My little boy...

The past few months have been big ones for our family; our son Caleb especially. He and Brittany have been married just over a month now, he is ready for his third year of college, and he will be starting a new ministry job this weekend. Today is a big event in his life as well; today Caleb moves from those crazy teenage years to his twenties. All my kids are in their twenties and enjoying married life. Suddenly I feel a bit old...a bit sentimental...a whole lot grateful...and abundantly blessed. 

What a joy it is to be a part of this man's life. To be there when he was born, to see him take his first steps, to help him learn to read and do math, to see his love for Jesus grow, to watch him take on any challenge and do it so seriously, to hear him tell us that there was this girl he might like, to watch him fall in love, to see the tender way he loves this woman who is now his wife. Oh this list could go on and on, basically I am counting my blessings today and am extremely proud to be the mother of Caleb John Haynes. 

I love you up to the moon.

You'll always be my little boy!

Happy Birthday Caleb!!!

Time flies...

"You're moving where?"
"Have you looked at a map?"
"Did you know it gets cold up there?"
"Northern Minnesota...are you crazy?"

Two years ago we announced that we would be moving a bit north. For the most part people just didn't quite know what to think of that one. Yes, we knew where we were moving, we knew that it could get cold and no we weren't crazy(or were we??).

I am pleased to announce that we have indeed survived not just one but two winters up here. Let's just say the cold sure makes you appreciate warmer weather and by warmer weather I mean anything above zero!

Two years ago, Brian and I pulled into the quaint little town of Roseau, MN. We had just said good-bye to one church family and were ready to say hello to a new one. We dove right into life up here, a 100 year celebration at our church, followed by a week of the Roseau County Fair; all the while trying to unpack and begin to feel at home.

We arrived in Roseau in ragged shape. We had not only uprooted our lives, we also had just entered a new phase of life...the empty nest. I was also struggling with some chronic health problems. Despite these things we did arrive here with eager anticipation. God was in this move from the beginning and because of that we knew we were exactly where we were supposed to be.

Our family has undergone some major changes in the past two years. We went from having one daughter married to all three of our children married. We have also added a granddaughter to the mix! There have been three college graduations to celebrate; two last May and one this May. I had surgery last year which marked the beginning of a positive health swing for me. I am no longer on any medicines! My digestive issues have eased up considerably; so much so that I can now eat food that is actually spicy. Two years ago, walking any distance wore me out; now Brian and I can bike more than 30 miles and enjoy it! I feel better than I have in years.I knew that I hadn't felt well in a long time, but now that I feel good I am amazed at how bad I truly did feel.

There have been some bumps along the way. That first year of the empty nest was hard. Hard because I went from being a homeschool mom to having nobody at home and being new in a community. There were days I would cry and felt so lonely. I knew that year would be hard, I knew I had to walk through the grieving of change. I was trying to figure out what God wanted next for me and for a season I needed that down time for Him to work in me. We also experienced another major loss. We went from the elation of expectancy of a second grandchild to the news that she would be miscarried. Faith's time was short, and we learned how much your arms can ache for someone you've never met. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her.

In the ups and downs and even in the normal days; God is faithful. He has carried us. We truly feel we are right where He wants us to be. We love our church family; in fact we don't really consider them church family, but just plain family. We rejoice with them as they rejoice; we grieve with them when the grieve and they do the same with us. God is truly good and we are surely blessed!!! We pray for many more years up here in the north. It is just what we needed!!!

My favorite verses are Jeremiah 29:1-13. I feel it is fitting for this particular time in my life. God's plans are amazing and I am so glad that Brian and I listened to Him when He whispered Roseau in our ears.  Had we not followed His plans for us we surely would have missed out on so much!

 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah  29:11-13

We did it...we released our last child...

Last summer our daughter Abby was married. At the wedding we heard one statement almost as much as we heard congratulations. The statement? "See you next summer at Caleb's wedding!" We just laughed. Even Caleb and Brittany laughed about it. However, I should have seen what was coming. I mean during family pictures, Brittany was welcomed in. We all knew that one day she would be family. During the reception we found Brittany writing this on our car:

So, when Caleb first approached Brian that he was ready to propose I shouldn't have been surprised. Yet, I was. I knew he was ready, he is the most level headed person I know. He is calculated and does nothing on impulse. This was my baby boy wanting to get married. He was barely 19; how could he be ready to be married? I mean just a few years ago he didn't want to even consider dating. He considered girls to be too much drama; he was a horrible hugger (seriously it was like hugging a tree!); how could this boy be ready for marriage? But, he was and is. He found the one his heart longed for and when that happened he transformed! What a fun thing that has been to watch.

So, I had several months to prepare my heart for the big day; the day our baby boy would become a husband. I'm not going to lie, there were tears involved in this process. Never once were those tears because I was sad about who he was marrying. No, the tears were bittersweet, end of an era type tears. We home-schooled, so I never had those first day of kindergarten tears, nope those tears came the day we dropped him off at college. (I had 13 years to build up a good reservoir of tears for that one).  And so these tears were much like that, the tears that come with releasing a child.

I knew as the day got nearer that I needed to do something to "give my son away". I knew I needed to assure Brittany that I wasn't going to be one of those mother-in-laws. Apron strings, that is what I came up with. So, I went to my friend Google and found another mom(Linda Weber) who also wanted to cut the apron strings for her son and his bride. She wrote poems to her new daughters-in-law, so I tweaked this idea into a poem for Brittany. I read it at the rehearsal dinner, I knew I needed to do this before the wedding; I needed her to know there were literally no strings attached. I was shaking quite a lot, not from nerves, but from the emotion of what I was doing. Watch and see what I did...

The wedding day was glorious. Were there a few bumps along the way...yes. When I think about June 21st though all I dwell on is the love that oozed out of these two. My son appeared several inches taller, he looked like a man ready to be a husband. Before Caleb saw Brittany I took him aside and told him that she was absolutely glowing and for him to be prepared for how stunning she looked. Later I asked him if I was right. His response will be forever engrained in my heart. He said "No, you were wrong...you underplayed how beautiful she is." My husband and I just marveled at the way he looked at her all day, the way he prayed with her before the wedding, the way he beamed.

We have only seen one picture the photographer took that day, but I am pretty sure nothing can beat this picture. This picture captures the day perfectly. At the end of the day it was all about Caleb and Brittany and the beauty that  God was painting in the two of them....

Photo credit Amber Rae Photography

Today makes me smile.

Some days just make me smile more than others. July 2 will always be a day that makes me smile and reflect and be grateful. Until 1988, this was just another ordinary summer day for me. July 2, 1988 changed that for me. You see, that is the day I became a Mrs., the day I stole Brian's last name, the day I became one with the man I love. So every year we celebrate and remember and give thanks.

It's been 26 years since we said our wedding vows. 26 years of doing life together. It hasn't always been easy, in fact at times it was just plain messy. We've not always seen eye to eye, we have not always fought fair, and some days I am pretty sure we didn't like each other. Life is that way;  messy at times. I can say with absolute certainty, there is nobody I would rather get messy with! Those tough times were important, they forced us to grow up, to work through things, and growth was always the end result.


God gave Brian to me, to be my rock, to be my sanity, to be my best friend, to be my partner, to be the father of our children. God knew exactly what I would need. He knew that at times I can get a bit too serious, a bit too stressed out, a bit too scheduled and well just a bit too much. He knew that Brian would be the one to make me laugh, the one to offer a shoulder, the one to hold me just because; God knew that despite all our differences we would make a great team. 

Happy Anniversary Brian! Let's try for another 26...the adventure is really just beginning!!

“Wait, you’re getting married?”

In just 20 short days, my baby boy will be getting married! I asked him to share today his thoughts on one of the most frequently asked questions concerning his wedding. Why get married so young? He and his bride-to-be are just a few months shy of 20, so many people wonder why get married now. I will tell you one thing about my son, he does not do anything compulsively, he is a thinker and a pray-er. As his mother, I have complete peace with his upcoming marriage. Of course that doesn't mean I won't cry at the wedding!! 

“Wait, you’re getting married?”

That seems to be a question that I have been facing a lot lately. With my wedding coming up in a little over three weeks, a lot of people have been asking me questions along those exact same lines. You see, both myself and my fiancé are 19, we met met a little less than two years ago, and we are both still in college. Some call us crazy, some question our motives, but I stand firm behind my decision to get married and stay married.

Why would I want to get married? I wrestled with this question for a long time as I was preparing to propose to my now fiancé. We had been dating for a little over a year when I decided I wanted to pop the question. But before I even considered talking to her dad to get his blessing, I had to wrestle with my own thoughts first. Getting married before it’s even legal to consume alcohol (neither of us even want to) seems a little hard to grasp for the average couple. Yet, I still came to the conclusion that there was no real reason holding us back from getting married. To come to this conclusion, I had to face the four factors that typically stop a couple from getting married so young.

Level of Maturity

I believe that maturity is something often forgotten when attempting to figure out the reasons for a failed marriage. Couples are not mature or ready to be committed to each other at the level of marriage, but they still pursue marriage. Whether it’s one or both of the people getting married, immaturity can devastate a relationship later on in its Thankfully, I am blessed to be partnered with a very mature woman of God. In fact, one of the first things that I noticed about my bride-to-be is her high level of maturity. We worked together at a summer camp, surrounded by high school and college students going through the process of maturing. In the midst of all the chaos of the so-called freedom, she stood out to me far above the rest. As we grew to know each other, we grew even more in maturity. Challenging one another to “grow up” so to speak. Although we are young, our maturity does not seem to reflect our age (in a good way). I realized that I have been blessed with a mature enough relationship that would endure the trials of marriage.

Financial Situation

One thing that causes my anxiety to peak is the topic of money. The thoughts of student loans, gas bills, insurance costs, monthly rent, and so on continually reassert themselves in my brain. I am a numbers guy that likes to see it when everything works out nicely. Ideally, I would be able to get everything to work out on paper. That doesn’t always work out so well in the real world. As I was pondering getting married, this was the one area that caused me to really think about the possibility of waiting a little while to get married. I didn’t have a steady income or a large amount of savings and I could not go into the commitment of marriage knowing that I wouldn’t be able to provide financial stability for my wife.

Yet, there is one thought that crossed my mind that relieved most of my anxiety in this area. The thought was that it would be a long time before either of us were “financially stable.” In some ways, true financial stability is never fully reached. Whether it’s a lot of money or a little money, there will still be anxiety surrounding the topic. To combat the strain of money, we sat down and discussed our budget. We came to agreements and are now at a place where we may not have much wiggle room, but we are comfortable enough so that we can still enjoy our marriage and thrive.

Strain on a Relationship

Getting married comes with difficulties. That seems to be all that the older and “wiser” couples are telling us. I realize that the strains between a husband and wife are very real and sometimes very difficult to overcome. Yet, those strains didn’t scare me away from pursuing marriage. My fiancé and I have definitely had our fair share of strains. We’ve had late night talks where she needed to cry on my shoulder or I needed to tell her something that was on my mind. We’ve had disagreements. We’ve had tensions. However, none of those have made me love her any less or question our relationship in the slightest. In fact, it is through those strains and trials, that our relationship has grown firm and secure. We will no doubt have an argument or disagreement in our future, but the possibility of strains in a relationship should not take away from the joys of being married. Maybe I’m just an inexperienced dreamer, but I firmly believe that the positive aspects of marriage far outweigh the strains that every married couple faces. So long as we stay mature and understanding through the difficulties, we can not only “make it,” but we can enjoy it.

Making the Commitment

This is perhaps the most common reason that people shy away from getting married at a young age. The thought of being with the same person for 30, 40, or 50+ years is an intimidating notion. Having not even lived for 20 years yet, the marriage that lasts (as all should) will endure for much more than half of the life of anyone getting married at such a young age. In a culture that plans for the now, looking forward 30+ years is intimidating and making that commitment is definitely a scary leap to make. In my mind, marriage is a lifelong commitment. We plan on going through the traditional vows at our wedding because the words in those vows are so powerful. When I say “til death do us part” in a little less than a month, I will mean it with every fiber of my being. I intend on staying committed to my wife through all of life’s triumphs and defeats. Unlike most men, the thought of that commitment does not scare me in the slightest. In fact, it is a very exciting thing to be considering. We are pledging to be together for the rest of our lives and nothing will break that commitment between the two of us. It’s a big commitment to make at such a young age, but I believe it is the right
commitment.

So, why am I getting married so young?

When people ask me that question now, I have started to answer, “What’s holding me back?” The answer? Nothing. Nothing is holding me back from marrying my soon-to-be wife. Other than a few numbers, I see no difference between the commitment we are making and the commitment that two people getting married at age 30 are making. Despite what people think, we know what we’re getting into. We’re not getting married because we have to or we need to (a.k.a. there isn’t a baby on the way). We are getting married because we want to.

Men are often told that marriage is like being tied to a ball and chain, constantly being weighed down by the relationship. It is seen as difficult to truly “live” once the commitment is made. However, I don’t see marriage like this at all. Sure, there is a bond that is formed between the two getting married, but it’s not getting tied down. Instead, its getting joined together with the person that you love so that you have a partner with which you can go through life. It’s not the end of living, it’s the beginning of
life together. And for that, I couldn’t be more excited.

Five Minute Friday...Joy

Today is Five Minute Friday. One word...five minutes...no editing. Today's word is JOY.

Go:

When I saw the word for today was joy, I just knew I would write something profound, something that would inspire. I have to be honest though, today this word made me think of one thing...well actually one person,  a sweet, lovable little baby named Ellie. So, I cheated today. I made a video for Ellie, that brought me joy. It took me more than five minutes to make, but it takes less than that to watch. So please enjoy watching the face that brings me joy!

A day unlike any other...revisited

*This post was originally published in March of 2012. I repost it today to celebrate the Klingsheim's 2nd anniversary.

This day started out different than any day prior to it. This day started with the realization that our oldest daughter would be married by the end of it. Everything seemed surreal and perfect all at the same time. This is a day Ashley had been dreaming about for sometime, and a day her father and I had been praying for since her birth. So to say this day was 22 years in the making is not an exaggeration.

I want to share with you some of the highlights from this most special of days. You have followed along as Ashley and Larry got engaged, as I've had shoe melt downs and therefore I feel like you need to hear and see some of the special happenings that day.

Bride and Bridesmaids all made up and in flannel!

Love the back of her dress!

Bride and Bridesmaids all dressed up!

Proud parents and beaming bride.

Proud and excited siblings!

So in love!

This was outside the reception site: Headwaters Science Center.

First Dance

 

Time for cake!

Centerpieces

Guest Book Table

Another use of old light bulbs!

My favorite moment of the ceremony came at the very beginning. I kept my eye on Larry as Ashley and Brian appeared to walk the aisle. It was his first glimpse at his bride that day. I will never forget the look of love and affection he gave my daughter. Makes me cry now just to think of it. Then to turn and see my daughter with her eyes focused only on Larry, it was priceless!!

My husband had the privilege of marrying these two. I don't know how he did it, I cried through the whole thing! He was amazing. The wedding was amazing. Brian gave them 5 keys to marriage and he literally had keys for them. Here are the keys he shared with them:

King ...live for the King!

Kingdom...serve His kingdom.

Kids...one day (no pressure though Ashley and Larry!)

Kneel...pray together.

Kiss...and make up.

At the end of the wedding before he pronounced them husband and wife, Brian took the keys out of his pocket and showed them one more key. This was a car key...to a 2012 Lamborghini! Ok, it was a key to an imaginary 2012 Lamborghini! When Ashley was younger she heard a speaker say that girls are like a Lamborghini, of great price and value and they should be treated as such by a man. Ashley even had a shirt that said "I'm a Lamborghini". So Brian explained this and then handed Larry the keys. Hopefully they aren't too disappointed that we didn't buy them a $400,000 car!

Just look at my husband's expression...priceless!

The day went by far to quickly, the reception was so much fun. People had time to play in the Science Center, enjoy some good food and even dance a little. At the reception our daughter Abby gave her Maid of Honor toast and she chose to present it as a song. She wrote it herself; it is an amazing song!! (This was recorded on my husband's phone...so excuse the quality...but you can get the idea of how awesome of a song it truly is)

It was truly a special day! The newlyweds are all settled in their apartment and happy as can be! 

A rather significant day...

 There are dates that will always have meaning, all it takes is hearing that date and memories are conjured up. To most people the date February 27, 1964 is not one of those significant days. Well, it is to me. That just so happens to be the day my husband was born. I can't help thinking that the sun shone just a bit brighter that day.  If you are any good at math then you will have already figured out that makes my husband 50 today! So, today marks a milestone in his life. And just in case we might forget, our insurance company has sent out several reminders that the oldest member is our family is getting older! How sweet of them, too bad  their intent wasn't just to wish him a good day, but to remind him he costs more to insure now! 

To mark this monumental day in his life our family has compiled a list of 50 things we love and appreciate or special memories we have of Brian! 

Happy birthday BK...we all love you!


10 things to love about Grandpa from Ellie:

1. Educational song time with Grandpa! What does the fox say?
2. Cuddle time!
3. People sure think I am cute and they say that I got some of my looks from your part of the family, thanks!
4. Having a fun Grandpa who I know will tell me stories (got any good ones about my mommy?).
5. I love Skype time with Grandpa, because it makes him seem not so far away.
6. We both are fans of blue and orange (my favorite animals to watch on my mobile are my orange giraffe & blue elephant!), I am a Bronco fan in the making (despite their recent loss...).
7. Mommy and Daddy say you live in a fun place called "Minnesota," I can't wait to visit you there!
8. You like showing my picture to other people whenever you can, I know that you are proud of me and that you love me!
9. You love me enough to clean up my messes! Changing my diaper, now that is real love.
10. I am proud to have you as my Grandpa!


10 things to love about dad from the Klingsheims:

1. We loved having you officiate our wedding! It made a special day even more special and personal. We still have our keys hanging up as a reminder of your message!
2. Such a giver! Larry will never forget the Christmas of 2010. ;)
3. You make family a priority. I still remember all of our fun family nights, dad and daughter dates, and meals where we ignored the phone when it rang because you valued us!
4. You allow us to follow God's call in our lives, even if that means living way out east in Massachusetts.
5. We can share our love of coffee together! I love all of our conversations over a cup of coffee, even that time we had a coffee date over the phone. It was just what I needed!
6. You have displayed a godly marriage for us. We hope that our marriage stays as strong and as fun as yours!
7. "DAAAAD! Can you turn over the Adventures in Odyessy????" :)
8. Growing up eating your breakfasts... YUMMY!!
9. Your sense of humor. Sometimes I say something funny and Larry tells me that is something that you would say, I take it as a compliment every time.
10. Your selfless service. Whether it is part of your job or not it seems like you always find yourself in the position to help people (in big or little ways). What an example of Christ-like love.

 10 things to love about dad from the Larsens:

1. We are MKs (Middle kids), and we stick together. Always.- Abby
2. He makes me laugh. When we would have friends come over he would always make us laugh so hard, we never could eat because he would make us laugh too much! - Abby
3. “Dad, can you come change my Odyssey?” Yep, we would ask him to change our cassette tapes we listened to while going to sleep, and he would… most of the time. He is the best dad ever! He is always willing to serve others and I never hear him complain.- Abby
4. Our shared love for music. Like that Steven Curtis Chapman/ Audio Adrenaline concert he took me to when I was three and learning to play the guitar from him.- Abby
5. My dad baptized me at Mt. Elim when I was 8. He has always been a great spiritual leader for our family and a great example for me in my faith.- Abby
6. Getting to shoot him with paint balls at my bachelor party- Josh
(You should have seen all the welts!)
7. Spending time, a LOT of time, fixing the hot tub. –Josh
(I thought it was sweet that they could have bonding time being Mr. Fix-its)-Abby
8. Working on/talking about sound equipment- Josh
9. First time we meet at Cantabria to talk about me pursuing Abby- Josh
(They were sneaky because I had no clue!)- Abby
10. Seeing the qualities you have shown as the provider for your family: generosity, accountability, and openness- Josh

 10 things to love about dad from Caleb and Brittany:

This is the only picture of Caleb, Brittany and Brian I have! Will be sure to get more at the wedding!

1. Took me to my first NFL football game, which happened to be Broncos vs. Seahawks.
2. Passed on his enjoyment for the game of golf to me. 
3. Officiant at many weddings, most importantly, his three children’s weddings.
4. Three words: Leche con carne.
5. Taught me how to drive (even if the first instruction occurred at age 13 in a parking lot).
6. Inspiration to pursue pastoral ministry.
7. Is letting me “steal” his youngest child. from Brittany
8. Best Monday School teacher ever! 
9. Supportive, encouraging, dedicated, inspiring father. 
10. Getting one more Haynes on June 21! The name will live on!

My 10 favorite memories of Brian: 

1. July 2, 1988...the day you let me steal your last name!
2. Seeing the look of love in your eyes as you met each of our children.
3. The day you came up with the idea for the Goliath Project...I love how you dream big.
4. The day you asked me out. I was on cloud 9 the rest of the day! 
5. All things Olympic with you...2002 Salt Lake City Games...2014 US Curling Trials.
6. The way you tear up when you hear certain songs on the radio...so precious.
7. Walking out of my dorm room and being surprised by you standing in the hall! A short, but fun visit.
8. The day you baptized me. That was amazing.
9. Memorizing our first scripture together...Psalm 1.
10. There are so many more days and memories...impossible to list them all. My life is so much richer because you are in it! I am blessed to have you as my "old man"!

 WE LOVE YOU BRIAN/DAD/GRANDPA!!!

24 years...wow!

The past year has been quite a busy year for my daughter Ashley....

She and Larry celebrated their first anniversary with a trip to Lake Superior....

She graduated from college...

Her sister Abby got married...

 

Her friend Heather got married...

 

She and Larry moved to the east coast so Larry could attend Gordon-Conwell Seminary..

She also spent most of the year growing...

And she is now a mommy...

Today, Ashley is celebrating her 24th birthday. Not sure what she's going to do to top her last year, but I am sure God has some pretty amazing adventures ahead for this amazing woman.

Today also marks 24 years of me being a mother, I am now 48 which means I have been a mother for half my life. Wow, that fact amazes me! It truly does not feel like it was that long ago that I was holding my baby. I was in awe at how much I loved her from the beginning. I could stare at her for hours, all her little expressions were so precious to me. In the past 24 years I have tried to show and tell her just how much I love her; but how do you really explain a mother's love? It's a love like no other, it's truly amazing. I finally have a good way to help her understand just how much I love her. Ashley is now a mother herself, I see how she looks at Ellie, it is exactly how I looked at her. She now knows just how much I love her because she loves her daughter the same way!

Ashley Elizabeth, I love you! Happy birthday my sweet daughter!!

My granddaughter on the left...My daughter on the right.

Three generations...all about 24 years apart in age.

This answer to prayer has a name...

Brian and I like to call the way we parent...intentional parenting. One very tangible way we did this was by praying for our children. As they grew we had several things we prayed for...there was the immediate needs, the spiritual issues, and of course future things. One of the biggest future things we would pray for is their spouses. Obviously when they were little we had no idea who those spouses would be; yet that didn't detour us from praying.

As our daughters grew into women, God sent their spouses to them and we began praying for them by name. What a joy to watch God answer our prayers for them with such Godly men.

A little over a year ago...October 2012...we began to see that God was perhaps answering this prayer for a spouse in a our son's life. I will never forget the call, the day I found out my little boy was twitterpatted! He had only been gone a little over a month and I would frequently start out the phone calls from him with one question...do you have a girlfriend yet. I never actually expected him to say yes...not so soon after arriving on campus. Well, this time when I asked the question there was a pause on his end and I knew what was coming next. He told us about this girl named Brittany he had met over the summer working at camp. They began dating soon afterwards, but it was long distance as Caleb was in Texas and Brittany was in Minnesota. That was a long school year for them. We noticed a sudden increase in his texts and cell phone minutes!

 

It has been fun watching these two get to know each other and develop a strong relationship. Caleb has been intentional in honoring God with how he treats Britt. He wrote his own resolution and had Brian and I sign it. He framed a copy and keeps it in his dorm room to remind him of what those resolutions are.

After a summer of working together at camp again and a fall of attending college just minutes apart, their relationship has grown even more. They are no longer in the infatuation phase. In fact, they are actually now in the engaged phase! Yes, that's right my little boy is getting married. He proposed to Brittany just a few days ago and she said yes!! So God answered our prayer for a spouse for our son and that answer is named Brittany.

We are of course thrilled for them and excited to watch as God unfolds His plans for their future. I have to admit its a little surreal thinking about my son...my little boy...getting down on one knee and proposing. This boy who at one time only had eyes for his mommy, this little boy who declared in high school girls have too much drama, this little boy who is now a man...he's in love! My new prayer is that I would not be a Marie Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond) type of mother-in-law; but rather that I will be one who welcomes Brittany in as a daughter. I recently ran across the term daughter of my heart; that is what Brittany is to me.

I don't always enjoy the fact that my kids are grown and out of the house...some days it is extremely hard having an empty nest; but I do enjoy watching them grow and follow Jesus. I treasure watching God answer our prayers in their lives. What an amazing privilege God has given Brian and I to have a front row seat to their lives!!! 

A new reason to pray....

My blog is titled The Things I Ponder; and let me tell you for the past week I have been pondering something amazing! Last Monday morning I received a phone call from my daughter Ashley. This was no ordinary phone call, this phone call was about 8 days overdue. It was the phone call to inform me that she was in fact in labor. It may have been 5 am, but I was wide awake! Immediately I began praying for my daughter as the reality of the situation dawned on me...wow, there are no words.

So, as I said we prayed. This little one gave us lot of time to pray. Later that morning came a text from Ashley, they were going home to labor until things got more intense. Evening came, still at home, still in labor.  2:00 am...another text...going back to birthing center. 5:00 am transferred to hospital to better monitor baby...dilated to 3. The longer this labor went, the more people we had praying for Ashley. Finally just three hours before the new year (and my birthday) we get the call that we had been waiting for all day. Hearing my son-in-law announce it's a girl was the most surreal moment ever. 40+ hours of labor finally over, a new little life has entered the world. I was now a grandma to a precious little bundle. Her name is Elizabeth Mae, we call her Ellie. She is perfect. She is beautiful.

For 5 days now, I have been head over heals in love with this little girl. I haven't even met her yet and my love for her is deep. I keep imagining the moment my husband and I get to hold her (just a few short days away)...tears well up just thinking about it. Every time we are sent a picture of Ellie we stop and just stare in awe.

Today in worship as we were singing about His great name, I thought of Ellie. A new prayer for me will be for her to one day proclaim His great name! What an opportunity we have to pray for this little one, to once again see Jesus through a child's eyes.  I found this verse today that intrigues me for Ellie.  I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 2 Timothy 1:5.  As I read this verse I substituted it to read like this. "I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Brenda and in your mother Ashley and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." I pray that Ellie will become a woman of strong faith, that her faith would be greater than mine or Ashley's; that Jesus would be her rock, her strength, her everything. 

So, at times I may spoil this little one with gifts and kisses and hugs; but I truly believe the best gift I can give her is to be a grandma who prays! And that is what I'm going to do!!!

And here is this precious face that has so captivated my heart...

Live by faith...

 22 years ago today a baby was born who would grow into a beautiful young woman. This woman is my daughter Abigail (Abby). Her name means source of joy and she has been just that in our lives. She has had quite the amazing year; click here, here, here and here to read about some of the events in her life. I have asked Abby to write the rest of the entry for her birthday. I wanted you to hear from her just how she is doing and how God is working. Happy 22nd Birthday Abby!!

    Last year for my birthday my fiancé (who is now my husband) got me a necklace that is a cross made of sterling silver, with the outline of a gold heart with a small diamond in the middle. I immediately fell in love with it because it was beautiful and simple and because it came from the man I love. After I took off the necklace that night I noticed there were words inscribed on the back. It was the simple phrase “Live by faith, one day at at time.” This made me love the necklace even more but at the time I had no idea how much that simple phrase would come into play over the next year.

      As I sit here and write this I think back on the 21^st year of my life. This past year of my life was quite eventful. There were so many changes, some wonderful, others more challenging but in the midst of the changes God has brought me back to the simple phrase that is on the back of my cross necklace. In the midst of a stressful year of school, during wedding planning, while spending time in Haiti this summer, working through the challenges of being newly weds, in all of it God has brought be back to the phrase, “Live by faith, one day at a time.” This has become increasingly more difficult but essential the past few months.

      On October 16^th we found out that after 11 weeks and 5 days of pregnancy, our baby was not alive anymore. We would not be meeting our child on this side of heaven. To be honest, this was devastating to me. My husband and I decided to name our child Faith which fits perfectly because losing Faith has truly tested me trust and faith in God. I hate that as I write this she is not still growing inside me. I hate that I will never get to meet her on earth. I hate that her Dad never got to see her or know her. But I rest in knowing that she is spending this Christmas in heaven with Jesus. And although it hurts more than I can say in words, I still choose to live by faith, one day at a time.

      I never thought that on my 22^nd birthday I would be where I am at. I never would have imagined this past year unfolding how it did. To be honest I haven't always felt like trusting God. And there have been times that I have been quite angry with Him. But something my husband said really encouraged me. He said that we don't always feel like loving God but we still choose to because we have made a commitment to him. He then compared it to marriage. We don't always feel the most loving towards our spouse but we still choose to love them because of the commitment we have made to them. That pretty much explains how my relationship with God has been. I have not felt the most loving feelings towards Him, but I know that regardless of how I feel, I will still choose to love Him and choose to trust Him because He is God and I know He is good. There have been many moments filled with tears and heartache but God has been there in the midst of it all. I know that he is slowly healing my heart. I'm not there yet, but I just continue to live by faith, one day at a time.

This a song that has meant a lot to Abby and Josh this year.

On The Things I Ponder Facebook page is the song Abby wrote for Faith. 

Sweet Faith

 

Mat Kearney has a song called Closer to Love. It's a great song, one of those that I turn up and sing along to in the car. However, I don't know how much I really thought about the lyrics until last Wednesday. There is a line in the song that says I guess, we're all one phone call from our knees. On that Wednesday my sweet Abby texted me that she was going to the doctor, something wasn't quite right with the pregnancy. In that moment, I truly dropped to my knees.

When our children are little, it is so much easier to help them with their problems. Sometimes all they need is for their boo boo to be kissed and all is well. This was not one of those times, I couldn't fix this problem with a kiss or a hug. All I could do in that moment was pray and be thankful for the strong faith my daughter and son-in-law possess.


This is what Abby posted on Facebook a few days later. Her words best describe all that happened last week.

Throughout the past year “live by faith, one day at a time” is a phrase that God has continually brought me back to in the midst of all the changes. This was true for Josh and I this past week. On Wednesday we found out that we aren’t going to be meeting our baby on this side of heaven. It hurts more than words can say but Josh and I continue to live by faith and trust God in the midst of this loss. While we didn’t find out the gender of our baby we both felt as though it was a girl. We decided to name her Faith to remind us of the truth that we don’t understand this at all but we will continue to “live by faith, one day at a time.” We ask you to pray for us as we grieve the loss of our baby Faith. Our hearts are hurting but we rest in knowing that she is safe in the arms of her Heavenly Father and look forward to meeting her in heaven.

Please keep these two in your prayers as they both work through their grief
 and live faith one day at a time.

Five Minute Friday...just a mom????

Today is Five Minute Friday.  One word, five minutes, no editing. Today's word is Ordinary.

 go:


There she stands in a room full of new people. She is making polite conversation and then that one question she dreads comes up. What do you do? She shifts her eyes downward and simply states, "I'm just a mom." Inside she feels inadequate, like she has nothing exciting to offer as an answer. She feels ordinary, frumpy, alone and yes even judged.

Oh mom, if that is how you feel then you are selling yourself way too short. You are not just a mom. You are the original superhero!You amaze your kids with your knowledge, to them you are 10 feet tall. The task of childbirth alone is a Herculean feat...and that is just the beginning. You are in charge of the next generation. God has entrusted you with these precious little faces. He doesn't see you as ordinary, He sees you as special! I could list all the chores and activities you do in a day, but I only have 5 minutes! You are more than all those chores anyway, you are on the front-lines, so much of what you do for your kids can't be measured anyway. No you are not just a mom...you are blessed, you are extraordinary!!!!

"Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."  

Proverbs 31:29

Life is full of surprises...

 My daughter Abby always said when she found the right guy things would move fast. She was right about that! Josh called  my husband within 10 days of their first date wondering how soon he could propose. Brian suggested that 90 days would be a good amount of time. We spent that time in prayer and God confirmed that he was the one for her. They were engaged three months after their first date.

This past Sunday these newlyweds celebrated 90 days of marriage and also made a fun announcement on Facebook:

 That's right, another one of our babies is going to have a baby! We just got used to the idea of being grandparents and by next May we will have two grand-babies!!! Needless to say we are thrilled. 

God is good...all the time!!!!



 

19 already?

Happy Birthday Caleb!!!

Happy 19th birthday Caleb! It is hard to believe that 19 years ago, you entered this world at a whopping 10 1/2 pounds. You have been growing ever since then, both physically and spiritually. You now stand close to 6'4" and tower over your dad and I! This past year has been a huge year of growth for you. You started college thinking you were going to be a Forensic Chemist and God gave you a change of course. In a month you will be at a new college following God's call to ministry. I am so excited to have a front row seat to your life to see all that God has in store for you! As long as you keep your eyes on Him, He will direct your path!! I love you son!!!!!!

Two down...one to go...

One week ago today, our daughter Abby married Josh. It was a very special day, filled with so much joy, lots of smiles and some tears mixed in as well. Abby glowed the whole day...it was a day she had prayed for...the day she became Josh's wife.

My heart is full as I think of the day and how special it was. The wedding was outside on a lake in Wisconsin. Thankfully the rain held off until after the wedding, we of course were a bit nervous as we could hear thunder during the wedding! (We had an emergency umbrella up front for the bride and groom...just in case!). 

My husband performed the ceremony, I have no idea how he was able to that for a second daughter! He did a great job and made the day even more special. His object lesson for them was a violin. He told Josh how valuable a Stradivarius violin is; he then told him that Abby is far more valuable than that. He gave them a bow from a violin keep in their home as a reminder of that and he attached his four main points to the bow as well. The four points all start with the letter L which is the first letter of Josh and Abby's last name.

Lord...God is to be number one 

Love...next is their love to each other

 Legacy...as they raise their children they would leave a Godly legacy

Labor...that they would work for the Lord and follow His calling

The day began with prayer, the bride and groom were prayer over individually before the wedding, they were prayed over during the wedding and for us the day ended with prayer. I know Brian and I will continue to pray for them; as will Josh's family. God has big plans for these two and I feel privileged to get to uphold them in prayer!

In just a short time Abby and Josh will be having their first big adventure as husband and wife. They will be spending five weeks this summer in Haiti at an orphanage called The Ruuska Village. What an amazing opportunity for a married couple to get to spend the first summer of marriage serving God! I am excited to watch all the plans God has for these two unfold!

Following is a slide show of pictures from that day. The song playing is the song Abby walked down the aisle to; it is Beloved by Tenth Avenue North.

This video is the surprise dance that Josh and Abby did at the reception.

This is the back or our car...it got decorated at the wedding as well! Watch out Caleb!!!!