The bucket list of dreams and unreality FOR VAL :)

5 Fascinating bucket list things (the bucket list that is only for dreaming but not realistic to accomplish or act out)

1. Making a quilt completely hand stitched with a ton of beautifully colored fabric for a bed covering- (I believe passionately in using my sewing machine when doing any sort of sewing and have absolutely no desire to learn the art of hand stitching- I greatly admire when someone takes the time to hand stitch- it seems like such a rare thing these days) 
2. Live down town Manhattan...........sky rise, honking horns, Century 21 (For some, relaxing means getting away from 'it all' and having a quiet place to think.......for me, the more high rises, city lights, and shopping :) the more relaxed I feel.........
3. Go Mushing- We took a cruise to Alaska several years ago- one of the excursions the ship offered was to go visit a dog sled camp- You would watch the dogs get fed and then take a ride on a sled behind the dogs (Pansy Mushing- I don't consider this really mushing)- The type of mushing I am talking about in the first 2 words of #3 is the mushing they do during the Iditarod-  I had never heard of the Iditarod until my sister Jod brought it up as a place we could take my mom for her 60th birthday (Jodi and I wanted to take her someplace special as a birthday gift- we ended up going to Scottsdale, Az. and sitting under palm and lemon trees)- oh to be a musher...........ok back to reality......maybe someday I will go watch the Iditarod with my mom and sis!! 
4. Baja 1000 baby.....'three clicks to the right- now a click to the left'.....sharing the car would be my friend Bonnie (oh Bonnie...you've got that quiet determined competitive spirit that it would take to finish), my sis in law Liz (you've got that twinkle liz a beth that has me convinced you would drive like a mad woman),  One of my facebook friends, Sherry B. (moto mama's got some getty up and go plus a whole lotta fashion sense in the racing world- would it be wrong to paint a baja buggy pink??), myself cause I earned my right of passage over the 2 years driving close to twice a day over the pass into Kipu Kai- Those Baja Boy's don't got nothing on me. AND LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST MY FRIEND (AND REAL LIFE RACE CAR DRIVER) VAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I Can't believe I forgot to put you on my original post.............AAAAAAAAAAAA...........totally my bad- It would be my pleasure to sit in the passenger seat and be your 'eyes' as you used your expertise to get us where we needed to go-you don't got that checkered flag hugging your ankle for nothin' :)  Pit crew would be all of our husbands and older kids
5. Adopt 1 more daughter..........no we are not even thinking about it nor do I believe we will be blessed by such an experience (when I say blessed by I mean by the actual adoption part not the legal part of adoption- the legal part was a nightmare in our adoption and still traumatizes me to think about)- This dream of mine is simply in my heart because I grew up with a sister 18 months older than me- I know what a blessing, as a child, a sister close to you can be......our Ellie will be blessed to grow up with older brothers and close cousins- 

picture compliments of This site

To: Sissy- Love: Auntie and Elle's

Dear Sissy,

Thank you for coming over and hanging out with Elle's and I for the day-

It is so fun to have you around- Dressing up Ellie, helping me cook, and just hanging out!

We both love you so much-

Auntie and Ellie

P.S. Wed.?

Marriage and Submission part 2

I was going to wait to post part 2 of Marriage and Submission until tomorrow but my day is jammed packed and I know I will forget- I finished it tonight so I thought I would post it :)

Today's Blog Post ended with:

How was Abigail being submissive to her husband?  How was Abigail being submissive to God if she was not yielding to the authority of her husbands decision?

I personally believe that Abigail submitted to God first and her husband second and that she was right on in doing so (Matt 22:37)- Had she been submitted to her husband first she would have never gone above him and made the judgment call to talk to David.  Abigail was being submissive to God by following His commandments first- What her husband Nabal did was wicked (1 Sam 25:17).  God, in His infinite wisdom, set up His relationship with us so that it was individualized- meaning that my relationship with God is separate from Matt's relationship with God- just because I am a Christian does not mean that Matt is a Christian- He has to have his own personal relationship with God (which I am so thankful to say that he does).  I am accountable to God for my actions and Matt is accountable to God for His actions.  Abigail did not have a relationship with God because Nabal had one- Abigail had her own personal relationship with God- She was not accountable for Nabal making a wicked decision- That was between Nabal and God- But she was accountable for how she responded to Nabal's decision once she learned about it.  I believe had she sat back and done nothing she would be committing the sin of omission (James 4:17).....I believe that Abigail yielded to God's Authority and covered her husbands decision with actions that were Godly.

As I have been praying through where God wants my attitude to be when it comes to submission in my marriage I believe He is laying on my heart to learn more about submission to Him first- I feel Him nudging on my heart to dig deeper- Ask for wisdom (James 1:5)...........If I work on my submission to God and focus on what He is calling me to do I have a feeling everything else will fall into place........ :) I'll keep you posted!
p.s. thank you so much for the comments- enjoyed reading them!!

Matt and I walking along the foggy beach

Marriage and Submission part 1

Ladies!!
I want to know your thoughts :) What has/is God showing you about submission in marriage.......even if you are not married but have been married in the past I want to know your thoughts- If you make a comment on my facebook, please feel free to send it in a personal message- for any comments made on my wall- please remember that this is a touchy subject with some strong opinions- Remember to stay focused on what God is teaching you- God is working in all of our lives, and how He is working in your life may look different than how He is working in someone else's- Unless you are 'liking' someones post on my wall please refrain from responding to opinions posted.  This is a 2 part post- I will post my question on this one and what I believe God has been showing me about the area of submission in the next one-  (I have been reading through my Bible as a new years resolution and came across the story below which really made me think.  I have been doing lots of praying lately about what submission should look like and area's that I need to grow in my submission......)

Having been a church going girl since I was 8 years old I have listened to and read a lot of sermons about submitting- Some I have whole heartily agreed with and others have set my temper on fire (women are door mats.....blah.......when Jesus was on earth He respected and treated women with honor and respect).  Like I said above, I have been doing a lot of praying lately about the area of submission- I realize and am trying to sort through the area's I have carried on from my childhood experiences regarding submission and make sure that my 'opinions' line up with what the Bible Says.  I know it is a touchy subject BUT it is a subject most of us are navigating through each and every day........

I was reading in 1 Samuel 25, which talks about a woman named Abigail who was married to a man named Nabal.  Nabal was a selfish and wicked man who made poor choices- Abigail was wise in her actions and looked out for the best interests of others- During the course of their marriage, Nabal made a very poor choice that was going to affect all of his household.......possibly to the point of death (Click HERE to read the whole story)- Abigail, being wise and unselfish, was forced to make a tough decision about submission to her husband- Did she follow the leading, in that moment, of her husband, who made a poor decision or did she cover her husbands  poor decision with a wise choice that stood against his?  She was forced to make this decision during a time period where woman were given very little value- a time period where women were taken for granted.
In the end, Abigail covered her husbands poor decision with a wise choice- a choice that stood against her husbands poor decision.  The Bible portray's Abigail as a woman that made a smart decision- one that God blessed her for.........God stood with Abigail in her decision.

Submission..............'the act of yielding to the will or authority of another person'

How was Abigail being submissive to her husband?  How was Abigail being submissive to God if she was not yielding to the authority of her husbands decision?
____________________________________

picture compliments of This site

Expectations, Emotional Fit Throws, and Submission

I have been thinking......(when I write I have been thinking I can hear Matt's voice saying 'there you go- thinking again : )
Why is it that I can thrive in one area that is extremely difficult but struggle to the point of near failure in another difficult situation?
The two most recent comparisons I have is our move to Hawaii and our adoption.............
Both were life altering- both were thought through- both were hoped for- both required a step of faith....

I have blogged a very small part of how difficult the legal aspect was of our adoption- It seemed at every turn in our adoption story there was a TOUGH challenge.......while the tough challenges at some points threatened to over whelm me they never did- I felt God's protection and strength as strong as ever every minute of our Journey.
I have blogged a very small part of how difficult living in Hawaii was for me- While my boys thrived I seemed to fall deeper and deeper into one of the loneliest seasons of my life..lonely for comfort, home, familiar- lonely for God
Back to the original question: Why is it that I can thrive in one area that is extremely difficult but struggle to the point of near failure in another?
For me it's submission of my expectations- bending my knee, lifting my hands heavenward and meaning when I say 'my life is your's Lord, do with it this day as you may'-
I put my expectations before my submission when it came to our move to Hawaii.......I submitted by moving but I wanted my way, my comfort zone, me me me me when we got there- I thought that because I submitted and moved God would 'bless me' in the way I wanted- when things did not go according to my expectations I would get on my knees and beg God to help.....He would lay on my heart to 'Be Still...Trust....Reach Out'........BLAH!!! That was the last thing I wanted to do- I wanted to Run away, Fret, and go inside myself and curl up in a ball-
I put submission before my expectation when it came to our adoption process- Over the course of 6 years before we adopted, God used my husband's 'no' to adoption (so that I don't sound unrealistically Holy- please know that I threw some MAJOR embarrassing emotional fits over that 6 year period..It was not until the year before we adopted that I completely submitted)  to mold my heart and shape my expectations to be in line with Him.  We were faced with every possible situation with Ellie's adoption- We faced the very strong possibility that Elle's birth mom Heather was going to choose parenting instead of placing Ellie with our family....I can honestly say that when faced with that my heart still said 'To God Be The Glory'- I wanted God's will more than my will-

Heavenly Father I want to be a woman that submits to whatever you ask of me- A woman that's only expectation is to follow you with my whole heart-  A woman of faith, trust, and maturity....I love you Lord Jesus.

And Just Like That........

 My oldest son Eli purchased his first vehicle- Eli is like his daddy......a saver- Matt always says that Eli probably has the first dollar he ever made :) My mom started a 'Kiddy Account' at her bank when my boys were very small- Eli started saving when he was 8 years old for his first vehicle- By the time he was 13 he was pretty sure he wanted a Toyota Truck- By 14 he had done his research and knew he still wanted a Toyota but narrowed it down to a 4 wheel drive Tacoma- This past year he narrowed it down even farther to a Toyota Tacoma that was 4 wheel drive with an manual transmission- Tonight I watched a boy and his daddy, both equally excited (but trying not to show it tooo much) stand together in agreement on a monumental purchase- I saw a proud daddy hand off keys to his super excited son to drive a much awaited vehicle home-
My precious Eli Ben........
AND JUST LIKE THAT you done grew up on your daddy and mommy!
We are so proud of you!!
P.S. Joshy John I think you should pick the name for Eli's truck :)

P.S.S. Reece (Kauai) congrats on your truck too (and please tell you mom hi from me)!!!

Trying to take pictures while Eli was 'looking' at the truck- I keep telling myself that
someday he will be grateful his mom picture stalked him during this important moment :)

Officially purchased!!

driving it for the first time :)

Cooking, Lip Gloss, and Jesus

Dear Elle's B-
Mommy put lip gloss on you today for the first time ever!! Since right after you were born I have talked to you extensively about 3 things
1. Cooking- you sit either in your seat or in your bouncy a lot of days when I am cooking for your bubby's and daddy and I explain to you what I am making- interestingly enough you hardly ever cry and usually always look at me like you are paying attention :)
2. Make-up- I lay you on the floor right next to where I sit (on mommy's bedroom floor) and explain all about applying make-up- like cooking you watch me with bright eyes and act like you are paying attention!!  Today, as I was going through my make-up routine I glanced down at your precious little face- you were staring at me as I was holding my lip gloss brush in my hand- I couldn't resist...........your little lips looked most adorable with Mac lip gloss applied........daddy would have had a cow if he would have seen it (like when I polished your toes when you were 3 weeks old or got your ears pierced and surprised him with it) but mommy will just keep explaining to him that we are girls and  make up/polish/earings are just part of who we are :)
3. I love talking to you about Jesus.....He is even more head over heels for you than you bubby's, daddy, and I are (imagine that!!)- It is such a blessing to be able to read the baby devotional mommy's friend Christy W. gave you and to pray for Kate Elizabeth every night as you go to bed.........we will continue talking about Jesus as long as this mommy has breath :)

Back to  the lip gloss........I love that after I applied it to your little lips you looked up at me and went 'OOOHHH' and then kept your lips in the O for quite sometime-

Love you so much,
Mommy

Lip Gloss Lips

Saying 'O' after getting her lip gloss on

Ten Thousand Reasons To....

KEEP BLOGGING :) My blog counter shows a little over 10,000 views for the year- In the big wide world of blogging 10,000 views in a year is not that many- but in my world I say it's not to shabby!  The highest read post I blogged is the first post after Ellie was born.....It was dedicated to our birth mom Heather- The lowest read post was Baby Bookin'-
I don't know all that this year is going to bring- my calendar so far show's a Couple's Bible Study starting this Thurs., as soon as that one ends a Women's Bible Study Starting, The Boy's Youth Group, Hair Client Appts., a possible trip to Kauai for Ryan's 13th Birthday, 2 Weddings (a niece and a nephew both from the same family),Oklie will turn 4 in April, Eli will turn 16 in May, Elle's will turn 1 in June, Matt and I will celebrate our 18th anniversary in July,etc...
I would like to blog more about food and farting.........just kidding about the farting but serious about food :)
I am also thinking about blogging through the Women's Bible Study I was talking about above- It looks like our church is going to be offering the study Breaking Free by Beth Moore- This study holds a special place in my heart as it is the study I went through in 2005 (along with reading through my Bible) as I was over-coming my fear of flying (and a whole lot of other irrational fears)-
Whoop Whoop to the ten thousand- for most of you reading, I enjoy following your life too (if your my friend either on facebook or blog please know I think it's so fun to get sneak peeks with what's going on with you)!!
Have a great Tues. night

My cousins, Megan and Rocky, have a son Gavin who was born at 25 weeks-
The story of his birth is amazing and his little life is truly a miracle.....
I read on Megan's facebook status tonight that Gavin started walking........What a blessing!

Take the Joy Dare

A blog I follow (A Holy Experience) is written by Author Ann Voskamp- Ann wrote a book I have mentioned on my blog before called One Thousand Gifts.  In today's blog post she encourages us to take the 'joy dare'- Finding joy and being thankful for the things inside, around, and before us everyday-  Here is what January's outline looks like- 

My Jan. 5: 

Something I am reading- One of my New Year's Resolutions was to read through my Bible- on a less spiritual note :) I am reading the book 'The Help' again- 

Something I am making- I am making mold in my refrigerator because I have not cleaned it in so long...eeeewww!!!

Something I am seeing- I am seeing God's calling to follow where He is leading- It is a daily act of submission to follow and not do things my way- 

Six And A Half

She's six and a half months and the doctor says that she is:
13 lbs. 14 oz.
24 inches long
That she will more than likely be of a petite stature
She is in the 3% for both her height and weight (out of 100 babies she is in the 3 smallest)

What She's doing at home:
Eating baby food 2 times a day- loves oatmeal with apples or bananas for breakfast, formula for lunch, and turkey with sweet potatoes or chicken and noodle for dinner.
Say's 'da da' :)
started sitting up by herself (although once she figures that she is sitting on her own she looses confidence and slowly falls over)
Rolls EVERYWHERE or scoots backwards to get where she wants to go

Pic by BeccaD