happy birthday KELLY...

Happy

Birthday

Kelly!

hey precious girl. i hope you have a great, great day! i hope you feel loved and supported, and realize that you are prayed for everyday. i am proud of you for waking up each day, getting out of bed, and putting one foot in front of the other...that is what life is about right now...

This is the VERY day GOD acted-let's CELEBRATE and be FESTIVE! Psalm 118:24 (the message)

p.s. hope you weren't late for school today. :)

more from Carol Kent.

(another excerp from A New Kind of Normal, by Carol Kent)

~The Cost and the Caution~

...The "wounds" of being vulnerable mean some people will turn their backs on us, judge us, and criticize us in front of others. The cost can be high. However, the "healing" of being vulnerable means we no longer live in fear of having our secrets revealed. I am not advocating starting every conversation with our worst struggles. There are times and places when God leads us to speak up, but we need to be aware of when it is appropriate and whom it will impact. In the process of responding to the divine nudge of His voice, we discover amazing freedom and contagious joy. Our openness, when fitting, makes us a magnet for the people around us who are longing for just one person in their lives to be "real", to listen to their story without raising an eyebrow, to let them weep without providing advice. I know because I am walking this road. And it's worth the risk...

wow...right? mis.

fun in the snow.

fun in the snow...thanks for taking

time out of your day to play in the snow poppy.

it saved me a trip out. :)

country girls go CITY...part 2

i don't know if you want to call it mommy's day out, or certainly mommy's day off might fit the bill, but a bunch of us girls headed to NYC for the day, yesterday. megan was so gracious...apparently she was so excited she got up at 4 am because she couldn't sleep, and made us all egg sandwiches and cinnamon rolls...so at 6:30 am we loaded up the mini, with food and coffee in hand, and headed to "the big apple". (we actually drove to Jersey, and took the path train into the city)...what an experience. the people hopping on and off trains...i sat there taking it all in, noticing children, and i had to step out of my own sheltered little world...where i worry about what kaden sees on the bus at my house, and had to start praying for the littles that live THIS life EVERYDAY while their mommies and daddies are working...i almost cried...but i pulled it together...


we hopped off the trian right at ground zero. i had never been here since 9/11 and what an experience. eyes filling up with tears, as a man obviously noted that i was a tourist, showed me a book of pictures...i love pictures...cameras capture a lot...except in this instance...they didn't touch it. it was so crazy, so surreal to be there, and still see this huge hole in the ground, in the middle of the city...it took the breath right out of me...


this is the church across the street from where the twins used to stand. we were able to walk in and check out the memorials they have set up around the perimeter of their sancuary, while their sunday morning service was happening...this church was closed for a year following the travesty set up with memorials, etc. the fence around this church was covered with memorials and pictures of people who died in this monstrosity...

when i read that the twin towers were 110 stories high, i thought i knew how high that would be. i had no idea how high that was...shivers...way taller than any of the buildings in these pictures...much, much taller...towering over the city...

we then headed over to see the statue of liberty...

we tried to ignore the cold, freezing day...thankful for no snow or rain...but it really was freezing. some of us were a little more discreet than others. :) we then went to chinatown...how neat...but that's a whole nother story...we found a place that had a wee little bit of english on the sign, and prayed we would not choke on what we found on our plates. i must have been so nervous, i forgot to take pictures over lunch. we then booked it across the city...me in my heely, but warm, boots, and 32 wk pregnant rhonda...who was SUCH a trooper...to catch the highlight of my trip...lion king on broadway...catch a glimpse on my previous post...

some pictures of the nightlife after our fabulous dinner at Olive Garden overlooking the busy streets...

kim was pretty tickled with her "purse" purchase...

these pictures are out of order, but i have spent all morning working on this post, and it's time to be done...


there is some very rough videos below...i loved the man FREEZING his hiney off playing some music on the street, just to make a buck...it was a beautiful sound...and the other...well...just some city people...there really is something special about the city...after i ignore the honking horns, squealing sirens, and gross billboards...there is something fun about the hustle and bustle. i can certainly understand the way tourists gawk around here...the quaintness of it all...the way i was gawking up there. :)

country girls go CITY...part 1

you will need to pause "my music" to appreciate this lion clip video...that i got to see...in person!

it's not very often that i make it to "the big APPLE"...so this trip was GRAND. Call it a mommy's day out, a break from all we know as normal, or whatever...it was so much fun. thanks megan for getting it together, driving, and making us those yummy egg sandwiches and cinnamon rolls, not to mention providing snacks and drinks for the ride (you can tell she was a bit more seasoned than i). my HIGHLIGHT was seeing the Lion king on Broadway. i am not much of a "musical" person...i find them hard to follow, but this was so easy to "get", and AMAZING. i wish i could have met the costume designer...the costumes were OUT OF THIS WORLD and totally creative. my favorite were the giraffe's...check them out! here's a glimpse of our trip...enjoy...

and thanks matt and moppy for taking care of my usual duties, so i could take the day off. it was much needed. . .

a quote.

hmmm...what a zinger for me...

I think God in his mercy, doesn't let us see the future, because we wouldn't be able to enjoy the present.
-Carol Kent.

a new kind of normal.

i just started a book entitled, a new kind of normal, by carol kent.

it comes highly recommended...

this is what i find when i peel open the cover.

this book is dedicated to people

who are living in their own

"new kind of normal."

they have aknowledged that

unexpected circumstances mean

life will never be the same as it once was.

instead of running away or withdrawing

to a prison of their own making,

they choose to embrace the new

opportunities and unexpected joys

that can only be known by those who say:

I will survive.

I will persevere.

I will be vulnerable.

I will forgive.

I will trust.

I will hold those I love with open hands.

I will be thankful.

I will choose purposeful action.

I SALUTE YOU!

i know my life has been pretty darn easy so far.

what a challenge for me to think about these words.

i am sure it's a lot easier to read on paper until something rocks your world...

and your core is shaken to its very being.

i can't wonder very long about what my life will hold, it can get too scary

for me to think about...but instead read these words...and realize the challenge

i have before me to live each day so that it really matters...

(...just some of my thoughts before bed... mk.)

mcdonalds anyone?

p.s. just in case you DON'T feel like cooking TONIGHT...

i wanted to invite you to come to McDonalds in Gap...

Kaden's schools teachers will be running the McDonalds

from 5-7:30 pm TONIGHT...all proceeds will benefit the

Betsy Handy and Nicole Frame Scholarship funds...

(i played field hockey with Betsy...she died tragically of

some kind of rare virus...she was the sweetest girl ever...

always had a smile on her face, and giving to everyone...

kaden is blessed this year to have Betsy's oldest sister,

Ginny Schempp, as his kindergarten teacher...)

country music loves.

so i don't have any fun pictures or anything...

just an overhaul of my music...

some music for the country music lover...

we had the joy of taking friends of ours, scott, ang, and addalie stoltzfus, to

the "king cabin" last weekend, from sat. thru tues. nothing exciting up

there...some old snow we got to play in, games, books, good chatter

and of course good food. i think i got my camera out once...really...

i don't know what in the world i was thinking...obviously, i was just

enjoying the company and the quiet. our kids got along so well...we are sorry

to say addalie took a tumble into the woodstove, and got a yuck-o burn on her

back...it didn't seem to bother her there, but now is becoming a little more

tricky to deal with...so we pray for a speedy recovery. she is really a

trooper.

we are thankful for matt, scott, and kaden's return to the cabin

after a "short" afternoon drive, which turned into hours and hours.

i guess matt felt the need to try a new way into the cabin...up a mountain

road that had not been winterized, (and later we found out was closed to

vehicles, only open to snowmobiles...for a reason) i think they all thought they

were going to die...matt even told kaden to put his seatbelt on...HE NEVER
ENCOURAGES SEATBELTS...EVER...poor little guy was scared to

pieces...4 wheel drive doesn't even work all the time. :) we love you

guys and are glad you returned safe and sound...

so...we always treasure our time away at the king cabin...more now then

ever before...because it's harder to get away with the chickens, etc.

thanks to uncle mark and kendall for watching the birds! and to scott

and ang, and little addalie, we had so much fun. we treasure

our friendship and were so glad we had some time alone to get the world's

problems figured out...well...and ours too...smiles...

i was finally caught up on laundry...and calli got sick on wed...

kaycee woke up this morning, Sat., and is throwing up...agghhh....

as if that's not bad enough...campbell just threw up EVERYWHERE...but

the bucket...aghhhhhh...more laundry. smiles...

p.s. it's now sat. afternoon, and kaden is also throwing up.

what a mess...running between 3 children throwing up, cleaning up

when they "missed" the bucket or toilet, and keeping

the washer loaded and on, all while keeping my

healthy baby out of all the yuck buckets. i don't think i need to

squeeze my exercise in today...i really cannot imagine dealing with

an unhealthy child...it breaks my heart...this is nothing compared

with what some mommies deal with everyday... still smiles...not as

big, but there is one here hidden somewhere...

Yea...It's my birthday.

Feel free to leave me a birthday message HERE...

You got it. I am 32 years old TODAY. Yikes.

I am again reminded very blatantly of the fragility

of life. It can be snuffed out, or changed at any moment.

Life is sad and heavy for me today, but I am thankful

grateful, and very happy to have led the blessed

life I have thus far...Here's to another year of being

a daughter of the King, a wife, mother, daughter, sister,

friend, teacher...the list goes on...i do love my life...i just

wish all the sadness would go away...mis.

p.s. thanks for all the fun texts, phone calls, cards, and comments.

you make me feel so loved. :)

Happy New Year!

CHEERS

to you in 2010...

(no...we did NOT toast in the New Year with our kiddos at midnight...

we did, however; toast this mornin' with orange soda in our

princess martini glasses...thanks for spending the night

Jaiden and Reese. You were so good. Tell your

mommy you want to do again soon...)

While we were busy playing and "toasting", Matt was out goose hunting. Forget the pork and saurkraut, roast goose anyone?