The Fairmont Fair 2007

A highlight event at our church is the annual Awana Fairmont Fair. Our kids participate in the Awana program, as mentioned before, and the clubs put on a classic carnival style fair every year, filled with game booths, fair food, prizes, and lots of fun for very little money.

Last night, our family went down to church to help with the setup. Dave was helping to build the booths, and the boys and I helped paint the signs that went on each game booth. It was a lot of fun! I received the ultimate in complements (if you want to look at it that way). Someone asked if Luke and I were brother and sister. Yes, you heard it right. Brother....and....sister. Are you kidding me? When I told him we were mother and son, he looked at me with a blank stare and said, "Well, I knew you were related, because you look so much alike!" OK. Whatever!

Today, we went to the fair, and had a great time working in the booths, visiting the booths, winning prizes, and eating an extremely healthy lunch. Oh yes, I just love nachos. Yum! The boys ate nachos. And popcorn. And candy. And snow cones. And soda. And soon, we are going to ask them to actually go to sleep???? We'll see how that goes. They even helped their Awana leaders by working in their game booths with them. And Vance and Luke also helped Dave and I work in our booth, as well. They are such sweet helpers.

All in all, a lot of fun was had by all. It is such a joy to be a part of our wonderful church. We are truly blessed by all that goes on inside and outside of its walls.

Out of the woods....Literally!

Well, officials have declared that Santa Clarita is now at no risk of being damaged any further by these horrific wildfires. Our neighboring communities have lost several homes, and that is literally just around the corner. Streets I drive often. God has sovereignly kept our family and all of our friends in this valley safe from harm. Some of our friends reportedly had fire as close as 100 yards away from their homes, but have all returned after evacuations to find their homes still in tact. God is good. By the way, God is good if the house burned down, too.

I forgot to mention one detail that we are thankful for. The truck is now running! After a two-month engine rebuild and some rough edges to smooth out, Dave got it running...just in time to leave in case of fire. How do like them apples???

I intend to put up a video of the engine starting (I know, it's exciting stuff), but the cable to download my pictures is, yes, you guessed it, packed up in the trailer! We are slowly putting things back where they belong and returning back to normal life, if there is such a thing! We are even having some friends over for dinner tomorrow night. Life goes on....

Fire....Close to Home

For those of you not living in our immediate area, several (around 15) wildfires broke out in Southern California simultaneously on Sunday, creating a state of emergency over 7 counties. It is an incredibly treacherous situation here. Included in these fires is the Agua Dulce Fire, which traveled down into Canyon Country, one of our neighboring communities. Yesterday, it started making its way into Saugus, just about 1 mile from our home. As neighborhoods north of us were being evacuated, it became apparent to us that we must prepare to leave. We figured we should start packing up before it's too late and we are rushed out. Better safe than sorry, I always say. So we hitched up the trailer and began filling it with important documents, boxes of pictures, and other important momentos. The boys thought they should bring everything they own, and began to pack up the sheets on their bed even! (Let's just say we had to do some sorting out)! Being raised here in Southern California, wildfires have always been a threat, but I have never gotten to the point of actually starting to pack things up. We watched the news over the course of yesterday afternoon, and thankfully, the fire began to move away from us and evacuations were being lifted. With the Santa Ana winds, extremely low humidity, and the 90 degree heat, however, we are still in danger of flying embers, which have already started countless other fires in the area. So we are ready if we need to leave, althought it's unlikely at this point.

You know, it is these "big life issues" that I have no trouble with. In the big things, such as the loss of a loved one, the loss of a home, etc, I tend to find my heart calm, trusting in God, patient with the outcome no matter which way it goes. I found myself saying yesterday, "it's just a house". Big things remind me that I cannot control the circumstances of life. I would be in desperation if I thought I could do even the slightest thing to change or alter the events that will occur. To know God is to know He is the one in control. He rules this universe and orders every detail. He allows all things, good and bad, according to His purposes. It's the little things I struggle with. Why did the milk get spilled again? Why is there gum on the pants? Why do I always find dirty clothes on the floor every day? Why can't the boys just sit quietly and do their schoolwork? Why...why...why? But God orders the big things as He does with the small. I struggle with thinking that I can control and order the events of my day. What folly! In my own strength and ability I can do nothing. Then I tend to get the frustrated, impatient, controlling attitude, wondering why things aren't going MY way. I need to be content with how God has planned my day, and not try to plan it on my own. It's OK to have a general plan, but I need to truly be content when that plan goes off track.

With all that said, we are thankful to still be in our home. I am thankful for a husband who takes care of us. I am thankful for my sister who is standing by ready to receive us if we have to leave. I am thankful for the countless firefighters and officials who are tirelessly working on our behalf. God is faithful!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Life is busy. There are always things to do. But sometimes we have seasons that occur in this home in which it seems we will never have a quiet moment. This is one of those seasons. In fact, I have attempted to post an update on this blog on several occasions, only to have something more important that needs to be done take precidence.

Comparatively speaking, we are not "busy" people, as are some other families. We are not the "go to soccer, to karate, to sheep shearing lessons, to underwater basking weaving, to the grocery store, to pick up Johnny, to drop off Lisa, to stop for dinner, to stop home and drop the groceries off, to pick up the kids, to drop dead from sheer exhaustion, wake up and do it all the next day" people. I cannot live like that. Some days are like that, don't get me wrong. Like today: School, laundry, off to PE at the park, to the dentist for two "complicated" extractions, and then back home. But we have purposefully made the choice to not be running around people, because we enjoy the simplicity of life at it's minimal activity level. After all, there are always things we delight in doing that keep us busy enough, such as Sunday church and Wednesday night youth ministry, along with our homeschool group's activities.

But even so, life is still so busy right now. There is a long list of "to do's" around here, which all seem to be knocking at poor Dave's door all at once. The truck is still saying "Get me to run, please", the flooring in the garage says "Install me", the kitchen cabinets are arguing with the floors, demanding "no, we come first, we WILL be fixed first!", "no, Dave, you must first spend 8 hours a day with me," whines Dave's job, "Daddy, could you fix my bike", "Dave could you fix the leak in the toilet", "Dave, Dave, Dave"! Poor Dave! At one point, it will all calm down, but for now, there is work to be done. It is hard for me to keep a proper perspective when life gets overwhelming. I tend to crave the order that once characterized our home. It's not the way I like it. I am walking on bare dirty concrete, the house does not appear clean or ordered. Visually, it bugs me! I just want everything to be back to normal! But I am learning that in the busyness of life, there is one constant. God is always the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is always faithful, always merciful, always sovereign. And He wants me to delight in Him, no matter what my circumstances may be. It's nothing deep and theological. God is simply God, and He never changes. It's my stinky attitude that changes, demanding that things go my way. I need to love the road I'm on, not just look for the destination. Enjoy the process of repairing cars and homes, extracting teeth, living in dust, and enjoying the God who gives us these priveleges. They are, indeed priveleges that are bestowed upon us by a gracious God. It is a privelege to be given the means and ability to repair our vehicles and our home. It is a privelege to have dental care. To have an education, and activities by which the children can learn and grow. Thanks be to God for the busyness of our life. Perhaps after Christmas it will all calm down.......