Life . . .

. . . has been full of blessing and trial the last few weeks with lots of things in between. When I'm in that place of tension or being pulled a hundred different directions, it's really hard for me to put anything worth reading into words. Someday you may get a good post, but probably not until holiday break!

~ We got a dog! This may confirm your suspicions that I have been comatose for the last several weeks, thus not hearing from me. While comatose, Heath slipped the dog into the family! :-) Actually, I willingly consented to this dog . . . miracles DO happen. She is a 4 month old doberman pincher. She LOVES the kids and is the most mellow big dog I've ever seen. The best part about having the dog in this season of life is that Heath takes her to work every day! Problems averted. I don't have to deal with the dog all day, she comes home to interact with us just long enough to keep her "fun" and not a nuisance, and Heath gets his baby.

~ We got a stray dog. . . that I can't get rid of! A few weeks before we got Zoe (the dobe) someone dropped off a little dog at our house (it happens often living in the country). We let it starve for almost two weeks because the pound was supposed to pick it up and never did. Finally I couldn't stand it and started feeding the little thing. So who does it love? Only me. Problem, I can't betray this poor little dog's confidence and use his trust in me to trap it and bring it to its death. If you need some target practice, come on out, but don't expect me to trap this little thing! UGH.

~ Abiel has bronchitis. She has been sick for nearly 2 weeks. She's pretty miserable. Please pray for her recovery. It seems very slow going.

~ Apple picking and processing. We had the opportunity to go apple picking as a family. I spent two full days with a handy dandy apple peeler/slicer/corer making apple pie filling (enough for 20 pies), applesauce, apple butter, and dehydrated apple slices. So this is the second miracle in this post. If you knew me 10 years ago, you would've laughed hysterically at the idea of me making anything homemade and spending 2 full days in a kitchen with boxes of apples! God is BIG!

~ Ministry. There have been good things and hard things. But I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, serving alongside anyone else, bringing the Kingdom of God to earth. I'm moving back into one on one discipleship role with several young women and that is thrilling to me! I feel alive when I'm able to walk along side teachable young women who just need a sounding board and solid biblical advice. But the MOST thrilling discipleship situation I'm in is with my own daughter! She has moved into junior high mode in every sense of the word. I keep praising Jesus for the privilege of pouring into my own daughter in the way I have poured into so many other young ladies over the years. I prayed and hoped she would let me into her life in this way, but it has been beyond my hopes as she shares her life, struggle, and joy with me. Thank you Jesus! This is by far, my favorite parenting stage to date!

~ School is moving right along and we are still very much enjoying it. Our charter school is phenomenal. Though it is public, we are allowed to teach whatever curriculum that suits our family and children! There are dozens of amazing educational opportunities and we are all thankful for the opportunity to be part of this community. Classes are Tuesday and Thursday and the other three days are packed with math, English, science, and history. I've become much more relaxed and am learning how to go with the flow of the day better than I used to, rather than trying to cram a set schedule down everyone's throat. We still accomplish what we need to do, with a lot more joy and better attitudes all around! Miracle number 3!

If you made it to the end of this. . . thanks for reading, for being my friend, for loving our family. I'm thankful for all of you this Thanksgiving season!
Happy Holidays!