This week all we have heard on the news has been about this crazy-bad storm that is rolling in tonight. It's going to snow down really, really low and we will get lots of snow. We just got through a bad storm last week where we got over 3 feet. That is NOT normal for our area of California at all. We usually get some snow but not very much and then it melts quickly.
Yesterday we worked on getting ourselves and the house prepared for the worst. We made sure we have enough fuel for when(yes, 'when', it WILL happen) the power goes out to run the generator, batteries for flash lights, tons of wood in the house for the fire, a few buckets of water, etc.
PG&E has been down our road with at least 25 big trucks and a snow cat, working on things before the big storm. DOT has been on all our roads clearing and cutting trees that had fallen or at risk of falling, to make sure the roads are as safe as they can be. They are staging snow plows down low(snow is supposed to go down to 500 ft.) to make sure that the roads are cleared quickly. All around us we see preparation for this storm.
We know that the power will probably go out, trees will probably fall, the house will get really cold, pipes might freeze but because we are prepared for the worst, we can be sure that we will be comfortable in the midst of an uncomfortable situation. The house will be nice and warm and we will have what is necessary for our survival even if we can't drive anywhere or do what we "normally" do.
It started me thinking about how we need to be prepared for the worst in regards to our Christian walk. If we go through life thinking, "well, I'm a Christian and so nothing bad will happen to me. God will protect me" then we will likely face the storms of life unprepared and flounder in the midst of it. We know that the enemy will try to "attack" us even though we don't know when (John 10:10). However, if we press into the word of God and make sure that we are prepared spiritually we can sit in the comfort of His wings while the storm rages around us. It doesn't mean that we will not have those storms come but, when we are prepared, we can get through with less strife because we are prepared.
Psalm 37:28
For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever...
Psalm 91:14
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
2 Thessalonians 3:2-4
And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
Are you prepared for the attacks of the enemy?
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Just in case you ever wondered...
This little man is adored. He is loved and cherished and coddled and fussed over by every. single. one. of his siblings.
Every morning Canaan sleeps in until about 8:30 or so and the rest of us have been getting things started for our home schooling day. Every ear is tuned for the sound of Canaan talking. The first one to hear him will yell, "Canaan's awake!"
I go pick him up out of his crib, talk to him a little while and kiss his amazingly, fat, scrumptious, chubby baby cheeks then walk into the other room. When I enter the main room and the kids see their baby they come running(yes, they call him "their" baby and tell strangers this all the time). I have to kneel down on the floor while 6kids kiss and ooo and ahhh over their baby brother.
Justus says in his high-pitched for-baby-only-voice, "I wuv you Canaan. I'm your big brudder, yep, I your big brudder and I love you!" Then he smothers his face with kisses. Judah holds Canaan's hand and tries to get Canaan to look at him so he can talk to him and tell him how much he loves him and how cute he is. Isaiah fawns all over the baby and asks multiple times when he can hold and play with him. Malakai uses his high-pitched baby voice and says, "You're cute Canaan! Your cute! Yes, you are!" Sarah gives him a kiss and stands back to wait until the other kids have backed off to continue their chores and then steps in to pick him up, go sit on the couch and talk with him for a little bit. Alana usually joins her there to kiss Canaan and watch him.
Canaan smiles his amazing, dimpled smile and my heart melts every single time.
If God ever chooses to bless us with another baby, one thing I don't ever have to worry about is whether or not these children will be OK with it. They already know what a great blessing and how much fun babies are. As Malakai says, "Mommy, I want you to have 100 more babies like Canaan."
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A little manipulator
This morning my sweet little Justus hugs me and says:
"Mommy, you are the best Mommy in the whole wide world."
This is something he tells me often and I love it.
So, I asked him:
"How do you know I'm the best Mommy?"
He puts his palms up in a questioning stance and cocks his head a bit and says,
"Because God told me you were!"
I bent down, gave him a hug and told him he was the best Justus in the world.
Then he says, "NOW can I have a vitamin?"
Little stinker had been asking me for a vitamin for an hour and figured if he buttered me up a bit he might get what he wanted.
For the record, he got the vitamins.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
"Me" time
Someone asked me how I get "me" time as a mom of so many. I am probably going to push some buttons here and offend some people. No big deal, it's my opinion, and you are all entitled to yours. ;)
I think believing we need "me" time is all about selfishness. Our culture has bred, and continues to breed, the thought that everything is about "ME!".
What can you give "me"?
How will this benefit "me"?
When will it be about "me"?
When can I have time for just "me"?
Me, me, me, me, me.
Not only is this way of thinking detrimental to us as mother's and wives, it also is NOT the way that Christ wants us to be! As a Christian, we look to Christ as our perfect example and he was so far from selfish and about the "me" attitude as any one can be! Yes, he went off by himself to pray and be alone, this kind of "me" time is not what I am talking about. We do need to spend time alone with God and in prayer. What I am talking about is the "me" time out with the "girls" every week or making a pedicure, massage, etc. a necessity instead of just a once-in-a-great-while thing. I am addressing the "me" time when we put our desires first instead of our spouse and children.
Instead of asking yourself how you can get "me" time each week, we should be focusing on these precious gifts that God is allowing us to raise. We have them for such a short time, make it count! Push away the selfishness of this world, believing you "need" x amount of time away every day/week and pray for God to give you the strength you need to get to bedtime, if that's where you're at. My children go to bed at 7(Sarah at 8). This leaves me about 2 hours of time alone or with my husband when he's home. It's precious time that I cherish spending with Sarah and/or Jonah.
If you can't handle all day with your children, make a time in the middle of the day to schedule a "quiet time" for an hour where you can go in your room, pray, just relax, catch your breath, whatever. Then, get to the training you have neglected along the way that has made you not like being around your kids! When I neglect staying consistent with my kids I find I get overly frustrated with them! However, it's only my own fault for allowing them to be naughty without correcting them.
Anyone who knows me well, will know that I love my "alone" time and always have but that doesn't mean I "need" it or seek it out. I very rarely do anything alone, I am always bringing at least one child with me and usually a few when I go places and I cherish those times. When you choose to have children, you are pretty much choosing to forgo "me" time until those children are out of the house. Yes, there will be times when you have some time for "me" but I don't think it's a necessity. I also have the same thoughts about "me" time in a marriage. Yes, there will be times and opportunities to have those times alone but it's not a necessity. I know some people who have "girls night out" every week and not a date night. Putting your friends and "me" time ahead of your marriage will only result in divorce. Take the time to be alone when you can but don't make it a priority in your life.
As a side note, there may be times that you are overwhelmed with being a mommy and all that comes with that. I think that's normal. For some women, however, this may lead to depression and maybe anger issues. If you think that is you, do what you need to do to make yourself healthy and whole for your children and husband first.
I think believing we need "me" time is all about selfishness. Our culture has bred, and continues to breed, the thought that everything is about "ME!".
What can you give "me"?
How will this benefit "me"?
When will it be about "me"?
When can I have time for just "me"?
Me, me, me, me, me.
Not only is this way of thinking detrimental to us as mother's and wives, it also is NOT the way that Christ wants us to be! As a Christian, we look to Christ as our perfect example and he was so far from selfish and about the "me" attitude as any one can be! Yes, he went off by himself to pray and be alone, this kind of "me" time is not what I am talking about. We do need to spend time alone with God and in prayer. What I am talking about is the "me" time out with the "girls" every week or making a pedicure, massage, etc. a necessity instead of just a once-in-a-great-while thing. I am addressing the "me" time when we put our desires first instead of our spouse and children.
Instead of asking yourself how you can get "me" time each week, we should be focusing on these precious gifts that God is allowing us to raise. We have them for such a short time, make it count! Push away the selfishness of this world, believing you "need" x amount of time away every day/week and pray for God to give you the strength you need to get to bedtime, if that's where you're at. My children go to bed at 7(Sarah at 8). This leaves me about 2 hours of time alone or with my husband when he's home. It's precious time that I cherish spending with Sarah and/or Jonah.
If you can't handle all day with your children, make a time in the middle of the day to schedule a "quiet time" for an hour where you can go in your room, pray, just relax, catch your breath, whatever. Then, get to the training you have neglected along the way that has made you not like being around your kids! When I neglect staying consistent with my kids I find I get overly frustrated with them! However, it's only my own fault for allowing them to be naughty without correcting them.
Anyone who knows me well, will know that I love my "alone" time and always have but that doesn't mean I "need" it or seek it out. I very rarely do anything alone, I am always bringing at least one child with me and usually a few when I go places and I cherish those times. When you choose to have children, you are pretty much choosing to forgo "me" time until those children are out of the house. Yes, there will be times when you have some time for "me" but I don't think it's a necessity. I also have the same thoughts about "me" time in a marriage. Yes, there will be times and opportunities to have those times alone but it's not a necessity. I know some people who have "girls night out" every week and not a date night. Putting your friends and "me" time ahead of your marriage will only result in divorce. Take the time to be alone when you can but don't make it a priority in your life.
As a side note, there may be times that you are overwhelmed with being a mommy and all that comes with that. I think that's normal. For some women, however, this may lead to depression and maybe anger issues. If you think that is you, do what you need to do to make yourself healthy and whole for your children and husband first.
Friday, February 11, 2011
The proposal
The week of Valentine's day I flew up to spend a few days with Jonah. He knew that I hated Valentine's day and I was curious to see what he was going to do. On February 10, 2002 Jonah took me to San Francisco to go see some of the sites for our early "Valentines Day". At one point in the early afternoon he stopped his Jeep outside of the museum we were about to head in to and pulled out a ring box.
My first thought was, oh no! he is not going to propose to me sitting in a car! What is he thinking?! And he hasn't asked my dad yet! I was, however, pleasantly surprised when he told me the story of his grandmother giving him this ring for his wife to wear one day. She had died just 2 months before Jonah and I met and gave it to Jonah the day before she died. Jonah gave it to me and I was waiting for him to "pop" the question but it never came! He just said, "Happy Valentine's Day Faith. I love you." I was completely thrown for a loop but was pretty happy that my "engagement" story wasn't going to be sitting in a Jeep.
After a long day in Frisco we headed home and sat in his parents living room next to a hot fire. At about 9:30, WAY before Jonah ever left to go home, he stood up gave me a kiss and said, "I've gotta go home, I'm tired." I was so perplexed but so tired that I just agreed and went upstairs to go to bed myself. Around 2 in the morning on February 11, 2002 exactly 9 years ago, I was woken by pounding on the window of the bedroom, a bright light shining in my face, siren's in my ears and a man yelling, "Fire department, I'm responding to a fire!"
I opened my eyes, sat up a bit and thought, "well the fireman will save me" and laid back down. Oh yes, I did. The fireman climbed through the window yelling the whole time that there was a fire and then as he came closer and turned on the light he said, "I'm responding to a fire in your heart!" I think he was actually saying this the whole time but that's not what I heard. I realized it was Jonah but was SO not in my right mind from being woken up at 2 AM that I kept asking him, "What in the world are you doing!? Let me go back to sleep!" Jonah handed me a bouquet of roses, 24 of them red and one white one in the middle. I still, honestly, was so confused about what was going on and a proposal was not in my mind at all.
He stood there and read me a beautiful poem he had written that at the end of it said, "make you my wife". I was STILL asking him, "What are you doing?" Finally, he told me to take out the white flower from the bouquet and untie the string that was on it, got down on one knee and proposed, slipping the ring on my finger. I don't remember the exact words he used, he could probably tell you but I was in shock. I really think that's what it was!
I sat there on the bed with my knees pulled up looking at Jonah and saying over and over, "What are you doing?" Finally, Jonah couldn't take it any more. He said, "Faith! Will you give me your answer already?!" Realizing that the poor guy was sweating bullets I said, "Of course I'll marry you!" He pulled me up, we hugged and then went to stand at the window. Outside were 2 fire engines and a squad who turned on their air horns and sirens and a ton of Jonah's friends standing around celebrating loudly our engagment. I can only wonder what all the neighbors were thinking!
After saying goodbye and getting congratulations all around we sat up with Jonah's parents toasting with champagne and called my parents. I didn't know it but the weekend before when Jonah had come to visit he had pretended to leave my parents house, waited for me to go to work and then went back in to talk to my dad. My dad, when Jonah said he wanted to talk with him, left Jonah sitting in his office for 15 minutes while he puttered around downstairs. Mean ole dad he is.
If we could have, we would have gotten married as soon as possible(we were virgins, after all) but we had to put it off until June so that I could finish my teaching job and, we could plan a wedding. On June 23, 2002, just 8 months after having met, we were married on a hot, summer day overlooking the Newport Harbor with lots of close friends and family. People still talk about how amazing our wedding was and it was one of the best days of our lives. Here we are, 9 years later with our house full of some of those children we talked about the first weekend we spent together, and honestly, more happy than I could say.
And that my friends, is my love story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did rewriting it:)
My first thought was, oh no! he is not going to propose to me sitting in a car! What is he thinking?! And he hasn't asked my dad yet! I was, however, pleasantly surprised when he told me the story of his grandmother giving him this ring for his wife to wear one day. She had died just 2 months before Jonah and I met and gave it to Jonah the day before she died. Jonah gave it to me and I was waiting for him to "pop" the question but it never came! He just said, "Happy Valentine's Day Faith. I love you." I was completely thrown for a loop but was pretty happy that my "engagement" story wasn't going to be sitting in a Jeep.
After a long day in Frisco we headed home and sat in his parents living room next to a hot fire. At about 9:30, WAY before Jonah ever left to go home, he stood up gave me a kiss and said, "I've gotta go home, I'm tired." I was so perplexed but so tired that I just agreed and went upstairs to go to bed myself. Around 2 in the morning on February 11, 2002 exactly 9 years ago, I was woken by pounding on the window of the bedroom, a bright light shining in my face, siren's in my ears and a man yelling, "Fire department, I'm responding to a fire!"
I opened my eyes, sat up a bit and thought, "well the fireman will save me" and laid back down. Oh yes, I did. The fireman climbed through the window yelling the whole time that there was a fire and then as he came closer and turned on the light he said, "I'm responding to a fire in your heart!" I think he was actually saying this the whole time but that's not what I heard. I realized it was Jonah but was SO not in my right mind from being woken up at 2 AM that I kept asking him, "What in the world are you doing!? Let me go back to sleep!" Jonah handed me a bouquet of roses, 24 of them red and one white one in the middle. I still, honestly, was so confused about what was going on and a proposal was not in my mind at all.
He stood there and read me a beautiful poem he had written that at the end of it said, "make you my wife". I was STILL asking him, "What are you doing?" Finally, he told me to take out the white flower from the bouquet and untie the string that was on it, got down on one knee and proposed, slipping the ring on my finger. I don't remember the exact words he used, he could probably tell you but I was in shock. I really think that's what it was!
I sat there on the bed with my knees pulled up looking at Jonah and saying over and over, "What are you doing?" Finally, Jonah couldn't take it any more. He said, "Faith! Will you give me your answer already?!" Realizing that the poor guy was sweating bullets I said, "Of course I'll marry you!" He pulled me up, we hugged and then went to stand at the window. Outside were 2 fire engines and a squad who turned on their air horns and sirens and a ton of Jonah's friends standing around celebrating loudly our engagment. I can only wonder what all the neighbors were thinking!
After saying goodbye and getting congratulations all around we sat up with Jonah's parents toasting with champagne and called my parents. I didn't know it but the weekend before when Jonah had come to visit he had pretended to leave my parents house, waited for me to go to work and then went back in to talk to my dad. My dad, when Jonah said he wanted to talk with him, left Jonah sitting in his office for 15 minutes while he puttered around downstairs. Mean ole dad he is.
If we could have, we would have gotten married as soon as possible(we were virgins, after all) but we had to put it off until June so that I could finish my teaching job and, we could plan a wedding. On June 23, 2002, just 8 months after having met, we were married on a hot, summer day overlooking the Newport Harbor with lots of close friends and family. People still talk about how amazing our wedding was and it was one of the best days of our lives. Here we are, 9 years later with our house full of some of those children we talked about the first weekend we spent together, and honestly, more happy than I could say.
And that my friends, is my love story. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did rewriting it:)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Courtship time
It was a little awkward for me to go visit with Jonah, stay with his parents and such and still believe we were "just friends". I had planned on confronting Jonah about it and asking what his intentions were but, when I got there, really felt the need to wait and let Jonah do the talking if and when he felt the need to.
It was close to Christmas(so a little over a month since we began writing), we had spent a day snowboarding and had plans for the next evening to meet Jonah's best friend, and his soon-to-be wife, at a very nice restaurant in Old Town Sacramento. Jonah and I were walking down the river front together when Jonah began talking about me and how much he liked me. He told me that I checked off every thing on his "list" except that I didn't play an instrument but that wasn't that big of a deal(thank God!). I told him that he checked EVERYTHING off "my" list and then he stopped me, we turned to look at one another and he asked me to court him.
At the time I remember thinking, "court"? What the heck is that? I had never heard that term before and it sounded so old fashioned and weird. He went on to tell me that our courtship meant we were heading toward marriage unless God made it clear to one or both of us that we were not meant for one another. I loved that this guy wasn't playing around with my heart. I knew his intentions, that they were honorable and that he was serious about our relationship. This wasn't just another "boyfriend", within a month of becoming friends I knew where I stood with him. It was scary and exciting all at the same time! I remember asking Jonah, "So basically we'll be getting married unless something really crazy happens?" He slyly smiled and said, "Yeah".
We continued the next few weeks driving the 10 hours to visit each other often and continued to write numerous letters to one another and e-mails and phone calls. Having a long distance relationship was very hard but I also think it made us much closer. I knew, very shortly after our courtship began that I loved this man but waited patiently for him to say it first. Jonah had never been in love before and we had many conversations with him asking how he would know he was in love. My answer was always the same, you just know!
On January 7, 2002 we were sitting in a very crowded, loud P.F. Changs eating dinner when Jonah said, "I "think" I'm in love with you." My response, "Think? Well, are you or aren't you?" He was so flustered with my response and I couldn't believe I had just said that to the man I loved but I wanted him to be sure that he loved me, not just "think" he did! So he said, "Yes, Faith, I do love you" and I returned his statement of love and then promptly excused myself from the table to go throw up. Seriously. I knew this meant that, not only did he love me(and I him), but that we would be married, hopefully sooner rather than later. It was so exciting and nerve wracking for me that I couldn't eat another bite that night and I was a bundle of nervous energy.
Now, all I had to do was wait for him to propose. You don't want to miss this story tomorrow, I promise:)
It was close to Christmas(so a little over a month since we began writing), we had spent a day snowboarding and had plans for the next evening to meet Jonah's best friend, and his soon-to-be wife, at a very nice restaurant in Old Town Sacramento. Jonah and I were walking down the river front together when Jonah began talking about me and how much he liked me. He told me that I checked off every thing on his "list" except that I didn't play an instrument but that wasn't that big of a deal(thank God!). I told him that he checked EVERYTHING off "my" list and then he stopped me, we turned to look at one another and he asked me to court him.
At the time I remember thinking, "court"? What the heck is that? I had never heard that term before and it sounded so old fashioned and weird. He went on to tell me that our courtship meant we were heading toward marriage unless God made it clear to one or both of us that we were not meant for one another. I loved that this guy wasn't playing around with my heart. I knew his intentions, that they were honorable and that he was serious about our relationship. This wasn't just another "boyfriend", within a month of becoming friends I knew where I stood with him. It was scary and exciting all at the same time! I remember asking Jonah, "So basically we'll be getting married unless something really crazy happens?" He slyly smiled and said, "Yeah".
We continued the next few weeks driving the 10 hours to visit each other often and continued to write numerous letters to one another and e-mails and phone calls. Having a long distance relationship was very hard but I also think it made us much closer. I knew, very shortly after our courtship began that I loved this man but waited patiently for him to say it first. Jonah had never been in love before and we had many conversations with him asking how he would know he was in love. My answer was always the same, you just know!
On January 7, 2002 we were sitting in a very crowded, loud P.F. Changs eating dinner when Jonah said, "I "think" I'm in love with you." My response, "Think? Well, are you or aren't you?" He was so flustered with my response and I couldn't believe I had just said that to the man I loved but I wanted him to be sure that he loved me, not just "think" he did! So he said, "Yes, Faith, I do love you" and I returned his statement of love and then promptly excused myself from the table to go throw up. Seriously. I knew this meant that, not only did he love me(and I him), but that we would be married, hopefully sooner rather than later. It was so exciting and nerve wracking for me that I couldn't eat another bite that night and I was a bundle of nervous energy.
Now, all I had to do was wait for him to propose. You don't want to miss this story tomorrow, I promise:)
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Getting to know this man of mine
The following Friday, November 6, Jonah showed up at our house and promptly went out to surf. I was still at work and didn't get home until just before dinner. We all sat down to dinner, including one of my brother's girlfriend's(at the time) and had one of my mom's awesome meals. If you know my family at all, you will know that they tortured me and teased me and embarrassed me even though this man was a virtual STRANGER and guest in our home and, for all we knew, he was just here to surf.
After dinner us young folk decided to take a bike ride to Starbucks for some coffee and chatting. On the way there and back Jonah and I talked small talk, no big deal. If you ask Jonah, he will tell you that that was the night he knew that he wanted to see where this would go but knew it would be prudent to begin it with friendship first.
The next day, a Saturday, Jonah was out surfing most of the day while I did some chores around the house. In the afternoon, while I was washing my car, my mom came out to tell me that I was going to have to entertain our guest that evening because they had a meeting and my brothers would not be home either. I was very upset about it, as I am not one to be comfortable with someone I don't know well, especially an eligible bachelor! You should have seen me stumble and blush when Jonah walked up from surfing(I was still washing the car) and I had to tell him that everyone was leaving and I was "in charge" of making sure he was taken care of. Unbeknownst to me at the time, no one had any plans, it was a ploy, plain and simple. I can get angry at my mom all I want for tricking me but that night changed my life forever.
Jonah and I decided to go out to dinner and then a movie. At dinner we sat for 3 hours talking about anything and everything you can imagine. That dinner is where I learned that Jonah wanted 11 kids and he learned that I only wanted 6. We talked about our desire to adopt and the goals we had for our lives. Talking with him was as easy as talking to my best friend. It was so comfortable and easy. There was never an awkward lull in the conversation or a weird silence. We were not talking as a "dating" couple but just 2 people who were beginning a friendship and it made it easy.
That night when we got home and I sat on my mom's bed, like I usually did each night to talk, I told her that Jonah was the man I was going to marry. I had never in my life felt so confident in anything, I knew he was "the one". I think I scared my mom a little bit when I said that as I was always VERY reserved when it came to men.
Monday morning, when Jonah was getting ready to leave for home and I was getting ready to go to work, he approached me to ask if we could write back and forth because he would like to get to know me better. Those letters, which we still cherish, thrust our relationship forward very, very fast because there were so many things that we were able to share that we would not have shared in person.
At the time my family was at odds about whether or not Jonah was interested in me but it all came to a close when, getting home late from my birthday dinner, there was a bouquet of flowers on our doorstep from Jonah. The card said simply, "Happy Birthday, From Your Friend, Jonah". Simple and questionable, for sure, but what guy sends a girl flowers on her birthday just because?
I definitely began questioning his intentions because we had talked nothing but friendship. I had plans at the beginning of December to go, meet(and stay with) his parents and spend a few days snowboarding together. Ah, the memories of that time are so sweet.
More tomorrow.
After dinner us young folk decided to take a bike ride to Starbucks for some coffee and chatting. On the way there and back Jonah and I talked small talk, no big deal. If you ask Jonah, he will tell you that that was the night he knew that he wanted to see where this would go but knew it would be prudent to begin it with friendship first.
The next day, a Saturday, Jonah was out surfing most of the day while I did some chores around the house. In the afternoon, while I was washing my car, my mom came out to tell me that I was going to have to entertain our guest that evening because they had a meeting and my brothers would not be home either. I was very upset about it, as I am not one to be comfortable with someone I don't know well, especially an eligible bachelor! You should have seen me stumble and blush when Jonah walked up from surfing(I was still washing the car) and I had to tell him that everyone was leaving and I was "in charge" of making sure he was taken care of. Unbeknownst to me at the time, no one had any plans, it was a ploy, plain and simple. I can get angry at my mom all I want for tricking me but that night changed my life forever.
Jonah and I decided to go out to dinner and then a movie. At dinner we sat for 3 hours talking about anything and everything you can imagine. That dinner is where I learned that Jonah wanted 11 kids and he learned that I only wanted 6. We talked about our desire to adopt and the goals we had for our lives. Talking with him was as easy as talking to my best friend. It was so comfortable and easy. There was never an awkward lull in the conversation or a weird silence. We were not talking as a "dating" couple but just 2 people who were beginning a friendship and it made it easy.
That night when we got home and I sat on my mom's bed, like I usually did each night to talk, I told her that Jonah was the man I was going to marry. I had never in my life felt so confident in anything, I knew he was "the one". I think I scared my mom a little bit when I said that as I was always VERY reserved when it came to men.
Monday morning, when Jonah was getting ready to leave for home and I was getting ready to go to work, he approached me to ask if we could write back and forth because he would like to get to know me better. Those letters, which we still cherish, thrust our relationship forward very, very fast because there were so many things that we were able to share that we would not have shared in person.
At the time my family was at odds about whether or not Jonah was interested in me but it all came to a close when, getting home late from my birthday dinner, there was a bouquet of flowers on our doorstep from Jonah. The card said simply, "Happy Birthday, From Your Friend, Jonah". Simple and questionable, for sure, but what guy sends a girl flowers on her birthday just because?
I definitely began questioning his intentions because we had talked nothing but friendship. I had plans at the beginning of December to go, meet(and stay with) his parents and spend a few days snowboarding together. Ah, the memories of that time are so sweet.
More tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
How I met my man
Many of you already know this story but many of you have asked for me to tell it, so I will oblige. :)
9 1/2 years ago I traveled with my parents to Northern California to visit with some close family friends who had planted a church. My parents were teaching a parenting class and I came along to visit the pastor's daughter, who was a close friend. While there the pastor's wife, Teri, wanted to get Jonah and my parents to meet so that Jonah would have a place to stay when he went to Southern California to surf.
Oh, and she also thought Jonah and I would be perfect together but I didn't know that at first, otherwise I would have bucked and fought. :)
Jonah, unfortunately, was working our whole visit but invited us to drive out to his station. On the way, Teri told me about this man we were about to meet and I was intrigued. He was successful, hard-working, already owned a home, surfed and, best of all, was saving himself for his wife. He was 26.
When we got out of the car and walked into his station I was nervous and a bit jaded about being introduced to this stranger who, obviously, Teri thought would be "good" for me! I wanted to "choose" on my own. Stubborn, stubborn woman. I held onto my Dad's hand and this tall, handsome guy stood up and introduced himself. It was October 6, 2001.
Honestly, my stomach lurched and I was immediately taken with him. I didn't say much, he talked with my dad and gave us a firehouse tour. Before we left my dad gave him our number and told him he is welcome to come for a visit any time.
No one thought we would ever get a phone call.
A few weeks later the phone rang, my brother answered and handed the phone to my dad. Jonah was calling to ask permission to come for a visit to surf the following weekend. When they hung up my parents and brother "argued" about why he was coming down. My dad and brother figured he just wanted a place to sleep and be close to the surf. My mom said it was because of me. I wasn't really sure at all but was in for a great ride come the following weekend.
Stay tuned for the rest of our love story:)
9 1/2 years ago I traveled with my parents to Northern California to visit with some close family friends who had planted a church. My parents were teaching a parenting class and I came along to visit the pastor's daughter, who was a close friend. While there the pastor's wife, Teri, wanted to get Jonah and my parents to meet so that Jonah would have a place to stay when he went to Southern California to surf.
Oh, and she also thought Jonah and I would be perfect together but I didn't know that at first, otherwise I would have bucked and fought. :)
Jonah, unfortunately, was working our whole visit but invited us to drive out to his station. On the way, Teri told me about this man we were about to meet and I was intrigued. He was successful, hard-working, already owned a home, surfed and, best of all, was saving himself for his wife. He was 26.
When we got out of the car and walked into his station I was nervous and a bit jaded about being introduced to this stranger who, obviously, Teri thought would be "good" for me! I wanted to "choose" on my own. Stubborn, stubborn woman. I held onto my Dad's hand and this tall, handsome guy stood up and introduced himself. It was October 6, 2001.
Honestly, my stomach lurched and I was immediately taken with him. I didn't say much, he talked with my dad and gave us a firehouse tour. Before we left my dad gave him our number and told him he is welcome to come for a visit any time.
No one thought we would ever get a phone call.
A few weeks later the phone rang, my brother answered and handed the phone to my dad. Jonah was calling to ask permission to come for a visit to surf the following weekend. When they hung up my parents and brother "argued" about why he was coming down. My dad and brother figured he just wanted a place to sleep and be close to the surf. My mom said it was because of me. I wasn't really sure at all but was in for a great ride come the following weekend.
Stay tuned for the rest of our love story:)
Monday, February 07, 2011
The "Visit"
Last night the kids and I met Sarah and Alana's birth brother's at a pizza place half way between their house and ours. It has been FIVE years since we have seen them and their mom. To say Sarah was excited is an understatement. She was glowing and yet, when we walked into the building she became silent and shy.
We definitely know that Sarah's height is genetic. M and T are SO tall at only 12 and 13. Both of them tower over me! If they are any indication, Sarah(and probably Alana too) will be pretty tall.
Last night Sarah's eyes were opened a little bit from the way she always thought things were but wouldn't listen to me about the facts. You see, a lot of things have changed for her. She sees things in a different way than she did when she was 6. What she remembers of her time with her birth mother is all fairies and butterflies and what the boy's remember terrify them to the point of fear. I think it was/is a coping mechanism for her and that is fine. Sarah, for her first 4 years, was those boy's caretaker even though they were her older brothers. She remembers some really good times with them and I am sure, because of the horribleness of what she doesn't remember, has bonded to them in a special way.
Both M and T have some mental disabilities that Sarah has denied and told me that I didn't know what I was talking about. Last night, she realized I was right and it was very eye opening for her to see and understand things a bit better of the reality of why she was removed from her birth mother's care. I was a little concerned about how she would deal with it all but we talked the whole way home. I was able to share with her a little more of her story and the why's of things and she seemed to move to a new level of understanding with it all.
One other thing we learned is that their birth mother has had 3 or 4 more children since her rights were terminated with these kids. Sarah's response was, "You have GOT to be kidding me!" I have no idea where those children are but I can just pray they are somewhere safe and loved. It makes me so sad for those kids and yet I am SO thankful that God placed these precious girls in our home to become our daughter's.
If you think about it, you could pray for Sarah. The aftermath of visits always used to put her into a bit of a funky sadness. She seems fine today but I'm not sure she would share with me her hurt or sadness right now either. Learning all of this can not be easy at 11 and I just pray God would protect her heart and comfort her completely!
P.S. Just so there is no confusion this visit was only with the girls' birth brother's. The "mom" I am talking about is the boy's mom, not their birth mother.
Friday, February 04, 2011
My girl knows what she wants
Jonah and Sarah were working on a project together the other day and Jonah asked her what kind of man she wants to marry when she grows up. I was very surprised at her responses and how detailed she was in them! She wants her husband to have brown skin, brown hair and blue eyes(that one will probably be hard to fill;) ). He should be tall but not too tall like her Daddy, although with the way Sarah is growing a 6' 5" man might be just the right height for her when she finishes growing. Sarah does not want her husband to be a fireman or a police man because those jobs are too risky.
Of course we talked about the fact that most of those things were physical attributes and if a man came knocking on our door completely opposite of those that she shouldn't write him off right away. I told her that chances are she will fall in love with someone that might be nothing like she "wanted". I never thought, or dreamed, of marrying a 6'5" man but I got him and wouldn't have it any other way. I also talked with her about thinking about the "type" of man she wants in things other than looks as I think that is much more important.
Anyways, we are entering interesting territory here and it will be fun to watch Sarah's ideas and, eventually, her choice in a husband. And parents of little kids? Pray for your kids' spouses. Pray for them with your children listening and pray for them in your own quiet time. Pray for your children's spouses parents and how they are being raised. It's never to early and, from experience, it works.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Why Homeschooling Matters
In light of a school shooting yesterday at an elementary school in my "safe" town I have been thinking about the blessing of homeschool just for my children's safety not to mention all the other reasons.
If you are a Christian and if you are debating homeschooling vs. public school, this is a great video.
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I especially like her comments about "salt and light" since that is such a common argument some parents make for public school.
Enjoy!
Yes, I know that the video is cut off a bit, but I don't know how to fix it. ;)
If you are a Christian and if you are debating homeschooling vs. public school, this is a great video.
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I especially like her comments about "salt and light" since that is such a common argument some parents make for public school.
Enjoy!
Yes, I know that the video is cut off a bit, but I don't know how to fix it. ;)
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
February Changes
The past few months I have felt like chaos, disobedience, laziness, selfishness and bad attitudes have reigned in my house. Starting today, it is going to change.
Jonah and I brain stormed a few ideas and I think we have come up with something that will be good for my kids, give them some more responsibility, give them an opportunity to serve someone else and help with the chaos, at least.
Just like the Duggar's we handed out jurisdictions this morning, only we did it a little different. We drew cards to see who would be the lucky person to do a certain job. You see, some of my children have this sense that they do everything in the house and it's just not the case. I wanted a system that I wasn't the one giving certain kids certain jobs, it was all up to the luck of the draw.
The jobs have always been fairly equal and evenly distributed(based on age) but we still have problems with (a) certain children throwing "fits" that they do everything. So, we drew cards and it ended up and that that child now has all of the easiest jobs in the house(that Judah and Justus can't do) for the month of February. However, it's quite funny that 3 of those jobs are "gross" jobs like cleaning the toilets and taking out the compost bin and cleaning it.
Next month, jurisdictions will change again and we are hoping that by doing it this way each child won't get tired of their specific jobs. Up until this point we have been changing jobs every 6 months. It just wasn't working.
Another thing we took from the Duggar's is the buddy system. I was seeing selfishness reign in my older kids and it was SO disturbing to me! The best solution? Make them think of someone else who actually NEEDS them. The look on their faces when I assigned buddies this morning was so priceless, they were SO excited. Alana is still in the bathroom doing Justus' hair and is the most taken with her "buddy" which is really great to see because she is, hand's down, my most selfish child.
So, February is going to be a month of change around here and I am hoping a GOOD change! I'll let you know how it goes.
Jonah and I brain stormed a few ideas and I think we have come up with something that will be good for my kids, give them some more responsibility, give them an opportunity to serve someone else and help with the chaos, at least.
Just like the Duggar's we handed out jurisdictions this morning, only we did it a little different. We drew cards to see who would be the lucky person to do a certain job. You see, some of my children have this sense that they do everything in the house and it's just not the case. I wanted a system that I wasn't the one giving certain kids certain jobs, it was all up to the luck of the draw.
The jobs have always been fairly equal and evenly distributed(based on age) but we still have problems with (a) certain children throwing "fits" that they do everything. So, we drew cards and it ended up and that that child now has all of the easiest jobs in the house(that Judah and Justus can't do) for the month of February. However, it's quite funny that 3 of those jobs are "gross" jobs like cleaning the toilets and taking out the compost bin and cleaning it.
Next month, jurisdictions will change again and we are hoping that by doing it this way each child won't get tired of their specific jobs. Up until this point we have been changing jobs every 6 months. It just wasn't working.
Another thing we took from the Duggar's is the buddy system. I was seeing selfishness reign in my older kids and it was SO disturbing to me! The best solution? Make them think of someone else who actually NEEDS them. The look on their faces when I assigned buddies this morning was so priceless, they were SO excited. Alana is still in the bathroom doing Justus' hair and is the most taken with her "buddy" which is really great to see because she is, hand's down, my most selfish child.
So, February is going to be a month of change around here and I am hoping a GOOD change! I'll let you know how it goes.
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