A Letter to My Girl: Lessons from the Playground

February 9, 2012 by · 1 Comment

February 9, 2012

To my Mae…

Today I watched you play at the new playground at the mall by our house. Oh, we were exc ited to check

it out! They closed it for a few weeks to make it better, and today was finally the day that we could go with some friends! You had so much fun!

What you aren’t fully aware of yet…is how much I observe you while you bop around, exploring anything and everything that piques your interest even a little. Today, while I observed you, I noticed something.

That I could learn a lot from my 5-days-shy-of-being-20-months-old daughter.

You reminded me of JOY. Daily I choose to see the joy in a day, but watching you play brought out more in my heart than I could have imagined was possible. You were completely LOVING every moment (well…most of them, there were a few tears) as you explored and interacted…and smiled. You’re just a smiley kiddo…and everything these days brings out that beautiful smile. Sometimes I forget that JOY can be found in simple things, but you have already learned that.

You keep trying. You know what? It’s easy for your mommy to give up on things sometimes. Today I watched you climb the “wrong” side of the new tree slide, not knowing that it was the wrong side. You’d try and fall…over and over. Instead of getting frustrated, you’d find something else to do and still smile. And when you discovered that there were steps on the OTHER side? JOY! You were so happy to climb up them for a chance to try out the slide. Over and over. :) It may seem small, but you reminded me to persevere, even when things seem difficult.

You handled mean kids with grace. They didn’t mean to be mean…but they were. A couple girls who wouldn’t let you go down the slide. You’d come to me and cry…and that’s ok. I cry sometimes, too. Once a few tears were shed, you were ready to go back and try getting past them. Eventually someone told those girls to stop, and the slide was open again. And you just played again…with so much JOY. No hard feelings.

My daughter, you’re going to meet people like that in life. And when you do, my prayer is that you will exhibit a spirit of forgiveness and willingness to move forward, just like you did today. Your mommy is still working on that one!

I had a wonderful day with you. And though there were definitely tears when we left to go home for a nap, it’s the simple moments like these that I treasure the most. The chance to be out with you, just living life with the daughter I’d always dreamed of having.

You are a dream come true.

And I love you to the moon and back…plus infinity.

Love,
Mommy

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, friends, just life, Maelie

Random in a Wednesday

February 8, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

aka: Possibly more than you need to know?

That’s ok. It will make me feel better to spout out random parts of my Wednesday.

Wednesdays are just kind of that day. On Mondays, Maelie and I usually have something to do. Tuesdays we make it a point to get out of the house to do something.  Wednesdays are hit and miss…today was a miss. But, really, it’s ok. We need to spend some days at home not running everywhere. :)

So tonight I was really missing my Mac…you know, my lovely two year-old laptop that bit the dust last summer? Yeah, that one. Tobin was able to borrow one for me from work for awhile, but it had to go back. Now if I want to blog I have to actually sit up at the computer and write instead of lounge on the couch. I know, I know.

I’m lazy.

And I AM thankful for our computer…it was a big blessing. So no more complaining. That, and Tobin scored the part he thinks he needs to fix my Mac for free (!) so it’s very possible that my computer could come back to life. That would be very nice. :) It would also be nice to not have to blog from my Kindle when we’re in Spain.

Yeah, do you think I could actually go nine days without the blog?

I believe we all know the answer to that one. 😀

So I was browsing some of the archives on my blog and noticed the formatting is all screwy. Please, please, please…don’t go looking for it. In a nutshell, wordpress is giving me fits. I’m not sure how to change it.

That will be our project for this weekend, maybe? So if things don’t look quite right on a post, It’s probably wordpress and not me. Just wanted to clear that up. 😉

So I’ve gotten a little lazy since September/October. (I know, I know! First I don’t want to sit UP at the computer, and now this?! Kidding.) Anyway, that would be the last time I wore flip flops? Yeah. I decided to give my toenails a break and not paint them through the winter…which is HUGE for me, folks.

It drives me craaaazy when they’re not painted, but at least in the winter I hardly have to look at them. However, all of that changed on Monday night when I went to my workout. We did some yoga.

Barefoot.

Gee, thanks.

And to top it off, I couldn’t find any nail polish in the house when I got home that night. I really only have maybe one bottle anyway, so it was time to splurge. And being the bargain shopper that I totally am, I scored some sparkly blue polish for about $1.50. I’ll take it.

I vowed that I would paint my toenails today. I haven’t yet, but I plan on it. Not like it really matters…it’s just the principle.

Anyway.

This could potentially win an award for the longest, most dramatically random collage of musings I’ ve e

ver come up with.

Goodness, maybe I should just hit the hay.

After all, I did pay for that coffee I had last night.

Wide awake ’til 1 a.m.

Yeah, I’m cool.

And so are you…for reading. Love you bunches.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random

Late Night Coffee

February 7, 2012 by · 2 Comments

It’s been far too long since I’ve sat down with a cup of actual coffee while I write.

Tonight, at a quarter to ten, I’m gonna pour myself some and spill my heart…for at least as long as it takes me to drink it. 😉

I’ll let you know tomorrow how late it kept me up…though I’m tired enough that I’m not sure it will make too much of a difference.

Really random…but you know what I looooove? When coffee is at that just-perfect temperature and it kinda burns your throat as it goes down. Yeah, that’s awesome. 😀 (And I think I just solidified in all of your minds that I am a total dork. But, really, that’s ok. If you haven’t at least thought that by now, then you probably don’t know me well enough yet. But you’ll think it soon enough.) 😉

So I know I talk about Mae a lot on this blog…she is the majority of my life, after all. 😉 But it’s been amazing to watch her the last few weeks. Words are turning to sentences, she understands and follows directions, she’s able to tell me when she needs or wants something. It’s all kinds of crazy…and all kinds of happy. I just love her and the little person she is.

Sunday was an especially sweet day of Maelie memories. When I was singing on praise team that morning, I looked out and saw her pointing at me, saying, Mommy! Mommy! Oh, how part of me wanted to run to her and grab her and bring her back up on stage with me! After church, when I finally got to see her, I was walking around with her, and she was passing out hugs to everyone. It was the cutest thing. Then, that night, we went to watch the Super Bowl with some friends, and she was just so full of love and cutie patooty-ness. Really, that’s her every day, but I can brag on her, right?! I just love my girl!

So, barring an actual training program, I started training for my ten mile in May. That translates to hopping on the treadmill and running until I can’t anymore, or in the case of today, running until I’m out of time and have to do something else. I managed to pull a little over four miles, and I was happy with that. Now I need to work on my pace, which can’t be done with our treadmill.

I have finally separated a good treadmill from a not-so-good one…besides price. The good ones actually go faster than 10:00 pace. So I will have to wait til it warms up a little and I can run outside. But it does feel good to keep my running up through the winter. Not sure I’ve ever done that before.

And possibly the best news is that my runner’s knee doesn’t seem to be flaring up as much. I’m trying to keep my distance running to every other day and mix cardio and strength on the other days. That and ibuprofin seem to be helping a lot. Praise God.

By the way, who’s running with me? I’ve got a couple friends…I need a few more. And those of you who don’t run with me

? Should come be my cheerleaders ’cause I’m gonna need ’em!

Ok, I’ve devoted far too much of this to working out…on to new topics.

I’ve been in crazy, I-miss-Indo mode. The other day a friend who is still there told a story on facebook of driving her motorbike, hitting a bump, and her bags of groceries flew off the bike and landed in the river. And a nice, old, Indonesian grandpa-fisherman helped her get them out.

You all laugh…I smile.

And that story actually makes me MISS it.

Almost like I wish it had happened to me!

And all this missing Indo reminds me of home and all that it is. Just a year ago, we weren’t sure what home would look like for us. God was so good…and we got to stay.

We love it here. We are blessed times a million. But when I think of home, I remember that my heart will always have two earthly homes.

There is no way that Indonesia will ever leave my heart. I can rejoice all I want that my house is cockroach-free (HALLELUJAH!!!!) and that I don’t have little lizards popping out of my toaster.

That traffic is, for the most part, orderly, and I can usually get to my destination without stopping to wait for longer than a minute or two. That my grocery store has every possible food I could ever want…and the idea of getting by without brown sugar or Lucky Charms? Is no more.

And yet, the lessons I took away from Indonesia are still there. They have changed me…and are now part of who I am.

And so I guess the word home is relative…no matter if I own my house or not.

The good news? We own our house, and we’re really happy here. :)

Just a random tangent. :)

I’m thankful.

It hasn’t been an easy few weeks. Like I said, I’m learning to appreciate winter and the hidden growth that it brings. But at the same time, my heart is heavy and my eyes are puffy and red.

I’m learning that thing I mentioned yesterday. Trust.

I know He is GOOD. And I know that I can trust Him.

And when my heart aches, I can give it to Him, knowing He will hold it and heal it.

That amazes me sometimes.

No, it amazes me all the time.

Well, my coffee cup is empty, and I really should crash for the night.

Thanks for stopping by. You bless me. :)

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, blessings, church, coffee, friends, Indonesia, just life, Maelie, where I am

Trust

February 6, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

It’s three in the morning, and I’m still tossing.

Thankful that the couch is comfy, but clearly not enough for actual sleep. (Hubby is sick. We don’t sleep in the same bed when one of us is sick. Just sayin’. ;))

The sound of his occasional cough is the only sound that breaks the silence of the night.

And my mind wanders.

I cry for a friend who is hurting. I worry about my own struggles.

I wonder what the future might hold…and that thought scares me.

I ache for people I love and miss on the other side of the globe.

And I think about these things over and over and over while I continually turn from one side to the other, flipping my pillow every few minutes because the cold side is always the best side.

This goes on for hours, I’m sure.

At one point I fumble for my cell phone and see 3:47 flash at me.

Really?

I talk to Him about the same things I’ve been sharing for the past few hours…staring into the darkness, hoping that maybe this prayer will be the one that finally gives me some sleep.

And it is in the darkness that I hear Him say,

Trust. Trust Me, for I have already been there.

In that dark, silent room…where I’m sure the clock would read somewhere in the 4’s… I finally begin to understand.

It is in the darkness that I must learn to

Trust.

Sig

Filed Under: what I'm learning, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 21)

February 5, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

:) My daughter’s newest phrase…belly “butt”. Golly, we laugh hard. Every. Single. Time.

:) Music. Praising God with people I love.

:) Random lunch dates that leave me encouraged.

:) Awkwardly wonderful conversations that I’m sure will make me smile for days.

:) Seasons. I am learning to appreciate winter…in more than one way.

:) Super Bowl fun…the friends were the best part.

And the food. Then the football. Not so much the halftime show…

:) A reason to look forward to Mondays. Got a few of them, actually.

:) My Father, Who is enough for every thirst and every need.

:) His precious promises.

:) Not being able to give up the blog-every-day thing yet…because I needed to count my blessings first.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, football, friends, just life, Maelie, where I am

Remembering…

February 4, 2012 by · 2 Comments

I had fun

looking through some random pictures this afternoon while waiting for Maelie to take a nap.

Twenty minutes later: she is still fighting. Forty later…ahhh, quiet. 😉

Anyway…we just booked our hotels for our trip (finally!) and it got me thinking back to some of the crazy trips we’ve taken. So, of course, I had to look at pics!

Here are a few I thought you might enjoy. Yeah, we were younger…we definitely look it!

It’s fun to remember.

This is us at Clifton Beach in Cape Town, South Africa…and it just screams happy. It’ s one of my favorite picture

s of us ever. (I won’t tell you how many tries it took for us to get one that was Christmas card worthy.) :)

We unashamedly went to Bali six times while we lived in Indonesia. Yes, we did. (And you would have, too. Promise. ;)) This was from the trip we took at the end of our first year there. Good memories. :)

Here’s adorable us at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. It was cool…and I was sick. Like, horrendously, running-a-fever-on-Christmas-day-but-still-traipsing-throughout-90 degree-Bangkok sick. In fact, after this, I think we got Subway and went back to the hotel so I could sleep. Alas, it was a fun memory, and I had dreamed of seeing the Grand Palace for years. So cool that it happened.

I know it’s dorky, but I think this is one of the coolest pictures ever. When we were in Kuala Lumpur for our visa run several years ago, we had to see the Petronas Towers. And though we don’t look as cool at night, the towers? Most definitely do. That was fun.

I don’t have a photo of just the two of us, but there’s no way I could leave this trip out. In ’08 we took a long weekend beach trip with some of our closest friends. We crammed eight people into an eight passenger car (plus luggage!), drove six hours one way, sang every song imaginable…and we had the most amazing time. This pic tugs on my heart a little…I doubt we’ll all be together again this side of heaven. But what a memory. (And I had to laugh when I saw this, ’cause I realized that the trip was just a few weeks after I’d broken my foot…and begged our P.A. to let me go to the beach without crutches.

Thus, the taped up foot. Haha. :D)

Oh, the beach, how I love thee…even if I am not wearing makeup and got “slightly” sunburned. 😉

Such fun memories.

Here’s to many, many more…whether we’re travelin’ the globe or around the corner. :)

Thanks for letting me share.

😉

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, friends, Indonesia, remembering, Tobin, travel

I Am…

February 3, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

…a procrastinator. I put off everything until the last possible second.

For a writer, this is particularly not-so-good, especially if there is no set deadline. Hence, my Patch article is still. not. done. Guess who’s staying up late tonight?! Sometimes I frustrate myself.

…a wannabe rockstar. Well, maybe not, but dude, this video is awesome. Watch it now. Don’t you just want to keep your guitar in your car so you can sing how many orders of fries you want next time you go through the drive-thru

? I do. Totally.

…having a sugary week. I’ve been really good…and I’ve only caved once or twice. But I. Want. Sugar. I have no idea why it’s hitting this week. On Sunday (my day off) I am totally baking my favorite cake. And eating it all. Mmmmmm.

…enchanted by my daughter. In the last few days, she’s started something new. Repeating everything. And remembering what she says, which surprises me even more. Today in Target I told her we were going to find honey, and you’ll never guess what word she repeated throughout the store. She was looking at total strangers and saying, “Honey! Honey!” It was so adorable. :)

…glad it’s Friday. Though my days all kind of run together, at least weekends bring fun things like friends and church and praise team. Tomorrow night I am excited to go to the kick-off for my friend, Judah’s, new mission organization he’s starting. Two hours of praise and worship and hearing some of his ideas…I’m really excited. :) And, of course, the Super Bowl…yay for friends and food! And football, I suppose. 😉

…completely loving the show, Shark Tank. We rarely watch TV at night, but this show is good stuff. I love seeing the creativity and passion of people who want to see their products be the next big thing. If you haven’t seen it, you should. 😉 Friday nights at 7:00 on abc. My only other TV love is American Idol…which we may or may not watch this season.

…going to the grocery store. If I have to go, later on Friday night is the time to do it. So I won’t gripe and complain; I’ll just tell you that my list is short, and I may let myself have a little chocolate when I get home. :)

…wishing you all a fantastic weekend!

Sig

Filed Under: just life, Maelie, random

Stretched

February 2, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Today I pulled 3.5 miles on my treadmill, which is pretty great considering the ridiculous situation with my knee. (It hates me.)

But before I run, I always take a few minutes to stretch. If I don’t, I pay for it by the second mile and can’t go nearly as far. I have to take the time to stretch out my legs…otherwise I hurt. I mean, I hurt anyway, but I have far more endurance when I take a few minutes to stretch those muscles.

I think God is doing the same thing to me.

He’s got me in this season of life that I’d rather not experience.

You see, I like spring and summer. I like it when things are turning green and flowers are appearing and the sun is shining. I like taking walks and drinking coffee on the porch and playing at the park.

I like those happy times.

Yet I’m not so much a fan of winter…when things are dead and buried…often being repurposed, but still.

Ugh.

The gray, the wet, the slush that too often follows a beautiful snowfall. De. Press. Ing.

I’ve been hanging out in winter.

For some reason there are things God is asking of me right now…ways that He is stretching me.

He’s stretching my Trust in Him.

He’s stretching my Obedience to Him.

He’s stretching my Faith in Him.

And if we’re being honest here, it hurts.

There are days when I feel like my faith is crumbling to the ground, moments when I don’t feel like trusting, even those times when I don’t want to obey.

Times when I feel like I’m dying more than I’m living.

But just like those stretches that are so necessary before a good run, I have to believe that He’s taking my heart and turning it into something better.

That He’s taking me and using me for something greater than I could have imagined.

That He’s making me a little more like Jesus.

If I’m willing to endure the stretching.

And I am.

Sig

Filed Under: encouragement, what I'm learning, where I am

Reading List

February 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

A few months ago I told you my husband bought me a Kindle.

Since then it’s turned me into a bigger reader than I’ve ever been before. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that all the books I’m reading are miraculously squished into one skinny, handheld device that fits in my purse. (Ok, that was dorky. ;)) Though, if we’re being completely honest, all of these books…in their paper forms…would fit into my purses. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I said it so one of you wouldn’t! 😀

Lately, I’ve been “prepping” for our trip by watching for freebies and cheap buys that pop up occasionally. I mean, I need something to read on the plane, right?

So far, I’ve nabbed…

This one, I’ve wanted to read for awhile. I’ve actually started it and need to get it in my head that it’s ok to read about a dog dying.

Then I’m sure it will be a fantastic read…enough people have told me so. :)

I was excited to score this one for free. Tsh writes for one of my favorite blogs, which also happens to be the one I guest posted on last year. Plus, organization is something I need to incorporate into our lives so we can actually walk through the basement. Purging is high on my list of priorities for the near future. This one will definitely be an airplane read. I’ll probably be dorky and take notes, too. (I really, really hope that last sentence didn’t offend a certain reader…she knows who she is. ;))

This was a recent free find that jumped out at me. I don’t know anything about the author, but I love true stories and history. And in a non-violent sort of way, the WWII era fascinates me.



I also splurged and purchased my most expensive Kindle book to-date a few weeks ago.

(I think it was a whopping $4…something. ;)) I’ve wanted to read this one for awhile. I don’t think it’ll make it to the trip…I know once I (virtually) open it, I’ll read it ’til three in the morning.

Amazon Prime members get a free read every month. This is gonna be my freebie for February, which I can borrow starting tomorrow. I told myself I had to read the book before I see the movie. I’ve heard it’s excellent.

There are a lot more I want to read, but these are just a few. Man, books are awesome…I love to read. :)

What are some of your favorite reads? Anything good I’m missing?

Sig

Filed Under: uncategorized
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