PATIENCE

I wonder how I can go 12 hours in a day being as patient as I can be with my two lovely children then all of sudden in the last few minutes of the day lose the patience I tried so hard to maintain. Yesterday we had a normal day, a few little disagreements between the kiddos, repeating requests multiple times, blah blah blah. Yet I managed to keep it all together until we were getting ready for bed, then my patience decided that it only works from 7am to 7pm and my children had one chance to get it right or mommy got upset. After I put them to bed I apologized for getting frustrated to the kids and explained why I got uspet. They both understood why(Abby better than Will) and then we prayed together.

Then as I went for a run to cool off I thought about how lucky I am that God doesn't lose his patience with me and that God forgives me so easily. Also as an added bonus God allow my kids to forgive me easily as well. On multiple occasions I remember thinking before I went to bed, man I really blew it today or I wish I hadn't gotten upset about this or that. Then the next morning one of my kids will get in bed with me and say "Your the best Mommy!!!. I know this won't last forever but I am going to enjoy it as long as I can. Thank you God for the patience you extend to me that allows me to strive to be more patient with others and teach patience to my children. Thankyou that you haven't given up on me as this seems to be a daily struggle.

On a side note I just learned that Dr. Gorden Gee's son-in-law passed away this morning. I don't even know him or his wife but being a huge Buckeye fan and the fact that Dr. Gee was president while I was at OSU makes me grieve for that family. I hope he was a believer in Christ, I hope his family continues to be believers in Christ despite this diffficult time. I pray for comfort, complete healing for his wife and that they draw closer together as a family during this time. Please place people around them that will encourage them and provide them with the strength they will need to get through this. Thankyou for the protection of my family that you have so graciously provided and I pray for that same protection today lord as we travel to cincinnati for the Reds game.

Big Trucks

Well Sunday after church we went to COSI to see the Big Trucks exhibit. They had a variety of construction equipment to touch, sit in and acutually operate. Abby and Will both got to operate a mini bulldozer and had great fun. We took some great pictures and video. After that we went to eat at Applebees because for some reason Will really wanted to go there. We had a nice lunch and got to watch some of the Reds game on TV. Will was very interested and loved telling the servers about his Ken Griffey Jr. T-shirt.

We had a really good pratical message at church that morning about the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector(Luke 18:9-14). Basically the take home point was about not just doing things for God, but to really truly love God in all that we do(even when it is not easy). In this parable we saw the Pharisee as the perfect example of doing and saying all the right things yet exalting himself rather than God. The tax collector, admitting he was a sinner, asked for mercy and humbled himself before the Lord. I always find it interesting how God works and how it is often opposite to the way the world works. In the Pharisees time they were revered and honored by men but not justified by God. The Tax collector was hated and shunned by many of the world but loved and justified by God. Here is a great reminder to me to be confident in the Lord for my righteousness and not in my self. To seek to live by God's standards and not what the world is telling me is right. Help me to teach this lesson to my kids and to keep reminding myself as well.

Fourth of July

Well it was another great July 4th up at Lake Erie. The weather was great, the fireworks were entertaining and we celebrated my father in law's 60th birthday. The kids had a blast with the sparklers and watching all the fireworks people were lighting off at the nearby piers. Abby got to stay up late and watch them with all the older teenage girls at lake erie and she was so excited. There is a great group of teenage and college girls up there who really take Abby under their wing and she was overjoyed. Will thought the fireworks were a little too loud and headed in early but he still had a great time.

We spent the following week up at Lake Erie and had such a great time swimming, pretend fishing(real poles but no bait), riding in the boat and of course a visit to Cedar Point. It was fun to see all the cousins together and Abby had much fun entertaining her 4 1/2 month old niece. I feel so blessed to have inlaws who so graciously allow us to invade their cottage for a week in July and other weekends throughout the year. Thankyou for the beauty of your creation, the sky,sun and water were so breathtaking to take in each day. Thankyou for the blessing of protecting my kids this week while we were in and near the water alot. Here are just some of the pictures from that great week.

No Training Wheels

Here is video of my daughter Abby riding her bike without training wheels. She has been doing this for about two weeks and I finally got a video of it on my new Flip video(http://www.theflip.com/) I am so excited to have videos of the kiddos doing their thing. Will is riding his tricycle and we hope to get him a bike with training wheels soon. I am very grateful to live in a cul-de-sac where the kids can play tennis, ride bikes and do a variety of other outdoor activities. Hope to post more soon. We just got back from vacation today at lake erie so hopefully I will have time this week to update on all the exciting events of the week. Thank you God for the simple blessing of portable video to capture these milestone moments, I know it seems silly but this technology has brougth me and others some great moments.

Hearing God's Voice

I just started a personal summer bible study called "What Happens When Women say Yes to God" by Lysa Terkeurst. In the second chapter on hearing God's voice the author reveals a simple prayer she starts each morning to help her communicate with God and hear his voice. I found the prayer encouraging and helpful so I thought I would post a little summary of it.

Dear God, please give me the desire to want you more than anything else. I ask for the discipline to make my relationship with you top priority. Please give me the discernment to know the difference between my own thoughts and God's voice. I ask for clear direction at each crossroad in my life and that my relationship with you be characterized by sheer joy rather than a sense of duty. Amen

Well that about sums up what I continue to strive my relationship with God to be. Thank you God that I am a work in progress and that you are more than willing and able to shape me into the woman you want me to be.

Ten wonderful years

This past weekend my wonderful husband and I celebrated our ten year anniversary. He suprised me by planning a whole weekend of fun events including a suprise destination. We went to Cincinnati for the weekend, which was nice because I really wanted to drive somewhere rather than fly, I just like being able to be close to the kids in case we are needed. Needless to say this was a perfect place to go because this is where Mike and I started our married life together.

We went to an amazing steak house called Jeff Ruby's and then to the show Jersey Boys. The show was awesome, probably one the top one or two I have been to. The music was amazing and the singers sounded just like the original Four Seasons. It was funny because I was too young for their music but was suprised how many songs I actually knew. The next day we drove around Montgomery and Blue Ash and took a look at our old apartment and condo, we had some great memories there and look forward to bringing the kids there some day to visit as well. After that we went and watch the Reds play the Boston Red SOx, it was a great game that went to ten innings, it would have been even better if the Reds had won.

Overall it was a great relaxing weekend, a time to reconnect with out being interrupted by our two lovely children. Thanks to God for sending me a loving husband who truly does cherish me. I am so grateful to have a husband that not only honors God but honors me as well. Thank you for this blessing God.

Great News!!!!!

Today I was so very fortunate to recieve the news that my recent breast biopsy was negative. My husband and I were pretty sure that this would be the case but there is always that element of fear and doubt that creeps around. I felt like we really trusted God and his plan for my health and I did have a peace about it. Of course part of me also wondered if God's plan would be different then what I hoped for and would I really be strong enough to trust him if the outcome was different. Everytime I saw something about breast cancer this week I thought, was I supposed to see this because it is preparing me for having breast cancer. As I look back at the events of this week I see God providing specific answers to my specific prayers. The doctors and staff handled my case just the way I had prayed about and even though the biopsy was a little scary, what a peace of mind it has now provided for me.


I don't want to forget this time I had with God where he provided specifically for my needs and he gave me a peace I know I would not have had without him. I also don't want to forget how easy it was for Satan to creep into my thoughts trying to discourage me from trusting in the one who created me. I tell you that the love I felt for my two children and husband this week was overflowing. The possibility of having cancer made me cling to them more than ever and what a sweet time of hugs,kisses and bonding we had this week. How good is it of God to give me such a special blessing during an uncertain time


I pray today for each person who got the phone call today from their doctor and did not recieve the news they had been hoping and maybe even praying for. May they recieve comfort from the only one who can truly provide it. May they recieve blessings they never would have seen or recognized because of this journey they are about to embark on. Thankyou Father for your words of comfort: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Jeremiah 29:11