47
Forty-seven
Four decades plus seven
Married twenty-five years
(not sure which shocks me more…the age or the years married)
hanging on to this extra weight
desperately seeking organization
scared I will never find it
wanting to live intentionally
to live with intent
with purpose
with focus
to love
to bless
blessed
mother of three
amazed
grateful
living with less fear
wanting to live with no fear
living with more faith
wanting to live with complete faith
beloved of God

Is in the works. Stay tuned!

Four of our Monday Night Bible Study Home Girls are also part of this group. We had been getting together for the last couple of years for prayer time, bible study, fellowship, life-sharing. Last year, I felt God was leading me to take back that weekly time for my family. Thankfully, we all attend the same church and see each other still. We speak on the phone and now and then all get together. These four women are still meeting on Tuesday mornings. I miss that time with them. But I know that, for a time at least, I had to stop meeting with them each week.

I have spoken about them before. But I want to touch upon each of them today.

One of these sweet women is from West Virginia. Now, I love West Virginia. It IS Wild and Wonderful and beautiful. Unfortunately, WV has gotten a bad rap and some folks like to jokingly tease our sweet West Virginian about her home state. I, of course, am not one of them. She takes the ribbing very well and even makes her own comments about WV. She has such a wonderful heart. Raised mostly in foster care, she is giving back and has foster children of her own. Her life can be described as wild and wonderful. And not just a little stressful at times.

Another of my sweet friends is pregnant with her long-awaited, much-anticipated second child. A boy child to make her family complete. Of all of us, the Pregnant One is probably the most sensitive to the lost. She has a heart and God-given desire to reach those that don’t know Jesus. And God has placed her in places where He is able to use that desire. I am often astounded by her ability and heart in this area of ministry God has called her to. She is truly following God’s call on her life.

One of these lovely women came into my life (and the rest of ours) at a time of great need in her life. For whatever reason, she was going through a period in the desert and spent a lot of time in her home. Recognizing it for what it was…a time in the desert…she turned to God for guidance. Comfort. Peace. And to us. For encouragement. Fellowship. Food. (It’s ALWAYS about the food.) She has since left this desert place and doesn’t hesitate to share what God did for her during and now after her time there. She is also our can-do girl…give her a paperclip, some duct tape and a pencil and she can make or fix anything.

The last, but definitely NOT least, of these bff’s of mine, came to our church already one of us. She was the dear friend of another church member and from the time we first heard about her coming until she and her military husband and family arrived…she had already become assimilated. We never gave her the option nor the opportunity to even look at another church…and her husband finally gave up, threw in the towel and they all joined our church membership. I feel as if I have always known her, although it’s only been a few short years. She has an incredible voice. She is the VBS Queen. There is talk of her leaving Virginia this summer. But I’m ignoring it. Not happening. Can’t happen. Won’t allow it.

So there you have a bit more info on the Amazing Women I do this bible study thing/life thing with.

NOT that any one of them was upset that they weren’t written about the first go around. Nope. Not a one.

(You know who you are.)

A day spent at her daughter’s volleyball tournament, that’s what. I’m not sure what was more difficult…watching an extremely talented team of girls self-destruct or have to listen to the parents around me commenting on the self-destruction.

The only good side to the entire event was that I’m home at 6:30 instead of 9:00. Since we didn’t even make it into the playoffs.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll post some pics from the tournament but right now…I just want to wash my face, put my flannel jammies on and veg.

This Girl, Out.

Isn’t she pretty?

Here she is on the wall…notice the princess crown hanging on my dresser mirror? Yup. Me…totally a Princess. My bff’s gave me that.

Also notice the yucky color of the door frame. We have lived with that yucky color the entire 14 years we have lived in this house. Don’t get me started on my husband and painting. He hates to do it. But we’re painting and redoing our bedroom this year. Woo-hoo! After all, Miss Millie shouldn’t have to live with the yuckiness.
Thank you again, Joanne! I love Miss Millie!

That’s my life right now. I cough. I hurt. My throat. My chest. Ick.

But I’m not letting it stop my Get My Act Together in 2008. No sirree, Bob. (Who IS Bob, anyway, and we do we always tell him no?)

I worked on the home office on and off all day. And when I wasn’t doing that, I was doing laundry in the basement. And while I was down there, I was also barking orders at our oldest to move this, get this outta here, yadda yadda. He owes me. He’s on MY LIST. His admissions officer at Christopher Newport flat out told him exactly what he needed to do to move from “wait listed” to “accepted”. Good grades for the semester. Period. She flat out wrote it herself on his “wait listed” letter. He pulled a D+ in trig. For the semester. That means two quarters combined and he pulled a D+. He hates math, I get that. But he blew the math SAT away! He is awesome at math. I could strangle him. Still might. In my mind. Oh, all right. I really can’t and won’t even in my mind. But he’s going to pay. Yes sirree, Bob (had to encourage Bob a little). He’s planning on a big old fat beach trip with the boys to Myrtle Beach after graduation. Guess what? No acceptance to CNU…no beach trip. That’s right. You heard me. One must pay for one’s total lazy senioritis, mustn’t one? The original deal was all A’s and B’s this quarter and the next two quarters. He’s blown that, clearly. But his dad, who is all about lettin‘ the boy have some life experiences, really would like to allow him to go to the beach. So, The Man came up with the compromise and I agreed. Because I’m all about submission.

Not sure how I got off on that little rabbit trail. But I feel better after venting a bit.

Also whipped up a batch of these. Minus the nuts. Added chocolate chips. They have been a huge hit wherever I take them. Tonight they are going to Lucy’s volleyball party/sleep over. If they last that long. The dough is good. The cookies are even better.

It was a HUGE mail day for me today. I so look forward to the mail these days. Soon, in about 6 days, I will cross over from 46.9 to 47. And the gifts have started arriving. I’m all about gifts. Have I mentioned that before? It IS my #1, by far, love language. If you haven’t taken the love language test yet, you need to. You and your spouse.

I haven’t opened up any of my cards or gifts yet…but a particularly interestingly feeling one arrived from bff, Joanne. I can’t wait to open it. Not sure I’m going to make it for 6 days. I’m the kid that always dug through the house looking for my Christmas and birthday gifts. My mom finally gave up hiding them and just left them sitting on her closet floor in bags and told me to ruin the surprise if I wanted to…it was up to me. Talk about a let down. The best part is the hunt! After that, I was no longer interested in snooping for my gifts. Christmas has never been the same!

Cough. Cough. Ow.

My Home Girl bff‘s are taking me to dinner to my absolutely fave restaurant, Mike’s. For Lobster Bisque. And whatever else I want. I hope we can all go. We haven’t all gotten together in ages. I’ll take my camera and share pics. Have I mentioned that the youngest kid’s birthday is the day before mine? The year he was born, was the my best birthday. Hands down. Third child. Had the hospital wing ALL TO MYSELF. My bff, Beth, was working and she called all the nurses off me and told them that I would call them if I needed anything. So it was just me and the new kid for 48 wonderful hours. It was incredible. He’s still my favorite. Don’t tell the others. Of course I tell ALL of them they are My Favorite.

I’m absolutely flooded with tea. This is my favorite tea.

Ehv-er. I’ve had so much today that I had to switch to decaf Lipton because I’m afraid I’ll be awake all night from the caffeine.

Spiritual Stuff: Go here and partake of this.

God (through Beth) is hammering from two sides lately. David: 90 Days with a Heart Like His and Stepping Up. Before I begin each morning, I ask God to give me understanding and to show me His Rhema. The Rhema He has just for me. And let me tell you…He really has done it. It’s been so convicting. But so wonderful. I’m looking forward to it everyday. I’m going back over it every morning. I’m journaling and re-reading. I’m loving it. My point would be to definitely stop and ask Him to speak to you every time you read your bible, every time you have a quiet time with Him, every time you begin to journal.

That’s it for now, girls. I love you and I am so thankful for each and every one of you!

It’s official…I’m a coffee snob. I’ve been trying to drink some non-Starbucks coffee I was given for Christmas and I just can’t. It’s just not as good. I went back to Starbucks yesterday and picked up some Cafe Verona. It was so wonderful to drink this morning. Except that I can hardly taste it. Because I’m sick. Cough.

Our youngest is VERY sick. Flu sick. 103 temperature kind of sick. And it’s the last day of the school quarter and he really needed to be in school yesterday and today. But I couldn’t send him with a fever. I’m glad he’s only in 6th grade. And not missing exams and all that as our two older ones would have been.

I was on my knees praying for our daughter this morning. Oy. She gets so overwhelmed, just like her momma. So overwhelmed in fact that she forgets to do the things that made her feel so overwhelmed in the first place! Such as the presentation she has to make in her International Marketing class this morning. And her part of writing it (group assignment). But she’s presenting. She freaked last night when she had a call from one of her group peeps asking if she was ready and to share her part with the rest of the group via e-mail. She was heading out the door for volleyball practice. With extra hitting practice following the regular practice. Which means she would be home around 9:45. But our God, knowing all of this in advance, had A Plan. When the team showed up for practice last night at the elementary school…there was a strings concert getting ready to start in the gym! Woo-hoo! They couldn’t practice. She was home by 7:15 and worked on her presentation until 11:00 and felt really good about it this morning! Tell me THAT wasn’t God-ordained. So I have been praising my God this morning and asking Him to be with her this morning as she was presenting. (She was only concerned about her appearance this morning…she had to get dressed up and look professional…not the presentation!)

I, too, have felt so overwhelmed lately. I, too, have been forgetting things. I can’t seem to get my act together and that’s my theme for 2008…Susan! Get Your Act Together! You know it’s not going well when you can’t memorize scripture because you forget that you’re actually supposed to be memorizing scripture.

So during my quiet time, bible study time this morning, I leaned back in my chair and asked God to lead out. And of course, He did.

Psalm 30
A psalm. A song. For the dedication of the temple. Of David.

1 I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
2 O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.
4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
6 When I felt secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”
7 O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help.”
11 You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.