There will be blood....

My joy knows no bounds. It is almost Girl Scout Cookie season. This is a special holiday at our house and helps us get through the February doldrums fat and happy. As it should be. (That's what I tell people)

Happiness is also at an all time high around here because Josiah is home. Yes, the Puppet Master is back and directing everyone around him. It is a beautiful thing.
He and Amy decided to move into an apartment together.
Wow.
Yes, I am aware that he used to shove her into the dryer and threaten to turn it on.
I remember how he would chase her with a laundry basket, cover her with it and not let her up until she began to scream. *see below.
I know. She used to tattle on him for.Every.Single.Thing.He.Ever.Did.
True, it probably saved her life on occasion. But still.
And Amy has this screech like a pterodactyl calling it's young to feed that she lets loose for no real reason a few times a day. We are so proud.
When they said they were going to get a place together and I had finished laughing,the seething fear set in. I could hear a calm voice, my voice apparently, saying," Great idea. Go for it." Encouraging words. Words of false hope. Outside I am a picture of cheerful optimism. Inside I am quickly and efficiently donning my flak jacket, night goggles and helmet. Because, truth be told, there will be blood.

For though my memory is getting spotty, I do remember my two children, sworn mortal enemies screaming at each other as they fought to the death over a box of Fruity Pebbles.
So the headlines I imagine follow this vein: "Suspicious deaths being investigated. Woman found stuffed in dryer. Man apparently pecked to death by giant bird."

Over the weekend I helped the kids begin moving into their new place. Let me tell you, Amy and I had a blast carrying heavy boxes across deep snow covered with a slickery layer of ice. Good times. Rod can't help because he still has Bubonic Plague the flu rendering him next to useless on Moving Day. It doesn't count that we could hear him coughing up a lung in encouragement as we trudged back and forth from house to car with our heavy loads. The special Moving Day cupcakes I made helped significantly. Red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Decadent. Festive. You can thank me later.

As we hefted the boxes up the flight of stairs to the new place, I noticed the nice neighbors, smiling benignly at us. Someone should warn them what was coming. "I'm sorry," I say with a meaningful stare at an elderly man as I accidentally bumped into him with an extra large box. I willed him with my eyes to understand the code(which meant "Run as though Alien AND Predator were chasing you down! And you are on fire!") I was trying to convey, but he just chuckled and continued down the sidewalk. I obviously have to work on my silent communication skillz.
So I was completely unprepared for my sense of wonder and joy, (yes joy!) I felt when I brought up Amy's boxes of shoes (how many shoes can a girl have? Please, don't look in my closet. Besides, we were moving HER shoes, not mine) and assorted towels and bathroom items.
There was Josiah arranging his things in his room. They showed me around their small, yet spacious, place with obvious pride. I loved it. Especially the eating area with two big windows to let in the afternoon light. Oh, and the 50 inch plasma television. My word.
Their rooms are kitty corner to each other, just like when they were little kids. I started to get a warm glow in my heart.
Later that night I came by with some kitchen supplies and Nyquil for Josiah, who wasn't feeling great. There were a few friends over visiting the new place and commenting on the size of the deck and what household items were still needed. Josiah invited me to stay as he was having our favorite pizza delivered. Everything was low key and relaxed. I felt welcome and at home because this was Josiah and Amy's apartment, and they are my kids, and we all love each other. I needed to leave quickly before the weird cry/laugh thing that I have mastered began. But it was all so GOOD. I could heave a huge sigh of relief that peace will reign.
I came home to see sickie Rod and make him a nice healthy dinner. We ate, then watched a western. It was fabulous. I could lock the door because I wasn't listening for anyone to come home late. I knew where both the kids were and we could R-E-L-A-X.
Then the phone rang. It was Amy in full pterodactyl mode, thanking us (sarcastically) for getting Josiah Rock Band for Christmas and concerned(read: scared out of her mind) that they would get evicted on their second night there. She asked us to talk to him. I could hear Josiah in the background "singing" loudly as his friend Joey helpfully played the drums. At their new apartment. Next to their new neighbors.
I thought about it. Then I rolled over and went to sleep. By the way, I haven't read the headline this morning. Is there anything that I should be aware of?

Keeping on the Safely Home theme....

Look who is joining in the exciting world of Blog Give-aways! You can go here to join in the fun and enter to win Randy Alcorn's novel (yes, signed by the author because, well, he IS the author).
Bless Randy's generous heart, he is giving away THREE of his novels, Safely Home. It will touch you in a way that few books have before and I promise you will shed tears of both heart ache and joy before you are finished reading it.
Don't stay here reading....Go...Go...GO and sign up to win your copy of this best selling, award winning book.
Now I'm going back to trying to fix my scanner which has decided it does not want to work anymore.

Wordless Wednesday: He's Home

Not the best photos, I know. But it makes no difference to us. Because look. He's home. Enough said.

For more Wordless Wednessday go here to Wendy's blog. Or, if you want to be truly overwhelmed go here, to the Wordless Wednesday headquarters.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming.....

Thanksgiving. Christmas. New Years. Family birthdays. Even Groundhog's Day and Superbowl Sunday. (Yay Giants!) All the cold weather holidays gone by the wayside.

Remember the joy and excitement of the first snow of the year? The second? The third? Etc.?

Let me tell you, my friend, the joy is gone. The sparkle has dimmed from my eyes, probably due to the retinas being burned off because of the glare of snow on everything within sight.

Last night, on our way home from our the Superbowl party (again, Yay Giants!) Rod and I discussed our currant lack of enthusiasm for the ice on the roads, the sleet being deposited from the sky and the general, all-around cold weather.

That brought us directly to discussing our trip to Tahiti last year.

" Remember our over the water bungalow, and waking up and leaping right into the warm turquoise water?"

Then we looked outside again....Boy, does the truth hurt.

Rod reminded me that one of our favorite parts of our trip was slowly drifting into the bay at Huahine at sunrise and watching the spectacular scenery as we slid silently by. Amazing.Then we thought about how you have to climb UP to get out our back door because of all the snow that we used to be so tickled about. Now we're just ticked.

That is a touchy subject, so we closed our eyes (well, I did. Rod was driving) and imagined I was back on the private balcony of my stateroom, eating my breakfast and sipping my coffee as South Pacific Islands floated lazily by....

I know. Ridiculous, isn't it? But the scenery outside the window brought us rudely back to reality and this: (by the way, that is MY CAR under the snow in the left of the picture, so I'm not going anywhere soon. No Strarbucks this week. And we've had MORE SNOW since I took this picture.)

This is enough to drive a body to drink. Like in this picture taken in the sunny climes of French Polynesia after the best drift snorkel EVER:

Have you ever seen such goofy, happy faces?

But, no. The grim reality is that we have lots of snow, Josiah STILL can't come home because of it (not just here, but in Utah) and the dogs have to walk on a trail with snowbanks to get outside. (That kinda makes me chuckle, but they miss playing outside)

So, as thankful and happy to see the snow as we were, we obviously are a complaining and whining family. I am reminded of the Hebrew people in Exodus as God was leading them out of Egypt. Nothing was ever good enough for them. I always said I would never become so ungrateful and bitter......But they didn't have all this SNOW! (just kidding)

"Heaven" Package Give-Away!!

Congratulations and Happy Birthday (who knew??) to Susan over at Not THAT Girl....THIS Girl blog. Yay Susan !! Drop me a note and give me your logistics. Hope you enjoy these books.
Thanks everyone for playing and I will do another giveaway in the near future, so check back sometimes.

***PLEASE remember to leave me your email address if you don't have a blog, so I have a way to reach you if you win!!!!****

There is a huge Blogger Give-away Carnival going on and I'm a part of it. Go here to check out all the fun things you can enter to win.


This is pretty darn fun. I love to give things away. Especially cool things that you should all have, like these books on Heaven by Randy Alcorn.

First we have the ginormous book titled "Heaven". Everything you ever wanted to know and didn't think to ask. It's all in there. The best book on Heaven ever written. But don't take my word for it, ask Rick Warren, or maybe Joni Earekson Tada.

And it's signed by the author. Because he happens to be my good friend. :-)

(If you would like to read more about why he and his wife Nanci are my friends and always will be, you can click here.)

But, wait, there's more!

You will also receive "Heaven for Kids" (Answers kids will understand-based on the best-selling book for adults.)

But, wait, there's even more!

You will also receive "50 Days of Heaven" (reflections that bring eternity to light.)

And did I mention...they're signed by the author.

Cool, huh? And they are each brand, spanking new!

Perfect for gift giving or doing in-depth studies on where we will be spending eternity.

Just leave me a comment and I will draw a name on Friday morning(2/1/08). Make sure you leave me an email address to contact you, if you don't have a blog. Also,as shipping is provided by me, I'll be shipping to the States only.

If this works out, I'll do another give-away in the not too distant future of Randy's three or four novels. Check back occasionally. Should be fun!

Sign up and good luck to you!!

The Pleasures of God

Today is just one of those days when my gratefulness to God is on a whole new level. Like the highest level before your head spins around and you explode from trying to hold in all your feelings of love and thankfulness to our Father. I know that doesn't sound very pretty, but frankly, I can't always stop the flood of emotions that accompany said thankfulness.

Take this day for example. A freezing cold, snowy clear picture perfect day in ZigZag. Riding the quad with the dogs in the morning is exquisite. The quad has to fight to get over some frozen snow drifts and the frosty air burns my throat. The clear blue of the sky meets the pristine white of the snow and the beauty makes my eyes tear up with joy. I will literally talk to the Lord out loud (not sure if he can hear me over the Polaris's engine, though) and invite him to come with me around our loop. We watch the dogs chase each other and notice deer,rabbit and occasionally bear footprints in the deep snow as we ride.

Just about now, I know some of you are are wishing you lived here,too.

Others are wondering what kind of drug I am on, and if I'll soon be examining my own hand with wonder, awe and a spacey look in my eyes.

No. I'm not and I won't. I'm seriously just so thankful to the Lord for placing us here and letting me experience his stunning creation at this mountain. I know it may only last for a season, and I am thankful for this time.

I'm starting to read John Piper's "The Pleasures of God". To be honest, I'm still struggling though the introduction and forward. I'm not kidding. But there is some good stuff in there.

Anyway, one thing he said is "One way to mediate on the excellency of God is to meditate on his pleasures. One way to see the glory of God is to see his joy." If that is true, and I believe it is, then I know that God takes great pleasure in his creation up here at the mountain, and in me taking great pleasure in it as well. So, he can go on quad rides with me around the loop any time he wants. It's all good.

Also, I have so enjoyed my family this week. Not only is Josiah back home in the states, but Rod turned 50!

I dearly love every gray hair on his old, decrepit head. Not the ones in his ears....or the curly long mutant ones that keep growing out of his eyebrows, though.

Oh, I kid.

Rod is my very best friend whom I choose to spend time with before anyone else. I love him more now than when I married him. He keeps me laughing.

Amy and I took him to his favorite restaurant for dinner where we all had brussel sprouts for an appetizer (I'm not kidding.) and salmon for dinner. We had such a good time together; it was just the perfect evening.

Except for that glitch when Rod described the smell of our curried lentil soup like something in a cow barn. And Amy kept guessing things like , "Hay? Is it like hay? How about udder? Is it like cow udder?" At that point I was looking for a way out the nearest window.

That part of dinner; not so fun. But the rest was perfect. Really.

Gluttony and Sloth

How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? Proverbs 6:9

and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Proverbs 23:2

Two things come to mind here:

1) Things aren't looking good for me.

2) This is exactly why more people don't read the bible.

But these two deadly sins perfectly describe my living conditions lately. Well, add foot ball (Go Packers!! WooHoo!!!!) And politics. (Go Huckabee! Maybe McCain! Woo!) Oh and quads and bullies and snow. And DeerHunter 05. Trust me. You'd have to be there.

But seriously, I have been a hibernating, slothful, donut-eating, coffee-guzzling, football and debate watching,video game playing gluttonous sluggard.

I am hideous. Look away.

BUT....the Lord's mercies are indeed new every morning and today is a new day. I can change my slothful ways and begin eating better again.

My prayer life and bible study times have also suffered during my hibernation. Isn't it funny how everything seems to go out the window at the same time?

Growing up Catholic has made me sometimes chafe under legalistic restraints. That's fine, except that I'll misconstrue some things as legalistic and not do them out of rebelliousness. Like praying before meals. It held no importance as a child to repeat words before eating; more like a meaningless ritual. So as a believing adult, most times I still don't pray before meals. (Gosh, I've grown so much. I'm impressed.)

Sometimes I don't want to follow a reading plan for the bible because it will hold me back from being spontaneous and letting the Holy Spirit move. (Again, I'm astonished at my growth.) I was reading some of my regular blogs and Jess had this .Well worth reading. Thank you, Jess. I got out the One-a-Day and a new journal this morning. I appreciate what you learned and shared.

AND.........

I was woken up out of a deep sleep at 5 AM this morning to hear Josiah tell me that he made it to Baltimore! Hurray! He is in the USA! He was getting ready to take his first hot shower in months and then go to breakfast and then to a mall. Good thing he has his priorities straight.

Thank you to all to you who have prayed for his safety. He will be home in a few weeks after a debriefing period. One more "Thank you God" and "Hurray!"

Snow Days

I seriously love me some snow days. Give me snow over rain any day (maybe not in May or June) and I will do a celebratory dance. A pile of books, some coffee interspersed with hot chocolate, Rod and I out riding quads through the cold drifts is the description of a perfect day to me.

But right now there is a snow storm socking in Afghanistan which means Josiah's plane cannot take off. This means he is waiting, bag packed and nothing to do while he dreams of home.

His girlfriend Ashley has kept in contact and we ask each other daily if we've heard any news. Nothing yet. Still waiting.

Here is Ashley and Josiah before he was deployed. Don't you want to say, "awwwww." I know, me too.

So, we'll wait and pray for safety and patience. Thank you Lord for watching over all of us, for holding us when we cry and joining us when we laugh. Please take care of Josiah and bring him home safely. Watch over and comfort Ashley as she waits for Josiah's arrival. Thank you for her positive presence in his life.Thank you for being our Abba. I love you Lord Jesus.

Good Morning 2008

Today, Rod and I are going for another Bomb-voy. Scary sounding, isn't it?

But no, it is perfectly innocent fun. We gather with other diesel truck enthusiasts and hit the road as a convoy for a few hours, then stop for a good meal together.Last time we traveled to Mt. St. Helen's. You can see pictures here . We really enjoy spending time with these good people.

Something that hit me hard yesterday happened during an instant message conversation with Josiah, my son. (He is currently serving in the Air Force, stationed in Afghanistan.

Josiah mentioned that it was now the new year where he was and I asked, "How is 2008, so far?"

Josiah said, "It's dark." Then, "There is bombing going on."

Well.

Not quite the New Year's celebration most of us think about having, is it?

Here I am, a mom, sitting comfortably in my office and talking to my son halfway around the world,huddled in a dark hut, in a war zone. (Okay, maybe he wasn't actually huddling. But that is what I picture. And it makes my mascara start running, I can tell you that.)

It is dark at the Forward Operating Base where he is because they have a "black-out conditions" policy after dark.

The bombing is in response to the mortars being launched and it is close enough to Josiah for his hut and the ground to shake. Although it does not go on every single day, it is often enough that it does not worry Josiah anymore, like it did when he first arrived there. "You get used to it." he typed yesterday.

That's something any mom would enjoy hearing. Her son is not scared of the bombing anymore.

In the midst of this I am filled with gratitude to God for our technology which allows this conversation between a son and his Mom on New Year's Eve.

I am thankful for these men and women who are serving their country in these conditions while we have our celebrations and parties.

I am thankful that Josiah is coming back to the United States within a few weeks. He has been away for four years, and deployed during most holidays. I am ready to have a celebration where we don't have to talk on the phone.

I pray for Josiah and his friends' safety and return home. Sometimes those prays can only consist of "Please God, please God, please God, please God...." But I know that he totally understands my pleas. He loves Josiah more than even his blogging mother can fathom and He directs our steps and has dominion over the universe and everything in it.

Then my prayers turn to "Thank you God, thank you God, thank you God, Thank you God...."

Happy New Year to all of you. "May the Lord of peace himself give you his peace, at all times and in all situations. The Lord be with all of you."

2Thess.3:16