Ok, Mamaw!

As I was talking to Mamaw, my grandmother, last night, I promised her I would not quit journaling. Since I lose any journals I actually write in, this has been my attempt at journaling. I have gotten so bad at taking the time to do it, so it is my goal to do it at least twice a week. In 20 years, I will be so glad I did it! To just track what life has been like for me, I am happy...genuinely, truly happy. My kids make me smile more than ever before. They play together so well. Brooks is my alpha, is bossy and wound tight, but he is SOOOOO MUCH FUN!! Everyone wants to be around him. Abbie is my gentle soul. She is compassionate, perceptive, and very calming. Though she does not have to be in charge and lets Brooks make a lot of the decisions, when she does not want to do something, she just doesn't. No fighting, kicking, screaming, just does not do it. They are a great match. She has taught Brooks how to exhibit compassion, and Brooks has taught her boldness.

As far as school goes, she is right where she needs to be. In the south, she received 60 minutes total of combined therapies- 2- 20 min speech sessions and 1- 20 min. Here in NY, she receives 300 minutes. YES!!! That is right - 300 minutes!!! 4-30 min private speech and 1-30 minute group speech, 3- 30 minute OT, and 2- 30 min PT. Unbelievable!! Her speech therapist is amazing. Abbie is developing and catching up. She still has a long way to go, but she is getting there. The speech therapist thinks Abbie's auditory processing disorder and ADD is foundational in her delay. She is relaying foundations that were laid incorrectly. Abbie's fine motor control and gross motor skills are improving as well. She can write an A on her own with no instruction, and it looks flawless!! Those of you with "typical" kids have no idea why that is huge, but it is!!! Her ADD meds have had a great impact on her performance. I am starting the process of looking for a neurologist up here. Please pray for success in finding one who is compassionate, patient, a good listener, and very learned!
Brooks loves to learn. He does Abbie's homework right with her. His obsession is cars, cars, cars, and trains! He is very into Barney. We are starting potty training after Christmas. He uses the potty on his own a lot, but he has never been required to, if that makes sense. Strong-willed does not even do his will justice. He has more of an iron clad will, so it should be interesting.
We have a terrific babysitter up here. Well, we have a couple, but I have one girl who watches them more than other. The kids ask if we can go out, so she can babysit. She adores my kids, so it makes us happy!
We were stuck on the side of the road on Sunday when thick sheets of ice covered the roads. Some people were stuck for three and four hours, so we were blessed with just one hour of delay. It was quite frightening. One woman was killed on the road where we were stuck. New Yorkers have said it was the worst experience they have ever had of ice/snow. I was somewhat relieved, because it means it probably won't happen again. I am making Emergency kits for our cars this week, in case something does happen again.

Moving through Thanksgiving

Well the Ledfords and Thanksgiving have both come and gone. Abbie got sick on Tuesday, so I was very anxious about our Thanksgiving plans. Our friends got in town at about midnight Wednesday night/Thursday morning. We crashed and then woke up early on Thanksgiving Day. Like the wonderful mother I was, I pumped Motrin into Abbie to bring her fever down and hit the city with our family and the Ledfords. For those that "dream" of coming to the parade in NYC, you see much better on tv. Despite the crowd and lack of view, our kids seemed to really enjoy it and be "along for the ride." We hit FAO Schwartz after watching the parade for about an hour or two. We had lunch, did a lot of walking, and then headed home while the Ledfords stayed a little longer. I am amazed at how well Abbie did and does every time in the city. She never tires out, even with 101 degree fever. She has been begging me to take her to Mamma Mia, so I may make a day out of that after Christmas.
Friday was when we were going to celebrate Thanksgiving.It was play day for Rick and Larry, while Leigh and I cooked...for SIX HOURS!!! To those out there who love cooking, this may sound fun, but to my "I would rather be socializing" self, this was not my idea of a perfect day. After dinner and dessert, Leigh and I hit Starbucks and stayed til midnight. That is my idea of a good time(:
Abbie is still sick...poor girl. We decorated the tree and house for Christmas, but I will talk about that in my next post after I download the pics.

Fall Fun in the City

Busy and fun times here in New York! We have been keeping very busy here. For Halloween, we had some friends form church over. Thanks to the help of two of my new friends, the party went very well. We decorated cookies, played games, and bobbed for donuts(more sanitary and softer than apples).



This pic is of one of our babysitters. She is AMAZING!!! The kids adore her!


We also had a great time watching Abbie perform at school. They did the Monster Mash! Then we had a little party in the classroom.






I had a friend come visit me a couple of weeks ago. Actually, she is one of my oldest and dearest friends who I have not seen in over 2 years. I would post pics of us, but I have promised to not post anything without her approval. Only for Jen! We went to see South Pacific, went shopping and got makeovers at Bergdorff Goodman (sp?), went to Madame Tussaud's and had fun with the wax figures!!


The next weekend was back to the city for The Rockettes! Since we live so close to NYC, we just hopped on the train that dropped us off at Grand Central Station. Brooks loved the train, and Abbie loved the Rockettes!




Afterwards, we went to Mars 2112, which is an outer space themed restaurant. When you get there, they give you a ticket, and you get in an elevator and go on a rocket ship ride up to "outer space." When you step off the ride, you are in a fully decorated restaurant that looks like outer space. There were a lot of parties going on, and balloons were everywhere. Brooks was not so happy that he did not get one. Fortunately, we had an amazing waiter who brought my kids balloons!


The boys were exhausted on the way home, but the girls were full of sunshine!




This next week will be exciting. Another one of my best friends is coming in with her family on Wednesday at 11 pm and is spending Thanksgiving with us!! I can hardly wait! We are taking the kids to the Macy's Day Parade on Thursday and are going to do the whole Thanksgiving dinner on Friday. I don't care what we do, as long as it includes the Ledfords.

Dress up, Clean Up, Plan Up, and Heal Up!

OH HAPPY DAYYYYYYYS!!! That would be the theme of my life! I cannot tell you how freeing and amazing it has been to live up here. Despite the liberalism and major life adjustments, there is a sense of peace that has been developing within my soul. So many times as a pastor's wife, I feel undue pressure on me as to where to go, what to do, what to say, who to be....and so on. After a really bad nightmare of an experience, I did not think I would ever enjoy ministry. This church has been so refreshing. There are NO NO NO expectations of me except to love my family. Every church says that, but this church actually meant it. Funny thing is, I find myself wanting to do more than I have before.You see, when I feel pressured or forced to do something, I withdraw, shut down, check out, etc. Because there is none of that here, I am just me. I am getting to find my "ministry me" again. It is fun, fulfilling, satisfying, blessed! I am teaching yoga twice a week at the church, have participated in the choir/worship team, have lunch with people in the church from my own choice, and I get to actually make friends. I do not have to dance around to show the major tithers that they matter more. I never ever ever would have thought that I would find freedom in ministry up north. So much is taken for granted in our southern mindset and faith. Things are different here. Now don't get me wrong, I need your prayers, because satan is very very active up here. I just feel freer than I have in a long time!

Abbie still does not like school, but she is adjusting. The special ed staff is very very on top of things here. We have our ARD in a couples of weeks, but for once I do not feel like I am fighting to have them hear my concerns - they see them! Her school has so many functions and activities. The other night, we had a Harvest Festival. We were the only ones dressed up. I did not even notice that until my sweet husband pointed out how dorky we looked. I am sorry, I figured if there was a pumpkin carving contest, Halloween games, snacks, and crafts, then it would include costumes! Anyhow, here are some pics from that night.
Abbie was a cheetah!




Brooks was a fireman


This last picture is from a themed diner we ate at before the party. They served the kids in little make-shift cars. Brooks was so excited!


This past Sunday, I was able to be on the worship team. I have not done that since high school. It was an awesome weekend. The Spirit really was moving. I teach in the morning for the first time at the YMCA in the morning. There is no microphone in the room I will be in, so I am a bit anxious. My accent and their disdain for step also puts some butterflies in the tummy. Other than that, I am excited! This is a very busy week - from work to a fundraiser ball, to having the church Pumpkin party at our house. Mix that with a broken washing machine, still unpacking, and some other commitments, and I am definitely going on no-stop adrenaline! Next week, one of my best friends in the whole wide world, comes to see me! COUNT DOWNNNNNNN!!!!!

Oh, I almost forgot, here is a picture of our church sanctuary. The church is made up of multiple buildings, with the sanctuary being on its own. It is beautiful!

a dash

Just a quick post to let you know we just bought a new computer, so I am back! We have houseguests this weekend, so that is about all I have time to write. I just wanted to let everyone know I am back. I look forward to catching up on everyone's blogs!

The start of Kim's wedding week!

I enjoy coming to my hometown, Germantown, especially when I have the time and freedom to see close friends. Brooks and I arrived on Tuesday night. It was actually the afternoon, but after my luggage did not arrive, we were delayed an hour and a half trying to sort things out. Someone mistook my suitcase for his/hers, and they left with all of our clothes for the wedding. Yikes! As I stressed and prayed, I was given a $50 limit from Delta to go shopping. They said if I spent it before they brought my luggage, they would still reimburse my receipts. I headed to one of my faves - Target! They did, in fact, find my suitcase this afternoon, and I got my clothes and my $50 worth of purchases. Thank you Jesus! I am sensing God is trying to teach me to chill out. I stress so much with the unknown or unresolved, and most times for no reason. I trust in God fully, but trusting is harder than trusting IN.
I had dinner at my favorite sushi place tonight. Before you barf, I only eat cooked sushi. I so do not find raw fish remotely appealing. I had the MiMi roll....YUMMY!!! One of my best friends met me there for some food and fun. Tomorrow will be time with grandparents, hopefully with one of my bffs, Nora, and then to pick up Rick and Abs from airport. I am teaching 2 classes in the morning, back-to-back. I hope I can walk on Friday. I do have a fun yet classy little black dress to wear.
Friday morning is a bridesmaids' brunch, mani/pedi bonding, rehearsal and dinner, and then Kimmie gets married on Saturday!
Now off the get my boy dressed for bed and then sack out myself. 'Night!

An Update

Hello blog world! it has been awhile. Our computer breathed its last breath about a week and a half ago, and blogging is not so easy on my cel phone. I am borrowing a friend's computer so I can get my fix. Let's see. I am not even remembering my last posts, so forgive me if I repeat. I GOT A JOB! My first interview was at a movie star/politician place. I had no clue how uppity it would be at the time. I had just seen they had a lot of fitness classes. I like people that like others as much as themselves. I am not a "stare at yourself in the mirror" and "think wonderful thoughts about you and only you" kind of gal. I, of course, expressed my disinterest in a very PC way, but the result was NO WAY! After being so turned off, I had my next interview at the Y. Ah, the Y. YMCAs are never known for their awesome facilities or super great pay. They are known, however, for their down-to-earth members and more family friendly feel. Since I feel like I am in another country much of the time up here, I opted for a place that was a little more like home. I was offered a job on the spot and took it! I am going to be training at both YMCAs in Connecticut (only about 15 miles from house), and I will be subbing as well. The coordinator was sweet and genuine, which is worth more than major bucks. The yoga classes pay $50/hr, so I do hope I will be called to sub a couple of those! (: I am also starting a power yoga class at church twice a week. That will give me an outlet as well.
Abbie does not like school AT ALL. She finds being told what to do very frustrating. She also does not see the fun in drawing lines and writing letters. Music and lunchtime are her faves. So far, the teachers seem to be pretty discerning and observant. The north is quite different from the south, and I do not see a lot of hugging and affection from the teachers, but they are good people all the same.
I am teaching high school Sunday School, which is a change for me. I always try to find the greatest need and plug in, which here is youth group. There is so much worldliness up here that their view of holiness and sin is quite different. That is an adjustment to me, to not be on the same page with what is right or wrong. Even when teens do not follow their views, most Christians in the south agree on what is right and wrong.
The other night,I was served water, or so I thought, took a big gulp, and almost spewed. Someone had brought me alcohol. Now to those who drink an occasional glass, not offense. It is just I have had one accidental taste in my ENTIRE LIFE! The taste is none to appealing to me. It was dark outside, and I was really thirsty, so it was no tiny sip. I gulped and then was quite shocked. I said, "Excuse me, this is not water...I think you gave me beer." She apologized and ran inside to figure out what happened. It was an accident, and I am over it, but my antennas will be up. Abbie drinks whatever she sees in hand's reach. She would have no clue and chug away. She will now be on an invisible leash!
Despite the trials up here, I know this is where we are to be.The people in our church are really sweet and accepting. They love on my children. All the teenager girls adore Brooks, and he eats it up! They are very very different from our former nightmare of a church, so I find myself softening and healing even more. I am still homesick for my close friends. Moving so much has been hard, and I do long for the familiarity of my best friends.
I leave on Tuesday to go to Germantown for Kim's wedding. My sis gets married Saturday, and my brother the beginning of January, and then we are all married! I have never met my brother's future wife, so I am very excited about meeting her this coming weekend.
Hopefully we will have a new computer soon, and I can be more "in touch" with the blogworld!

Crack me up!

Just a quick funny story. Rick visited the elderly in a nursing home last Sunday. When he went into one room, the lady (who happened to be 104) asked him if he were married. After he said "YES," she proceeded to tell him that she liked him and would have to kill his wife (that would be me). He told her he liked me and wanted me alive. Her response, "No. I am gonna have to kill her." CRACK ME UP!!! Rick laughs when he tells me this and says, "I guess the moral of the story is that women in their 100s still have needs. CRACK ME UP ...again!

Ramblings

Hello blog world! I don't have anything earth shattering to share, just some "snapshots" of the past few days. I have been so busy there are not pictures. We have unpacked 75% of our stuff, though much of it is laying around while I decide where everything should go. Our playroom should be labeled a "Disaster Zone." This is great for the kids, however, because they can see all their toys rather than plowing through the tubs.
Abbie is learning how to write letters. Last week was T, B, and F. She does great at Ts, decent at B's, and so won't even focus on the F's. She thinks school work is quite annoying. I was always and still am an overachiever, so this concept is foreign to me. Speaking of overachiever, I am going to be home schooling Brooks starting as soon as the curriculum arrives in the mail. Just like his mommy, he is a perfectionist, overachiever, and pitches a fit when things are not just as he expects and requests. It is hilarious. I am quite fascinated watching their two personalities play out, seeing clearly the strengths and weaknesses. Abbie is so steady and is not too concerned with what others think about her.
Today we went to Red Rooster. It is a hole-in-the-wall burger and ice cream joint that has rides and putt putt in the back. We had a great lunch with Daddy today. Supposedly movie stars eat here, but we spotted none. The ice cream cones were as tall as my foot. Seriously, they were about a foot long, dipped in chocolate and covered with sprinkles.
I have 2 potential places to work. One is a Y and is personal training and subbing aerobics. The other is aerobics and maybe other opportunities. It is some fancy state-of-the-art, all purpose place that has movie stars as members. That is somewhat intimidating to me. Movie stars = divas, right? The coordinator seems really nice, though. I will visit both this week and meet with the coordinators. We bought a treadmill and have weights, so I am ok taking my time in finding a spot. Well, that is about it. Off to take my Melatonin and snooze. FYI-if you have trouble falling asleep, it is a natural supplement that knocks you out without the "hangover" the next morning.

Kim's weekend

Last weekend I was in Germantown (my hometown) for my sister's showers. She planned all her showers in one weekend to make it easier for out of towners. The first one was Friday night. It was a shrimp broil hosted by Andrew's friends. The whole thing was cool. They had tents set up outside and had the whole ambiance going on. My dad stood up to say something and these were his words,"Marriage is about give and take. Your mother has been giving it for 40 years, and I have been taking it." He so did not mean it in a sensual way,, but everyone under forty took it that way. He had no idea until we explained what we thought it meant. SO FUNNY!!!
This is a pic of Kim and Nora, one of our dearest friends.

The next morning was a brunch hosted by some of my mom' friends. Looking at the pic, you will realize my mom has lots of friends. I was shocked at the number hosting it. It was very classy and elegant.

This is a pic of my cousins and me. The coffee punch they served was TO DIE FOR, so I hung out close to that.

Here I am with my Nora!

Saturday night was the lingerie shower and bachelorette party. We started out at a sushi restaurant. We got to sit on pillows around a huge table. We were on a platform behind sliding doors. I felt very cool, I must admit. Some people were eating raw, stinky fish, but I stuck with the cooked stuff!
My pics will be kept to a minimum here for this one, not that there was anything questionable!
This was taken of my cousin Sara and I. We were drinking the nonalcoholic Mojitoes(or however you spell it).
(By the way, I do not know why this text is underlined. I can't fix it. It is driving my OCD crazy

And here are the hostesses for this one! We got some cute scarves for our hostess gift and decided to wear them for the pic.

Now the countdown has begun for Kimmie's wedding! It will be three weeks from today. YAY!!!

Down the tubes.

OH MY LIBERAL GOSH! On the news last night I listened as a group of kindergartners singing odes and other sappy songs about Barrack Obama. This same school has barred the pledge of allegiance because it includes GOD in it. However, one song they sang about Obama was set to the tune JESUS LOVES ME. Are you absolutely kidding me?! Our country seems to be going down the liberal tubes. I ask myself why the Christians are so silent. Why do we let them say we are judgemental and closed-minded and shut up because of these accusation?! We avoid "liberal" occupations because of the fact that they are too liberal, but now look at our country. I wish I had done law school some days, because I could sit myself in a government seat and try to make a difference there. We have got to be on our knees pleading for God's conviction and mercy on our great country that is becoming more and more unrecognizable. If we leave God out of our school and community, we are the ones who are doomed.
Oh and thankfully Abbie is learning the pledge of allegiance at her school, right here in the heart of NY. I am so glad we are not in NJ or CT. They are so much more liberal.

Hello NY!

We are here in the great state of New York. Ok, maybe there is a little sarcasm, but I really am trying to be focused on the positive. As I type this, I am sitting on my bed, surrounded by boxes on all sides. Tomorrow will entail unpacking some, organizing some, and resting some. Abbie started school on Wednesday.

She looked so cute and was excited! I, on the other hand, tossed and turned all night and cried all day. She says she enjoys school. I got a note from Friday that asked me about her nose picking habit. I about died! They want to retest her because her last F.I.E. was done for preschool. I am anxious, but I have been told by many how wonderful the programming is here. I started a book called "The Power of a Praying Wife," and I am trying to just hand her to God without my recommendations. This is so hard!

I wanted to include some pics from our trek from Memphis. Brooks ran out of paper and used his body to color. He also got a hold of the lollipop bag and figured if one tasted great, three at a time was better!



Abbie catching flies!


Once we hit the hotel, Abbie played "kitchen" with the ice bucket and coffee pot, while the boys caught their own flies!

Party Night

My Aunt Dottie called me a few days ago and asked if she could throw us a going away bash. I never pass up a chance to see me sweet and fun family, so I agreed. Because Rick does not get here until Tuesday night and we will have only 24 hours to pack things up, we set it for tonight minus him. Though we missed him, we had a terrific time. Here are a few snapshots.

This first one is my Daddy and me. Isn't he so handsome?!

This is my Aunt Dottie with my kids. Abbie adores Dottie.

A party would not be complete for the Julian kids without some dancing to Mamma Mia soundtrack!

And my little dog lover with my uncle and their sweet dog. The dog was scared of Brooks. Brooks thought it was funny that if he growled like a monster and chased the dog, it would run from him with its tail tucked. So sad!

This last video is of the dancing couples. I have the coolest aunts!

Day-to-Day

Just the other day my grandmother was encouraging me to journal. I told her I did on a blog. I realized, though, that I do not include day-t-day things, just the bigger things. I thought I would fulfill my promise and get back to the day-to-day I had promised.
Abbie: Her body is becoming more coordinated and agile. I am so proud of her in the changes I see. Just tonight we went to the park with my dad. I watched her climb a rounded runged ladder and slide down two very tall slides. For most of you, this is no big deal, but for Abs, it is a HUGE deal. She is becoming more aware proprioreceptively and more confident in her movements because of this. Her sense of humor is great, and she hears absolutely everything. She may be carrying on a conversation with Brooks, playing with a doll, and watching tv, but she still hears and remembers something someone across the room is saying. She also has become ticklish as of late, which is hilarious! She and I have begun to butt heads a lot more, and that makes me sad. On a happy note, she lets me paint her nails. GIRL TIME!!
Brooks: His obsession is lollipops. He would eat them 24-7 is allowed. He asks me for them around the clock, hoping I will eventually say YES. When I do, he pats the floor and says, "Put it right here, Mommy. Put it right here." He likes to pick it up and open it himself. I have busted him dragging a toy tub into the kitchen so he could reach the lollipops. He walked in the room with three unfolded lollipops gathered together, licking them excitedly. He also is talking a mile a minute. He is the most ticklish human being, loves to laugh and be active. Brooks has become very into his Daddy, which is sweet to watch, but I must say I miss being the center of his universe. Still, I know it is so healthy and that Rick loves it! Brooks has also begun talking a lot about the potty and warns before he poops, or at least right when he starts. As soon as get to New York and get settled, potty training will begin. Hey, I know the perfect bribe, I mean, reward(:"perfect" for him. What they need is what he was created to give and be. It is exciting to watch. I truly believe revival is coming to New York, and I am thrilled to think we might be a part of it. The fields are so ripe for harvest. The laborers are few, but God did say the faith if a mustard seed can move mountains.
Rick: He is in New York right now. He drove the car up and arrived this evening. I truly believe New York is the closest pastorate to being
I think I am learning to be more content. I have begun to realize that I spent about 30 years with a spiritual report card on myself. I did the DOs and refrained from all the DON'T DO's. I would not say everything I have been through has made me any godlier, but it has led me to burn my mental spiritual report cards. Contentment is a hard thing to learn, but I am getting there. My amazing husband is so patient with me and is, for the most part, a better person. I do not mean he has any more value, just that being a patient, kind, selfless person is more natural. It takes more work for me, but it is finally taking root. Praise the Lord!

OH MY WOW!!!

It is official, we are full-on trusting God and moving up to New York. Rick leaves tomorrow with the mini van stocked full. He drives for 19 hours. Preaches Sunday, flies home Monday. We leave Wednesday in the Tahoe wit a trailer on the back, get to New York Thursday night or Friday morning, sign the lease, take Abbie's paperwork to her new school. We actually movie in on the 13th, our furniture arrives the 13th,14th,15th, or 16th. Abbie starts school the 16th. I get on a plane and fly home for my sister's three showers on that Thursday, come home Sunday night, Rick leaves that Friday, and I preach for him on Sunday. I AM OUT OF BREATH!!! I cannot believe how fast it all has to move! I get to catch my breath before flying back two and a half weeks later for my sister's wedding.. Two weeks after that one of my closest friends in the world comes to see me for 5 days. Two weeks after that, another close friend and her fam are flying up to spend Thanksgiving with us. Four weeks after that, Christmas! OH MY WOW!!! I so need more than 24 hours in a day. LOTS of coffee and prayer for me! It all starts in 5 days!
I have mixed emotions, of course. I was all negative and worried for awhile, but my sweet grandmother spoke the most amazing words to me that turned it all around. I realize that life is our choice. What I mean is, life happens. We can choose to worry, stress, procrastinate the inevitable, focus on the bad...OR we can look for the good. What we decide not only impacts our lives but the lives of those we love most. I choose joy, excitement, happiness, and adventure. God's hand has been apparent in all of this. We got a house for well below what we should have paid. Insurance is not going to be $3000/month. It will be $1200. The people at our church are so loving and accepting. The church is multiplying at an amazing rate. I am blessed, and I CHOOSE to smile!

Get To Know Your Friends

A friend put this on her blog and suggested we do this on ours too. It is a get to know you. I would love for those reading this to d it as well, so I can learn more about yall. Let me know if you do, so I can get on and read yours. I added on question. Thanks, Rose, for the idea!

1. Do you cook every night?
Almost. It may be from a bag, but that is still cooking to me (:

2. What kind of laundry detergent do you use & why?
GAIN, Original scent. It smells so so so good!

3. Do you do laundry every day or loads at a time?
Loads at a time. I wish I were disciplined for every day

4. How often do you eat out per week?
On average we eat out zero to one evening a week, and lunches are up in the air.

5. Where do you usually eat out?
Swanky's,Chilis, fun and clean little hole-in-the-walls, Outback, Mexican anything

6. What is your favorite retail store?
I have several, Target, Steinmart are the tops!

7. What's your favorite thing to drink?
Diet Dr Pepper, Diet Pepsi with a splash of Pepsi on top, grape flavored water.

8. Do you take vitamins? What kind?
nope

9. What percentage of the household chores to you do?
I do most of the household chores, I would say 80% on average.

10. Do your children do chores? {Or will they, did they, etc}
They will do chores, but nothing set yet. They have to clean up toys or wipe up spills. Brooks loves to help, especially with the vacuuming. Abbie lets me know it is highly inconvenient.

11. Do you go to church?
We do, Rick is a pastor in New York.

12. Do you have a housework schedule?
No but I am starting one in New York

13. Do you keep a working budget?
No. I am horrible at it. I have a rough idea in my head and pretty much stick to it.

14. What do you do at night as a family?
Dinner, swim in the summer, sometimes walks, get ready for bed, cuddle in bed and either read or watch tv.

15. How do you prepare yourself for a new week?
Pray, wake up

16. What do your mornings look like?
Wake up with kids, feed them, head to the gym, then it is lunch time.

17. What time do you get up in the mornings?
7-8
I want to get up earlier but cannot seem to get to bed before midnight.

18. What time do you go to bed at night?
Usually between 12-1

19. How do you manage all of the paperwork that floods into your household? {bills, school work, magazines, ads, etc}
Bills, go in bills drawer. Magazines get read and thrown out. Ads are thrown out almost immediately.

20. How do you keep your household organized? {calendars, charts, etc}
II must confess, I am so unorganized. Like I mentioned, I am turning over a new leaf in NY. I keep baskets in every room to hold things. My mom taught me that.

21. How often do you have date night, what do you do, and who watches the kids?
We used to have them once per week. With Rick traveling it is twice per month. We usually go to dinner and a movie or coffee at a bookstore. We get a babysitter or take them to PlayCare.


That was fun! If you do this, please let me know so I can read! I can't wait to read about my friends!

NY

I finally got my camera fixed! Yay! I have so many pictures, but to not overwhelm, I want to share about Rick and my trip to NYC. Most everyone knows Rick works at a church outside the city. For his birthday weekend, I flew up to NY for five days. This was a week after his brother died, so I felt like God's timing was in ti all, even though ti was planned months before. My sweet mother took the kids for me, so it was only us. We had a blast. We started the time in Brewster, going into the city on Saturday (his birthday) and then actually stayed in the city on Monday and Tuesday.

This is us eating in a cafe in the city. Gotta love those black-and-white cookies! We bought four, ate one, but pocketed the rest for later.

This was in the middle of Times Square. There are doing a lot of zoning to make it more "usable" by tourists.

This is what you thing, a man playing guitar in his underwear. Believe it or not, the naked cowboy is running for mayor

If you have lived in the US for even a year, you should know this one.

This is us waiting to go through the medal detector to get on a boat for Ellis Island.

Water walking

Hello. My name is Rachel, and I am a fearaholic. Yep, that is me. Unfortunately there is no 12-step program. There is only a 3 stepper. STOP worrying. TRUST God. FOLLOW faithfully. I feel like I have a hand on 2, but number one is much too hard. Most of you know, you cannot skip the first step and ever truly recover. Am I making any sense? Most people give Peter a hard time for sinking when he was walking on the water. People say, "Oh, he took his eyes of Jesus." I say, he got out of the boat!! Only Jesus could walk unswervingly on the water. Humanity fails us. The other disciples were cowering in the boat or jealously wishing they could have the courage to do some waterwalking. No one ever again got the chance.
My husband is a boat jumper. God says, "GO," and he does. Just like that. I am a boat sitter. If you tump the boat over, I will give it a try, but if everything is smooth, I will keep my seat, thank you very much. Right now God is on the water, Rick has jumped up, and I just can't get the nerve. I know if I do not trust, then I might never know the "waterwalking" feeling.
Faith is fine when it involves your own self, but your kids make it a whole different story. I have boldly asked God to put a leak in my boat to make me stand if it is truly His will. Please join with me in prayer over all of this. We need it.

Time Traveling

One of my best friends from high school and I went out last night. We went to see The Time Traveler's Wife. Now, despite the amazing previews and rave reviews of the book, the movie is disappointing, disjointing, and slow. This, however was offset for us by the hilarious, outspoken women behind us. We were rolling throughout the movie. They deserved our movie admission money, not Hollywood.
Afterward, we sat in the car and we somehow got into a conversation of our past, certain significant memories of our past. We started talking about if we could have gone to ourselves in the past, when would we go and what we would have said. One time would be in fifth grade, when my best friend and I got in a huge fight, she said horrible things about me and turned half of the class against me, when she decided she wanted to be my best friend again, I said NO THANK YOU. During that time, there were three girls who decided they would be my friend despite it all. Those girls ended up leading me to a group who would be my group of friends in high school. The girls I stop hanging out with...they became part of a wild group in high school. I told Carrie, I just wonder what life would have been like. It is o clear what God was doing in my life during the seemingly "traumatic" time. If I could go to that girl, I would tell her there was a reason, and it would be worth it. I do not know why this time sticks out so strongly, but it is the earliest time in my life that I remember God allowing me pain to lead me to holiness. He chose my holiness over my happiness.
I can remember times since then as well, but I walked away from our conversation with 2 things. One, trust God with the pain or seemingly endless questions, fear, and difficulties. He always has a plan. Second, stop trying to "better" my kids. Teach them their worth no matter what they look like, talk like, behave like, etc. I am not saying do not encourage them to be better, try harder, obey, etc. I am saying I need them to know that they are "perfectly perfect" as I tell them often.
I know this is a weird post, but it was a moving conversation for me. After all we went through in Austin and the questions an uncertainties to follow, I relish the recollections of God's faithfulness in what may feel like His absence.

Catching up, take 2

Moving on, let's talk about NY. We went there last weekend to look at houses and see everyone at FBC. A sweet new friend had put a bunch of toys together for the kids to play with when they got in town. These pics were taken ten minutes into being there, no lie. The last pic is Rick reacting to someone's tummy ache, if you know what I mean.































When we got home, we all were sick. Our journey home was quite interesting. We were bumped from two flights at our airport on the way home. We were then shuttled to another airport about an hour away. When we got there, we were told that the tickets had not been paid for, so we got bumped again. We then went upstairs to American and got hotel and food vouchers before being shuttled to a DUMP to spend the night, with no luggage, no diapers, etc. NIGHTMARE!! Anyway, we finally got home, rested and healed, and then decided to venture out before Rick left town again. We chose Chuck-E-Cheese, my fave! Now that I have lost 2 sizes, I am willing to be in photographs again. Yes, I am that vain. I have 2 sizes left. HALLELUJAH!

Abbie's Birthday, months later

I know, I know. Close the mouth, no more jaw dropping. I am finally blogging. I used to be so good at it. In fact, blogging has been therapy for me in the past. We have moved so much, it has helped me get through so much, especially loneliness. And here I am, abandoning it/her/him/ whatever. (:
Ok, so I have pics dating back to Abbie's birthday. I guess I will start there, since I am talking about Austin and loneliness. Abbie's birthday was actually hard. Rick was out of town, so we celebrated as a family a little early. I made the cake myself. The kids had a blast. Brooks and I enjoyed setting up Abbie's dollhouse.