for spring...thank you for the snow!

Why Haiti?

Good question.  I have a lot more.
Why do I love this place like it's mine? 
Why does it feel so normal to be there?
What does it make me realize about my life and circumstances?
What kind of perspective can a country of such contrast give?
What can I offer my friends there?
What can they teach me about life and faith and love?
Why do I feel a responsibility to these friends and these children to learn more, grow more and understand more and share their stories?

The easy answer is I don't know. 
The real answer is fluid and vague.
So much of this is distinctly outside my understanding.  I can speculate as to why Haiti.  It's a country I grew up hearing about.  I met Thomas and Israel and Pastor Louis and his wife as a child.  I remember those moments, but I was young and it wasn't terribly monumental at the time.
Haiti has always intrigued me and even more so after the earthquake.  But that horrific event put Haiti on the map for a lot of people so that's not terribly surprising.
What has surprised me is the ownership I feel for the well-being of my Haitian friends and the desire to make that circle of friends grow.
I have gained so much from just two trips.  The truth is that these trips have made me evaluate my life, but maybe not in the way you may expect.  It has not made me look at my life and say, "I'm so thankful I have..." or "I'm so glad we don't have to deal with..."  It has also not made me think, "I'm so lucky because.." or "I have this life because I did..."
Maybe that's ungrateful.  I don't really know.  What it has made me think is I want less.  Less distractions.  We, as society, spend a sickening amount of time and resources on maintenance.  We have to maintain our cars and our homes and our electronics and our clothing and our...everything.  Here's the thing though.  People in Haiti do the same thing.  It's not that I look at their lifestyles and think we're so vastly different.  We're really not.  That has been a profound realization for me.  We are powerfully, amazingly similar!  We fight the same things, only separated by degrees.
One of the reasons I enjoy being there so much is that it's easier for me to zero in on the relationships.  I don't have the distraction of all my "stuff."
It's the balance I'm after here at home.  Putting the value into what matters.  People, relationships, faith, communities.  And I believe it's the balance that all of humanity is after.  It's that steady feeling of contentment and peace we all want.  I feel that so deeply in Haiti and after this last trip, my focus is working to create that here as well.
Haiti makes me a better parent.  A better friend.  A better stranger.
It makes me look at my life and circumstances and zero in on the little faces in front of me, the husband who loves me, the family, friends and people who I cross paths with. 
It does not make me perfect.  Don't fall over in your chair with that revelation.
I battle the desire for more "me time", more clothes, nicer cars, better "stuff".  I struggle with being horribly impatient with my kids and husband.  I fight to bite my tongue when all I really want to do is let loose.  I fail miserably every day.
It's work to want to be better.  It's difficult to experience a place like Haiti with poverty so much the part of every day life.  It's painful to hear the stories of lose and abandonment.  It's beautiful to see the joys and smiles.  It is worth every good and bad moment to delve into these people and this place.  They have much to teach us.
It is a place of contrast and I may never answer all my questions, but it is a place I consider my "other" home.









 

Where my heart lies...

Haiti Day 3 was a little slice of heaven.

What was a very frustrating day for some of the team, as the trip to get supplies took 5 HOURS and they didn't have much time to get the water pump up and running, was, in fact, my favorite day.

My friend, Jamie, told me before I left, as I was in tears about how selfish I felt this trip was, that there would be a moment when I would know why I was suppose to go.
Here are those moment.

He pulled his chair up to my legs and laid his head on my knees. 

Instant tears and a full heart.

You see, that baby pressed against my chest has his heart all wrapped up in mine.  And the little girl leaning into him has the saddest eyes you've ever seen and if you're lucky enough to squeeze a smile from her, you'll feel like you won the lottery.

 

And this smiley face wiggled and giggled her way into my soul.  I will never be the same.

We spent all day here at the orphanage and I had one of these littles by my side the whole time. 
We played with chalk and a few played with my hair.  I got to take some braids out as the girls were having their hair redone that day. 
Mostly I snuggled and loved on as many as I could that day.  I worked a little too putting up some razor wire, but was glad to pass that off to someone else so I could hug another little one.
The children here are joyful and well cared for and loved.  It's such a happy place. 
Their stories are not so happy.  Mothers begging Josie to take the child they can no longer feed.  Or one so desperately wanting their daughter out of a tent city and away from abuse.  Relatives bringing her children whose parents are dying or dead or crazy. 
Their joy radiates from a place of loss and pain.  Their little minds and bodies have had to adjust to a life we can't fathom.  And they laugh.  And play games.  And go to school.  And love each other. And dream and make plans.
I have some big dreams and plans too.  Hope and love can do powerful things!

Gertrude's

After landing in Port Au Prince, the first thing I noticed was how much nicer the immigration and baggage claim areas were!  Much improved from just 6 months ago.  Upon getting to the baggage claim area, we were immediately offered help from multiple Haitian men who work for tips by carrying luggage out for people.  One guy walked with us and then another guy tried to move in once we got to the baggage carousel.  I quickly nixed the 2nd guy and said the 1st guy was "our" guy.  No problem after that.  Got our bags and headed out to a mass of people just outside.  Scanned the crowd and saw Keith and Leonard right away.  YAY!
The whole team had gotten in earlier then us and had come to airport to pick us up. 
The drive to Gertrude's was familiar and it was so good to pull up along side her gate. 
As soon as we got inside I recognized all kinds of faces from a few months ago.  At first a few of the boys just looked at me, then Wolton or Edson yelled, "Sawah!"  Heart soaring kind of happy! 
I joked and played with a few of the boys and little Christina, who doesn't know much English, but yells "Sawah" the loudest.  I call her party girl!  She's always smiling and hanging with the boys!
Spent the evening getting settled in, had dinner, and checked out the new space in back that the girls and the handicapped kids are living in.  SO much better then before!!
The first full day was spent at Gertrude's.  A group of us went to buy rice and beans at a warehouse.  Keith had a good chunk of money from donations and was able to buy 50-50lb bags of rice and 3-100lb bags of beans.  $22.50 for each bag of rice and $84.75 for each bag of beans.  Some of the Haitians there brought out the bags, 4 stacked on each one's back!  Pretty incredible.

Back at Gertrude's several people started in on filling the baggies with rice or beans and Kim S. and I headed to the back to help feed the handicapped children.  That was a new experience.  The disabilities range from cerebral palsy, to Down's syndrome, to autistic to unknown mental illnesses.  A very "in the moment" kind of experience and a true joy to spend that time with a few of them.

We went through donations and WOW do we have generous friends!!  Divided it up into different bags to take to different places, Children's hospital, Home for the Dying, Pastor Bernard, Josie, and Gertrude were all recipients of people's generosity!
Spent the evening playing with the kids, holding little Alvarez who is walking now and made paper footballs for some of the boys.
It was certainly time well spent that first day.  We didn't get to spend that much time at Gertrude's last time.

Gertrude, herself, is really amazing.  The handicapped in Haiti are thrown away. Literally.  Many of the children under her care where found in the "abandoned" room at the hospital.  Some were left at her gate.  One she found on a trash heap. 
I had a great conversation with a woman, Rachel, who is good friends with Gertrude and lived at the guesthouse/orphanage for 6 months.  Although the conditions at this orphanage are still not what many in the US would deem acceptable, they are good.  Really good considering most would not even consider caring for the handicapped let alone 20 of them.
Rachel said there was one time some guests came and saw one of the handicapped girls roped across her waist to a chair.  They were appalled, as many of us would be.  Rachel explained that this particular girl, who has Down's, was able to open the gates and had been running away.  As they frantically searched the streets for this little girl, the fear of losing her was profound.
There are 20 handicapped children here and about 3-5 workers at a time.  Obviously tying her to a chair is not the best option, but it was the best they could do in order to keep her safe while they took care of the other children for that time.
Perspective is such a powerful thing.  We often assume things about what we see without knowing the whole story. 
If nothing else, traveling to Haiti, making friendships there, has given me perspective.  And compassion.  And a better understanding of truly how we are all trying to do our best and that can look vastly different.

One step at a time.

Breaking down Haiti into little bites seems less overwhelming then to try to explain a week of profound experience in one shot.
The going and the leaving are oddly the hardest parts for me.  Both mean I abandon one place I love for another place I love.  My family. Chad. My life here. Haiti. My friends there.  My family there. I truly love them all.  Going to Haiti is exciting, intoxicating, difficult and easy.  It has taken 3 flights to get there and back both times and I've noticed a very distinct mental shift through those flights.
My first step away from home is so hard.  Always my family is cared for and I love that, but this trip in particular felt very selfish as I left.  The logistics were complicated and people sacrificed for me beyond what I had planned.  I let them, but it was not easy.  That first flight is filled with thoughts of home, the kids, Chad, my mom and whoever else was taking my place for the week.  The second flight is a mix of my family at home and my undeniable love for Haiti and my friends there.  And the third flight is all Haiti.  Heart pounding excitement. Visions of streets and faces and hugs and Creole words.  As we touched down, tears welled up and the song "I'm coming home." repeated in my head.
The week of course went so quickly and I'll work through those days and write more.  But always the low point is leaving.  As we said goodbye Wednesday morning to our new friends from the team and Leonard and Pierre and Gertrude and Rosie, all I can think about is how quickly can I come back. 
As our plane picked up speed the voice in my head repeated over and over, "No, No, No."  I hate leaving Haiti.  This time was harder because I know we have 2 children there.  If those children ever come to live with us, I do not know.  I can only pray that we are able to love and care for them there or at some point in our home.  It's not popular to ugly cry on an airplane so I kept it in check, but it wasn't easy.
And so the transition began.  All Haiti that first flight.  New faces and places, plans to find out more adoption-wise, plans to come back. Second flight is flashes of home, Elijah, Autumn, Cory, Caleb, Chad, the gym, friends, and back to Haiti, Mintha, Nixon, Josie, the orphanage. 
Last flight and drive is all home.  My bed, my shower, clean clothes, smooth roads.  And still thoughts of how strange it feels to love a foreign place so deeply, to love it's children like my own and wanting so fervently to love on it's brokenhearted. 
I'm home now and I'll return to my other home again.

One week

In one week, I go again to Haiti.  It feels different this time.  Less unknowns, more excitement for the known.  More work this trip, but opportunities to meet more people and literally have a hand in a project or two. 
The lead up to this trip has been stressful to say the least.  The logistics have been challenging.  Chad will be gone for part of the time I am gone which means we had 2 older unattended children that needed to be taken care of.  It's all worked out thanks to yet, again, the rockstar group of people I get to call friends.  Cory and Caleb will be with my mom, who not only agrees to take care of my babies, but relishes their time together!
To add a little excitement to the buildup, Elijah was sick last week/weekend, Autumn got sick Sunday night (but should be good to go tomorrow), Cory and Caleb got sick last night.  Here is one thing I'm certain of...I have really good sick kids.  They are not overly demanding or whiny.  They want to lay on the couch, watch movies, and drink juice or water.  I snuggle them and give them meds if needed, but mostly they just rest.  I hope this translates to quick recoveries.  I'm fully anticipating getting sick as well, but pray that it is sooner rather then later.
I had a bit of a meltdown this afternoon.  I may have another one later just for good measure.  It's a complicated mess of feelings and emotions.
I truly cannot explain the attachment I have to Haiti.  It is bizarre even to me.  It does not seem foreign when I'm there.  It feels a little like home. I "joke" that I would move there if I could, when in reality, it's no joke.  I feel like we have children there in some manner.  Not yet adopted/sponsored/mentored.  Something.  I wish I could put better words to these feelings.  They are elusive, but I know I can cry in an instant thinking about it.
So in one week, I go.  And I'll come back to my well cared for babies, my ultra capable husband and another little piece of my heart left behind in Haiti.

Logistics

The logistics of a Saturday during basketball season for us would have made my 20 year old self run to bed crying for my momma.

Thankfully, we ease into a schedule like this over years rather then thrown into it so I have convinced myself that it's not a big deal. :/

5 basketball games today at 5 different times in 3 different places, 2 CrossFit classes to each, 2 workouts that needed to be done by Chad and I, demolition on a wall in the gym(Thank you, Jeramy!!), 2 windows getting replaced that little people shattered being fixed( Thank you, George!!) and I think that's it.....needless to say, I'm not getting any housework done today.

And to just had a little flavor to the weekend, cause who needs downtime...my car is done and we'll be driving to my parents tomorrow to pick up the car and get a whole lot of cow we bought from a farmer.

And so goes our weekend!!  Hope yours are much more relaxed!!

On why I CrossFit...

Seeing as today is one of those days where I haven't gotten enough sleep, we have sick kids in the house, I haven't worked out in 2 days and I'm not sure that I'll get to it today, and I have munched on a BBQ chicken pizza all afternoon, it's a good time to remind myself and maybe you, as well, why I CrossFit.


One of the things we're taught about is that we are all on a continuum that can range from sickness to wellness to fitness.  Part of the reason I find CrossFit so effective is that I know I am closer to fitness then sickness.  What that means is I've created somewhat of a hedge against chronic sickness.  Now that does not mean, I never get sick.  What it does mean is that on this continuum of health, it will take a disease, a catastrophic injury, or profound and extensive reversal of exercise and nutrition practices to move me past wellness to sickness.
      x---------------------------x---------------------------x
sickness                         wellness                          fitness

Not the best graph, but you get the idea. 

This really helps me remember on days like today when I'm not feeling very "Crossfitty", that all those times I did the workouts when I didn't feel like it, that those mattered to keep moving me towards fitness and health.  And today, if I don't get a workout in, that that's ok, too.  Missing a day here or there, doesn't throw me into disease and sickness.
Our lives as moms and wives and friends and sisters are busy.  Working to move yourself past wellness and towards fitness should be a priority, but it's also important to remember we have a lot of things pulling us different directions and it's a process.  You won't become "fit" in a week or undo any work you've done in a few days.  Steady wins the race here.  We'll all spend a lifetime building that hedge up.

Playing catch up

Always, I'm "catching up."
Catching up on laundry, dishes, sleep(impossible to do), paperwork, blogging, with friends.
I've got to rephrase this.  Catching up means I'm behind, which in reality, I'm not really.  Being behind suggests there is some standard to keep up with and I'm just not a fan of standards that create guilt.
And so rather than say I'm catching up on the blog, I'll just say I'll inform you of the goings on of the past few days!! Better right?   

It's always tough to follow the last post.  Where do I go from there?
On, I guess.

A few things on my mind...
Saturday was the 3 year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti.  Images and emotions were tough, especially having been there since the quake.  The organization Help One Now that we had helped support through Pure Charity broke ground on the school that day, as well.  A beautiful full circle moment for those affected by the earthquake.

I leave for Haiti in 3 weeks.  I am excited and a little anxious.  This will be a very different trip.  No Chad, which will be difficult and very different experiences, as well.  We'll be going to a children's hospital, Mother Teresa's Home for the Dying, putting on a VBS for some children in a village and working at a couple orphanages.
It will be a full week with very little communication to and from home.  I have to keep telling myself, we're all going to be ok.

Elijah is part of a scholars program at school.  As part of this, each student was given an Ipod Touch.  Why?  I still don't know.  One, because Elijah declined his because he said he didn't need it. HUH?? Who does that?  And two, because we haven't gotten any information from the school regarding it unless that info only came home with kids who took the Ipod.  I asked Elijah what they were suppose to be using it for and he said so they could do research and educational things at home if they needed to.  I'd like to know the % of kids that do not have internet access at home, in which this would be a useful tool to have.  I'm guessing it's 0%.  My other thought is I think it's my decision whether my child gets a device that has internet access.  Who is regulating the use of these?  I asked Elijah what apps kids had on their Ipod's.  NBA Access.  Sports apps. Games.
Really?  So very educational.  I love it that he declined it.  He is not moved by the masses.  I adore that about him.  And I kinda want him to bring it home so I can play with it cause apparently I can get some sweet games on them. :)


I went to Vegas, had a blast, met some awesome people, absorbed a ton of CF info, and PASSED THE TEST!  I'm officially a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer.  Sounds fancy, huh?  It's the only title I've ever had!
And along those lines, this gym thing is rockin'!  We're up to 28 members!  It's an awesome group to work with and we're loving the community these people are creating with us.

Our car is still in MO.  It's become quite the episode.  We're getting a totally "new" engine.  Used, but new.  44000 miles on it, which is quite the upgrade.  What this means is it will hopefully run for years to come.  Going on 3 weeks now without it and it's been fine.  Thankfully, we've done the 1 car thing for years so it hasn't been too traumatic or inconvenient. 

I think that may be it.  And now you're informed! :)

 

It's that day.

The one that hurts.  Makes me a bit melancholy some years, a sobbing mess others and fiercely introspective others.

This year, I am melancholy.  I woke up too early today. 440am.  I hurried through the first few hours of the day before I realized what today is. 
Ten years go by so fast.
I'm merely a shadow of who I was 10 years ago.  The girl who got the call that her little brother had passed on handled it as best she could.

Gut wrenching sadness.  Auto-pilot days and nights. Some things felt painfully harsh. The air was colder, the wind stronger.  And other things dulled.  Colors and sounds.

Today I am sad, but hopeful.  Luke provides me with such a perspective.  That kind of loss at that time in my life was profound.  Life-shaping.  World-shifting. 
I would gladly trade those life lessons for my baby brother.  He always saw the good in things.  If he could find the good, surely it's in me to see the good, as well.  And so I try, in everything, to find that silver lining however small.  It's there, sometimes hidden under pain and loss and sadness and anger. 
Look for it.  Dig for it.  It's worth the effort to find the good.

Nerves

Big weekend coming up. 
This thing we've taken on called a CrossFit gym has been a total blast so far. 
Next step for me is become certified rather than being an "apprentice."
That means a weekend away by myself (YAY!), 2 full days of instruction (YAY!), and a 50 question test. (UGH!)
I don't have a problem with taking tests, per se.  It's just that I haven't taken a test in oh, probably a decade. I haven't studied for anything in well over 5 years and I'm just a wee bit nervous about this test. 
I know I know what I know and I think I know what I need to know.  It's just that little voice inside that says, "maybe you won't pass."
Thankfully, CrossFit carries over even into this.  Shocker.  I've had to silence many a voices over the years of doing CrossFit.  Many, "you can't do that", "it's not worth the effort", "don't bother", "why would you want to".  I'll silence this voice like I silence the others by just doing it anyway.  Nothing fancy.  No big motivational talks. Just, go do it and see how it goes down.
I'm super excited to go learn alongside what I'm sure to be are excellent coaches.  I hope what I come back with is helpful to those at our box.  And, quite frankly, I hope I don't learn a whole lot cause I've been studying this stuff ALOT!

A year in review

2012 in bullet points...(if you don't want to reread my 2012, you may want to skip this one!)

*3 year olds are hard to deal with, hilarious to talk to, impossible not to love and mind-boggling obnoxious.  Early 2012 was filled with retelling this bit of proof.

*We spent a quick weekend in Frisco to cheer on our favorite people in the FCS Championship game!  A few things to remember here.

*February brought a forever change, our first house project and a mishap.

*A trifecta of vision changing books started with Kisses from Katie, then here and finally with an experiment.

*Epic birthday party, dance girl, and our first pet loss...here.

*A "NO WAY!" moment, clarity and a community of love were all pivotal moments in 2012!

*A job change and a much anticipated 4th birthday for THIS GUY!

 

*No football for the first time in 8 years meant a very different fall season for us. But it also allowed us to fulfill a dream.

 

*Summer photo dump!

 

*Questions were answered, birthday revelations were revealed, and a much needed trip.

 

*And a full November and December!

 

What a year!! Many changes for us and lots to look forward to in the coming year!!

Happy New Year!!