15 Years

I have so many posts I need to put up from the last few weeks, but today I wanted to blog on something special! Today Dave and I are celebrating our 15 year wedding anniversary! I SO wish I could scan in our wedding picture, but the computer attached to my scanner is not working, and I'm too inept to hook it up to this one.

In some ways, I cannot believe 15 years have gone by. In 15 years, there have been births, illnesses, deaths, moves, job changes, joys, difficulties, excitement, disappointments, and the list goes on. In 15 years, there has been growth and there have been setbacks. But one thing is the same: God has faithfully and continually worked in our lives through it all. Even our love for one another as husband and wife hasn't stayed the same. It has grown. I love Dave more today than yesterday, and I can't even compare how I love him today to how I loved him on our wedding day. All the things we have experienced as husband and wife have only taught us to love each other more, and taught us to love each other like God wants us to love each other.

I am so blessed to be Dave's wife. He is the man God chose for me, and he is the father God chose for our children. It is my desire to love Dave, serve him, and honor him for the rest of the days we have together, through whatever God in His sovereignty decides to do with our lives. I am thankful, and I prayerfully look forward to our future, as God directs our every step as we live our lives and in our marriage to honor and glorify God!

Winds of Change

I would be lying if I said the last two weeks weren't a challenge. It seems that when it rains, it pours, but I am thankful in the midst. There is so much to be thankful for.

Dave flew into international waters the day the volcano erupted in Iceland. He has never left the country before. And God knew that would happen before he left. God knew it would take him 4 days longer than expected to arrive at his destination in Kiev, 4 days behind on the installation of Balloon Rabbit, the project he has poured his heart into for the last year. He drove from Paris to Kiev since all airports were shut down, a grounding of airplanes on a scale not seen since 9/11.

God also knew that between the time Dave would leave America and the time he would return, his company would file bankruptcy and close its doors after over 30 years in business. It was a total shock, to say the least. My husband was on the other side of the world, for almost 4 days I did not even know his whereabouts, and then come to find out that his "what seemed to be promising" career was over. At the time I found all this out, I also had no guarantee of Dave returning any time soon. The airspace was still closed, and there was talk that it could take weeks to get all the backlogged flights cleared up and everyone out of all the countries they were stuck in. I am being honest when I say it was very hard for me.

By the grace of God, he was able to get out on a flight only two days after he was orignally scheduled to return. I have never been so happy to see my husband's face as the moment I heard his car pull up and he appeared at our front door at two o'clock in the morning. I almost didn't want to let him go after we embraced.

Facing the beginning of our first week of unemployment, I sat in the sanctuary of our church at the beginning of the Sunday worship service and heard a song that seemed as if the words were written just for me and what I am going through.


Still my soul be still
And do not fear
Though winds of change may rage tomorrow
God is at your side
No longer dread
The fires of unexpected sorrow

God You are my God
And I will trust in You and not be shaken
Lord of peace renew
A steadfast spirit within me
To rest in You alone

Still my soul be still
Do not be moved
By lesser lights and fleeting shadows
Hold onto His ways
With shield of faith
Against temptations flaming arrows

Still my soul be still
Do not forsake
The Truth you learned in the beginning
Wait upon the Lord
And hope will rise
As stars appear when day is dimming

Wow! No longer dread the fires of unexpected sorrows! Do not forsake the Truth I have learned in the beginning. God's word promises me trouble. It promises me hard things, difficulties, and things that are sorrowful in this life. But with God, my soul can be at rest with these difficulties, because God brings these trials to teach me and because of His great love towards me. I have come to a place in my Christian walk where I can say to God: "Bring the trials you see necessary to teach me the things I need to know, and to cleanse me from the sins I am entangled in and don't recognize, especially when things are going good in my life."

You see, I can say these things because God is for me, and not against me. By His grace, He has made me one of His, and promises to keep me forever in His care. So my soul can be still. So I can wait upon Him and what He will do to provide for our family and provide Dave with a new job, whenever that will be. And I will not be shaken. So I will not worry or trust in my own understanding. I can cast my burden upon the Lord, for He cares for me. 1 Peter 5:7. I can be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication let my requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension will guard my heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:5-7. All of these riches are mine, and for this reason, I have a heart of thankfulness. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15!

Happy Birthday to my Sister!

Today is my sister's birthday! Karen is one of my greatest blessings on this earth. I don't think I realized her worth and value until I was all grown up. We are almost 7 years apart, so growing up we were always in a different phase of life. I mean, come on, who wants a 9 year old bugging you when you're a teenager? And I'm sure I was just SO pleasant to be around back then anyways (: Hehe.

Today, my sister is my best girl friend, my example, my encouragement, and one with whom I share all of life's joys and trials with. It never gets old, just her and me-whether we're hanging out by the pool, drinking coffee, sitting by the fireplace, donating blood together, eating and cooking, or just out and about. We are even together all the time at church. So much that people who don't know us well have to question whether or not we are related. We're always sitting together, wlaking down the halls together, in ministry together. What a joy and blessing. Like I said in the beginning of this post, Karen is one of God's greatest blessings to me. To know the love of a sister and friend, and know the peace and joy that we are both secure for eternity because of our mutual faith in Christ is an immense privilege, and one I do not deserve.

I love you, sis! I hope you enjoy your special day today! Enjoy being 29!

Vance Turns 9!!!!

I can't believe my "baby" turns 9 today! It just doesn't seem possible. The last 9 years have just flown by. This past year he has excelled in school, dirt bike riding, being an absolute kick in the pants, and keeps us all laughing regularly! He is very easy going, very generous, and very loving, while still maintaining his rugged male character. He's lost some teeth, broken a hand, split a lip here and there, and grown bigger and taller. He has a recent love of clay and making various creations out of it, loves rocks, crystals, and minerals, reading, and everything he can soak up with his brain. He's Vancey pants, Fuzzy, the Bubs, and we all love him to death.

Today for his birthday, we went to the local donut store for breakfast, did some shopping, had pizza at Dave's office for lunch, did some more shopping (he wanted a hat and new wallet at New Star skate and surf shop), Menchies for some frozen yogurt, and then to the Dollar Tree. What a fun day! We're saving his special birthday dinner for tomorrow when Dave will be home. We are having salmon, of course. Vance's very favorite food in the whole world.

Vance, you are so special to me and to your Daddy. We love you so much, and pray for you always. We have enjoyed watching you grow up thus far, and can't wait to see what God has for you in the future!


New clay for the birthday boy!

Vance sporting his new wallet and hat he bought with birthday money from Grandma.

Vance and his new MP3 player!

Hmmm....clay in one hand, music in the other???

Luke's Birthday Party at the Gorman Track

This past Saturday, we threw Luke a birthday party at the Gorman motocross track. We invited family and all of Luke's motorcycle riding friends. It was SO much fun. Luke requested chili dogs, and wanted a cupcake bar for dessert. Easy enough! Did you know that Tommy's sells their chili by the quart? I ran over to Tommy's and got a couple to serve over the chili dogs, and it was a hit! And who doesn't need an occasional Tommy's fix in their life? I think once a year is sufficient.



We suprised Luke with a BIG birthday present this year. A new (well, used) CR85 dirt bike. He was ready to move up, and so was Vance, so we pushed everyone up a bike, and were able to sell our smallest bike to buy the new one. I tell you folks, if you are ever considering getting into the sport, ALWAYS buy used. Hondas and Yamahas (and the other three brands as well) run and run and run, with very little work required. It's so cheap to buy them used, and then when you are done with them, you can usually sell them and get your money back so you can upgrade. The kids grow so fast and their skills increase, making it necessary every once in a while to do so. Dave decided to go with a CR85 two stroke for Luke, since he really is a great rider.



We made EVERY EFFORT to conceal Luke's gift from him until the day of his party. Dave went out and bought the bike, and we hid it in our friends' garage until Luke was gone at church one night. We brought it home, cleaned it up, and stashed it inside the back of our trailer. Luke never goes in there, so we thought we would be safe. I made every effort to refrain from sending the boy into the trailer for anything. When we were packing up the trailer for the party, I made sure to send the other boys into the trailer with food and such. Until it totally slipped my mind and I sent Luke out there to put something in the fridge. He came back into the house, speechless, yet talkative (if that's possible), and with excitement in his voice, began frantically asking about the "foreign bike" in the trailer. I tried to fabricate a story. FAIL. Austin tried to convince him it was my sister's bike. EPIC FAIL. Up until that moment he literally had NO CLUE he was getting a bike for his birthday. Yet, when he saw it, he was convinced it was his. And he was thrilled. So the cat was out of the bag a little early and I was disappointed, but the suprise factor was definitely accomplished, just a little early!



The day of the party, he was just so excited to ride his new bike, and he did AWESOME on that thing. Dave thought it would "scare the pants off of him" since it has significantly more power than the last bikes he has ridden. But he did amazing! Mission accomplished! We also had to give him a disclaimer: "No Luke, you will NOT be getting a gift like this every year for your birthday"....haha.

Happy 11th Birthday Luke!

Luke's Birthday Breakfast

Delicious Cinnamon Rolls...Recipe to come

Today our middlest, craziest, most energetic, most lovable, sensitive yet tough at the same time, athletically inclined, fast learning, talkative, friendly, people oriented, dirt bike riding, bike riding, skateboarding middle child turns 11!!!! That just blows me away. I still remember the day he climbed out of his crib and was standing on his dresser when I went in to greet him in the morning. He doesn't do that anymore.

Luke is a gift from God to our family. God chose Luke as our child and Dave and I as his parents. What a great responsibility and privilege we have!!! It has been both a blessing and a challenge, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. It has been encouraging to watch him grow and learn. I can't wait to see what the future holds for him, and even what this next year may bring. For now, I trust that the Lord has a plan for his life, and He continues to hold Luke's every moment is His very hand. I pray that the Lord would do a mighty work in Luke's heart, even if just little by little. For with God little is MUCH, and I will rejoice in little!

Today we are celebrating Luke's birthday with the following meals, personally chosen by the birthday boy himself:

Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls

Lunch: Pizza with Dad at his office

Dinner: Steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and a lettuce wedge salad with blue cheese crumbles and bacon bits

Tomorrow we will celebrate his birthday with family and dirt bike riding friends at the Gorman track, where he will open his presents. For now I will not reveal any details, but there will be pictures to come, courtesy of my beautiful niece Emma, who I'm sure will capture all the excitement of the day! Stay tuned. Excitement to come!

Field Trip to the Van Nuys Airport

Yesterday, some of the families from Lighthouse visited the Van Nuys Airport for a field trip. It was a really fun and informative trip! We boarded a tour bus and were driven around the hangars and down the runway, and given information about the airport itself and the planes and people who own them. Did you know that Amelia Earhart flew out of this airport? We also saw Jim Carrey's private jet, news helicopters, and planes belonging to various large corporations.

We were taken to the Fire Station's hangar, where they keep all the emergency fire response vehicles, helicopters, and the Super Soaker. We watched a trainee who was learning to make water drops circle around several times and drop the water. It was a great time! Here are some pics from the day.


Group shot in front of the super soaker .

Vance standing in front of a $13 million dollar helicopter.

The Fireman explaining info about the helicopters.

Very cool.

Luke and Jimmy checking out the Super Soaker.

A trainee making a water drop.

The boys in the Fire Station Hangar saluting the flag!

Vance in front of one of the emergency response vehicles. Note the size of the tire in relation to his height. That's one MEGA machine!

Tasty Tuesday {Potato Pan Rolls}

We had a great time of fellowship this past weekend with some of our Juniors staff. We attended two staff dinners both evenings and had a great time of food and fun. I brought one of my favorite bread recipes to one of the dinners, and I was asked for the recipe, so I thought I would share it here today. Sometimes I feel lazy, and when asked to bring rolls, I will buy the Kings Hawaiian rolls because they are good. But they can be expensive for a large group of people, so I always go to this recipe because it makes lots of rolls with minimal effort, and for very little cost. I am working very hard to be budget mindful, in light of my growing boys and growing food bill. I can't believe how much I spend on food, and how quickly it disappears! Anyways, one batch of this recipe turns out 36 deliciously soft potato rolls. It is an excellent recipe to use for Thanksgiving or Christmas meals where you need to feed a crowd. They also freeze really well, so you can make them ahead of time. Just make sure you cut the baking time back a couple of minutes and just undercook them slightly, so that when you reheat them, they don't dry out.


Potato Pan Rolls

2 medium potatoes, peeled, quartered, cooked in 1 1/2 cups water, then mashed to equal 1 cup of potatoes, and also reserving 1 cup cooking liquid
4 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
2 tsp salt
6 cups bread flour (or half white, half whole wheat flour)

Cool cooking liquid (should be 1 cup) from potatoes to 110-115 degrees. Set aside. Cool the 1 cup of mashed potatoes to same temp. In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar with cooking liquid. Let stand for 5 minutes (should foam up). Add mashed potatoes, butter, honey, oil, eggs, salt, and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add remaining 4 1/2 cups flour and mix until it forms a soft dough. Knead in mixer with dough hook for about 6-8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, and turn once to coat. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Punch down dough and turn onto floured surface. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Divide each portion into 10-12 pieces, forming each piece into a ball with your hands. Place each group of 10-12 into a greased round cake pan. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Tasty Tuesday

Today's recipe is a new one I just tried for the first time, and WOW, were they good. They had the perfect texture, perfect crumb, perfect amount of sweetness, and they're healthy to boot! OK, well......somewhat healthy. Hey, it's got carrots in it, come on!

Carrot Cake Muffins

1 1/4 cups flour (I used half whole wheat)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp EACH baking powder and baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup finely grated carrots

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce or sour cream (either works fantastic)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup oil or butter

3/4 cup raisins

Combine wet ingredients, then add all dry ingredients except raisins, and mix well. Stir in the raisins. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake 20 minutes, or until done.

frosting:

powdered sugar

milk

vanilla

Mix a small amount of milk into about 2 cups of powdered sugar, adding more milk if necessary to get it to drizzling consistency. Stir in about 1/2 tsp vanilla. When muffins are cooled, drizzle the frosting over the muffins.