I Play IN water fountains NOW! part 1

Written in August of 2008
I Play IN the water fountains NOW!
Yep, I don’t just watch the children play in fountains!
Now, I jump in and run and laugh and squeal and play tag and dance…. It is Pure JOY!

Psalms 31:11” Then he turned my sorrow into joy!”
The other day (34 days to be exact!) I went to our family doctor for a routine check up.
She gave me an EKG after I casually mentioned I was having little stabbing chest pains.
The EKG came back abnormal.
I was sent to a cardiologist.
The echo cardiogram showed I have a heart disease.
The disease is called Cardiomyopathy it is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should.

What a WAKE UP CALL!
It was like the alarm went off
and
for the first time in 10 years
I didn’t push snooze!
Now I pray each night to be able to jump out of bed
– thankful to face the day and all God has in store for me.


So you may be asking yourself how did I start playing IN water fountains.

Well, for the last few years our family has spent a few days at a local Hotel
just 20 miles down the road. It is a time to build memories
O.k. it is a time to rest, not make up the beds, cook, clean,
or have to get in the car to go anyplace :)
God is good and helps us build memories too!
You know as wife and mom I can’t leave the office at night after a long day
So to get my mind off the daily stuff
I have to get AWAY from the daily stuff. :)
Why do I choose to travel ONLY 20 miles away?
Well, I only hear maybe two “Are we there yet's!” :)
This trip is not for sightseeing or touring.
It is for REST and TIME with my family.
In fact the best vacations for me are the ones when
we NEVER even LEAVE the hotel.
The meals are awesome at this hotel

and I do not have to get in and out and in and out of the car as we travel to restaurants! :)
So as you can see it would be a waist of money
and
MY ENERGY

to fly someplace to just stay IN the hotel? :)

We order room service breakfast and/or we bring breakfast snacks
so we don't even have to get up and dressed until 10:00 a.m.!
Our little girl enjoys swimming in the indoor heated pool
and
my husband and I enjoy sitting in the hot tub and watching her swim.
We play hide and seek in the Lobby.
We each bring our favorite board game
and play games until our eyes will not stay open any longer.
The hotel staff is amazing and they even remember us from year to year
and more importantly our six year old remembers them…


Get ready Get set:

Our little one packs for a week.
As she packs and re-packs she asks me questions like,
“Will that nice man who helps me count my piggy bank money to buy my new baby (stuffed animal) be there?
Mom, will that man who always makes me laugh when he calls me cu tie pie be there? You know the one who teases me and tries to take my stuffed animal away?” He always says he is going to keep them but then he ALWAYS gives them back!
Mom will that man who helps us with the luggage and lets me ride the luggage carrier be there?” Mom can I ride the elevator up and down and up and down and look at the lobby down below me in the see though elevator. It makes my tummy jump up and down! I think to myself – Oh yes and it is a lot less expensive and exhausting than an amusement park – not to mention cooler!” I remind myself to take advantage of all the FREE FUN ideas she comes up with! “Oh mom, do I, do I, do I get to play in the BIG water fountain outside the hotel?” “Mom will you PLEASE get wet with me this year mom, it is soooooooooooo fun! Half listening I reply, “Yep, I bet so, sure that sounds like fun.. ”

I Play IN water fountains NOW! part 2

DID I just say, “Sure, I will play in the water fountain!?!”
Oh my, goodness how do I get myself into these messes of saying yes half listening to her
Like saying yes to jumping on the trampoline in the heat of the day
or getting McD for the third time in one week for her.
This is why my mom said, “we will see- instead of yes
but HEY I always knew she really meant no!”
Sorry about the digression
my thoughts just flow like a kite in the wind sometimes.
Anyway back to the problem at hand.
I think how do I get out of this?
I really do NOT want to play in the water fountain.
Or do I? It is FREE FUN after all.
But WHAT will everyone think?
Everyone being all the strangers that will watch me
Do you have ANY idea how many fun things I miss by worrying about what people
I DO NOT EVEN KNOW will think.
But the Fact is I WILL get WET for goodness sakes!
I might even catch a cold. :) and is that water safe? Where does it come from and is it cleaned? Where are all these negative, practical thoughts coming from?
It is like they are messages from people in my life when I was 6 years old
For goodness sakes WHY do these HAVE to's – CAN'T do's – DON'T have TIME to do
thoughts always flood my mind.
Ok but really now I will drip all over the lobby and elevator…

The promise is made:

Oh my, I tell myself, “Just get a grip and start LIVING LIFE again!”
So Inside my heart and soul, I PROMISE myself and my little girl,
I am going to play in the fountain this time!!!

Get worried:

Stop being behind the camera of life:
And while I am making all these big changes I am going to promise myself I am going to be IN the pictures we take during this vacation. Yes I know I still need to loose 50+++ pounds. I am going to keep blocking those nagging of thoughts out of my mind THIS TIME...
The picture taking plan goes well… I get my husband to set the camera on timer and he jumps in the shots… I am in dozens of photos FOR THE FIRST TIME with my family!!!
I used to think our little girl would grow up and say, “Wow, I sure did a bunch of cool stuff with dad. Mom, where were you?” I just wanted to cry each time I thought of her saying that to me when she was older looking through the photos. I would have to answer Dear I was BEHIND the camera whom do you think TOOK all those fun photos!” Then I STOP and tell myself – that is an EXCUSE and I can ask people to take our picture and I can give myself permission to be IN them.
Talking my husband into joining the plan:
So WE, yes WE, I have to talk my husband into this fountain playing thing with us, for support you know :)
The Plan of least embarrassment:
Here is the plan for how to do this and be the least embarrassed as possible… We will dress up, go out to eat a late dinner in the hotel and when almost NO ONE is around we will slip into fountain. :) I plan this so no one will stair, point their finger at me and laugh, gawk or even roll their eyes at me.
The fallen Plan:
The unbelievable happens, the child who wants to stay up until mid-night every other night falls asleep at 6:00 p.m. So we order room service and the plan dies…and hey anyway we all know the RULE: DO NOT WAKE UP a sleeping child…
The heat is on:
OK, it is day three and I still have not played in the fountain… we are going home in a few hours. Our little girl wakes up and remembers we missed the dress up party last night… HUM – momentum… so we all dress up… It is light outside now – VERY LIGHT and people are OUT and about… I am getting nervous. I almost chicken out when I realize I only have my rainbow colored underwear and my dress... you guessed it... is white! No one will notice I keep muttorting under my breath… My husband, notices the rainbow through my dress and says, “Those rainbow underwear are REALLY going to show through when you are wet!” I think, ”block out the negative comments, you CAN DO THIS”…I think, hum, Let's put a positive spin on all this and Praise God for the rainbows- For the rainbows after the STORMS of life... The Rainbow of Healing, Hope,Peace,Trust,Grace, Faith,Love and Forgiveness. “It is like God is reminding me, after the storm comes the rainbow of HOPE and NEWNESS of LIFE.

I Play IN water fountains NOW! part 3

GOD IN ME DID IT:
As you can see from the pictures… We did it! We played in the fountain! It was FUN, FUN, FUN! You know that saying… “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away”…. Well, when the water flows up from the ground and the burst of cool water soaks me – it DOES TAKE MY BREATH AWAY! It was squealing, laughing, running, dancing, PURE JOY! We play chase! We play guess which fountain will pop up next. I see my little girl with the biggest smile of her life... bigger than any smile I have seen after she is given a tangible gift. Or even the smile she had when she learned to walk – and I fell that smile on my face – this smile is so big my face feels like it is stretched!
People are watching!
Yep people are watching! Some looked socked, others, just smile. Everyone does STOP and gawk. One mom drags her child away when the little girl tires to join us – I pray for them. God please let them play in the fountain someday soon
– before the opportunity slips away like the chance to watch the sunset. But the sun does shine and one sweet lady even volunteered to take these photos. I wish I could give her photo credit…my husband was toooo wet to even set the timer on the camera. She was and angle sent right from heaven and she will always be remembered in my memories of this SPECIAL day – I tell myself to volunteer to take more photo's of people!
We were dripping wet: yep you guessed it… we did drip all over the Lobby and elevator. Even with the soft hotel robes snuggling us we still dripped leaving little puddles of joy behind us.
Feeling like a celebrity:
And you know what? I felt like a celebrity… A Bridge tournament was going on in the hotel… We had to walked right through the reception area to get to the elevator. The people divided and made a path for us…It was like walking the red carpet at a grand primer. Yep, all eyes were on us from the time they saw us until we disappeared… Not a word was said; mouths were open wide in shock, disbelief and excitement.
The eyes of a child:
BUT their eyes.. Their eyes… spoke volumes. It was like the little children behind those very adult eyes were trying desperately to get out… They were screaming, “I want to do that! Can we, can we, can we PLEASE play in the fountain!”
I thank God He helped me say, “Sure! To the kid behind MY eyes!”
It really was like a grand primer – The grand primer of my Life - “The day I learned to Live in the moment!”
Passing the torch:
As we left that day I saw an elderly lady stepping into the fountain!
I am so thankful we let our 6 year old play in the fountain. I am soooooo thankful I let myself play in the fountain and I am thankful the elderly lady FINALLY got to play in the fountain...
I am praying you toooo play in the pure joyful fountains of life. And please pray for my family to discover more pure joyful fountains in life, to play in them and give God Glory for the moments He in me has the courage to PLAY and enjoy this lovely life he gave us to life and reflect is JOY-HOPE-and NEWNESS OF LIFE IN HIM!
Psalms 31:11&12
Then he turned my sorrow into joy! He took away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy. So that I might sing glad praises to the Lord instead of lying in silence in the grave. Oh Lord my God, I will keep on thanking you.”
Photo taken by one of God’s sweet angels who stepped out of nowhere to capture the memory! 8-30-2008

Skipping Rocks with Dad

A Sunday afternoon with the family!

Wish you were here and would go fishing with us!

We are actually skipping dog food - not rocks :)

The fish love the dog food - not so much the rocks -

But a title of Skipping Dog Food with Dad just didn't

sound right! :)

I Don't WANT to die yet!

The other day (8 months 24 days and 8 hours to be exact) I was diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy. What is cardiomyopathy? Cardiomyopathy is a serious disease in which the heart muscle becomes inflamed and doesn't work as well as it should.

The doctor said it means I have a weak heart. (my Tears start) Some people get well, other people do not. I am praying to be in the group that gets well!!! I tell people it JUST means I have a weak heart; I have to pray, obey God, eat right, take the medicine and exercise everyday. I truly believe all things are possible with God. Jesus is in my heart making it STRONGER EVERY DAY! Praise God, family and friends are praying, (the word says, "pray at all times on all occasions"). I am praying And in the end I know I have Faith in God so well either way – God in me wins!

Let me tell you IT SHHOOOOOKKKK me up!!!

So I thought if I get to go to Heaven and Heaven is a better place WHY do I WANT to fight so hard to stay here??? You know there are so many reasons... Honestly I want to see the little hands, feet and smiles in my life grow up, to live and learn with them, to have some fun, laugh, play, run barefoot in the grass, see more sunsets and sunrises, hold that sweet, soft, PRECIOUS grand baby someday, be encouraged and encourage others, pray for my friends, family relatives and those I have yet to even meet, get the feathering of our nest to a place that feels restful/peaceful and yes JOYFUL, to receive grace and share grace, to learn more about my Father God I am going home to, to learn more about my brother Jesus I am going home to, to teach our little feet and hands to play golf, to see the grown up feet and hands win the Master's, to see my adult hand playing the baby grand piano I have dreamed of owning all my life right beside the the little child size hands in our home! I want to play golf on all the AMAZING courses around the world, (Tears stopped)

I am not a good golfer – it is not even about golf.. well it is – I DO LIKE LEARNING ABOUT GOLF – I get easily embarrassed about how BAD I AM but gosh there is something, something so rewarding to seeing that tiny little ball roll into that tiny little cup... From a distance the cup does not even look big enough to hold the ball but the closer I get the more I realize – maybe it will – and then yep I bet it will – then yep IT DOES!!! Once I hit that first putt into the cup and I heard that sound of the ball spinning around the cup and dropping in..... well, I just wanted to hear it again and again!!!Using the driver well that one I usually leave in the bag... “I have learned that when I drive in life I usually end up in the rough” so I play my lowest iron off the tee box. I am still looking for a one iron that has some loft to it...right now I play my four iron... In my mind it is better to hit it in the middle and be short than hit it with the driver and be long but an equally long distance in the rough :) and I NEVER spend but a few seconds looking for my ball in the rough because I dated a course pro once and he went on and on about how much men hate to play behind women because they think we are all slow... I HAVE HONESTLY NEVER PLAYED A SLOW PEACEFUL GAME OF GOLF I always FEEL I AM hurrying around the course... Honestly that sort of defeats the purpose of the game doesn't it... but it is like the game of life for me I seem to hurry around and miss the good stuff. I do the stuff I HAVE to – the stuff I NEED to – and on the rare occasion WHEN I do the stuff I WANT to I feel guilty :( I just have to get past this!!! Oh my how did I get off the track so far... I do this in our house tooo... I start the day cleaning the dishes, washing clothes, coaching (I use the word coaching for teaching/guiding/giving directions to the little feet and hands in our home because as a former elementary school teacher God taught that I can't sit behind a desk and grade papers and TELL children what to do, just like I can't MAKE a child learn BUT I CAN jump up and down with joy and dance around the room with them when the light bulb turns on for them, when they get something they were struggling to learn. God showed me I was in the honored place of JUST being along for the ride... I was in the honored POSITION to encourage and guide and INTRODUCE NEW SUBJECT MATTER TO THE the little feet and hands GOD GAVE Me to coach. Yep and model Christ's love to the best of of my ability. whoops I am off track again... I also want to SEE these golf courses! See the beauty of God's world. I want to dance! (Tears started again)

Now I am sleepy!!! It's 4:30 A.M. I woke up in the middle of the night and just had to start writing and get this stuff out of my head... I WANT to get Re-married in Kauai with all my friends and family and be in that beautiful WEDDING dress... At a NICE SIZE – God please help me not give up on this dream and the dream/reality to get in shape and be healthy and have energy!!!! Thank you God for all you have already done for me. Most of alll thank you thank you thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for my sins so that when I believed in Him as my personal savior I became your child and no one can ever take that away from me!!! Thank you for every minute of everyday of the last eight months you gave me and all the years before that. For helping me daily make new and different food choices, for calming my racing heart, hurting arm, tight neck, teaching me how to breath again, giving me a place to exercise with loving child care and people to coach and encourage me, for getting me out of the bed and out of the house to exercise daily. For letting me take baby steps to learn how to play again! For letting me learn to play the piano and take ballroom dance lessons with my husband! For the wonderful hours of jumping on the trampoline and playing with the little feet and hands in my life. For DAILY guiding and directing me in Faith and Grace to be a loving and God honoring wife, mom and coach! I love you Lord - goodnight. I am so sorry I do not want to die yet - when it is time I pray I am ready and it is God honoring.

Bible verse God gave me on 8-28-08 my birthday!!! Psalms 30:11-12

Garage Door Makeover

First Picture - Finished and stained Garage Door and Wood trim on the side of the window

Second Picture - Almost Finished Garage Door

Third Picture - John cutting wood

Fourth Picture - The back side of the garage door showing the screws that hold the wood on

Fifth Picture - The scrapes of the picket fence pieces

Sixth Picture - BEFORE

Seventh Picture - BEFORE

Instructions

1. If I remember right the panels are 21inches wide, so I set a block on my mitre saw so I didn't have to re-measure, and started cutting. Sure takes an awful lot of those suckers.



2. Then I took the door apart, one section at a time,and started screwing the boards to the panels from the backside of the aluminum doors. (using 7 X 7/16" 1.111 cm Sharp Pan Head screws)



3. Re-assemble the doors, after all of the panels were covered, and adjust the tracks so that it will fit, as the door is a little thicker now.



4. I had to remove the locking hardware, so you can't really lock the door from the outside anymore, but in all the years we've lived here, I had never done that anyway. Not sure where the key is if I wanted to.



5. It definitely takes 2 people to get everything lined up and in place, cause the sections are much heavier after the wood is on. It's cedar, so it isn't really heavy as far as wood goes, but it is much heavier than the plain aluminum doors.



6. You have to cover the cracks where the sections of the door bend. Be sure to attach the board you use to the bottom ONLY. If you attach to both sections, something has to give...



7. Then I adjusted the spring for the weight. Be careful with that. I've heard several bad stories about people getting hurt.



8. We had 2 old cheap garage door openers, and one of them was strong enough to open the door afterwards, the other wasn't. I plan on replacing it, eventually, but so far, I just help it when I need it open. sigh... another project.

The wood is just cedar fenceing - cheap - about a $1.50 a 6ft by 4 inch board.

Thanks for viewing and good luck with your project... God bless your family. :)

Candle Light Easter Egg Hunt

Giving thanks with a thankful heart

Basking in His Beauty

Butterfly Hunt

Butterflies

gifts from God

They flutter and fly

Oh how the time goes by

Butterfly hunting

just you and I

memories

of time spent in His world

so sweet so calm so peaceful

Walking through the tress and tall tall grass

Daddie I am scared of snakes

God is with us trust Him

Butterfly hunting

it cost nothing

but the memories

are priceless

Enjoying the beauty

of God's world

hand in hand with dad

"The butterfly has long been a Christian symbol of resurrection,

for it disappears into a cocoon

appears dead

emerges later

far more beautiful

and powerful than before.

As a symbol of Christ's resurrection

after three days in the grave

the butterfly is seen

especially around Easter.

The butterfly is

a symbol of every Christian's hope

of resurrection from the dead."

1 Corinthians 15:5

"that he was buried, that he was raised

on the third day

according to the Scriptures"

God's View

I am from a very small town of 1,072 people

the town had only one blinking traffic light
We had to drive 30 miles to see a movie or shop for clothes
My husband was raised on his grandfather's Dairy
by the time my husband was a little boy the dairy farm was out of business
his parents began to raised cows, gardens and boys on the 200 acres :)

moving to the fastest growing city in the U.S.A was a sock to us
The city now has a population of over 107,500
and
it is STILL growing

Our small town hearts hurt to see the city backyard views

It was emotionally claustrophobic
We prayed for a view of trees, trees, trees, and if possible a pond
Impossible you say – in the heart of the city

Well not for God

This is God's view

because

ONLY God could give us a view

like this

right smack in the middle of a town of 107,500 people

We Praise God and give Glory to Him alone

He is so kind to let us enjoy His beautiful trees, trees, trees

and

yes a view of a pond!

When we became stewards of this property

I was a teacher and my husband a programmer
and at the price of $160,000 we were able to make the payments
IF
I continued to work

A couple of years latter God blessed us with a child
and my heart was at home
My heart's desire was to be with her all day
but how?
We prayed again
and
we Praise God!

He has graciously allowed me to be home
where my heart is
for the last 7 years
WOW!
How?
We still can't explain it
but

God is Faithful!

This year we found out I have a heart disease
again

God is good
He has shown me how temporary life is
and
to share His Hope and Love daily

May God
give you peace and hope
and
showers of Love

Luke 1:37

"nothing is impossible with God."

A Vase for Dandelions?

When two young bright shinning eyes look up to you

with delight!

When five little fingers

carefully

hold

a Dandelion

out to you.

Do you express

joy and thankfulness

with an expression

like.

"Oh Wow,

God sure makes LOVELY flowers

for us to enjoy!

You picked them for me?

Thank you!

Thank you for sharing

God's love

and

beauty

with me!”

I have to be honest...

I used to say -

"Oh thanks, that's nice."

And in the back of my mind

I thought,

"This is a WEED!

I need to throw it away.

And

Oh I hope she didn't blow the "wishies" all over the yard

so MORE weeds will grow."

This sweet

little child of God

used to follow me out into the yard

ANY time the door was opened.

She always found

a leaf,

twig,

flower,

rock

or some other bit of nature

to give to me.

I used to continued to think,

"Why does she give this STUFF to me

and

with such a big smile

like she is giving me something

of value."

Then one day I noticed...

she did not follow me outside anymore.

It seemed like it happened all of a sudden

but it probably happened a little bit at a time.

Well, I am a slow learner

but I finally prayed one day,

"God why is she not coming out to discover nature and play. "

Playing inside;

coloring

watching life

instead of living it

seems to be her choice now.

It hit me like a ton of bricks...

I had not delighted in her gifts.

The

ONLY

gifts she could give me

- those from God's nature -

flowers,

rocks,

twigs,

leaves

and yes weeds.

I had TAUGHT her that SOME flowers were of value

a rose, for example.

But the rose pricked her finger,

so how could it be considered

good.

The little yellow flower

so close to ground,

so abundant,

so easy to pick

was of

NO

value?

I see now how confusing this must have been.

I put her coloring sheets on the fridge

and

displayed them for all to see.

But God's art work

that she so lovingly gave me

(behind her back)

I tossed out door

int0 the yard

where I thought it belonged.

now

Praise to God alone....

and

thank you God

for

gentle

correction!

in our home

we have a place

of honor,

value

and respect

for

His

beauty

The stones,

leaves,

twigs

and

other bits of nature

she so lovingly picks up

are

displayed

on a stand.

The dandeliones

now have a vase. :)

Psalm 24:1

"The earth is the LORD's,

and

everything

in it"

"The grass withers

and

the flowers fall,

but

the word

of our God

stands

forever."

Isaiah 40:7-9

Faith Flowers

She says, "Hi, Come see my flowers!"

I plan, prep, till, schedule, labor
I put my Faith and Trust in the latest book I have read from "the experts."
I try to teach her to do it the “right way”...

She instinctively,
sprinkles,
skips,
joyously
through the garden of life.
Her Father above blesses her...
Faith in Him.

I am humbled....

She rejoices in thanksgiving to God!!!

My eyes are opened to the truth and repent...

(The message)

Matthew 19:14

“Let the children alone, don't prevent them from coming to me. God's kingdom is made up of people like these.”

Pinwheels - My first blog!

I just finished my first blog!!!

It was soooooooo exciting!!!

Finding the Christian Instrumental music!!!

That was a God thing!

Mark 4:42

Consider Carefully

what you

hear

My sweet husband

spending two hours

coaching me

through the Blog set up.
Now that is

what I call

QUALITY

time!

My two love languages are

spending time with me

(doing the activity I choose :)

and

encouraging me ...

He gave me

LOTS OF LOVE!

Figuring out how to post the photo

was soooo much fun

not to mention

TAKING

the photo!

To me

a blog

without

a photo

is like

Easter Eggs

without

pinwheels.

Hope you liked

the pinwheels.

I wanted to say ice cream without sprinkles

but

I don't have any ice cream and sprinkles to photograph.

I got a SURPRISE for YOU!

Curly Straws? Yep I use them now!

Yesterday as I was pouring my juice two little feet ran up to me and out of this toothless grin came the words...
”I got a SURPRISE for you!”
and the sweet little hands reached into the pantry and pulled out a
PRIZED POSSESSION...


Five Curly Straws!!!
that were obtained by using
PERSONAL FUNDS
(that little bit of hard earned money from commission/pay day)
My first reaction was to THINK “Thanks, but no thanks
I am all grown up now and those are kids things.
Anyway don't germs get stuck in the loop t loops of those things!”


But the grin started to appear on MY face and the grin slowly became an all out laugh,
joy and excitement...
My big hands
reached for the straws
and I heard my voice say,
“Thank you, how thoughtful,
I will use the Pink AND Yellow one TOGETHER!
One for me
and
one for the child in me that didn't get to drink out of them enough...
??? I guess. :)


Anyway I DID IT!
I drank out of those curly straws alllllllll day
and let me tell you
it was FUN!
I kept thinking things like...
“These straws make this glass a bit top heavy,
I hope this grape juice does not spill all over the carpet!” :)
But I went back and back again getting glasses throughout the day
and
YEP EACH time I added the straws!
I took a CHANCE...
I RISKED making a MESS....
and I SURVIED :)


The little feet, hands, and toothless grin was so PROUD of me
and
I will always remember those TWO SMILES
those HUGH SMILES
one I saw
(and one I felt
on my own face)
when I put the straws in MY glass!


Here's Hoping you go out and get some TODAY
and
have a bit of FUN!
Or better yet
ask the little feet, hands and toothless grin in your life
to let you BORROW one of theirs
and WATCH them SMILE
and feel YOUR SMILE.