In like a Lion!

March came in like a lion yesterday!  My lane was drifted shut for two days before a wonderful neighbor plowed me out.  Even though I usually stay pretty close to home on the weekends, I found I felt really caged in knowing that I couldn't leave even if I had wanted to!  It's funny how that works!  My heart is longing for spring with the new life it brings and the sounds of songbirds in the air.

We almost broke snow records for the month of February!

New Year, new intentions

Has it really been months since I last posted! Oiy!  Between school, work, and adult children, I decided to get a puppy and remodel my kitchen...   Not just any puppy, but an australian shepherd high energy puppy!  Hahaha, to say she has turned our home upside down is an understatement.  She is mouthy, demanding and has too much energy for her own good, but I love her!

One of my goals this year is to to try and journal more.  It helps me look back and see where I've been and plan for where I want to go!  Last year my life didn't follow my plan! I'm honestly surprised that it still surprises me when things take a left turn!

I am still working toward getting healthier.  I think that will be a life long struggle for me, but I am committed to keep working towards it.

After my mom died, I got through my semester with school but was totally not ready to start again last Fall.  I am still evaluating that goal and trying to decide if it is really what I want to do with my time at this stage of my life.

I am still pressing on towards a deeper relationship with God.


"Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."  

Mother Teresa

I was shocked when I realized my last post was in September.  I am in my second semester of school, and have been feeling pretty overwhelmed.  I like going to school and the challenge of learning, but working full time while taking classes is much harder than I thought.  This semester has been even harder than the last.  I have been doing well, but I have been exhausted.

Then, I lost my mom. And I haven't recovered. She did so well all through the winter, staying fairly healthy.  One Sunday, we were making plans for me to drive over and have a sleep over, and the next day she was in the emergency room unresponsive from a heart attack. Two days later, she woke up and was able to recognize all of us and tell us she loved us only to slip away forever a few days later.  For the past 30+ years, every Sunday afternoon, I called my mom to visit.  We would talk during the week also, but it was our Sunday afternoon visits that I really looked forward to. Last Sunday, was hard. 

I am finding it impossible to focus at work or with my online classes.  I didn't think I could feel any tireder, but I was wrong.  I have been trying to extend some grace to myself and allow myself the time to grieve.  I have co-workers that have dealt with their grief by throwing themselves into their work or a project.  That is not me.  I feel drained, numb, sad... I miss her.

I am just finishing up my third week of school, and finally starting to feel like I am getting my feet under me just a wee bit. To say it has been a tad overwhelming at first would not be an exaggeration! I knew it would be hard going to back to school and working full time. And it has. But the crazy thing is I like it. I like the challenge. I like being made to think beyond what my norm has been. Who would of thought?!

On another front, I have been procrastinating about getting an estimate to re roof my home. I knew I shouldn't put it off, but I kept doing it anyway.  When I am afraid of something, I have a tendency to stick my head in the sand and pretend like I don't have a problem. Surprisingly, the problems never go away. Well, I finally made myself call a couple of reputable roofers to come take a look. I almost stopped breathing when I was given an estimate for $7.900. Gah! I want so bad to stick my head in the sand again and for this to go away.  Not quite sure how God is going to work this one out yet, but I know he will...

My mom called the other day and told me she had found a lump in her breast, and that she is not going to get it checked out.  She says she doesn't want the doctors to cut her. She says she has lived a good life and that she doesn't want to live to be 90 years old. I asked her to please go see her doctor just for peace of mind. For my peace of mind. That it might not be anything serious now, but it could be if she waits. My mom is stubborn, and I know I can't argue with her. It will only make her more stubborn.  So I pray. And I cry.

I have been at my job for the past 5 years, and I have come to a crossroad.  And I need to make some difficult decisions. 

For the past several years I have been working as an Administrative Assistant at a hospital.  To be brutally honest, I am a single/Head of Household, and I don't make enough money. I try to live frugally.  At first, not so much by choice, but by necessity.

For quite some time, I have felt "stuck" in my job.  It's not that challenging anymore.  It is rewarding in many ways, but not really challenging.  And then there is the little problem of me not liking change.  I am comfortable where I am at.  And I certainly don't want to rock the boat!

I have always wanted to get my Bachelor's Degree but felt like it was too late, or that I was too old, too tired, too scared, too overwhelmed, too (fill in the blank).  I had a lot of excuses... I still have a lot of excuses, but after weighing all of the pros and cons, I decided it was something I really wanted to accomplish after all.

So, even if I am unable to get a better paying job, I want to try this. Even if it is hard. Even if I fail. I want to try this. I am ready for a new challenge. A big step of faith for me.

I love to read. Fiction, nonfiction, children's books, memoirs, self-help, recipes, you name it, I love to sit down with a good book.  Last year for Christmas, I received a Kindle.  I was resistant for a long time, thinking I would never like reading on one. But, I was so wrong. My kindle has made reading so much easier! And it is small enough to take with me everywhere.  On our recent camping trip, I was able to bring several books on my one little kindle device.  Some of the books I have read on my kindle this year include:

The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail 

The Dry Grass of August

	Housekeeping
	The Story Sisters
	The Chaperone
	The Flinch
	Defending Jacob

	Invisible (Ivy Malone Mysteries, #1)
	Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)
	Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
	Mudbound
	The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
	The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes
	Fragile

	Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life

The Snow Angel

Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify

What is on your bookshelf?  Have you been reading any good books lately?

Where does time go??

Everywhere I go, I am hearing people say "Where has the summer gone?"  or "Where does time go?!" I have found myself saying both a few times myself recently.  I feel like time is moving so rapidly -- almost like the pages of a book flipping in the wind...

It can make me feel anxious and regretful, but I want to be the kind of person who doesn't have a lot of regrets but who makes the most of her time. I am learning, slowly but surely, that the way to make the most of my time is to spend more time with God. I know, it seems like DUH, but honestly, I struggle with that.  There is so much noise in my life right now, and I have to constantly fight to eliminate what is unnecessary.

We need to find God, 

and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. 

God is the friend of silence. 

See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; 

see the stars, the moon and the sun, 

how they move in silence. 

We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

We went to the mountaintop!

After we left the Creation concert, we drove to the highest point in Mount Rainer National Park.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.

 

 

All I could do was stand speechless and take in the beauty.  Being on a mountaintop kind of puts everything in perspective, even if only briefly,.of God's plan and purpose. Powerful stuff.

Creation Concert 2012

We have always wanted to attend one of the Creation concerts, but it just never seemed to work out in previous years.  This year when my youngest son came home from college for the summer, he asked if I would want to go to Creation 2012 in Enumclaw, Washington with him.  He hardly ever asks me for anything, and to have the opportunity to go spend time with some of my children was to good to pass up on.  So off we went! 470 miles! One of his older brothers and sister decided to come, too! I was blessed beyond measure!

This was our first glimpse of Mount Rainer! It took my breath away.

 Camping was free!  There were hundreds and hundreds of campers.

 The mist was eerily beautiful

 I was so excited.

 Nick Vujicic was so inspirational! Very powerful!

 Tenth Avenue North! They were awesome!

 Switchfoot! Loved, loved them!

 We didn't even notice the rain!  My kids talked me into going up close, and once we got into the crowd, it was even warm! We all loved the concert and all of the performers we saw.  We only stayed one day, but it was so worth it. Will post more pictures of the rest of our trip later.!