Letters from today:

dear little gate: thank you for keeping Bailey contained in her little corner today. I needed to sleep in until 9:30. dear contractions: thank you for reminding me that in a few months you will be far more painful and redundant, only to bring forth the precious life that is gaining strength daily. dear marta: thank you for reminding me that they aren't really out to get me. but you totally understand why I would think that they are :) dear chawt: singing Christmas tunes to Bailey to get her to drop her toy was the highlight of my day. that and the sexy way you carried groceries from store to car and car to home and put everything away for me. dear chirrens: i love it when you laugh so hard you toot. look at me grinning. my day is complete.

AAAAck!

Ok, so it's been a while.  I'm new at this!  It's been a busy month!  Charlie has had many things due, of which I have been helping him type....since he types maybe 10 wpm, and I do about 70.  

For Spring Break, we went to Tulsa and had a great time!  We got to visit with my mom and Tiffany, David, Dee Dee and Jeremy and Bella for the first half of the week.  It seems as though we eat out ALL the time---it gave my poor Gwennie a belly-ache because all she was eating was fried chicken strips and french fries.  So we got her some fruits and water to clean out her system.  Then the second half of the week we spent with Charlie's family.  I got some quality crochet time in while March Madness was going on ;) .  

Now we are back home, it's Thursday, and I am JUST NOW unpacking and separating laundry.  UGH....I hate packing and unpacking equally.  But now it's time to get down to business!  We are gearing up, though, for ANOTHER trip to Tulsa, but this time just for the day on Saturday.  We'll have to wake up bright and early so that we can be at FUMC for a 9:00 AM 5K race that Charlie is running in.  Hopefully he will win some missions money for his parent's Sunday School class!!!  His outfit is a RIOT, and I can't wait to post some pictures!  The only concern I have is that it is supposed to SNOW, and Charlie might be a little cold in the clothes he is going to wear.  But it is exciting and I can't wait to be at the start/finish line cheering my man on!

March is almost over---this semester has flown by, as I expected it would.  I have already ordered Charlie's graduation announcements.  Sharan and I have already organized a big shindig for celebrating this momentous occasion!  It's been a long road, but SO worth it.  God has opened my eyes to so many things.  I have found a new inner strength that can only come from HIM, and it has taken me along an 8-year journey to find it.  But I know I am still growing....and I won't stop.  April will prove to be another jam-packed month, but that will make graduation come EVEN SOONER!!!  I have planned a present for Charlie that I hope he will like, it's a photo book of our journey starting with the very moment we decided to have him go back to school.  It will highlight travels, birthdays, holidays, fun times, and memories.  I can't wait for him to see it!  It's been a blast so far to make, and I'm not even past 2005 yet!  

Blessings until I write again.

Busy-ness

Oh man!  The next 2 weeks are going to need to be light-hearted and fun, to counteract the craziness of Charlie's schedule.  He is using every spare moment he can to finish this semester.  I even went to LifeGroup...by myself last night!  I've had to give a pep talk to the kids like, "Ok, we are going to need to be SUPER happy for Daddy the next 2 weeks!  We need to encourage him and cheer him on, because I know he's going to want to play with you guys, but let's be really strong for him and show him that we're OK and he can finish his projects without us crying because we miss him."  Chad nodded in agreement, while my Gwennie pointed out the new ducks in our pond...oblivious.  Luckily, I helped him organize every day from now until Spring Break, and it looks like (on paper at least) he can get everything done.  

I tell you though, if I didn't have the friends I have...I'd be a mess.  In Weatherford, I put all my security in Charlie and having Joy (my best friend from childhood) right next door to me.  I didn't branch out AT ALL to make new friends.  Then we moved to Edmond and for a year I really didn't get out of the house much, nor did I make any friends.  I fell into a mild depression, and I had 2 major ER visit panic attacks.  It turns out the stress I had been internalizing was giving me HORRIBLE acid reflux and causing it to hit a nerve that runs up my esophagus and was giving me menopausal-like heat flashes.  TRUE STORY.  And I am the kind of person that likes to know how the body works...knowledge is power, for me.  My dad knew that about me.  And it's times like these that I miss him the most.  He knew exactly how to calm me down.  But one thing I've learned is that if my dad, Papa, knew me well enough to calm me down and explain to me how things work---how much more will my Heavenly Father calm me down and explain to me how HE works?  It's hard to imagine anyone loving me more than my dad did, or my husband even!  How big is His love?  HUGE!

Over the last year or so, since being in Edmond, a huge change has happened in me.  Since meeting new friends in my LifeGroup, I have had NO panic attacks.  These ladies are my lifeline.  I try to attend every girls night, I even try to have lunch once a week with one of them.  I am so blessed to have found this group.  I also have cut my TV watching down dramatically, and we cut off cable!  I was a drama, TV, and film major for crying out loud!!!  But the closer I drew to the Lord, certain things became detestable to me!  I now have upped my viewing of Christian shows.  I just crave Jesus.  I need his Word and his fellowship constantly.  It has helped me grow in my relationship with Him, and with Charlie---big time!  We have always had great discussions on the Lord, politics, the world in general.  But we seem closer now than ever before.  I love that man.  What a honey.  

So that's what has been on my heart today.  Now I think I'll go watch the 2nd week of "The Vow".  www.lifechurch.tv .  Whoever finds God, finds life.

Gwen's birthday

My baby turned 5! I can't believe how time flies. We went to Tulsa to celebrate with family. Little did we know we would be leaving our house in God's capable hands, because a tornado was bearing down on Oklahoma City....in FEBRUARY!!! We were on the Turner Turnpike, under sunny skies and we stopped at the half-way point to take a potty break. While Gwen and I were in the restroom, the constant weather reporting over the PA was giving indication of severe weather. By the time we got back to the car, the kids' movie was over so we turned on the radio. All the weathermen were interrupting the music stations due to the severe conditions. Then they started mentioning landmarks...NW Expressway, Yukon, 150^th & Penn....wait, that's where we live!!! It was right around the time the kids would be getting out of school (if we hadn't let them stay home that day for the traveling reason). I can only imagine the fear in those children. I know that if my kids were there they would be safe, but I'm sure my Chaddy and Gwen would be thinking about Mommy and Daddy. Anyway, I digress. So we were a little concerned for our house as we were traveling to Tulsa. As soon as I got to Tulsa, I called my friend, Amy, who was in between taking cover...there were multiple storm cells. She said she thought everyone from LifeGroup was alright, but the kids were still in their schools on lockdown, and they didn't know when to pick them up! CRAZY!!!

The party turned out great!  I made Gwen a cake that was 2-tiered.  She had this little Polly Pocket cake and says to me, "I want my cake to look like this."

So I made the cake the best way I knew how...

had leftover batter, so I made some cupcakes...

In traveling to Tulsa, we had some "shifting"....but that's ok...

This was the spread at Nana's house...

Gwen insisted on wearing her princess dress...and why not?!?!!

All will attest...she was in a funk!  I don't know what was going on, but during opening her presents, she looked as though she was  less than impressed, but in reality she LOVED all her gifts, including this skirt that she's making the face about.  She keeps begging me to wear it, but I keep telling her it is winter.

All in all, a lot of fun, and our house turned out to be fine!  What a great day, celebrating my favorite little girl in my life!  

Turning 30

I turned 30 last week.  I must say, I'm glad to be here.  I have some amazing friends!  My newest friends here in Edmond were so sweet to come over to my house on Thursday the 19th (my actual birthday) and they brought dinner, a cake, and a present...I am blessed.  Then on Saturday, I spent the evening with dear family and old friends.  My mom, my sister Dee Dee, and Charlie all threw me a party.  Dee Dee had my friends and family members write love notes to me, and then compiled them all in a book.  Somehow she even got my biological mother and father to write me something!  It was a treasure I will always keep.  My friend Jamie, whom I have known for 24 years, came with her husband and sweet little boy.  Stephanie, my friend since 7th grade, came with her precious little girl.  My dear in-laws came.  Travis, who started out being Charlie's friend from high school---and a groomsman in our wedding---and is now my friend as well, came without his wife and son :(, but they were in Missouri for another event.  I had a wonderful time, and now look forward to this year being fan-tas-tic!  

Here are some goals for this year:

1.  Lose weight, by eating healthier, and exercising.

2.  Run in the Tulsa Run - 5K in October.

3.  Read the ENTIRE Bible.

I guess the Bible thing should be at the top of the list, but I'm too tired to delete and retype all for it to look like I'm putting that first----God knows my heart.  So, Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday, and that starts Lent.  Every year I have all the good intentions of depriving myself of something to then use pangs of temptation as a reminder to PRAY.  I am giving up pop this year.  It has a MAJOR stronghold on me.  I have got to let this part of my flesh die.  It is so unhealthy for me and without it, I know the weight will start dropping off quickly....as it has in the past.  As a family, we are giving up eating out.  That includes pizza.  This is a toughy, because Mazzio's has been a routine after church every Sunday!  But we will survive even this :)

Tomorrow being Tuesday, you better believe I am drinking a TON of Dr. Pepper!  I'll probably be so sick of it by tomorrow, I won't even want it again come Easter.  Here's hoping.