Speaking of Colorado...

As many of you know (or maybe have wondered) part of our trip to Colorado was exploring the area with the eyes of a tourist, and part of the trip was looking with the eyes of "Is this a place we could live?"

I'd love to give you friends all a little background so you can understand our situation. Ralph works for a company that contracts out to the government. He works for D.C., mostly, and has been able to telecommute or be a nomadic employee for the last...um, maybe two years.

This has been a HUGE blessing. When we moved to Bend, Ralph gave up all his exciting work over there on the East Coast and took a good (but not nearly as challenging and exciting) job here in Bend. **Let me say right here that this was a HUGE sacrifice on his part. Ralph really enjoys his work right now. He loved his work back East, and wanted to continue on there, but it was really, really far from our families and I wanted to be closer to my family- so he gave it all up and took the lesser job for ME. What a dream husband!** About a year later he was able to get back on with his old company in Virginia, working at a desk right here in our house. What a dream for him, and me. We seemingly have the best of both worlds.

While his job is going well and his employers are increasingly impressed with him, (it's a good thing Ralph doesn't read my blog) his position is getting more and more frustrating because of his inability to do certain things well away from the office, and move forward in his career. He has turned down promotions in the last six months, jobs that require his physical presence. It's nearly impossible to manage a team from across the country. Ralph wants more and more to be office-accesible. The other issue we have is that there isn't a single job available to him in Central Oregon. While we aren't going to borrow trouble from tomorrow, there is a certain wisdom in setting ourselves up to succeed...in this case, having job possibilities.

So, all that to say, we have been looking at our options a bit. If we needed to move, or chose to go so that Ralph could be in a better work environment...where would we go? Our options for his work: Seattle, San Diego, Colorado, Virginia.

So that brings us to our Colorado trip. Yes, we were there to check things out. I am a little familiar with Seattle, Ralph is a little familiar with San Diego, we lived in Virginia- but we knew nothing about Colorado. So off we went.

Some of you have wondered aloud what we learned, whether we've made any decisions.

No. No decisions. We did like Colorado Springs, but we aren't at this point ready to make any decisions. We don't know for sure what we need to do, where or whether God is leading us in this area...I don't really think God cares where we live, it's how we live.

So we wait. The waiting, that's the hard part. The wait... always waiting, waiting to grow up, waiting to get married, waiting to have babies, waiting to sleep through the night, waiting...the Great Wait to be with my Savior forever. Waiting for job answers, waiting for home answers. I know you have these waits too.

But I hear God prompting me to trust Him.
And I told Him I don't know what that looks like, trusting Him in what is going to happen. That it's all going to be alright.
God asked me then, to trust Him in the process. Trust Him in the wait.


So I'm called to rest in Him. Abide in Him. Wait in Him.


That's been hard.


Yesterday, I was praying through my afternoon, God reminded me of that sweet promise: Jeremiah 29:11...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Typically, I look at this verse and find hope that God has good plans for me, not to harm me. The hope and the future.

Yesterday I saw the other part. "...the plans I have for you."
He has plans for me.
He knows my days.
He's known all my days since before I was born.

So this, my friends is why I don't have to worry about the future. I will write His word on my heart, on my doorposts, speak them aloud all day long because if I don't, I forget.

Please remind me. And I know my friends, that I don't wait alone. I will pray for you as you wait for whatever that is for you.

Colorado Part 3

In Colorado Springs we visited the Cave of the Winds. It was amazing and beautiful and of course the boys loved it. We also hiked through the garden of the Gods which is a sight worthy of your time and tourism.

We had a fun afternoon in with a picnic in the park, lots of good family time to play hide and seek and just play.

In Denver we went to the local aqauarium, where the boys were given ticket for a little 3D movie and we got to eat dinner right with the fish. This was an amazing aquarium, we enjoyed every little bit of it.

Guinea Suit

Nathan has put in a request...that I crochet a swimming suit for his Guinea pig.

I almost want to make one just so I can see how funny it would look. Ha! Maybe a bikini?

**I had to add my far-away-in-Virginia, Debbie friends' comment;

That would be a biguinea, then?

Toes and discouragment

I stub my toes. All the time. My toes get hurt, all the time. I wear shoes often so that this won't happen so much. But it's hot now, I don't want to wear shoes. So I stubbed two toes tonight.

Have you ever stepped on a lego?



Getting ready for school...reading other blogs, read this as to not be discouraged.

Dirty Laundry Day

I would like to share with you the philosophy of my home;

Books are not clutter.

Playdoh, not clutter.
Art is not clutter. Poetry is welcomed. At least one lego and one marble can be found in each room of my house. I sweep daily, mop weekly, no more. Fingerprints clutter my windows, no matter how hard I try and chase them down. Beds are not always made, my sink loves the company of dishes, the bathrooms are almost always clean, and little boy art is scattered throughout my home. Books are everywhere. Ev.ery.where.


We do not live in a model show-home. Some people love this. They are better at tasking, organizing and have heavier convictions in this area than I do. Sometimes I feel a tug in the perfect-home direction. But then I remember, "oh! I homeschool! Life happens in our home for 5 people all day, everyday."

(here comes the dirty laundry part)

But, every once in a blue moon, I have a good old-fashioned-freak-out day. I want my home to be perfect. Untouched. Fingerprint free.

So this is my way of reminding myself that really, I don't want a model home.

I want my home to be a museum. The hands on kind.

I want to say "yes" to almost everything to every little person that comes in wanting to touch, feel, talk, read, climb,(outside) play, listen, without hesitation.

Painting? Yes.
Beads? Yes.
Playmobile? Yes
Bugs? Yes, outside please.

When you think back on your childhood what do you remember?

Really, I want to know. What do you remember about being little? What did you love?

My mom says that as a child, we don't remember facts. We remember emotions. This stands to reason with me. My memories of childhood all are strongly connected to an emotion; cozyness, contentment, wonder, disgust, embarrassment, humiliation.

• I remember waking up one day to a treasure before me. My mom picked up some clip on earrings at a garage sale. I loved them.
• I remember caring for baby dolls.
• I remember laughing at the little boy next door and feeling bad and also aware of the power I had to hurt.
  
• I remember sitting next to my dad on a long drive, feeling on top of the world because I had him all to myself.
• I remember the jealousy that raged when I learned my sister got a trip to Dairy Queen without me. Never mind I got a helicopter ride while she was at Dairy Queen.
• I remember the safety of knowing my mom and dad were a team, were home.
  

I don't remember many details about my home as a child. It was warm, nourishing, loving, mom and dad. It was home.

As a teenager home was a comfortable place for my friends to be. They loved coming over. That, I'm sure had some to do with neatness, but more to do with my dad's loving-teasing ways and my mom's sincere care for my friends.

So that makes me wonder why I fret. Why do I want a perfect home? In fact, a perfect home is no place for living-breathing-laughing people. That's why they're models.
So this is what I want. I want the cozyest, always something to do house. I want everyone to feel comfortable here. I want to enjoy my little and big people without working around them to keep clean.

But it's one of my monsters; a fight to keep what I want...cozy, happy, peaceful home- without the overwhelming need to be cleaning all day and night to achieve something that will never happen. Perfection.

A few months ago I was embarassed to realize that I'm really bad at that. I had a friend here. As we chatted I did the dishes, then started sweeping. Not because the house was a mess, but because I couldn't stand the few crumbs on the floor. Now I'm not saying you should never do work when a friend is around, but I need to stop sometimes. Sit my butt on the couch. Let the dishes sit. Engage. Do a puzzle with my boys. Play.

I think it will be a life long battle for me. I know there will be a day when the house is all too quiet, my boys are off living out their lives and I have hardly a thing to do around here. But that can wait. And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there is always something to do, and so I need to learn the art of living life and enjoying it in the midst of mess or tidyness.

So I ask you again, what do you remember about being a kid at home? What was important?

Proverbs 14:1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.

The answer to the dilemma...

In case you're wondering what I did about that little pool pickle I was in...what did I do? You'd better believe I just turned my head and let those boys jump. As a few of you carefully noted, this is a pool, you will get wet.

The girls did move, but one of them then was lying on the lounge chair in a most unlovely position. I am sad about what girls think is important, (I was no different) It is our job to educate and implore them to a higher "calling"....modesty. It is my job to educate my boys (or put bags over their heads).

Colorado Part 2

A day downtown at a local historical museum, then a tour at the Cave of the Winds. Two more good days.

Colorado Trip Photos

Because a woman can only do so much laundry and housework after camping, I'm sitting down to share some of the photos of our adventures with you.

Also, I just learned that some very, very special friends of ours are having twins. They have two little boys right now, now they get a boy and a girl!! Would that be fun!? Congrats, Mike and Lana...



Our trip to Colorado was very scenic. I think it was about a 22-24 hour drive. Otherwise known as L-O-N-G. AND, as I mentioned, there was not much to see on our drive, but land. I did take some photos to share of the scenery.

(These photos are a little mixed up, I didn't take the time to get them all straight...)

Our first night was spent at the Burns RV Park.

We left Juneau home and brought Guinea to protect the campsite instead.

Our first day in Colorado City we visited the Zoo.




/>Sleepy Monkeys

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And we brought Guinea too, Juneau stayed at home with some kind friends.