Coffee & friendship

Sitting.
Sipping.
Savoring.
Silence.

I wrap my hands around the steaming mug and inhale.
The aroma of friendship wraps around me like a blanket.
It just feels so comfortable...so right.

Chinese acrobats and boiling frogs

Spinning. Twirling. Balancing. Watching the Chinese acrobats perform amazing gravity defying acts can leave you almost breathless.

Apply this same principle to my life - not so amazing.

Have you ever felt you are trying to keep too many "plates" spinning? Forget an appointment...oops, there's a chip. Forget your friend's birthday...yikes, that plate fell.

If I didn't know better, I would swear I had some form of Alzheimer's. I can't seem to remember anything these days unless it is written down...then sometimes I write it down in the wrong place and forget I wrote it down! I have double booked myself more often than I care to admit lately. Just yesterday I completely forgot to show up for our homeschool PE group. This is not a new event...we've been meeting on Tuesday afternoons since the fall and I've forgotten two out of the last three weeks!

This morning I invited a friend over for coffee...during the same time I am suppose to be at the gym working out.

These are just a few of the plates that seem to be threatening to fall lately. Apparently I either need to get rid of a few plates, or practice my juggling skills a bit more.

This time last year we were still sifting through boxes and trying to find the grocery store. We had gone from busy and involved to quiet and completely uninvolved. Looking back, I see how unhurried life was and how much less stress I felt. Much like the frog in the pot of water, the busyness has crept back in again.

Wow...I'm just full of analogies at 6:00 a.m. this morning. Chinese acrobats and frogs...hopefully the acrobats aren't juggling the frogs, but in my case that wouldn't surprise me.

How do you keep all your plates spinning? Do you ever feel you've taken on too many plates?

There and back again - a Texas tale

Even when we receive something that doesn't seem good, we can be grateful because we know there is more to it than we can see. What seems like an imperfect gift may be the means by which God perfects us. - Julie Ackerman Link

This week marks the one year anniversary of our big Texas adventure. We have been in our new home 365 days. Funny...it feels like we're still getting settled.

What an adventure it has been! Looking back over all the Lord has done, the highs and lows and the lessons learned, I think I can honestly say I wouldn't change a thing. He has used what at the time seemed an imperfect gift, to continue to perfect us as individuals and as a family. While it hasn't always been an easy road and there are still times I wonder why He moved us so far from home, He continues to reassure us that we are exactly where we are suppose to be.

I recently sat and read back over the journal I kept during those first months. Two prevailing themes jumped off the pages - loneliness and trust. Leaving so many friends and family left a huge hole in our lives. I was lonely, plain and simple. Little did I know what the Lord had in store.

Over the next few months He began to pour friendship into my life in ways I could never have imagined. He has filled the gaping hole of loneliness with deep, abiding friendship. Now I feel doubly blessed with friends on both sides of the Texas - Idaho divide!

The biggest lesson I would say I've learned is TRUST. Over those months of loneliness, I would pour my heart out to the Lord, but I always tried to end with praise. I knew in my heart that despite my sorrow at that moment, God had a perfect plan (Jeremiah 29:11). My job was to trust Him. When I could do nothing else, I could trust. He is true to His Word and continues to work all things together for good (Romans 8:28).

Do I understand His plan? Nope! Can I trust Him anyway? You bet!

If ever you worship

My sweet friend Julie has posted the most encouraging video today on her blog. It's a beautiful reminder that each thing we do as moms is done as a sweet smelling sacrifice to our Lord. It can be so easy to lose our focus and allow the dailyness of life to bog us down. It helps to be reminded that our lives as moms and the calling He has placed there are a form of worship.

Rather than re-post the video here, I'll just send you over to meet Julie. Leave her a note and let her know you stopped by. Her blog is one of my favorite spots to visit because you can see her heart for Jesus in everything she writes.

Thanks Julie. You are a blessing!

Blogging through insomnia

"You have no new messages"

Check my e-mail at midnight. Read a few blogs. Check my e-mail again. Why? Of course there are no new messages. Everyone but ME is sleeping soundly at 12:49 a.m. Nope. Not here.

The truly sad part is that the creative part of my brain is snoozing happily somewhere. I'm sure if I were dreaming at this moment I would be on a beach in Cancun, sipping something with Rum and a little umbrella. Creativity is overrated anyway. No seriously good blogging going on here. Mediocre at best. Apparently the only part left awake is the part that affects my eyeballs not wanting to shut. Go figure.

OK, Vicki. You wanted a new blog post, so there it is in all its creative blogging glory! Be careful what you wish for.

A perfectly good donut - ruined

Saturday morning we made homemade donuts for breakfast. It's a family favorite. As I was enjoying my little treat, my eight year old looked at me with an evil little grin and said, "I'm going to tell Mrs. Barnes that you ate donuts and she's going to make you work harder in your class on Monday!" Oh. My. Goodness. Who's child is this?

Sure enough, this morning at church he made a beeline for Lindsay and proudly told her just how many donuts I had consumed. "Body Blaster" has now become "Donut Blaster". Where is the duct tape when you need it?

Poor kid. He has no idea what awaits him in school tomorrow. Mwwahahaha! He'll be sorry...oh yes he will.

Prayer and tornados - they go well together

Living in Texas gives a whole new meaning to the term "prayer closet".

A friend called at 3:45 this morning to warn us a tornado was in the area. We woke the kids and had a campout in the tornado closet. I would have enjoyed the whole experience a bit more if I had had time to grab a cup of coffee first, but Mike thought it best not to brew a pot just then. Guess I was missing the whole sense of urgency thing hu? Quite the adventure and a great opportunity to remind the kids that the same God who created the storm would protect us in the midst of it.

After the kids were settled back in bed, I finally sat down with my coffee to enjoy the early morning quiet. Our Bible study this week is on Philippians 4:4-7 - do not worry. Ha! Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?

Whether the storm is raging outside my window, or in my own mind, His direction is clear - Pray.

Prayer takes our focus off the problem and puts it on the Problem Solver.

As we sat with the kids this morning, we tried to keep their focus on things other than the storm. We talked about God's protection. We prayed together for safety and then we thanked him when the storm had passed.

Sometimes life can seem like one big storm. It helps to remember that the same God who created the storm will protect you in the midst of it.

Body blaster

You would think the very title would have given me pause. Using those words in tandem can not possibly be a good thing can it? I think the class description also used the word "burn"...multiple times.

My awesome friend Lindsay teaches the above method of torture, I mean exercise, at 5:30 A.M. Yes, you read that correctly. As in before the sun comes up. She invited me to join her in her sick little game this morning. Those of you who know me are already laughing. Mike actually laughed out loud. Not at the fact I was exercising, but at the ungodly hour it was taking place.

Having your instructor pick you up and take you to class takes out all possible excuse for not showing up.

I survived the hour, but am certain it may have been illegal under the Geneva Convention's stance on torture. I made it home and fell into a bubblebath while consuming large amounts of incredibly strong coffee. Mike asked if he should get me a walker. Smarty pants!

The mere fact I survived to see another day was a good start. I may actually show up again. Lindsay is an AMAZING woman and a great encouragement to me. She won't let me not show up...she knows where I live.

Rockin' and rollin'

We got a letter in the mail this week that rocked our world. We were shocked. We were shaken. This was a situation we couldn't fix. God was going to have to show up - in a big way.

As the shock wore off and we were able to see a bit more clearly, we realized that while we may have been reeling, God was not a bit surprised. He saw it coming long ago. He has a plan that will turn out for our good and His glory (Jeremiah 29:11). Granted, He hasn't shown us yet what that plan entails, but He will...in His time.

Clinging to the hope of Philippians, we are doing our best to be anxious for nothing, but to continue in prayer. I feel the Lord is asking us to focus not on what needs to happen- He already knows that, but on praising Him for what He's going to do.

I've come a long way from the control freak I use to be. I'm learning to let go. Finding myself in situations such as this forces me to choose. Will I trust or will I worry? I can't fix it, so why worry? Today I will praise Him for what He's going to do, then sit back and wait for Him to show Himself - big time!

Our world may be rocking, but we're clinging to the One who can calm any storm.