I've been in the process of writing this post for the past three weeks! Life has been a little crazy!
The Good:
My parents left for North Carolina last Wednesday, January 13, and my dad flew out on Friday for the missions trip to Haiti. While it hasn't been very warm in North Carolina, it's been warmer than here in Wisconsin! We've had some sub-zero temperatures, which apparently my children haven't noticed! They bundle up more and they don't stay outside as long, but they've definitely been enjoying the winter activities. We went ice skating on the little pond at the end of the road last week. Since Garett is now wearing my hockey skates, I had to find a different pair in the box...seriously, when did he get so big?! I ended up wearing a pair of figure skates instead of hockey skates. Wow! Those skates were dangerous! I've been skating since I was about eight, but I've almost always wore hockey skates. The figure skates have the toe pick on the front, and I took several spills on the ice. I was reminded that I'm 32 and not 16 anymore! However, we did have a really good time and the boys are looking for the next opportunist to ice skate.
Roger and I were able to get away for an overnight this past weekend. I set it up for a surprise for Roger, and it was a lot of fun. One of our dear friends from Alaska had sent us a Christmas card with a gift of money. This was the perfect opportunity to use that gift, and it created lasting special memories. One of my friends, Gretchen, took all the boys. And my friend, Jenna, took Emma for the night. I can't remember the last time we were able to get away by ourselves without a specific list of things we needed to do. It was fabulous! We stayed in a hotel in Brookfield, WI, and met up with our friends, the Longsines, for coffee the next morning. We visited and talked, and Roger and I enjoyed every moment of our little vacation. Since we don't know when the next time will be, it will be nice to have such a fun memory to look back on. The only down side of the weekend is that Roger ended up sick. He'd been fighting a cold for a while, but by Saturday night, he was pretty congested.
Roger stayed home from church on Sunday, and I took the kids for church services. It was cold on Sunday at about -15, and it reminded me of many cold Alaskan mornings. We ended up staying home from church on Sunday night as I wasn't feeling that well either. It was an early bedtime for everyone in this family.
Today, Tuesday, January 19, was an interesting day for us. The phone rang about 9:30, while the kids were doing math class. I don't answer the phone at my parents house and just let it go to the voicemail. However, it was the activities director from the nursing home wondering if my dad was going to be doing the nursing home service at 10:50! I called my mom to find out if dad had made other arrangements; and it was discovered that in the business of the trip preparations, he had forgotten. I told the kids to go brush their teeth and get ready to go to the nursing home service. I called the activities director back and told her that we would come and sing some songs to the elderly folks. After talking with Chandler and Garett, we decided that I would play the piano, Chandler would lead the songs, and Garett would preach. I told Garett to pick out a passage from the Bible and he could read it to them. Chandler did a great job of welcoming the folks, calling out the song numbers, and praying for the service. The boys all sang "Jesus Loves Me", and Garett read Psalm one to them. Garett did a very good job reading the passage, praying, and saying a few words...and I do mean a few! I was very, very proud of their willingness to help out and participate in the service. I had my hands full at the piano with singing, playing, and supervising Emma! However, it was a good opportunity for my children to serve, and I was certainly blessed by the service. Afterwards, I treated them to lunch at McDonalds since they did such a good job helping me. The nursing home service created a little bit of a chaotic school day, and we have a little extra reading to do tomorrow, but it's all good. I'm thankful that we had the opportunity to serve the Grandpa's and Grandma's in the nursing home, and they seemed very glad to see all the children.
Update: Last week went by so quickly that I didn't even get a post up on the blog. Between schooling, parenting, housekeeping, and fellowshipping with different families and moms, it's been a busy week!
Chandler celebrated his eighth birthday on Tuesday, January 26. Wow! He's growing and changing, and it's happening so quickly! He asked if he could go snowboarding for his birthday instead of having a birthday present. We looked into the cost of a snowboarding ticket and a snowboard rental, and we were amazed at how expensive it was going to be for just Roger and Chandler to go snowboarding. We did a lot of thinking and researching, and eventually we decided to look into the cost of buying a used snow board and boots. God provided Chandler with boots and a snowboard for his birthday! Roger took him to the local sledding hill, and Chandler took to it like a duck takes to water. First time down the hill, and Chandler made it all the way down without falling over! Craziness! He is thrilled to have his own equipment, as he is looking forward to going with Uncle Josh and Aunt Hannah once we move to Maine. I'm thrilled that the boots and board will have three other children to get to use out of it, so we will completely get our money's worth. :)
The Schilders graciously invited us to use their home for Chandler's Birthday dinner and cake celebration. It was closer for all the friends from church and a lot more space. We had a great time of fellowship with several families. I think there were 17 kids there plus all the parents. Chandler asked for tacos and rice for his birthdays supper. He picked out an ice cream cake instead of regular cake as he doesn't care for cake. It was a good time, albeit a bit of craziness!
I was also involved in a baby shower for a dear friend of mine, Katie. I was asked to plan the games, and I enjoyed that. It's fun to try out new ideas for games, the only down side is that you don't know exactly how well the game will actually go over...but I think it was fun. :)
The bad:
I say the "bad", but it's not really bad. It's just a hard spot in our lives. I feel like we are preparing for change, looking for change, embracing change that is coming, and it's just not happening! God's timing is always, always perfect, but sometimes it's difficult to see the rainbow through the clouds. If one more person asks me, "You guys are still here? I thought you were moving?", I think I might lose my mind!!
This waiting on God has been much harder this time than when Roger was in school in Florida. When Roger was in school, we had no idea where that first job was going to be. However, we had our own home, I was able to be involved in our church, and life was as normal as it could be. Yes, our income was unstable, but God always provided. Now I feel like my life is a bit of a muddle in a funnel, and while we have income this time, nothing else is the same. Honestly, it's a hard transition for me, and I have long discussions with God on many things. I can recognize the fact that I'm struggling with depression, but for now this is just something I'm muddling through. It can't be fixed, it's teaching me to wait again in God, to trust Him completely, and leave it all in His hands all of which are challenging for me!
Roger is the perfect spouse for me in this adventure as He patiently listens to me. It's not all roses for him either, as his passion and talent lie in pursuing a career in aviation. Does God have a plan in allowing these delays, challenges, and trials? I choose to believe that He does, and that He knows all about our emotions and feelings; yet He still loves us.
I have many more thoughts bottled up inside of me, but for now, that's where it will stay. God knows...
Happy Monday!
