We got one of those phone calls yesterday evening that makes it hard to be so far from our family. Our son called to say he was heading to the hospital with his wife. She had been vomiting quite severely and they just knew something wasn't right. Turns out she has a not-very-serious (but serious enough to be admitted to the hospital) infection in her blood (sepsis). She's been getting antibiotics and is doing much better. She has an Army praying for her. (I'd appreciate prayers from my Internet friends, too!)
Our son is a music junkie. He says he turned on his iTunes this afternoon to random and this is the first song that played:
(It is basically the 23rd Psalm.)
His comment on his Facebook page was "Random song, huh God?"
God is so awesome in His tender care of His people.
This verse came to mind:
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
Isaiah 43:2
Hopefully our daughter-in-law will be able to go home tomorrow morning.
1. Have you ever been on a real sleigh ride? How about the warm weather version - a carriage ride?
No! and No! And I really, really, REALLY want to do BOTH of those!! I have a BIG birthday coming up next month and I have entertained the thought of a carriage ride around Central Park. But, you know, it's January and I think it's likely to be COLD in New York. And, oh how I have dreamed about a sleigh ride in the snow in the mountains. But, we live a looong ways from the mountains and from New York.
2. What's your policy on 'chain mail'...you know, the emails you receive that are often some sort of poem/blessing/good wish that ask you to send it on to 10 or 12 friends? Do you delete without opening, read and trash, read and trash and then worry you won't be blessed/lucky/protected? Do you delete the sender from your contacts or just go ahead and send the love onward?
Most of the time I just delete those types of emails without reading them. Sometimes I glance at them. They are always stupid. Does someone really believe they would be blessed/lucky/protected?
3. Who is your favorite character in any of the Christmas movies and why?
Mary Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. I just love how she consistently has her heart set on George. LOVE this scene:
4. Share a favorite quote.
Several years ago, my father-in-law photographed a very old headstone in New England that said "She Done All She Could." I want that as my epitaph.
5. What's your favorite holiday scent?
My mom's Swedish Rye Bread. Mmmm. I think I need to make some.
6. Does the Christmas season stress you out? In what way?
Sometimes. This year I'm feeling a little stressed because I just cannot get my self in the mood to drag out the Christmas decorations. I guess I have a couple more weeks before the kids get here...
7. What's the best thing about your life right now?
The BEST thing is the fact that Jesus Christ is my Savior. The next best is being able to live with my Best Friend, my hubby. I'd truly be lost without either of those.
8. Insert your own random thought here.
My grandma used to use Dippity-Do on my hair when I was little. She would put my hair in pigtails and then use Dippity-Do to plaster the little hairs down. I remember sitting in church with her and picking at the stiff hairs. Oh, the memories.
Time for some more photos of our new house. Here's a shot from the Dining Room into the Kitchen. Notice the wonderful Cabinet (under the calendar) that adds a little more class than the mixer box did...
The sign above the window over the sink says: Rejoice in His Salvation. Love it. Through the french doors is the Four Season Porch. We hang out there a lot. I love all the light/sunshine. (Well when there is sun the in winter in the Upper Midwest.)
A view from the Four Season Porch. The doorway on the left leads to the Laundry/Mudroom.
We really like having this space for laundry and for coming in from the garage and taking off our shoes and hanging up the coats. Oh, and can I say I LOVE our new washer and dryer? After going the last 6 weeks in our old house without a working washing machine, to have these is such a blessing
I want to post a few shots from where Hubby and I went for the Thanksgiving weekend. We loved the warmer weather and how it didn't really seem like winter. (Right now it's 15 degrees and we're waiting for a snowstorm.)
Here's the view from our bedroom.
We rented a unit in this house-looking building.
We had a very enjoyable, relaxing weekend. We loved the weather. No coats needed.
I know, I know, I've been saying I'm going to post pictures of our new house. I think trying to post all of them at once seemed a little overwhelming. So I think I will post a room (or two) at a time. How does that sound?
Let's start with move in day last June...
Here's the front porch after Hubby painted the front door and the porch.
Picture it all covered in snow. Ugh.
Yeah, like that.
Here's a view from the front door:
Another shot of the Entry Way area:
I just love the columns looking into the Kitchen and Dining Room. And the word "Welcome" over the archway is a nice touch put there by the previous owners.
The Living Room:
Please note that there are actual window treatments, otherwise known as curtains, on the windows! (We lived in our previous home for nine years and I only had window treatments in two rooms.)
A view from the Living Room towards the Entryway. The front door is on the right.
The sofa table right inside the front door.
Closer views of the bookcases in the Living Room. (We bought the bookcases in Malaysia.)
1. God's mercy and grace. I don't even want to think about where I'd be or what my life would be like with out Him.
2. My Hubby. He's my best friend in the world. He works hard at his job and is a great provider. He loves me. (and that's an amazing thing)
3. My Son. He has such a great sense of humor. He loves God and his wife. It is such a privilege to watch him grow as a man of God.
4. My Daughter-in-Law. She loves God. She's a great medical student and will make a great doctor someday. She is the sweetest person I know. I adore her.
5. My Daughter. She desires to honor God with her life. She loves her husband and made a GORGEOUS bride. She's a great student of Pharmacy. I marvel at her smarts in the realm of science. She's a great cook.
6. My Son-in-Law. He has a desire to serve God. He's a man of integrity. He's a wonderful cook. I love how God answered my prayers for a husband for my daughter.
7. The ability to get away over this Thanksgiving weekend. (Both kids made their own plans -- time with other family and time with each other.) We escaped a bit farther south and to relatively warmer weather. Today it's 15 degrees warmer where we are. Yesterday it was closer to 50 degrees!
8. A charming Thanksgiving meal. Just the two of us. (Thankful for pre-made mashed potatoes and stuffing! I made the cranberry sauce at home. Hubby loves it.)
9. Wonderful pizza with wonderful friends tomorrow night.
10.There should be an even 10 things I'm thankful for, but I think the pumpkin pie and/or a nap is calling me....
I haven't done that yet, if you haven't noticed....
My hubby had meetings in The Big City again last week and I tagged along. I will get them posted. Soon.
We stayed over the weekend to see a musical at a terrific dinner theater. We have enjoyed going to this dinner theater since we were on our honeymoon.
When we had been married all of three days, we saw a performance of I Do, I Do. I remember very well a couple seated next to us who introduced themselves to us and looked at me to introduce ourselves. I stuttered and told hubby to do it. I stuttered over the words, "This is my husband," since I had never said that before!
I noticed a few months ago that the show was back at the theater and happened to coincide with the week hubby had meetings to go to, so we made plans to attend. (That was a really long sentence...)
So, Saturday night we enjoyed a nice dinner and then were seated in the theater. The play covers 50 years of marriage of Michael and Agnes. The first scene is the wedding and they sing a song titled, "I Do, I Do."
I cried. I did.
The play really touched us. The newlywed wonder and fun, the child raising years, the struggles of the relationship, the What Do We Do Now The Kids Are Grown, the companionship of old age. And we marveled at the timing. Seeing it first as a brand-spanking new husband and wife, and then shortly after both our children have married and started lives of their own. What a lifetime was lived in between.
I told my hubby I'd give anything to crawl into the head of that 23 year old me and see what I was thinking and feeling all those years ago.
It impacted us more than we thought.
I found this little video on YouTube of one of the songs that had tears streaming my face by the end of it.
