Go Florida

… it’s your birthday burffday. 

I’m such a small town girl it’s not funny. Driving on those roads makes me crazy, and sick. (motion sickness is my curse I’m afraid.. there’s no avoiding it)  But we did have an amazing, relaxing, time in Florida… and I am so glad to have gone with someone who loves taking pictures as much as me! I have some of the greatest pictures. Now the old ones on the bathroom wall can be replaced. Wade’s been asking me for a year now to put new pictures in those frames. Well, wish granted hunny. Thanks Tina.

I love being your girl. I love when we act like kids. I love jumping in the waves, and kissing you on the beach. That afternoon on the beach was what I waited for when I waited the first 20 years of my life for you. 

We spent every afternoon at the beach, or the pool…

and found somewhere fun (and so yummy) to eat dinner at night. One night while eating out on a pier we see this in the water:

du nah… 

du naaah…

da na, da na, da na………………….. ahhhhhh! 
  Okay just kidding. They were dolphins. :)

 

Treasure Island we will miss you… and your sunsets. Oh the sunsets, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is Yours.
1 Chronicles 29:11

 

Although I must add; Dorothy was right.
There’s no place like home.
Enjoy home today...

oh yea, and happy Friday. 

blog-cation

Well I’m feeling much better…thanks to the 4 new prescriptions I scored at the doctor’s office. Normally I’m not all about the medication, but when you’re going on vacation, the last thing you want is to be miserably sick. Apparently, I have some sort of allergy induced asthma… nothing an inhaler, nasal spray, steriod, and allergy medication can’t take care of right?   Well here is my last quick post before we leave.. It’s 10pm, and the packing has only begun, but who needs to sleep?  I’m working on a few new downloads from itunes as I type this.
multitasking.
check. 

This is not only a vacation, this is going to be blog-cation. (Yes I’m aware that is not a real word. The red zigzaggy line shows up under it. But you know exactly what it means!) So I’m out… for a week or so. While I’m gone, enjoy the blizzard spring weather.

For anyone keeping up with my parents and their foster care adventures, they added 1 more 7 pound addition today. (That brings the total tonight to 3 foster kids) I held him an hour ago, when he was just 48 hours old, and so very tiny. Hopefully he’ll be with his forever family before I’m home from Florida.
Today also my Mom’s Birthday, so hopefully she’ll have a little birthday luck and not be up ALL night with 2 babies:)
Good luck Mom, and Happy Birthday!  Thank you for being the most loving & giving person I know. You gave up your birthday to care for 3 little miracles…I’m so proud you’re my mom.

Wordless Wednesday

  Gabby Girl

sickness…and a debrief

When I take a deep breathe is sounds like a squeak of a dog toy. I’d say I’ve moved past allergies into a new realm of sickness. My ears pop when I cough or sneeze, it feels like someone is pushing on my chest all the time making it hard to breathe, and if I laugh even a little bit it induces a minute long coughing attack. Yes… I made a doctor’s appointment… and I can attribute all of these fine symptoms to my 2 nights staying in a dingy cabin at Okoboji.

But I must say, it was worth it. 

(this is the part we at our house like to call the “debrief”)
At our youth group sponsor meeting someone said the week following the retreat we should have a debrief of the retreat; meaning we would talk about what we learned, our favorite parts, etc. Well, my 20 something year old husband burst out laughing. Yes very mature… in his mind, debrief would of course mean, de-pants.

Junior high kids cried out to God to asking him into their lives. It was something there are no words to explain. My small group sat on a little dorm room floor and prayed and cried for half an hour… girls who had only met each other for the first time hours before, pouring out their heart to each other. 
It was so amazing to be a part of it. I feel so blessed to have been a part of it. 

There was plenty of sugary candy, and card games, and late nights…

  
but this was my favorite part…

This is what we prayed for.  They met God. Not just a bible story, or a something their parents believed…they believed. For some kids, for the first time this was all real to them, and they wanted to know Him more. 

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. –1 Corinthians 9:25

Well, I’m off to lunch with a friend,
and then the doctor’s appointment for the squeaky dog toy breathing,
and then the must-have-Florida-preparation-pedicure...
and then the best part; going with my Mom to pick up the new foster girls. Nana baby (8 months) & Gabby Girl (5 years). I so can not wait to meet them, and love on them.

The Sunshine State

The plane tickets have been purchased… we’re packing our bags for a few days of sun and sand.

Wade’s brother Brady and his wife Tina decided a few months ago they wanted to go somewhere this spring to get away… Brady is an accountant(as is Wade of course) so he had to wait until after tax season. We were more than happy to chaperone them… and the truth is: We all need to get away.

Tina and I both spent this last fall dreaming of the baby bellies we’d be sporting by spring. I was due mid July, her end of August. This winter hasn’t been what either of us planned. After we both lost our summer due babies, we’ve spent the past months dealing with things neither of us thought much about before we were the ones in that doctor’s office.

But spring has sprung, and we’re off…
”cuz I’m leeeeavin on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again.”
okay…
I’ll be back Wednesday night… for some reason that song gets in your head when you’re packing your swimsuit & rhinestone sandals. 

Five days in Florida are sure to include;
book reading,
beach walking,
wine drinking,
uninterrupted husband conversing,
no TV watching,
laughing,
bare feet living,
swimming pool dwelling,
picture taking,
seafood food eating,
late morning sleeping,
and…relaxing.
I’m also holding out for a little roller coaster riding. Busch Garden’s anyone?
We’re leaving a week from today. I’m secretly hoping the Midwest gets a freak(albeit short lived!) snowstorm about um… next Saturday. Sorry, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. If I’m going to get the whole “I escaped Iowa winter for this beach dwelling” experience, it’s gotta snow here! :)

Oh yea, Wade’s home!! And I’m smiling…  He got home at midnight last night. We’re leaving at 3:00pm today for a Middle School retreat at Okoboji.  Let’s just say, he’s not going to be spending much time at home in the month of April. Oh well… At least from now on, he’s taking me with him!!  :) We could use a little prayer this weekend! Along with 3 other adults, we’re taking 40 13 & 14 year olds away for 2 nights. We love these kids (we spend every Wednesday night with them) Pray that the kids would find God in a real way.

Happy Weekend!

freak out

Today I lost it. Officially lost it.

Because of this…

oh, that picture just makes my skin crawl.

I do not, repeat do NOT handle bugs well. I can handle bugs in the woods, or at the park, or really anywhere that is not near my house, but when they invade my territory, watch out.

If you don’t already know, I have a salon attached to the back of my house. I walk through my laundry room, and poof..  I’m at work. Which also means.. I never get away from work. Like today, one of my employees informs me that she walked through a swarm of wasps to get into the salon this afternoon. Wade is gone remember? Guess whose problem it is. 

mine.

I look out the door of the salon, and yes, they’re all over the deck and flying around the door. Oh that’s safe! Poor people just want their hair cut…not an encounter with a giant yellow & black nasty bug.

okay, no husband… next best thing. Call my mom. She’s not scared of anything.
She says “ you’re a home owner, you can kill them” Thanks mom. While I’m still on the phone with her, she tells me to go to the store and get something that says it’s specifically for wasps.
Okay… I jump in my car (by this time I am seriously sweating), on my way to Bomgaars… I’m telling my mom how awful it is, how there are so many flying around, and I’m so scared I’m gonna get stung…
I lose reception with my mom.
“what the heck is wrong with this stupid cell phone…”
I look at my phone. Oh whoops. I suppose the house phone isn’t going to get reception driving down the road. Forgot about that detail.

Okay this is getting long. I’ll wrap it up, I promise.I have now used 3 cans of Raid Wasp and Hornet spray. It’s pretty easy to go through a can on a 35 mph windy day… most of it ended up back on me. I have killed 9. Yes 9.  I’m not sure if I got them all or not, but I do know one thing.
If any are left living under our deck… they’re very scared little wasps.

the littles

..were here this weekend. Thus encouraging the lack of blogging.

By the littles I mean our nieces and nephew. We had 2 whole days together to do all sorts of fun aunt & uncle stuff. Wade’s sisters were both in town with their families, and we were more than happy to have some family sleeping at our house.

Sleeping at our house meant there were even 3 little tooshes in my bathtub together. but they might not appreciate that picture being posted for the world to see! :)

this weekends happenings included…

Camp fires

S’mores

Family BBQ

with steaks. And grill asparagus.

chubby cheeks…

and pretty blue eyes

Sunday morning hair fixing…sitting with your feet in the sink
just like I used to do when I was little 
sweet girls

We even went out to my Dad’s farm and rode horse… But the camera was left in the car. Hence no pictures of that activity. The best part of this weekend was the lovin. Kisses and “I wuv you”s, and cuddling.

On a much, um… more lonely note: Wade left early Sunday morning for a work trip to Texas. I’m on my own.. for 5 whole days. Say a little prayer, I’m a big chicken.. chicken who doesn’t like a quiet house remember? Well it’s quiet here, let me tell ya. I hear every insect outside, every car, every creak & thump, and groan of our house. 

I’m missing the littles today. Big time…  but today my mind has also been consumed with some new “littles”. My parents are awaiting possible foster kids. 2 girls… coming around the beginning of next month. Pray for them that they’ll transition smoothly into a new home. We’re so excited to meet them!