Hmmmm...

stole this from my friend Ronnie!it says: "Many people lack a spiritual belief system and fill that void with obsessions about celebrities. The celebrities are raised to the rank of gods, and these earthly gods will always fail the expectations the masses have set for them. The cycle runs thusly: adoration turns to obsession, obsession turns to disappointment, and from disappointment it is just a short emotional jump to contempt." -Donna Phillips, freelance writer

just me

I guess I've been feeling contemplative lately. So this blog may be pretty random today but it's just me. I can't believe how much love I feel for the little boy upstairs playing in his room. I hear his little feet running around excited about this car he's been driving around all morning. And as I play some music to get this thought going he hears it, runs to the stairs and starts singing. Oh, be still my heart, I never imagined how I could feel so much bursting love for an individual I just met 16 months ago. Everyone should experience this!

I had my ten year reunion a few weeks back and when I first learned this year that it would actually happen, I can't believe the sort of mid-life crisis I started to hit. I started to question everything I thought I was sure about. I wasn't sure my life had amounted to much. Where was my worth in the eyes of my old classmates? "Oh, I'm just a mom and a wife right now" How could I tell people that? When this world calls that lazy, uneducated, nothing. But I am something, if only they knew. I have the most important job on the earth, raising a content little boy who will have to grow up and teach some of their children what chivalry looks like, how to treat others, how to care deeply for things, how to love, how to lead, etc. Because his friends may not have gotten a mom to stay at home and teach them all those things. Not only that, I play a huge role in my husbands ministry. I play a huge role in the kingdom of God, but society doesn't recognize that as job. And on top of that, I am educated. I have studied, psychology, education and recieved a degree in journalism, that's writing and researching. That's something. And it takes a bigger person to walk away from all that possible self-assurance to be "just a mom" for a season.

What I face now is, I feel like I'm still trying to find myself. I go back and forth to thinking I know who I am and looking at old pictures and realizing I'm still working on it. Maybe because of the way I grew up, I didn't have long committed relationships. I had trust issues. I had some really great friends but when that started to fade because of one reason or another I moved on to the next great friendship. The result was I left high school for college and moved on with friends there. My friendships seemed real proximital (is that even a word?). Don't worry, I have a few relationships that I still nurture, but it gets hard to do that too, again, proximital. Maybe that's why getting married for me was the best thing, I had a legal and spiritual committment to a relationship with fading away not even an option. But, trust me, it's much more than that. But what I'm saying is, that because of this, because I don't have someone in my life that has stuck with me through everything, maybe that's why I feel lost sometimes. Family has been there, but after college I was pretty much on my own and changed in ways they probably couldn't keep up with. Maybe this is why God makes so much sense to me, where as others who can't make any sense of God. But he's seen everything, EVERYTHING!!! And he is so real to me, because I've shown myself to him and he's STILL with me, and God has shown himself to me. In times when I just needed to know of his realness, I've discovered it, or rather, he's shown me. Call me crazy, just do it. But all I really need is to know it for me. What your life is like with God is between you and HIM.


Sorry for the rambling, thanks for being good listeners, err, readers. :)

Some of the best things in life are free

We'd been wanting to get one of those cheap baby pools to put in the back yard for Asher. And I was driving home one day and saw this pool on the the corner with a "Free" sign on it. Turns out the family was moving, it was brand new and they couldn't fit it in with them. Asher was so excited and so was I. I put bubble bath in there with him, to get him cleaned up at the same time!

Asher does his own hair?

Some days Asher is particular about he wants his hair. I try to comb it and he gets angry at me, probably because there are big snarls in the back. Most of the time I can't figure out why he has this mess of hair only in the back. But recently I have caught him taking his hands and messing up his hair. His hair product of choice? Banana.

A King for a week

We like to draw out birthdays, so here are some pics of Josh's Birthday breakfast (the day after his birthday), Gluten-Free Egg McMuffins and sausage and fruit and fresh OJ.

We then took a couple days off and went up to the mountains. A couple hours in we hit the Hot Sulphur Springs, 22 natural spring pools ranging in different temperatures. We drove up to Grand Lake and Granby, it the most beautiful sights, picture a crystal lake surrounded my mountians. On our way to Estes, we drove through the continental divide, we felt like we were on top of the world, that's were we stopped for lunch.. We fed the chipmunks, did some hiking and were back home before anyone could notice we were gone. It was a fun trip. And both my boys were happy fellas!

NEWSFLASH: #1 Hubby turns a year older!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSH!

I love you!

ps. everyone slip on over to http://www.joshlusesblog.blogspot.com/ and wish him a happy bday!!!

Life

Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun.

If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time.

If you bike, pedal HARD...and if you crash then crash well. Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done -- a paper well written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old's nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it all...because soon he'll be wiping his own.

If you've recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you're eating and laughing at the same time, then might was well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beams freshly ground, cookies in the oven.

And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definately-a-Gift.

by Melody Porter from Relevant Magazine, January/February 2006 issue 18.

Wordless Wednesday (well, kind of not)

This video is from a post of someone's blog I like to read, it really got me thinking! She has decided to go private, I don't know if I'm ready for that...what are your thoughts? I need to think before I post!

So Grateful!

I’m thankful!

Thankful for summer vacation, although it’s not much different than my normal days. But the fact that we can get away to go see family because we have a million excuses, weddings, graduations, reunions, etc.

I’m grateful that there are no rules in this blogging world. I can take time off whenever I want and just unplug from the internet and tv altogether and when I come back, no one is holding a grudge that I’ve been gone, just eagerly awaiting to hear what has been going on.

I am grateful for a home. Look at this nice place, while there are people on the otherside of the world living in shacks or even less than that. I don’t deserve what I’ve got, so may I continue to be grateful. (In case you're wondering, I covered over the address for internet sake)

I am grateful for Vitamin Cottage, Whole Foods and Wild Oats. We are completely spoiled living in Boulder County where people are more conscious of allergies, intolerances and health.

I am grateful for gardeners. After visiting my mom’s place and watching Asher eat blackberries and raspberries and strawberries right of the vine, I was so grateful that there are people out there that still grow things. In fact I’m so inspired that I brought home two tomato plants, two bell pepper plants, two banana pepper plants, parsley, mint, rosemary, basil, oregano, garlic and some other herbs back from my mom’s place. I can’t wait to eat my own home-grown food and not have to buy it at the store! (here are some pics from my mom's green house, her new business is called Sue's Country Garden, I'll will be displaying more from her later)

Grandparents. Very very grateful for them. They are the most wonderful things. They love your child, take of them for you (maybe even better than you do at times) and your kids are so happy to be with them. Asher has really been enjoying spending time with his grandparents. Ps. He also adores his time with his uncles Ezra and Drew.

Soooo grateful for a husband that is gorgeous, gentle, respectful, provider, my best friend, selfless, caring, loving, passionate, spontaneous, funny, flexible, hard-working, spiritual, happy, content!!! We went to my ten year high school reunion this last weekend and I wouldn’t have gotten through it without him. I’m sure I looked so much cooler because I was with him. Everyone thought he was adorable and nice and to my surprise, they weren’t incredibly turned off that he was a pastor and I’m a stay at home mom!!! **pics coming soon**

Let me leave you with some pics of my big boy. 15 months old, walking and so independent!

Holy Cow!

Hey there my fellow blog readers, I am so sorry it has been so long, you see, I've been out of town. In fact, I am still out of town, when we get back we will have been gone for two and half weeks. But I am so inspired to blog. I can't wait to tell you everything that is going on. Here is what you can look forward to when I get back to business:

1. Asher is starting to walk!!!! I'm so excited about this, he's on a role.
2. I have some stuff to share with you about a revelation I had about sunsets and heaven, and evolution and much more!!
3. We are moving, this saturday, I can't wait!
4. I can't wait to tell you all about my new side job: tutoring Korean kids, isn't that cool?
5. and a ton of amazing photos!

So don't write me off just yet, I've got a lot more in store, I am sorry I have been gone so long. And friends in Boulder, I miss you bad!!! I can't wait to see your beautiful faces again!

Love,
Julie :)