An update and a celebration....

A couple weeks ago marked a huge celebration.

Lori FINISHED chemo!!

She had such a long road. Her journey with cancer started late April/ May. She has endured surgery and chemo.

She has hardly complained, and has kept such a great spirit and attitude about the whole thing.

She had a few rough days but with Jason by her side ( who was ever so faithful to her ) she was able to make it through them.



On her last day of chemo, her students threw her a little party. It was very cute.



They made her a sign, brought some donuts and juice, collected money for flowers and a nice edible arrangement.

Throughout this whole time, her kids have showered her with love, support and kindness. It is just a testament to how much she is loved.



I have been able to go with her to some of her chemo treatments. It has done me well to be able to sit with her. We have laughed and cried together during these times. But most of all, our friendship has deepened.

I am so grateful to have her as a friend.



Lori's aunt and cousin totally surprised her by flying in for her last day. What a fun surprise!



Jason and Lori have such an awesome relationship. I have seen it grow stronger during this time. They are so lucky to have each other.



Please continue to pray for Lori. After the Holiday's she will begin 6 weeks of daily radiation. Please pray that the Lord will give her strength. And will allow her to get the rest that she needs.

Christmas Program 2010

Last night was our church's Christmas Program. It was short, sweet and to the point. :)

My pictures during the program didn't turn out at all. :(

Brother was a shepherd and played his part flawlessly (even giving the peace sign at the end....what will I do with that boy?!)

Dada was...well, I don't really know who she was. She played a little girl. I don't know if she was a sister or what. Anyway.....she did a good job. She did make the "intermission" a little longer then necessary though. ;)

Here are some pictures from afterwards.



Brother didn't want his eyes shut in the picture. I don't think he had to worry about that!! ;)



Their silly picture.



Merry Christmas!!

But then God...

You wanna see how BIG my God is??? You wanna see how my God can move mountains? You wanna see how my God answers prayers?

We have been praying for this request for so long now. God provided us with a truck a couple years ago. And that truck has served us well. The Lord brought along just the right person to help get the truck running well. How thankful I am for Andrew. 1 thing I can say about Andrew is that he knows his vehicles. The Lord has blessed him with that knowledge. He is so young and knows SO much. (sorry....rabbit trail...)

Anyway, we have been praying. Our kids of course are growing quickly and every time they climbed in and out of that truck I felt so bad for them. It was beginning to be very difficult.

But God knew that.

My God not only answers the little requests in life, He answers the BIG things.

HE. GAVE. US. A. VAN.

But then God.....

Hears the prayer of his children.

But then God.....

Answers the prayers of his children.

The God that I serve today...hears.... and sees..... and does......and IS.

The tears that I have today are of relief and peace ( cuz they do go hand in hand) they are of gratitude and A.W.E. They are of wonder at what he has done and how he has done it. My God not only blessed us, but blessed another family in the process.

When God answers such big things in life, why should I worry about the little details? He will most surely take care of those as well.



I have been waiting for a very long time for this prayer to be answered. I have been waiting a very long time for this..but then God moment. I knew that there was no other way for us to get another vehicle other then God providing it.

Do not give up on that prayer request that you have. That mountain that only God can move. God can and will move them.

I want to thank the family that gave this to us. I don't know if they want it to be known. But I want to tell them a very warm and heartfelt...THANK YOU.

Things I KNOW about God....

Psalm 89:9~ Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

What joy I have in knowing that the Lord stills the raging storm in our hearts and minds.

Psalm 91

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Dwelleth~to sit in quiet and remain there....

Lord, help me to always dwell in your presence. May nothing ever happen that would cause me to turn away from you. Be always my refuge, especially when my waters arise and are raging. Hold me continually under the shadow of your wings.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust .

Fortress~a place of exceptional security...

Be my fortress Lord. My strong tower, the One I lean on and run to.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

One thing I love in life is to be curled up under a warm blanket. Especially on a cold night. I get such a sense of warmth and peace. Imagine how much greater warmth and peace there is being cover under his feathers. Being protected by his wings.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Wow!! He shall give his angels charge over me. They will bear me in their hands, lest I dash my foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high , because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

I think this chapter might just be one of my favorite in the whole Bible.

Last week was a very emotional week for me, for reasons I won't discuss. There is no denying that bad things will happen in life. There is no denying that sad things will happen. That things we just don't understand will happen. There will be times that we are just. so. disappointed.

1 thing I KNOW.....

That through my disappointment,

Through my hurt.

Through my heartache.

God is still faithful.

God has been wrapping his faithfulness around me lately.

He has put a song in my heart.

He has really impressed upon me 2 songs

Verse 3 of Great is thy faithfulness.....

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessing all mine with ten thousand besides

Great is thy faithfulness
great is thy faithfulness
morning by morning new mercies I see
All I have needed thy hand hath provided
Great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me.

And verse 2 of a song called God's been Good

Times replay and I can see I've cried some bitter tears
But I felt his arms around me as I faced my greatest fears.
You see I've had my gains and losses
and I've known more joy then hurt
as his grace rolled down around me undeserved.

God has been my father, my saviour and my friend.
His love was my beginning and his love will be my end.
I could spend forever trying to tell you everything He is,
But the best way I can say it is this...

God's been good in my life. I feel blessed beyond my wildest dream
when I go to sleep each night
and though I've had my share of hard times
I wouldn't change them if I could
cause through it all, God's been good.

What a friend we have in Jesus. He will all our burdens bear. Have you trials or temptations, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Psalm 94:17-19

~ unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, my foot slippeth; thy mercy O Lord held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.

What a beautiful verse.

Have your thoughts ever consumed you? Have you ever just. wanted. to. stop. thinking?!?!

Man have I been there. I have been so thankful for His comforts. His little graces that He gives me on a daily basis.

Lord, thank you for wiping away tears, thank you for your daily strength, for your love and your mercy.

Can you say that your cup runneth over today? Sometimes our cup gets just so heavy to carry. But rest in the knowledge that your cup is secure. Rest in the fact that He. Is. GOD. That is grace is sufficient. That His ways are not your ways. But His ways are best. Rest in the fact that in the multitude of your thoughts, his comforts will delight your soul. They did mine.

Annual Sisters Shopping Trip

This past weekend was our annual Sister's Shopping Trip. This year we went to Woodfield. With the weather like it has been, we weren't for sure if we were going to be able to go. But we plowed on through and it all turned out just fine.

Joanna was very excited to say the least. Her FAVORITE store is at Woodfield. We just might start a petition to bring one to our town!



I think Anthropologie has the cutest aprons known to man.



Jessica and Janelle were in JcPenny's FOREVER! I mean come on how long can you look at slippers?? Seriously?!

So the rest of us girls parked it out in front of the store. It was a much deserved rest if you ask me!! :)



We of course ate at my favorite restaurant....The Cheesecake Factory. My Mom thought it was called the Chocolate Factory!! ;)

Joanna's friend Dayna came with us. Dayna is such a bubbly fun person. What fun it was getting to know her.

I think the highlight of the evening for me was the turtle cheesecake. It was worth the thousand calories!

With Jonathan and Melanie coming for Christmas, we are planning a 2nd shopping trip. Which will be even more fun since MELANIE will be with us!!!!! How fun will that be!?!?!? Can you tell I am slightly excited??

Of dates and school plays

Last weekend Hunny and I were finally able to spend some time together. ;) Both kids had a slumber party, so Hunny and I were kid-free for almost 24 hours!! We did went out for breakfast and then did some Christmas shopping. We were even able to get a little nap in.

(I want to say thank you to Joanna who simply offered to keep the kids Saturday afternoon for us.)


This week has been such a busy week. I was able to spend some time one night with my dear friend Sherrie. I haven't been able to spend much time with Sherrie in the last couple of years. Our lives are just so busy. But I have missed her so. We talked for hours catching up with each other. We shared laughter and tears. I love those kinds of friendships. She in such a kindred spirit and I so look forward to our next coffee date.

This past week also held the kids school program. What a great job the kids did. They worked hard at memorizing songs and Bible verses. I think Dada enjoyed every minute of it, but Brother couldn't wait for it to be over!! ;)



One thing I remember about the night was Dada's facial expressions! She was so animated while she was singing.



My Dad was able to come and watch his Grandkids. I was kinda sad that night, cuz Hunny had to work. I think that he was sad cuz he was missing it. Thank goodness for video recorders!!!



Brother called Joy to specifically ask her if she was coming! She said she wouldn't miss it for the world!! :)

Of Plays, notes and slumber parties

Last night was our school play. Beth and I were able to go together, which was so nice. The kids did such a good job in the play. Ben and Matt Y especially did a great job. Matt had me laughing so much of the time!



Brother was not so much in a mood to be photographed last night. But the girls were!!!! They were havin a good ol time.



I had to run to the store this morning right when I got to school. This note was on my desk when I got back to school. It made me giggle throughout the day!! At 1st I though, oh my look how sweet Brother wanted to get me something and got me tic tacs.......but no, that wasn't quite the idea behind the note!! ;)



Tonight is a slumber party for a little girl in the 4th grade. After a phone conversation with the Mom, I felt comfortable sending Dada for the night. Dada has had her bags packed since Monday night. I threatened her 1 night that if were room wasn't clean that she wouldn't be going to the party. While I thought she was sleeping, she immediately started cleaning her room and went to bed that night with a clean room and has kept it clean the rest of the week. By 3 o clock this afternoon she was barely able to contain her excitement. Elisa came home with is after school so Joanna wouldn't have to make another trip down. This is on the way to the party.



I just got a phone call from the Mom and she told me that Dada's sugar is 37!!!! ( that is how excitement effects her!!! ) Thankfully the Mom is a nurse and was able to handle the situation. Some orange juice and smarties brought her sugar up. And pizza will be arriving soon. Pray for me tonight. I am sure that I will not be sleeping that much.