My people

Yesterday I took a little road trip to meet with my November bride at her gorgeous wedding venue.  It was a great planning  meeting and we really "got" each other.  It is always my intention to serve everyone equally but sometimes there's just a special kind of chemistry between myself and the couple I am photographing.  It's kind of a rare thing - and it always makes the job go beautifully.

After hashing over all of the fun wedding photo details we got onto the subject of my boys (happens every time).  I was so refreshed to see her face light up when our conversation turned to K,  autism,  CP,  and epilepsy.

 "Oh, he must be  a pretty neat guy".  It wasn't patronizing or forced at all.  Cause I have this radar of such things and I know the difference quite well. 

He is a neat boy.  And sometimes I get frustrated in the day to day and forget the privilege.  And much of the time I get flat looks of pity when people who don't know me initially realize that I have a child who has special needs.

 It kind of changes the view.  It changes the perspective.

But this family - they had sincere questions and uplifting comments.  They shared about a family member with autism and how great he was.  They spoke in both a respectful and yet matter of fact tone.  I realized how refreshing it was to neither be pitied or regarded a saint.  My parenting gig deserves neither.

Sometimes I am the one who distorts my parenting gig as something to be pitied or sainted.  And that's kind of gross.  While it is not my intention to base my perspectives on how other people view what I do,  I think we all fall into that to some extent.

My experience yesterday made me think about how blessed I am.  I don't always have that positive experience with acquaintances,  but for every pitied look or awkward response, I have a solid foundation of care and support to fall back on.

I am overwhelmed with thankfulness when my hard seems harder than everyone else's hard (this is an actual conversation I had with a friend over coffee a couple of weeks ago - that many ridiculous  uses of the word hard and all).  You know how sometimes there's just an increased awareness of how much we need our people?  Being a parent can really highlight that.  Being the parent of a child with special needs can beg a certain amount of support and reassurance.  If I didn't have my peeps,  I would surely want to crawl in a hole some days.  And just get pretty comfy in that hole.

It's a given that my biggest support here is the one parenting with me.  We are 100% in this together. My Dave and I. We enter into a rather sacred celebration and confusion over all of this.  There's alot of unexpected and I'm so glad I don't have to know this journey without him.

My mom and mother in law are very foundational to the support holding me up. From day one, they have been there.

But I also have this network of girls. They are important to me on many levels - however,   I find their support specifically helpful as I navigate parenting K.

Dala doesn't even have to say much because she's living it and there's just an intrinsic knowing.
 "You can do this"

Emily's voice is quiet but laced with great strength.  Really one of the most influential - telling me to stick with the hard, everyone has hard, and our ministry to our family is #1.
 "Be faithful"

Kathy's voice has been with me for several years and she's always willing to listen - no matter what.
"Share your struggles, be real, don't give up"

Rachel, Joy, and Sarah are further away, but their voices are with me because they fill important parts of my heart and my parenting adventure.
 "Hang in there" "God's got this" "Don't you dare try to do this on your own"

My sister Trish leads me by example and is one of my biggest cheer leaders.
"Do what doesn't make sense to bring glory to a God whose ways are higher"

My newer people - like Megan, Sara, Steph, Janelle, Kate, and  Rikki stand with me in prayer at the drop of a hat.  They've jumped in with practical help without batting an eye and have never made me feel bad for needing it.
"We're here"

Kristin and I have hung on by a thread together and she shows me that sometimes a good laugh and a (few) cup(s) of coffee can change a perspective when things are hard.
"We'll make it"

Hannah's not a mom - but I've never experienced someone, in such a different stage of life as me, get it like she does. She sincerely cares and prays me through the hard.
"Trust God"

The list goes on.... I could never even begin to write an all inclusive list.

And they show me that my K - he is a privilege.  They have time for him.  They value his life.  They value my responsibilities.  They take the time.  They believe that every life is precious - and it's not a bumper sticker kind of of belief.

They don't leave when I sit on the floor and hardly have the strength to raise my head.  Most of them have seen me hold K down while he melts down.  Sometimes they have watched him lash out at me in a contradiction to his pleasant nature - and turn into a ball of rage.  And while I know it's hard for them to watch,  they haven't left.  I have experienced some who have backed away from closeness with me because it's uncomfortable and hard and they don't know what to do or say. These have not.  It's different and can be very challenging to be one of my people at times.  I know.  I get it.

That makes it even more valuable to me.

They lighten the mood and clink their glass with mine.  They open the Word and repeatedly show me black and white truth.  They send silly texts - the more emojis the better... right?! ;)  They don't get scared off by the ugly cry,  and often match running mascara with running mascara.

Sometimes I feel like I have no one - because that's what human (sin) nature will do.  It's the greatest most effective lie our enemy will use to cause us to stumble.

You're alone

Your hard is definitely harder than anyone else's hard

No one cares

You have to shoulder this all by yourself

So, I write this to combat that.

Sometimes I have a memory loss problem. And all of that ^^ presents itself as truth.

I'm surely blessed by God in this journey and I know I could never do it alone.  My perspective changers.  My people.  My grace givers.  They hold my arms up when I'm too weary.  It's worth writing down - because we all need the reminder we are NOT alone.

{April} 10 on the 10th

This is what 10 on 10 is all about: taking a photo every hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of each month, documenting a day in your life and finding beauty among the ordinary moments. 

Up early, and flippin' pancakes. :) 

Off to mom2mom, celebrating this precious little gift.

And eating the pancakes I flipped. ;)

Love these women a whole lot.

Time to drop everything on the kitchen floor and chill with Kai for a bit.

Sitting up on a cupboard in my kitchen. So excited about this. Much prep to do for it in the coming week…

A sure sign of spring at the McCallum house…

Time to get busy! This would definitely be filed under "pictures I never thought would be taken", simply because I never thought I would be doing this (and of course I mean levitating).

LOVING our outdoors time today!!

In which three of my friends show me some really important truths

Discipline…

It's always been a big word for me. Many implications.

It's been a struggle. I walk a fine line with this one. It's the line between being way too hard on myself and the line of my own impulses tugging me towards another word…

Laziness.




I have these three friends; Becky, Michelle, and Angie.

Known them for several years.

Met them at church and have observed them raising their families in a way that is honoring to God. I have watched them be moms, get jobs, stay home,  homeschool, public school, go to school, and be wives.

We walk alot of the same roads in life. But right now, they are showing me something important.

They aren't that different from me in many aspects. But this year something has set them apart.

I have watched, wide eyed, and listened intently to their journeys as they have together trained for a marathon.

It's not really a living vicariously thing. I couldn't feel less inclined to run a marathon than I do at this moment. ;)

No, it's not the running.


It's the discipline.

I watch, and I listen, and I take it all in, not because I long to be a runner. But because I see the possibilities that present themselves when one sets a goal, trains hard, and keeps commitments.

That's what I long for.

26.2 miles, ya'll. My little non athletic body just shuddered.

I know that my friends did not nonchalantly decide that they would like to run this long distance, stuff their faces with ice cream, sit back, and dream about crossing over the finish line. There may have been some ice cream involved (and I think I saw a picture of chips and dip a few times on facebook, as a post run treat) *wink*, but these girls have trained hard. 

There have been countless runs, in all kinds of weather situations (it is, after all, Michigan). I remember when they did 8.

And 10.

I remember my awe when they did the 18 mile run.

And then 20.

This weekend they will get the pain, and the rush, and the adrenaline,

and then the pay off.

Because they worked for it.

Really, really hard.

And I am thinking that if they have conditioned themselves like this…

than how can I say that I am just too tired/busy/bored to discipline my body and mind for the things that have been lacking?

I see what my friends have done… and it has shown me the excuses and lack of focus in some areas that need attention.

Wishing the very best to these wonderful women this weekend!!!

And praying that I will walk in their example as well.

30 Days of Thankfulness; Days 9 & 10 {Thankful for friends and for breakfast that I was served}

Yesterday: I had a long post being written in my head. It was about how incredibly thankful I am for friends. How relational I am, how much I long for community, how I went through a lonely time period about 18  months ago and how God brought me out of that in the neatest ways.

It was very sweet, and it fit so nicely in the thankfulness posts.

But I literally only have a five minute window to do this, and until technology moves forward to mind reading computers or I have more time... the post being written in my head will have to stay there. :)

*** I have to interrupt this post to write something I am thankful about this very minute!!

We have electricity. 

I got home from mom2mom this morning and our power was off. I don't know how long it had been off, but the estimated restoration time was over two hours from now, so I am one happy girl!!

I just thought this was super fitting for my thankful post. Electricity is amazing and far too often taken for granted.

{Thank you Jesus}

That is all***

Yesterday I was struck once again by how thankful I am for like minded friends. I spent the morning with Rachel, and the evening teaching awana with some other friends.

This morning I went out to breakfast with my mom2mom group; eight ladies who I get to hang out with every Thursday morning and share the good, the hard, and the crazy of motherhood with.

Today: I am very aware of, and so thankful for, the amazing women that God has placed in my life. They encourage me, pray for me, and make me laugh. (definitely a longer post coming someday about how very much this means to me!)  

Today: I am thankful for the privilege of some one else making me breakfast, serving it to me, and cleaning it up. ;) Every now and then, that is just a beautiful thing to this mommy...

And can I just say wow to Roxy's cafe?? Sweet little place. All you locals should check it out! I definitely will not need to eat for the rest of the day after my little visit there!

Today: I am thankful for our small group. It is hard for 5 families to clear their schedules twice a month to meet. But it is important, and we have tried to protect our time to make it happen. I'm thankful to be meeting with these dear families tonight and discuss chapter 1 of Crazy Love.


And now, I must decide to be thankful for all of these wonderful dishes that need washed and wonderful clothing that needs folded. :)

On being community. And being festive. I like both.

Sometimes it's nice to just "be".

Be family.

Be friends.

Be community.

Be thankful {for freedoms so easily taken for granted}.


I'm making lists right now.

Many, many lists. Many miles, many meals, many details to plan for...


But for a minute I want to just be.

This is what our weekend looked like. It was very festive.

I think if I had more time on my hands (I don't know what that would even feel like) there would be alot more festive in my life. Like parties with fun decorations and coordinating foods. I would steal all of my ideas from Pinterest and it would be beautiful. ;)

I've been thinking alot about community lately. We are blessed. More blessed this year than we have been in some years past. There were some lonely years. Constant with babies and not alot else. Don't get me wrong, babies = good. It also can = a bit of isolation and alot of tired.

But now... God is doing something and I like it. Alot.

It's good for us, and it's good for our babies.

Knitting hearts, laughing, loving on each others kids, and being accountable. It's very good.

Festive.

Smiles.

Explosives.

What could be better than our babies sharing explosives? Nothing says community like that, eh? ;)

Oh wait, I know what's better.

A smokin' hot...

Fire.

Okay, back to lists. And piles. And lists. And packing. And not driving myself insane trying to take care of vacation details.

I'm going to forget something. And it's going to be okay.

I'm just going to repeat that over and over.

I'm sure there are stores where we are going.

{See, this is me not freaking out}

Until next time,

I hope your weekend was filled with thankfulness and alot of festive.

ordinary miracles

In amongst an overwhelming, busy, challenging week, which has been tinged in sleep deprivation, misunderstandings, wonky hormones, and a continuation of sickness, something very special has come about.

I'm glad for this little morsel of goodness. God knows how important timing is.

Let me tell you about it.

There are many little pieces to this puzzle of a dream. I love examining each small piece, which merge into something bigger.

One piece comes in the form of a sweet young woman, Hannah Miracle, being willing to do childcare for our church's mom's group about seven years ago. I met her then as she lovingly cared for my boys on Thursday mornings.

Another part falls into place when I bought my first SLR camera a year and a half ago - and found so much more there than glass, light, and images.

And then there is the crisis pregnancy center where I work. Hannah began volunteering there with me several months ago. As we sorted clothes, counseled women, and filed paper work, we found a shared love of all things photography.

Add to that our church's camera club. A local professional photographer leads many of us "amateurs" in the how to's of taking good pictures and editing. Hannah attends the camera club as well and she works as an assistant to the leading photographer.

Now enter the Kristin puzzle piece. I have blogging and mutual friends to thank for our friendship. Kristin and I started hanging out about a year ago. She also shares the photography obsession passion. Kristin has been photographing friends and family for years - and has a great eye for aesthetics as it pertains to photos!

And then there is the Dave puzzle piece. The guy who earned his original degree in media technology. Who has worked in studios, studied lighting, and had an SLR camera before I even knew what that was. The man who excitedly drew up plans for a small photography studio and put the hugest grin on my face.

These puzzle pieces collided on Tuesday at a charming coffee shop. We each have dreamed of challenging ourselves photographically and pushing forward to the next step. Together we discussed those dreams. We meshed them together and we set in motion the beginning of, what I think, will accomplish all of the above.

{I love this part} Many years before I started blogging, and fell in love with the name "Every Day Miracles" as an umbrella encompassing the literary journey of the God given beauty in my every day, Hannah Miracle was praying and dreaming that some day she would have a photography business called "Ordinary Miracles".

Well people - you will very likely be hearing much more about Ordinary Miracles Photography. 

 Kristin, Wendi, and Hannah

Do we know all the ins and outs of running a business? No, but we are in process of educating ourselves and seeking counsel as it pertains to this aspect.

Are we ready to jump into a competitive market? No. And our prices will absolutely reflect this. To us, this is about our passion to see beauty in new ways and to share that with those who want to preserve their family's memories through photography. It's about celebrating a form of worship that is close to all of our hearts. It is a ministry as much as it is a business.

There will eventually be a website and facebook page. For now, I am just smiling at all of these puzzle pieces. Many have not locked into place yet. So much will have to merge as we just jump in and do this.

At the present, not much will change. You all know me enough to know that the luxury of extra time is just not in my life at all right now. Each one of us involved in this venture lead very busy lives. But in amongst these busy lives we have been doing photo shoots. We have been setting up times to photograph, edit, share, learn. So - we will continue with what we already have been doing; only we will continue with much more organization and the sweetness of blooming dreams.

(Domestications)

Here's the fun we are having around the home.

Home made cleaning products:

A friend of mine kindly demonstrated some of her favorite home made cleaning products for our Mom2mom group last month.

I may be hooked.

"Why would you make your own cleaning products?" - You may be asking. Or maybe you aren't. But either way - let me tell you!

1. Cost. Phenomenally cheaper!

2. Environment. Am I all into being green and stuff? Um, really not as much as I need to be. But even one such as I, who just threw all of the empty cans for the huge crock pot of super bowl chili away into my trash can (sorry, sorry, sorry!), can recognize that this is good. Chemical free.

3. This one is pretty simple. They work. Yay!

4. Oh - we can't forget - Satisfaction! *Smile*


Okay - here are the ones I love (Oh - and don't let the ingredients scare you - I found washing soda, borax, and Fels Naptha in the cleaning aisle in our store):


Laundry detergent
1 bar Fels Naptha - grated
1/2 C Borax
1/2 C Arm and Hammer WASHING Soda

Directions:
If you have a food processor, you can shave the bar soap in about 15 seconds. Add all the ingredients together in a 16 oz. container. Shake well and use 1 Tablespoon per load. Use extra for super soiled clothes or extra hard water.

Breaks down to $0.07 per load!!


Glass cleaner
3 TBSP Rubbing Alcohol
1 TBSP vinegar
Purified water

Directions: 
Pour first two ingredients into a 16 oz bottle and fill the rest of the way with water. Shake and spray.

Breaks down to $0.17 per bottle!!


Disinfectant
2 TBSP Borax
4 TBSP Vinegar
3 Cups Hot Water

Directions:
Pour first two ingredients into a small bowl. Take a spoon and make sure that the borax is smooth. Add to spray bottle then add the hot water. Mix well.


Breaks down to $0.09 per bottle!


All Purpose cleaner
1/4 C Vinegar
1/4 C Baking Soda or 2 tsp Borax
(few droops) Dish Detergent 
Purified Water


Directions:
Pour first two ingredients into small bowl. Take a spoon and make sure that the borax or baking soda is smooth. Add to 16 oz spray bottle. Add a few drops of dish detergent then fill up the rest of the way with water. Shake until dissolved. 

Breaks down to $0.19 per bottle


Baby wipes
 1 Roll of Bounty paper towels
2 TBSP Baby Oil
2 TBSP Baby Shampoo
1 good squeeze Baby Lotion
2 C Purified Water
(optional)
Few drops Essential Oils
2 TBSP Aloe Vera Gel
3 Vitamin E capsules - prick with needle and squeeze out 

Directions:
Bring 2 C water to a boil in pot. Add oil, shampoo, and lotion (+ Aloe Vera if preferred). Stir until fully dissolved. Turn off heat. Cut the paper towel roll in half with bread knife. Place halved roll into 4 Qt. round plastic container with lid (Folgers coffee ones work best or Ziploc storage square container). Pour soapy mixture over roll. Place lid on and wait about 5 minutes. Flip container over and wait another 5 minutes. Pour out excess liquid and remove cardboard tube from center of roll. pull wipes from center. 


Breaks down to $0.01 per wipe!!
*******************************************************

To be honest, I have always been a bit of a Huggies snob when it comes to wipes. They are so nice and thick. That helps when you are dealing with a really yuck-o diaper. So, I still have Huggies wipes on hand for those really bad diapers. BUT - I have these on hand too, and it ends up helping me go through the other wipes half as fast. The home made ones DO clean well and they smell really good. 

Home decor:


Shamelessly stole this idea from my friend Hayley. When we visited them last summer I absolutely fell in love with her amazing, warm, classy, and homey decorating skills! I loved the white lights she had, accenting particular areas of their home! Her recent blog posts on "white light love" influenced me to try it too. 

They make me insanely happy.

Crafting fun:


The Valentine's Day crafting has begun. Not like I always do Valentine's Day crafting - or that I will do more, but hey, it sounded good anyway. ;)


Today me and the boys made a humongo mess had tons of fun with glue, construction paper, markers, ribbon, and tape.


Let me introduce you to ~ The Love Boat...

 Such fun! Now they are making cards and sticking them in the back - where we put a little slot for such things. Thank you very much Family Fun Magazine!! 

The treasures of Frankenmuth

Frankenmuth was

Refreshing,


Stroybook-esque,


Challenging,


Connecting,


Eye opening.


What a blessing it was to be able to leave for 24 hours (err... maybe more like 30-ish) and know that the boys would be so well cared for by daddy (for the second weekend in a row!).

-That they would not just have their physical needs met.

-That they would miss mama (and run at me with arms wide open when I returned).

-That my house needs me, and I have job security in the cleaning department (blessing in disguise, this one is).

My time away was great.

There were the fun elements like:

Shopping in the cutest Bavarian down town you ever did see - and then later at a great outlet mall.

Eating. I know - this probably shouldn't be so far up on my list. But it was good food. And I liked it. ;)

Indoor water park. My boys were slightly jealous. A certain 5 year old was beyond slightly.

Laughing with friends. It's my favorite. It reminds me of the non-mommy things about me.

One of the best parts of it all though was letting God speak to my so-much-in-need-of-truth heart. We were all ministered to by an incredible lady who is serving God in full time ministry in Papua New Guinea. She is in the states for a while and we were so blessed to have her with us.

By presenting what God has done, and is doing in her own heart in a raw, honest, and sincere way, she exuded the joy of the Lord.

And beyond that, her words broke down some lies that I was cowardly hiding behind. Not fun to face. More than wonderful to redeem.

Lies that were so easy to believe, like those that hinted at blaming my own, oft experienced, bad attitude and lack of joy on circumstances. Moods, hormones, and negativity causing shifting, doubting... sinning.

Like I said - not fun to admit and tackle. I'm still in the midst of that. But it is so helpful to have some one walk you through their own difficult circumstances and tell you "It is possible to choose joy. It isn't a fake and inauthentic cliche. His divine power has given you everything you need to do this."

Truth.

Want photos?

I have none of the water park. A bunch of women donning swim wear in late autumn = a camera ban. ;)

But here is whimsical Frankenmuth Michigan:

 And dear friends:

 

 

AND - I would be remiss in not giving some blog time to finally finding the boots. :) Remember? I've been shopping for the perfect boots for a couple of months.

♥

Thoughts are swirlin' - welcome to my head.

Today is my favorite man's birthday. He is working. He so rarely works on Saturdays that I am sad for him that he has to work on this Saturday. He has a pretty good attitude about it. God knows right now that overtime is a good thing for us. We are thankful.

We are still reeling a bit from some financial changes that have taken place in the last month for us. I take care of our household finances. My head was spinning a bit when I tried to sit down and "make it all work" (ever been there??). And then God made my head spin as it pertains to His {always} faithfulness. Unexpected, need meeting, humbling, over the top faithfulness. Part of that includes a Saturday of overtime.

Tonight we get a date night. We are going to a wedding together. Dressing up + hanging out + being surrounded by romance + dancing + just us for a few hours {Good, good things}.

On Thursday I took K to a hearing specialist. After he had surgery to place ear tubes last month, he had some hearing test results that were less than acceptable. We found out Thursday afternoon that he has moderate to severe hearing loss in his left ear. He will very likely be getting fitted for a hearing aid in early November. Sometime I will have to organize and write out my thoughts on that. I am so thankful for all that can be done for our precious boy, but can I just tell you that my emotions ran such a wide range Thursday afternoon after we did all of the testing and talked over the results? Of the countless issues this young child has had to deal with in his lifetime, his hearing has always been 100% {perfect}. Now it appears that his last ear infection ruptured the ear drum and did irreversible damage to his hearing.

And God is faithful. Always.

Me and the boys played with home made playdough this morning. And then we made "slime", out of corn starch and water. Two ingredients that proved to give us so many laughs and fun times. Now there is corn starchy residue in places all over my house that I didn't even know were touched this morning. Good.times. I am about to get to cleaning like a crazy lady. After I lay a couple of boys down for a nap and do some fun home work assignments with a couple more boys.

Last Wednesday I met a really special lady {Rachel}and little man {Josiah}, who I had only previously known from her blog; In His Hands. It was amazing to finally meet, in real life, some one I have prayed for and felt such a sweet connection with for a couple of years. Our day together was fabulous! Now that our locations are so much closer together, I hope there will be many more days like this to come.

Interestingly, I have yet to meet a Rachel that I don't like.

I had a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks Thursday morning and have not been able to get it out of my head since then. I pretty much want one every day, but... you know, the whole finances thing? -Yeah, not cool. Today a facebook friend posted this DIY pumpkin spice latte recipe. Can't wait to try it!

Time is short, corn starch on my floors + furniture + kidos is aplenty, I must go.

Busy life, dirt, and some photographs to sweeten the deal

My mind is spinning with the busyness of this summer - .... too much to organize into a post right now.

I'm truly starting to embrace this whole "boy mom" thing. This past weekend was filled with putting worms on hooks, taking fish off from hooks, dirt, camping, more dirt, bike rides, Lake Michigan, stress, love, dirt, a family reunion, sand, good food, not much sleep, and probably some more dirt. If you have boys you know that dirt and boys is a package deal.

So, while I go chase down some boys and sweep up the dirt that is settling behind them - I'll just leave you with some eye candy of pure sweetness (although some day the sweetness will automatically be mingled with dirt).

Yesterday I had the privilege of photographing my friend Kristin and her baby boy Caleb. He's pretty much too adorable for words - so here ya go:

The bond I never wanted to share

*Takes a deep breath*

Okay. Hi.

Last Wednesday a friend, who I have known for most of my life, experienced an indescribably heartbreak.
 Her four month old son Gabriel died in his sleep.

Indescribable.

I know some of the pain that is now a part of her daily life. Not all, but I know the nature of this kind of pain.

As I have held her and her beautiful family up in love and prayers I have had much to process.

And I wished that there was not over 400 miles separating us. So much.

One of my first thoughts when I heard the tragic news was that I just wanted to be there.

I knew - in so much cruel clarity - that there was nothing I could do.

Nothing.

And really nothing I could say either. - But I just wanted to cry with her and look in her eyes and tell her how sorry I was.

And so we went.

And we cried.

A lot.

And I fell in love with my husband all over again.

And I never held my kids as tight as I did that night.

And I learned a new kind of pain -The helpless feeling of watching some one you love go through  the most horrifying heartbreak.

But I felt God in an almost tangible way.

I saw a family who in the midst of their grief knew exactly where to go and who to cry out to.

I experienced things that this world can not even touch.

I watched something unfold that was bigger than me.

I felt a bond that I would've given anything not to share with her.

I don't want to have this bond.

Not with her.

But here it is.

We are in this together.

God is good all the time.

She's not always going to feel it.

I don't always feel it.

But we both know it.

Deep down inside where nothing can barge in and alter it

We know that HE IS GOOD.

And as we wait for the fullness of his good to come to pass -

We cry. We question. We hope.

Gabe was one of the most beautiful little boys I have ever seen. And I have seen my share of beautiful boys - let me tell you!

Gabe was loved so intensely in his four months.

So, so much. I see something amazing in the memories of Gabe that they have shared. And I think in retrospect they can see it too.  - The Spirit whispering to them time and time again in a beautiful four month span of time: "Kiss him again" "Hold him close" "Don't put him down right now, you're going to want to remember this moment"  "Take that picture" "Dance with him" "Cling to him" "Love him with out limits".

And so they did.

Praying friends - would you join me in lifting this family up? They need us. Now more than ever, they really need us.

One of those days...

The kind where you are on an adrenaline high And you feel kind of giddy... And by the end of it, your face hurts from smiling so much... And you start to think - "Oh my, I don't think I can take any more exciting good things.." THAT kind of day. THAT was my yesterday. See - I have been constantly nagging continually, and sweetly, asking Dave when we could go out and buy paint for our room. I have been SO excited about getting the color in there. But alas, many things needed to be done before the painting - and Dave didn't want to think too far ahead of all the projects which still needed to be done. So I waited, and looked at paint colors every time we were at the store, and planned, and waited.... And then early this week - those magic words "Hey Wendi, I am just about running out of stuff to do in the room before paint can go on the walls. Do you want to go buy paint with me on Thursday? Oh - and I am ready to buy carpet too." So I began to hyperventilate in excitement and did a crazy happy dance while throwing myself at him calmly said that I would look at the calender to see if Thursday was open to go paint and carpet shopping. Ends up it was. So, I knew it would be a fun day. I was also looking forward to it because it was the first Mom2mom meeting of the season (our version of MOPS). We were having brunch, which is always so, delicious!! Imagine my delight when my dear mom2mom friends surprised me with an amazing showering of diapers and sweet things for Malachi! Oh my, what a wonderful and affirming morning. I was just amazed at the generous gifting that was bestowed on us. You mommies will understand - stacks of free diapers excite me like crazy. :) After the boys napped Dave got home and we all headed out to do our shopping. It was every thing I dreamed it would be. :) We now have everything we need for our target date of completion - we hope to be moving back into our room next Friday, the 25th. And - to top the day off - upon our arrival home we found a very highly looked forward to package in our porch which contained this... A good, good day. My cheeks are still grin tired.

The gift inside of the brown and green box

Encouragement can present itself in so many different forms. About 8 years ago I read, "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. It made a big impact on me. It showed me how I need to be careful not to transfer my preferences for how I am best encouraged onto other people. It challenged me to seek and discover what speaks to those in my life who I am trying to encourage in the best possible way for them to be uplifted.

Through my studying of this book I came to a concrete conclusion that my primary love language is words of affirmation.

Some people respond primarily to touch.

Others to gifts.

Still others are in their element when you are doing an act of service for them, such as making them a meal, doing their dishes, or taking care of their kids.

Quality time is a love language that many people I know crave. I would say this one is a close second for me. Spending time doing things together. Interacting. Just being.

But always, words stood out to me as being the primary catalyst of love relayed to me. I love words.

Dave knows that writing me a note before he leaves for work in the morning will often give me the encouragement needed for the potential struggles of the day that lies ahead.

I recently received a special gift that brought a unique joy to my heart. I feel pretty dorky admitting this, but it kind of made my month - maybe even year. (Shhh- don't tell any one) :)

The Mom2mom group that I am a part of at our church got together and decorated small boxes which were then used to collect little notes of encouragement for each of us. There are 15 of us. We each wrote a note for every one in the group.

When I brought my little brown and green box home, lifted the lid, and began exploring the contents (like an over caffienated child), what I felt was hard to describe. It wasn't just about reading nice things about myself (but really, who doesn't love that?). It was more than a sweet affirmation from ladies who have become very important in my life. It was as if God himself was quietly whispering in my ear, "I am still working to accomplish wonderful things in your life. Do you see it? This process of making you in my image is underway. Even when you don't feel it. "

I immediately began noticing some very similar character qualities being bestowed upon me in note after note. At first I wondered if I had the wrong box. Then I wondered if perhaps there had been a conspiracy to have every one write some qualities they thought were the opposite of what I actually posses. I smiled at that thought. Although it would be funny, I knew each one had written their notes at different times (A few of us around 10 pm Wednesday night to be prepared for a 9:15 am Mom's group Thursday morning). I knew that each note had been lovingly created individually.

So, I allowed the words of my friends to really sink in. This was truly how they saw me. I admire and respect these women, so to disregard their words to me would be unfair to them. I still struggle to see the correlation between myself and some of the desirable traits being assigned to me on the pages of those notes. Some were things I had been praying that God would develop in me. Some are areas I know he has been working on in me. Others were things I admired in other people, but wrote off as not attainable by me.

Things that not that long ago seemed very foreign in my life.

Have you ever thought about the impact you could have on the people around you? Have you considered that by learning what speaks love and encouragement into their life you could possibly turn it around? You could change some one's perspective and help point them to the one who is perfecting them.

It did for me.

Shrimp, friends, and scarves

There is so much to love about the annual Red Lobster tradition that my friend Rachel and I have. I don't love it for the shallow reason that the food is a.maz.ing! I love shrimp and very rarely eat it, so I did thoroughly enjoy. Oh and those chedar garlic biscuits... :) Serious yum. But of course that isn't the only reason that I love it.

It wasn't just that we showed up wearing the exact same shirt - just in different colors , hers royal blue, and mine turquoise green. It certainly wasn't simply the fact that we had time for girl talk, silly talk, serious talk, talk, with out the kids. Nor could I base my love of this tradition solely on the shopping that we do together after dinner where we both almost immediately head to the back of each store we go in, because that is where the clearance racks are and that is how we shop. It was all of the above and more. It was praying before our meal and having the bond of sisters in Christ. It was going months caught up in a busy life and not spending alot of time together, but then picking up right where we left off. It just means so much to me to have friends who get me. Who have stood the test of time, through some really bad times, and some amazing times. It was a great day! Oh, and don't forget about Rachel's bloggy carnival "The year of the scarf" We looked at lots of scarves yesterday, because they are every where - even on displays with tank tops and bikinis. She has some fun ideas cooking up for the scarf carnival - so get involved! :)

My linking isn't working right now, so just click on the scarf button on the left side bar to go to Rachel's blog or to get more info on the scarf blog carnival.

Take a guess where we are in this pictcture.

A few profound realizations

1) God has put some incredibly special people in my life

Kim, Ruth, Amy

Lynne 2) The encouragement of friends is an amazing and priceless blessing. A blessing that I need and cherish. Becky

3) I am extraordinarily white

Sara, Becky, Me, Michelle, Karen

4) My obsessive type love for cheesecake, and resulting consumption, tends to induce a compulsion to do crunches on the spot

Michelle and I

You all must be so glad you stopped over here today. Good quality reading coming your way from my little corner of the internet!

So, maybe profound turned to mindless insignificant around #3, but perhaps in my world skin tone and cheesecake are some what profound (and maybe - just maybe, I am a touch too excited that I learned how to do the oh-so-fun strike through a word trick and will make up sentences and excuses to do so...).

Um...You will come back won't you?