Siblings Part 1

I have a little brother. Okay, I have a younger brother. He is definitely taller than me. He is the youngest of the three of us. He's been that little pain in the butt brother, but has grown to be one of my closest friends. I'm really surprised at how close we are. Not because we didn't get along when we were younger, just we have different points of view on a lot of things.

All three of us are close as adults. We don't always agree on everything, but who does? We seem to agree to disagree, for the most part. When it comes down to it, if I needed something...he's there. And I hope he knows the same about me.

He just recently moved to Columbus, about an hour or more away. (Versus 2 minutes down the road.) We definitely want what's best for him. We miss him terribly. Yes, Rob, we really do.





Trey really misses his Uncle Rob. But he really enjoys playing Guitar Hero with him when he is here. Uncle Rob even gave him a guitar of his very own! They are best buds.




Well, little brother, we miss you now that you've moved to the "big city" (can you take me with you?). But, we definitely want you to be happy! Come and visit soon!

Subpoenas!!

Well, the sheriff visited Frank's office today. OUR SUBPOENAS HAVE BEEN SERVED!!! Who would have thought that we would be excited to be subpoenaed? October 2nd is coming, ready-or-not. I'm so ready for it. I have such a peace about it. I'll have to let you know later where I found this peace...(it has to do with forgiveness.) Anyway...just wanted to get that off my chest.

Mohawk For Vacation and Time in Indy!

Trey has been asking for a mohawk for a while. It's crazy...he's 3 years-old. But, we're going on vacation, so we decided a mohawk would be cool for vacation. Well, we cut it tonight and I think he looks so darn cute!













So, I guess we'll be applying sunscreen to the scalp next week while we're at the beach. Oh well, you only live once. I figure when he's 14 and rebelling, wanting a mohawk I can tell him, he's already had one. :)

Oh and by the way, we spent some of this week with Melissa in Indianapolis...



Is he hugging her or choking her? Good question. With Trey & Lauren, it varies minute by minute. The best was when they would argue over who was the boss. She also came and told me that Trey wasn't doing what she was telling him to do. They really are going to get married some day!!



Trey & Caleb eating lunch... They really enjoyed each other's company. Caleb asked that when we come back we not only bring Frank, but McGwire the dog too. I'm so glad I got to spend time with you all.

One Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure...

My sister and I had a lot of "stuff" or junk as our husbands would say. And Valerie & I knew we wanted to have a garage sale. I had taken a few of my things to a friends house here where we live to add to their garage sale and made $46. Not too bad, for as little as I had over there.

Well, I still had a few things and lets just say Valerie had a lot of things...

(just kidding, fake photo) and so we tried to come up with a time/place to have a sale where she lives. So, we conned Molly (and Dan), my sister's sister-in-law, into having one at her house. Three families...so 6 kids, lots of "stuff" and 3 days of "bliss", right? No, really I had a lot of fun and hadn't spent time with Molly for a long time.

I only made $25 at this sale (it cost me more in gas to get there). But, the time spent and the fun we had is irreplacable. I love hanging out with my sister, of course, and really enjoyed spending time getting to re-know Molly. All of the kids together were a little crazy, but by the end of it I was Aunt Jocey to Molly's kids and she is still Aunt Molly to Trey.

I thought the kids might enjoy a Lemonade Stand so we got one going. (I think they sold 1 cup of lemonade, poor things.)

Emerson, Trey, Aubreigh, & Hayden

(Not pictured are AJ and Todd)

Anyway, my sister made a killing compared to Molly & I. I think she made well over $200. She stinks! Thanks again Molly & Dan for letting us hang out and use your garage!!

(Bump) ***God On The Mountain

This blog was originally posted August 13th, but the jib jabs took over. I didn't want anyone to miss it, so I bumped it up to today!

I started this blog for a few reasons, but one of them is so that our families could catch up with us online. Well, my mother-in-law, Rosella, has read some of my posts and sent us a very encouraging letter.

She told us of a book she was reading about Bill Gaither. In the book the song "God On The Mountain" by Tracy Dartt brought me to her mind and she wanted to share it. So, I wanted to share it with you...

God On The Mountain

Tracy Dartt

Life is easy when you're on the mountain

And you've got peace of mind like you've never known

But things change when you're down in the valley

Don't lose faith for you're never alone

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley

When things go wrong He'll make them right

And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times

The God of the day is still God in the night

You talk of faith way up on the mountain

Talk comes so easy when life's at it's best

Now it's down in the valley's of trials and temptation

That's when your faith is really put to the test

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley

When things go wrong He'll make them right

And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times

The God of the day is still God in the night

Thanks Rosella for thinking of us and sharing this with us. Thanks for your prayers and we are thankful for you!

When things go wrong He'll make them right...

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge, I will repay," say the Lord. ~Romans 12:19

PS. I'm learning about forgiveness. Great things! More on that soon...

Don't Laugh Too Hard!!

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House For Sale!!

Our house has been on the market since November 2007. We're renting an apartment in the town where Frank's new job is and so far, so good. But, what a TERRIBLE time to sell a home!

It's not like we've built a $500K new home down the street because we felt like it. We are moving out of town!! Ugh. Just a little frustration, I guess. I know there are a lot of people having trouble selling their home.

We've had a lot of showings, a few open houses, even one potential buyer came back a second time, AND we've dropped the price a total of $10K!!!

I just want all of my belongings in one place. I want to be able to invite people over to our house. I want the dog to not have to be tied out, but have a HUGE backyard to run around in. And I don't want to worry about Trey playing outside, while the inmates from the county jail mow the nearby grass!! (Seriously!)

Sorry for the selfish ramblings. I really am trusting God that in His perfect timing, this will all work out. I know He has the perfect place picked out for us. I'm just trying to wait patiently...not one of my strong suits. :)

Any real estate suggestions out there???

Waiting, waiting...

Patience, not one of my strong suits. Although after 5 years of infertility you would think I would "get it". Well, I am sure my patience has improved since then. And now I've been given another opportunity to develop this virtue.

I've read the book by Stormie Omartian, Just Enough Light for the Step I'm On, probably 4 times in my life. And, just recently, I picked it up again.





Chapter 12 is titled, "Waiting in the Wings". It was so good I had to read it to my dear husband when we went to bed last night. (Which, by the way, he loves it when I do that.) Well, anyway, he felt that I should blog about it. It was THAT good. Hopefully you will get as much from this as we did.

A little back story... Trey was abused in December, and it is now August. Things initially went along quickly and then it seems we came to a stand still. The trial is now set for October! It seemed everything was working against us and we got soo frustrated. I have often called out to God asking not just "why" did this happen to Trey, but "why" is it taking so long to come to completion. It's like torture!! Well, last night we gained some perspective...



Excerpts from the book...

"I've found it's best to view these waiting times by thinking of them as times of waiting on the Lord. Try it. You'll see. It's much easier to think about waiting on God than it is to be patient with your circumstances. Waiting on the Lord gives you the sense that something is going on - only you just can't see it. You are waiting in eager anticipation of what God is going to do next."

WOW!! What perspective! It was like my eyes were opened - I'm waiting on God, nobody else.


Here's more:

"You are always going somewhere in God's plan. And His purpose for you is constantly being realized. But you have to be patient and wait for Him to accomplish it His way and in His time."

Praise God, He is in control! Why do I have to try to control everything? I am not just sitting here in neutral like I've felt I was.


And more:

"If you ever feel like you are just going through the motions in your own life, don't let yourself become frustrated over it. (Is she talking to me??) Know that God's mercies to you are new every morning and as a result, God freshly hears your words spoken to Him as well... Even though you may not see results as soon as you would like, much is happening in the spirit realm that you don't see. Each prayer sets something in motion."

"Patience is not resignation. It's joyful anticipation of the glory that is before you... As you wait for the next scene of your life to begin, center yourself in the Lord, tell Him you are content to wait for His perfect timing, and ask Him to keep you from stumbling into any bad lighting."

A few scripture references:
Isaiah 40:31
Psalm 130:5-6
James 1:2-4 (Struggle with that one)
Lamentations 3:25-26
Psalm 27:14.

Can anyone relate?

Tattoos

I've never really been fond of tattoos. You know, the typical skull & crossbones or butterfly. No real meaning behind them. I've always felt like you stood out more if you DIDN'T have a tattoo. My husband wanted one early in our marriage and I was really against it. I don't know if it was just how I was raised, or just to go against him. :) Hey, I was 19 at the time!

Anyway, I recently had the urge to get a tattoo. I didn't know what I was going to get, but I knew it would have to do with Trey.

So I did a little research and came up with this...

I want to become a part of child abuse prevention...the blue ribbon.

I found a slogan that states Reach Out Against Child Abuse...the hand.

I know that my Trey was and is in God's hand...Trey's name and the hand.

Honestly, I love my tattoo. I got it for me, not anyone else. It's a little therapeutic. It's subtle, it doesn't require detailed explanation. If I want you to know what it means, I can tell you. If I don't, it just represents Trey & I.

Isaiah 49:15-16

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Jesus loves me this I know. For the Bible tells me so. He will not forget me or you!

Friends Are Friends Forever??

According to Michael W. Smith, this is true, "if the Lord's the Lord of them". I've always thought, "wow, forever??". You see, I am a PK. Yep, the dreaded preacher's kid. (Love ya Dad!) No, really. It's something that I have always loved. However, being as such, we were never in one place for a long time for me to establish long-term friendships.

You hear people say, "oh Suzie and I have been friends since kindergarten". Not me... My sister and I are best friends because whenever we moved, we both moved. A built-in best friend! I love her for it and believe that's why we are as close as we are today. I wouldn't change it for the world!

Frank & I have been married for 11 years now and within the first year or so of our marriage we met a newly married couple at church. We've had great times together. Hanging out late at night, going to each other with the normal "newlywed" stuff, having children, being there for each other during hard times, etc. I saw us going to their kids graduations, weddings, being empty nesters together, etc. Did we have our disagreements?...oh yea, but seriously saw ourselves in the "forever friends" category. This was my longest lasting friend - EVER, with the exception of my hubby, and sister, of course.

Well, due to certain circumstances, this friendship has all but disintegrated. The circumstances are UGLY, let me tell you. It has to do with the abuse my son suffered. Terrible, terrible circumstances. No, they had nothing to do with it.

But, due to differing opinions/beliefs, this friendship is probably over. I can't believe I just typed those words. We have gone through so much with the abuse, that in itself is horrible. But, then to lose someone so close to you, someone you would normally depend on during this time, is another loss I am mourning. I have prayed and prayed, asking my God why this is happening. I have always held out hope that somewhere, sometime, that the truth would be revealed and that Michael W. Smith was RIGHT!!

However, it's been seven months and here I sit. Believing that I have to...let go. Ugh.

People have said to me, "why would you want to be friends with her now?" and "why are you still worrying about that?". A ten year friendship, gone in a flash.

But, I guess although friends are friends forever, it's not JUST because the Lord's the Lord of them. There is also free-will. Free will to choose to believe one thing or another. Free will. Free will to make a decision without knowing all of the facts. Free will. It hurts, man, does it hurt. But it's out of my hands. I put it in His hands, praying that He will reign in this situation. After all, HE is the Lord.