mama's party

I hosted a very sweet party on Sunday evening for my dear mama and her friends.  They had a most delightful time and it made me wonder why I don't do that for her more often.  Maybe I will start to.

the BIG party!

I decided to go big for my fiftieth - to invite lots of friends and have worship in the back yard.  And God was so kind to give us a nice day!  There were lots of nerves, invitations, shopping trips and checking of the weather forecast leading up to the big event.  And I don't know if I'd do this again - at least not for myself - the nervous tension was a little bit monumental in my head.  Like too many thoughts were contained in too small of a space and they started poking out uncomfortably.

But the party was fun.  People connected and reconnected and laughed and sang.
And Jesus was there.  I made sure to thank Him.  He's the best.
There was a great band with a banjo player, a harp player, an 8 year old mandolin player an 11 year old saxophone player.  WOW eh?

The house gals had fun getting ready - especially when they discovered the freedom and joy that lipstick can add to pretty much any situation!  Are they not the cutest?

 I didn't even recognize my brother and his wife until I got right up close - they were incredibly groovy!

My son and his lovely wife...

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 A couple of my butterflies came to celebrate with me!

by the time almost everyone went home I realized I was very hungry and so was Barb so we had our own private little celebrate... in peace.  

FIFTY has ARRIVED!

On this day, fifty years ago, my most precious mama labored to bring my little life into this big world.

This evening my mama and I were able to celebrate together, with all sorts of my favorite lady friends and sisters and daughters...

My very precious daughter in law put on the loveliest party for me!!

How God has multiplied His goodness into my life.

farewell forties

The rainiest day of the year thus far has ended.  The heavens opened and poured down refreshment upon the land and I was soaked repeatedly as I got out of the car to go in to school, when I came out of school, when I went into Costco and again when I came out.  The air was sweet with fresh spring smells, the birds were singing and the green colors were vibrant everywhere I looked.  And now this day is done.  As is my fortieth decade.

It is somehow fitting that I lay here recuperating from a violent round of spasms and another migraine headache as I close off this decade and prepare to enter my Jubilee Year.  These are familiar things I would love to leave behind me as I roll into my fifties, however that doesn't appear to be an option and they have been instrumental in forming my character and increasing my perseverance.  Therefore I will be thankful and set my face into the wind trusting God to continue to give me the grace to endure and enjoy what He allows into my days.

There have been many wonderful redeeming beautiful times in these last years as well as the trying times, both physically and emotionally.

It was eight years ago that I underwent that fateful surgery that sent me off into years of unbelievable battle with severe spasticity in my torso.  These spasms continue but thankfully have lessened significantly over the years and I have incorporated them into my exercise regime and pray that the elevated pressure resulting will not cause any permanent damage!

It was seven years ago that I parted ways with my husband of 22 years and I am grateful that we have done so without animosity and we remain friends.

My children have been a blessing beyond measure and I have been able to watch each of them mature into incredible adults with hearts of righteousness.  I look forward to years of friendship as our relationship matures  and I will continue to pray unceasingly for their "love to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so they may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Christ Jesus.."

My dear son has chosen a wonderful wife and our little family has expanded.  I am delighted with my new daughter and I love her dearly and feel loved in return.  What more could I ask for?

My house is full of lovely young ladies and I am able to enjoy community with them.  The doggies provide all of us with great joy and amusement.

My parents are well and I am abundantly rich in family and good friends.
I finish this decade with thanks to God.
He is my rock and my salvation, my strength and my song.

He is my shield and my very great reward!

Another Partay!

 There's a huge party going on outside!! Green is popping out EVERYWHERE and the flowers are outrageously gorgeous. I am so very happy that I took the time to plant the bulbs for these little sweethearts last fall...

Aren't they just the most cheerful greeters outside my front door!

And this week I made SURE to show up for the Tuesday night ladies dinner so I could be celebrated along with another April girl!  A good time was had by all and I entered in with all of my heart!

New friends, old friends.  I am rich and well loved.

And very grateful.

Naked Dog

The other day we shaved Moose bald.
He is incredibly happy about this.
Leaping about like a lamb let out of a stall!
It's still a little cool for nakedness though,
And sometimes he shivers inside.
Spring is taking a very long time to feel warm.

There has been a fun short visit from a sweet friend this week.
We had many good laughs and discovered that we have quite a similar personality profile according to the Enneagram test.

No wonder I like her so much - haha!

And there was also a great evening of listening to the author of "The Shack" share his heart.
I was reminded that God is incredibly fond of me.
Oh I just love that.

Surprises and Such

This month is flying by and I don't know if I want that to happen...
It kind of makes my breath catch cause there are some biggish things coming up.

Like my backyard fiftieth birthday party.

And then the cruise is one month after that.

Just thinking about it is making my heart pitter patter but it's all good.

Really good, not just a saying.

Unless of course it rains on my birthday which will be awkward, but life teaches you to roll with the punches, so I'll just roll through that as well if it happens.

There have been so many gatherings.

Easter was wonderful.

I felt so peopled out that I missed the ladies supper downtown the next night.

And found out they were celebrating all the April birthdays that night and I missed out on about 5 cakes. I felt badly about that. It's the only one I've missed cause I love those evenings.

Such sweet, unique fellowship. And of course the food always draws me in.

Being back with the sweet kids at school is lovely.

I'm realizing the end of the school year comes early for me so I'm under some time constraints there too but I will just do the best I can.

I'm amazed that the Lord gave me such a beautiful job.

I hosted the Book Club this last week and it turned into a birthday party for me too!

It was nice to be with a smaller group, half of who hadn't read the book so the conversation was a little more open as a result.

And April is being it's lovely self,

Bringing on some sunny days which are bringing on the tulips

Buds on trees and grass that is greening up.

Downtown there are bright yellow forsythia bushes exploding with color and life.

Wowsers - they have such great personality! I'm always amazed I still haven't planted one or ten of them in my huge yard.

And I keep tucking God's word into my heart and in my excitement about the power of the Word I'm pulling a few people back into the memorizing frenzy with me!

Right now it's Romans 12:1,2 which is confusing me because I think I learned it in a different version years ago so I keep switching the words around. Just take a look at these powerful words...

Romans 12

Dedicated Service

¹ Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. ² And do not be conformed to this^[c]world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Oil Change

These girls can do just about anything.

We thought we had lost Moose for about an hour and then we discovered his hiding spot.

Considering he is the only man about the house you'd think he could put in a little more effort to help the ladies?!