I love playing catch with my daddy!
Look at me! I have the world in my hands!
Dad, you are so funny!
Madi Beth mustered up her best smile while enduring a fever and sore throat. No worries, she has all her friends surrounding her with love, including her best friend, Jessie!
So Jenna at Waiting for Panda Bear tagged me to write three random things about myself. She says I am level headed (ha ha) and needs to hear about a few of my quirks.
The Rules: Post 3 random things about yourself. Link to the person who tagged you in your post. Tag at least 5 other bloggers. Let them know you've tagged them by posting a comment on their blog with an invite to participate.
What you've been waiting for...
1. I am slightly OCD. I have been known on many occasions to begin backing out of the driveway only to stop the van and run back to the house to make sure I turned off the oven or the iron or stopped the dryer. You get the picture. And then I will always double check to make sure I locked the door by jiggling it extra hard a couple of times. Just a little obsessive.
2. I was born in Guam. When I was younger I used to tell my friends I was Guamanian. I still tell people that I cannot tolerate cold weather all that well because I spent the first two years of my life on a Pacific tropical island. I tell my husband all the time that if something were to happen to him I might just move back to a tropical island, Pacific or Caribbean.
3. I am addicted to my computer. Again, obsessively. I check in on it at least 20 times a day. It doesn't help that it sits right here in my dining/kitchen/living room area. So if I have a minute or two I'll pull up my email, blogs and websites I check regularly. It is one of those things I am really working on when I posted the questions from Beauty from the Heart.
I know I am much more quirky than that, but right now I cannot think of anything else. The baby had me up quite a bit last night. Every time I think about having another one he pulls an all nighter and I change my mind. Funny how that happens. I know many people that read my blog that don't comment or that do comment but don't have a blog of their own but not that many that actually read it and post a comment and have a blog. So I will tag my recently moved BFF Leigh Ann and also a new friend, Leslie, if you still read my blog I tag you...
At Grandma and Papa's farm the kids covered their ears while Daddy showed us how loud the crocodile/bear/monster/squirrel gun can sound. (This comes after a late night conversation with daddy about how he can protect us from all things scary!)
Getting ready for those Blue Angels to begin flying. Got our sunscreen on and our eyes and ears protected! Courtesy our crazy, overprotective mom!
Eli wasn't too sure about any of it and wouldn't keep his ear plugs in and just wanted mommy so he could fall asleep in her arms!
The Amazing Blue Angels.
Yes, they are flying upside down and very close. My heart was racing the whole time! 
Some would gather money
Along the path of life,
Some would gather roses,
And rest from worldly strife;
But, I would gather children
From among the thorns of sin,
I would seek a golden curl,
And a freckled, toothless grin.
For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day,
And roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way.
But, Oh, the laughing children,
As I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven
I can take them in with me.
-Unknown
Eli's Christmas present has become the girls most favorite toy! Maybe this summer the girls will get some swings of their own and Eli won't have to share his! Won't he be so happy!As I struggle daily with taking my focus off of myself and putting it on to Christ and his glory I realize I must change some things about myself and how I live my life. I don't know about you, but it is an ongoing battle against the flesh to die to self and live for Christ and I want Christ to win this battle and be glorified in my life. I believe the Lord led me to a series of challenging questions to help me refocus in this new season of my life. I would like to share them with you and maybe in the coming weeks I will share how these questions are changing my focus and my life. They came from Beauty From the Heart…
It's been almost three years since we moved back. I remember distinctly asking God to send Jeremiah and I a couple that we could be friends with, and for friends for our children. I remember buying our small home that needed to be completely renovated and I remember the Harris Family jumping in and volunteering to help. Leigh Ann would stop by in the afternoon to see how things were going, chat for a few minutes and be on her way. And I remember God telling me, I've answered your prayer.
There were many things that brought us together: adoption, our children, Bible Study, our church but most of all our desire to die to self and live for Christ. It honestly began back in 2004 when Life Action Ministries came to our church the first time and our lives were forever changed. Then the Lord required a true test of faith as Jeremiah lost his job and we had to move in with his parents for nine months and depend completely on him. During this time God spoke to our family and called us to adopt a baby into our home. Separately but within weeks of each other, God was calling the Harris family to do the same thing. Then God led our family back to Watkinsville where he also brought our two families together to encourage one another and enjoy each other's company.
Since then we've been on Mission Trips together, enjoyed Christian concerts, eaten at Chick-Fil-A a whole lot and watched our children grow. We've prayed together, studied the Bible together and praised God in the good and in the bad. We've prayed them to China and back home, prayed for the sale of their business and for the Lord to lead them in the new direction in their life. We've prayed that they would raise support to join Life Action Ministries and for the sale of their home and the purchase of a new one. And now, God has answered all these prayers and it is time for them to go and fully begin living the call God has placed on their lives.
As I struggle for appropriate words to write, I realize I could never sum up how I truly feel in just a short post. I could not begin to describe what this friendship has meant to me, how much I love them and their family and how incredibly much I will miss them. And then, at the same time, how excited I am for them and the new life they have ahead of them and the impact they will make on the kingdom of God. Their testimony is one of forgiveness and mercy, faithfulness and trust and a love for Jesus Christ that surpasses most I know. As I continue to pray them on I know that my life has been blessed by our friendship and the love we share for each other and for Jesus Christ.
I've tried so hard not to cry and talk about it a lot as it upsets us all, but that doesn't mean I don't hurt inside and struggle with how to handle these mixed emotions. I've always treasured the time we've had together and all the more as they prepare to leave for Michiana on Monday morning. As we worship side by side one final time Sunday morning I will count this as such a blessing that God sent friends that aren't afraid to talk about spiritual matters and share from the heart. Transparent. Genuine. Loyal. Trustworthy. Loving. Gracious. Kind. Precious Friends.
