Best Friend Day

We have been still trying to get things all settled into our new home AND get ready for a garage sale, so it has been crazy hectic.  I haven't even been able to take the time to notice all the daily miracles I am surrounded by.  So tonight I decided I need to find the daily miracles again.  Because I know that it truly helps me focus on the good things in life.

Today was a crazy, stressful day with putting on a garage sale....but the wonderful thing about today was getting to spend it with my mom.  We don't hang out as much any more because we have been so busy.  So with her and I doing the garage sale together it meant I got to spend the entire day with her.  I am so grateful for that.  My mom is one of my best friends and I really need a best friend day. 

Lead By The Spirit

Fifteen months ago we sold our first home and moved in with family.  Thinking it would be a couple month situation, we went into it rather enthused.  Then things didn't work out.  We have been living with family ever since.  Although I am so very grateful for my family and for them allowing us to stay with them for so long, we definitely have had a hard time getting used to not having our own stuff and our own space.

We have been trying so hard.  My husband has been working so hard (working a job even with his back in so much pain), but we stayed stuck for a very long time.  It honestly seemed like we would never get a place of our own.  Until this past week when we decided to find a place to rent and pay a year on (which I blogged about in Answered Prayers )

We have been searching for a house in a very specific area of town and nothing was working out.  Then last night I was looking at ads with my mom.  I ended up clicking on one that was slightly more than the ones we had been looking at.  It sounded amazing.  I called to ask where it was and when she told me (and it wasn't in the area we wanted) I said, "thank you" and hung up.  Something told me to call back and ask if she would allow pets and ask to see it.  So I called right back.  She normally wouldn't want pets indoors, but said if I can promise I would make sure they wouldn't tear up the house then she would allow it.  Then she said if 9 pm wasn't too late that we could see it last night.  Otherwise wait til morning.  We opted to see it at 9 pm.

We weren't planning on taking the kids to see it, but we didn't get them to bed in time so ended up taking them with us.  When we pulled into the driveway we felt so good about it.  Then as soon as we walked into the house we fell in love.  It was exactly what we have been looking for.  The kids were running around all excited.  They went upstairs and chose their rooms (surprisingly no fight, they each wanted a different room!).  As we walked around from room to room, it felt like home.  We began planning where things would go.

It was 9:20 pm...we decided we wanted it.  I called the landlord (she had the neighbor show us the house because she lives far away) and talked to her about it.  I was expecting her to say she would get the application for us to fill out for the background check and credit report (which is what all the other places asked for), but instead she asked, "How soon would you like to move in?"  I told her as soon as able.  She said, "I will drive up tomorrow and you can sign the paperwork and I will give you the keys." 

I was in total shock!  I whispered to my husband and Mom, "We move in tomorrow!"  They got so excited.  When I got off the phone, I told the kids.  They were screeching and jumping up and down.  My 10 year old, J, started crying.  Worried she was crying because it meant switching schools and church building, I asked if she was ok with it.  She nodded and said how happy she was. 

What an incredible miracle and blessing.  God has truly provided for us.  He has blessed us to greatly.

Who I Have Become

Lately I have been having flashes of memories pop into my head from my teenage years and young adult years.  I am so embarrassed by who I was.  Especially because it wasn't the true me.  I feel bad for those who were around me during those years. 

I am very grateful though, for who I am today.  What a blessing it has been to get to the point of being someone I am no longer ashamed to be.  I know I still have a lot to work on, but what person doesn't have to work on themselves?  I am a much better person than I used to be. 

I am so blessed that even with all the mistakes that I made I was able to still end up with the man I was meant to marry, have children with and spend forever with.  Life may be stressful and full of trials, but at least I get to go through it all with my husband by my side to help me through it. 

Life is Looking Up

We have been living with family for going on 15 months.  As much as we love being around family, we certainly are ready for our own place.  Things keep happening that make it so we aren't able to get our own house or place to rent.  I got sick of getting my hopes up that it would happen any time soon.  I got my hopes up with the car accident settlement and had those hopes crushed (after the lawyer gets his cut and Labor & Industries gets their cut...then insurance company and doctors....we were left with barely anything at all).  So I gave up.

Then out of curiosity and boredom, I was searching houses online.  I found one that is super, super cheap.  Barely over the amount we qualify for in a loan.  I texted my husband at work and told him that if L&I will reduce their lien on the settlement in half then we would have the exact right amount of money to pay my student loan off and put a down payment on that house.  Wishful thinking....or so I thought.

Well, my mom brings in the mail and there was a letter addressed to my husband from L&I.  I patiently waited for him to get home and as soon as he walked in the door I handed it to him to open.  In it the letter stated the amount we are expected to pay them.  They reduced their amount the exact amount we needed them to.

What an amazing miracle!  Of course we aren't positive that things will work out with that particular house, but that doesn't change the miracle that happened and it won't change my belief in answered prayers.

True Love

I am laying here in bed.  Everyone is asleep, even the baby.  I really should be sleeping since it is nearly 1 am.  But I just can't shut my mind off.  It is racing through too many thoughts to even process.  I figure that writing a blog will force me to focus on one thing...we shall see if that works :)

I am laying here next to my husband and feeling so blessed.  I am so in love with him.  I feel like I have known him my whole life and can't even remember life without him.  It's like he has been there from the beginning.  Now that is a special kind of love.  A love that is truly a blessing.  I thank my Father in Heaven every day for bringing us together. 

Sparking a Memory

This past week has been rather stressful (which is why I haven't had the chance to write).  Finally today we got all packed up in the van and headed home.  After being gone for the week, I was looking forward to getting home to my own bed.

Still feeling stressed and overwhelmed from the week, I sort of grumpily sat in the passenger seat as we drove home.  Part way into our trip, I looked up and noticed the butterfly hanging from the rear view mirror.  It is always there, but because it has hung from my rear view mirror in any car I have had for the past 6 years, I have gotten used to it being there and tend to forget it is even there.  But today I noticed it and it brought back good memories.

When my oldest daughter was 3, my sister-in-law had gotten all the nieces and nephews together (the ones that lived nearby) to help them make Mother's Day presents.  This is what J made for me.  It was my very first Mother's Day present.  It meant the world to me and still does.  Seeing it hanging there as a reminder of J's love for me just made my day

Moment of Silence

The past couple days have been rather crazy so I haven't been able to blog.  Today is finally a slowed down day.  And that I am very grateful for.  Right now I am sitting here enjoying the peace and quiet while my kids sleep.  The only sound I hear is the clock ticking and the refrigerator running.  I am able to hear myself think for once, but am trying to not let myself think too much or that will just completely ruin the silence! :)

It's these moments as a mom of 3, that I rarely get during the day.  So I am going to soak it up the best that I can.  Enjoy this little miracle, because I know it won't last long!

You Are My Sunshine

I could barely wake up this morning.  My eyes seriously could hardly open.  But my daughter needed to go to her Softball practice and my husband is at work.  So I reluctantly got out of bed and got J up and ready.  I groggily got ready too.

Then we headed out to the car.  The sun was shining.  The air smelled fresh.  It was so refreshing that I immediately forgot that I was too tired to go about my day and that I was feeling grumpy from lack of sleep.  It was a great pick-me-up.  With how much it rains here, it truly was a blessing to wake up to some sunshine.  What a beautiful day God made for us.

A Day Long Awaited

My husband was in a car accident 3 years ago.  His car was totaled and he was hurt.  Even had to have knee surgery.  Due to the pain he was in, he was out from his 2 jobs for 5 months before the doctor said he could go back to work.  But when he returned to work, he was in so much pain that he wasn't able to work.  This was when they ended up doing the knee surgery.  He was then out of work for several more months, resulting in an entire year of not working. He even had to quit working the job that was going to be his career (Government job that would pay well and give great benefits) because of the pain.  He still has pain in his back and knee from the accident. 

After the accident, the insurance of the guy who hit him only paid to replace the car (and a couple thousand less than the car was worth) and nothing else.  They have been fighting us for 3 years.  We were supposed to go to court 2 times, but it was pushed to a new date both times.  So when they gave us the date for the next one, we had doubted for the past 9 months that it would really happen.  But today we got the call that it will happen for sure now.  I have been thanking God all day for answering our prayers.  Hopefully it all goes well, but at least we are finally getting our day in court.

A Difficult Day

Some days are just hard days.  It doesn't have to even be big things to happen to make it a hard day.  Just a bunch of small things strung throughout the day can do it.  Today is one of those days.  The two older kids keep arguing with each other and arguing with us.  And this is just the first day of summer vacation!  It can be difficult to find good in days like this.  Then I look at my 10 week old baby and I feel happiness.

She has the most beautiful smile that is contagious.  Just one smile from her can brighten my day.  Then add in the cute coos, babbling, and excited squeals and that makes it even better.  She doesn't talk rude, she doesn't complain, she doesn't argue with her sisters... Holding her and seeing her smile gives me that much needed lift to get me through the rest of the day.

Don't get me wrong, my other two kids bring me happiness too.  I love them all very much.  Just on days like today when they are causing much stress, I have to take solace in holding my baby.  It not only makes me happier by seeing her, but it reminds me of my older two when they were this age. 

Just now, while typing this, E (my 4 year old) came in.  She smiled sweetly at me and said, "I love you.  I love you SOOO much!"  Hearing those words from my child melt away the stress even more. 

Father's Day

Being Father's Day my mind has been filled with so much appreciation for my dad and my husband.  I am so very blessed for these two men in my life.

First I will start off with my dad.  I have looked up to him since I was old enough to look up to someone.  He has always been such a hard worker, honest, loving, kind, and service oriented.  I went through a very difficult time as a teenager and young adult.  My dad NEVER gave up on me.  He easily could have because I seemed like such a lost cause for many years.  But he never did.  He loved me unconditionally.  He helped me whenever I needed help.  He was always a shoulder to lean on (him and my mom).  I am truly blessed to have him as my dad.

My husband is just as amazing of a man in my eyes.  Of course we had our hard times, but those times are in the past.  I love him more than I thought imaginable and our love grows deeper daily.  He is such an amazing husband and father to our 3 kids.  He completes me.  I know that tends to be thought of as a cheesy movie line, but really he does complete me.  I can't imagine my life without him.

My life is so blessed.  Looking from the outside people may wonder how I can feel so blessed since we are living with my parents right now due to not being able to afford our own place.  We struggle financially.  But those things aren't what matters most.  We have a loving home that we get to live in with people who love us.  My husband works very hard to support us and still go to school full time and find time for the kids and me.  Yes, I am truly blessed.  And I thank Heavenly Father every day for all that I have in my life, especially for my husband and parents.

A Day at the Beach

So often I resent memories.  There are so many bad memories that often flood my mind that it is hard to think of memories as a good thing.  But today we took a trip to the city where I lived when I was little.  Where I lived on the same road as my Grandpa, Grandma, Great Aunt, Uncle and Aunt.  From my Grandpa's old house you can go down to the beach on the inlet. 

It was great to get to show my husband and kids where I used to live and all the houses where relatives used to live.  Even the house my dad lived in as a kid is still there (pretty run down and looks abandoned, but it's still there).  While walking on the beach I was flooded with so many good memories. 

I remember one time we were on the beach with all the family.  The beach isn't a sandy one.  It is filled with rocks, shells and barnacles.  I was quite young (maybe 3 or 4) and I tripped on a rock and fell.  I fell onto rocks covered in barnacles, which scraped up my bare legs.  I started crying.  My grandma asked me what was wrong and I told her that the barnacles bit me.  She gave me a hug and helped me up the hill to her house where she cleaned up the cuts and bandaged me up. 

On the drive down the road, I had memory after memory come into my mind.  I saw the old cherry tee that my friend and I used to climb up to sit in, eat cherries and talk.  I saw the pine tree that I climbed when I was little that got sap in my hair.  It was so hard to get out that my mom had to cut a patch of my hair all the way down to my scalp.  I could still see my siblings and I riding our bikes to the mail boxes to get our grandparent's mail and then ride it down to their house to give it to them.  Then in return our grandma would give us homemade ice cream or cookies.  Sometimes she would give me her home canned prunes, which were my favorite.

After today I am happy to have memories.  Some memories may be sad or upsetting, but the happy memories are able to overpower the bad memories if we let them. 

It's Such a Beautiful World Right Now

Tonight, out of the blue, my 4 year old looked outside and said, "Wow, it's such a beautiful world right now!"  They way she said it was so heartfelt.  It caused me to pause and take a moment to look around at the world and see just how right she was.  It really is a beautiful world right now.  The sun was shining, the air felt clean and warm.  I breathed in and it sent a wonderful, serene feeling throughout me.  It took a 4 year old to get me to stop and take the time to even notice it all.  I am so glad that she did.

I tend to go through each day in a rush.  I am constantly thinking of all the things I need to get done.  My mind rarely takes a rest.  But today, thanks to my wonderful daughter, I let my mind rest for that moment.  Let my mind take in the beautiful world that surrounds us.

Praiseworthy Day

Here it is 1 in the morning and I am just now getting time to sit down to the computer and write my blog.  My day was rather busy, but partly I was also afraid to sit down and try to think of a miracle or blessing that occurred today.  Looking back on the day I see it as a good day.  We got to hang out with good friends this morning then go with a Realtor to look at houses.  I got to spend time with my niece who is so good at making me laugh.  But looking back, what I see as my miracle today is a conversation I had with my oldest  daughter (J) and the affect it had.

I have 3 kids.  My oldest 2 are almost 6 years apart so they tend to argue a lot.  J gets tired of the younger one (E) tagging along and wanting her non-stop attention.  E gets tired of being shoved aside and ignored due to being younger.  Tonight they were arguing again.  I took J aside and explained to her the meaning of the phrase, "You reap what you sow."  It was a real good conversation and she seemed to really take it in.  A little bit after that we were tucking the kids into bed.  E jumped into J's bed and was claiming to be stuck so was unable to go to her own bed.  Normally J would get mad and yell at her for even just being on her bed.  This time she made a game of it.  "Oh no you're stuck!  I better pull you out!"  They were both giggling non-stop.  Every time J would get her "unstuck" then E would "get stuck" again.  It was so wonderful to see her change her attitude about it tonight.  It was so nice that it was hard to make them go to bed!  We praised J and then tucked them into their own beds.

I think that definitely is worth being grateful for.


"Life is not measured by
the number of breaths we take,
but by the moments that take our breath away."

Open the Eyes of my Heart, Lord

Life is hard. Every day seems to bring challenges. Our economy is such that many people are struggling financially and I am one of them. So often it is easy to just look at all the negative things around us and forget to look for the blessings. So often the daily miracles go unnoticed. I think each day would be much easier to make it through if I would notice those everyday miracles and make sure to be grateful for them and thank God for those miracles and blessings.

My challenge to myself is to post a daily blog about the miracles/blessings that I have in my life. It will help me to see the positive and actively open my eyes to see the positive things each day. I know how much I love reading peoples experiences about inspirational things that have happened in their lives and hope others will feel the same about mine. I don't expect there to be big, extravagant miracles going on each day, but even the small and simple miracles are meaningful.

A song that has been one of my favorites for several years is, "Open the Eyes of my Heart, Lord." Some of the lyrics are, "Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see you." If I open my eyes and see all my blessings and all the miracles in my life, then I will see (and feel) God stronger in my life. This realization is one of my blessings today.