These are some pictures from my dad's retirement party last month. They had a hogroast, along with veggies that were cooked inside the hog.  Then there were baked beans and a pasta salad...these are a few of Kiara eating that day and finding that they were tastes that she wasn't used to eating and she wasn't quite sure that she like them all! (As you can see)  She cracks us up with her faces!  She is so animated and we're pretty sure she will be a drama queen in her own right!  I think the paybacks for me and my behavior growing up is going to multiplied with this little gal.  Trouble with a capital T!  But she's so stinking cute that instead of getting angry...we melt and kiss on those adorable cheeks.  Little stinker. 

STINKER

For those of you close to our family you will know that our middle child, has the nickname "Stink"...which came from us always calling him stinker when he was "little" (not because he stinks in general :))  Anyway, we have a new stinker in the family...she happens to be our "little bug".  We've always called her "little bug" or "cutie bug"...well we may have to change her name to "stinker".  It seems she is always into something.  I'm sure the boys were at this age too, but it's been a long time since they were at this stage and our house isn't quite as baby-proofed as it was for them apparently.  The picture above is just one example of her messes that she loves to make.  She also pulls out ALL of the plastic containers from the kitchen cabinet...checks out all of the canned goods (by taking them out and setting them in the middle of the floor)...cleans out my sock and underwear drawer...inventories her toybox (or dumps it..all in how you look at it) and her most recent trick that the picture doesn't do justice...this is after we have picked them all up and "let" her play with this amount....she is an AVID reader...she pulls out all of the books of her interest to look at randomly all over her room! :)  She is a busy body and cute as a bug...well, I don't think bugs are generally cute, so she's as cute as any little girl I've ever seen...but she is definitely a STINKER!!!!!!!!!

Easy to be Negative

I'm sitting here on a Saturday morning....in quite a bit of pain (head and neck), with a clay mixture rubbed onto my neck (to pull out inflamation, etc)...my family is cleaning while I sit and do nothing...after 6 years I of battling this stupid neck pain...it continues and is as bad as it has been in several years. My husband and kids have to take the brunt of me being in pain and do everything around the house.  My sister-in-law is awaiting results and a plan to deal with a serious medical issue...it has been a horrible waiting and stressful process for her and her family to say the least...My dear friend is still struggling through grief and pain...My student at school is still battling brain cancer (although her last MRI results were great)...A student at school on Thursday told me that his dad was in jail for beating on his mom, right in front of him and his siblings....Hence the title of my blog...EASY TO BE NEGATIVE...how easy is it to be negative?  Junk surrounds us or those we love all of the time.  Why doesn't God take all the junk away and let us live happy, carefree lives for serving Him?  Well....it just doesn't work that way.  Throughout scripture it tells us over and over that we WILL suffer, go through hardships, and face persecution....and it also tells us in that to rejoice and praise Him in it all.  Do I feel like it?  Not always if I'm honest.  But I'm learning to CHOOSE to rejoice and find the things to praise him for...Like...Thank you Jesus that I'm able to be out of bed with the pain...Thank you Jesus that my husband (and kids) are so incredible and pour out love on me and are so willing to take up my slack right now...Thank you Jesus that sister-in-law knows you, trusts in you, and is glorifying you in the process of her medical issues....Thank you Jesus that my student, Keri, is not scared of the cancer but is standing up to fight it and at the same time encouraging others and best of all, praising and glorifying you in the process.  Thank you that it led her to be baptized and her relationship is growing in you.  Thank you Jesus that the little boy who watched his mom be beaten feels safe enough at school to share that with us and give us the opportunity to share Jesus with him...and that he was kept safe in the midst of the fighting.  Thank you Jesus that my dear friend is learning in this process of grief that You never leave her and that it is okay to be angry and tell you how she is feeling.  Thank you that she is learning to be real with You and listen for your voice....

So, does life stink sometimes?  Absolutely!  Life isn't fair and doesn't go the way that we want it....But PRAISE GOD...He is there for us in all situations, good and bad, and will not leave us for a moment.  Praise God that there is ALWAYS something to be positive about and praise Him for...I'm learning so much right now in my women's study (The Frazzled Female) and through scripture...Would I be learning so much if I wasn't in trial?  I doubt it...So thank you for the negative God, because it helps me seek out the positive and seek out YOU in the process.

As I look at this picture...it reminds me that the leaves have to change colors and die to be so beautiful and to renew life later on...it is much the same with us, isn't it?  We have to change and die to ourselves before God can truly work in us...and I think that trials and pain and yucky things are what get us there.  So...praise God today, even through the junk....maybe even BECAUSE of the junk!

Football

Football season is here and let me tell you that my boys are HYPED! They've been playing the backyard like maniacs and ANY game on tv they want to watch...high school, college, pro...they don't care who's on, they want to watch it and yell at the screen...Wow! I can't believe how much they know about it all too. They play by the rules (adapted for our yard area) and they are serious. A couple of weekends ago the weather was absolutely gorgeous and they were out playing. Phil came out to play with them (playing on both teams depending on who had the ball), and Kiara and I came out to watch as well. She sits in her swing and just watches them run all over! I was able to capture some pictures...some better than others, but they are all action shots for sure. Oh...and did I mention that "our" BRONCOS, who we didn't think would win all season, are now 3-0??? Woo hoo!!!

Hurts

I need to add some pictures and things of my kids, but right now just want to bloviate a bit (Don't ya love that word?...bloviate--fun to say too). Anyway, in the past few weeks I have been wrought with hurts...emotional, physical, spiritual. Over 3 weeks ago, my dear friend lost a sister to an accident...I feel her pain. Do I understand it fully? No...I've not lost a sister...but I feel FOR her. I can't believe the intensity of the feelings. I just want to make it better for her...to right her world, to say the right things, to comfort her, to show her Christ's love, to make it all just disappear. But I can't and even though those feelings are there...I know that she NEEDS to experience this...that God is going to do great things and use her through this. But as many of you know, I lost my best friend in high school and...well, no one could make it better for me and I'm sure that there were people who wanted to. And God DID indeed (and continues) to do great things through me because of that experience...but if you've ever been in that situation of losing someone, the words and reassurances from scripture don't help the hurt. They may in fact be true..."God works all things for the good" is a big one...it is true, but darn it, it just doesn't make the pain any less...and in fact sometimes makes it worse at the time. Because think about it...when we lose someone and grieve, we can't imagine anything "good" about it. It hurts. It angers. It doesn't go away EVER. The loss is always there. After 17 years, it still hurts, but I can see the good...not that Kiara is gone, that part still sucks...but that I wouldn't be the person I am today without some of those experiences.
So, what do I do? It's hard. I can't take the pain or make it go away...instead I hope that in my experience I can seek God's wisdom and I can let my dear friend be just who she needs to be, and let her grieve just as she needs too...that I won't be stupid and even TRY to make it better...I can't. So I will continue on this journey with her, with no expectations, and no rules...just being there and trusting God and hopefully showing her that love too.

Dangly things!

So, for those of you who know me fairly well, know that typically my jewelry is pretty conservative. Usually my hair hides my earrings and a simple chain does for a necklace. Well, three years ago (really has it been that long?), Iwent on a youth missions trip to Mexico and was the leader for 4 girls. For 10 days I was bombarded with seeing huge dangly earrings of teenagers...even at the construction site! They claim they must look good all of the time! Anyway, by about day 5 they convinced me to purchase one set of dangly earrings...very small dangle, but a big thing for me. They told me over and over that the dangly earrings would grow on me and that soon I would be wearing huge ones like them....Well...slowly I've accumulated more and more dangly earrings....but I went way out on a limb (for me) for this pair in the pictures. I bought them in June...but didn't wear them until September. I had them on several times and would take them off because they were "so not me". But I was determined last week and left them in. Can I say that at first I felt strange in them...but then I LOVED them. They made me feel happy and energetic and the students....Oh my, did they love them! So, this is my BIG thing that i finally wore super dangly earrings...still not real big, but Nicole and Nicole...you were right, they have grown on me and maybe I'll start looking for some more to wear!

Thoughts on church

So...typically I use this blog simply to show some pictures and keep my in-laws updated on our lives...but today I'm feeling the need to go outside of that box a little...maybe to spew a little bit...well, spew isn't the right word, because I'm not ANGRY...just really concerned and questioning things. At church today we were told that a new "mission" (I don't think they used that word exactly) for the church was evangelism and bringing new people to Christ and also to our church. I'm not opposed to this in theory...yes, we should be witnessing to others, sharing our stories with them and trying to win people to Christ. I'm not opposed to bringing people into our church family either...growth and change is a good thing. However, in light of some recent events (which I will NOT go into details about)...I'm wondering if that is truly where our focus should be? I love our church. I REALLY do...I feel connected, loved and I truly feel God's presence there and as a part of the worship team. I don't want anyone to think I'm bashing my church, because I sincerely love it. BUT...it seems to me that even though quite a few new people have been attending our church...our attendance hasn't seemed to go up...we've lost people...some people haven't been coming for awhile. What are we doing about those people? Maybe "someone" is doing something, I could be bloviating for no reason...but it seems to me that we aren't doing a great job of taking care of our current family...so why are we trying to bring more people in when we can't take care of the ones that we have? Maybe it's a case of slipping through the cracks or thinking someone else has done something...I would be guilty of that too (so I'm not blaming others only...I'm bad at this too). But I can name probably two handfuls of families that I haven't seen in awhile, along with people that attend our church and we are not meeting their physical, emotional or spiritual needs. So maybe instead of just going out and "recruiting" church family, we need to examine what we are doing for/how we are treating the family that is already here. I don't think we can narrow the focus to just evangelizing...it MUST include ministering to our "own". So, what am I going to do about it? I don't know, so I'm just as guilty...but I do realize the problem and am praying about it...a small first step. Saving souls is soooo important and I believe in it. But saving family needs to be a priority too...don't know what exactly that means or looks like. Just putting it out there. Thanks for letting me "spew".