Oh my! Crazy, busy!

Coming into the month of September, I knew that life was going to get pretty busy. Boy, was that an understatement! It has been tricky trying to balance being a mom, wife, student, teacher, and volunteer. I am the first to admit that we have been way too busy, but thankfully it is starting to slow down a little bit as of this weekend.

With that said, the kids are having a blast with all their new activities. Renee is having a much better year in school this year. We have been praying fervently for this since last year and even though there are days that are hard, she is doing well!!! She is enjoying being in Jazz Club and piano and is winding down her time with her reading tutor. We really relish the weekends as they seem to be the only time we get to have down time! Ryker is loving school! He is in that wonderful stage of learning how to read. I had forgotten how much fun it was to see those light bulb moments of reading during the very earliest days of it. On Friday's, I volunteer in his classroom in the morning and Renee's in the afternoon. This past Friday, I was able to help the 1st graders with their reading time and it was so much fun. I love being a part of Ryker and Renee's day. What a blessing!

My week's have grown increasingly busier now that my classes at the college have started up. I am taking Anatomy and Physiology this quarter. It is a difficult class, but I am actually enjoying it this time around. For those of you who don't know, this year I am in the process of fulfilling the prerequisites for the ultrasound program in Spokane. Even though I have my BS in Biology, I have to take all the required Science and math classes within the past 5 years. So, I am jumping through the hoops and trying to gain entrance into their program next year. That is a huge prayer request, so I would appreciate your prayers on that! Next quarter I have to take A&P II and Physics, then the next quarter is Algebra, Survey of Biology (really???), and medical terminology. Then, my application is due June 25th for the program in Spokane. On top of all of that, I am teaching tumbling to the jazz club kids and volunteering at the school. Phew! But, I am blessed! What a wonderful life!!!! :)

Oh, I wanted to leave you with one final thought. I have been receiving a daily devotional via email from proverbs31.org . This week in particular, the devotions have really spoken to my heart. One of them said that every time you open your mouth to speak, go down this check list:

1. is it kind?

2. is it true?

3. is it necessary?

I LOVE this! My goal for the next while is just that. I will fail miserably, but at least it is in my mind, which will help me when I am in conversation with people. I encourage you to do the same! :)

John

I have been slowly working my way through the book of John for a little while now, seeking out answers to questions that have been heavy on my heart. I wanted to share a few thoughts that have really moved me. If you haven't ever taken the time to read it, please do! John is one of those books of the Bible that really speaks to the heart issue of who Jesus was. I find myself in tears every time I read it. I wanted to share what one of the character profiles said about John (Life Application Study Bible);

"Being loved is the most powerful motivation in the world! Our ability to love is often shaped by our experience of love. We usually love others as we have been loved. Some of the greatest statements about God's loving nature were written by a man who experienced God's love in a unique way. John, Jesus' disciple, expressed his relationship to the Son of God by calling himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21:20). Because his own experience of Jesus' love was so strong and personal, John was sensitive to those words and actions of Jesus that illustrated how the One who is love, loved others. Jesus knew John fully and loved him FULLY! Jesus confronts each of us as he confronted John. We cannot know the depth of Jesus' love unless we are willing to face the fact that he knows us completely. Otherwise, we are fooled into believing he must love the people we pretend to be, not the sinners we actually are. John and all the disciples convince us that God is able and willing to accept us as we are. Being aware of God's love is a great motivator for change. His love is not given in exchange for our efforts; his love frees us to really live. Have you accepted that love?"

One other foot note said, "Those who realize how much they are loved are able to love much".

Really good food for thought!!!

I don't think I've even scratched the surface in realizing how much God loves me. It's something that goes beyond my comprehension....that a holy and perfect God could love a utter sinner like me is hard for me to reconcile. I absolutely don't feel worthy....however, I know that my desire to love and please God, does please Him. And I will continue to search out any way that I can show God that I love Him! He knows my heart and my true intentions. He knows me to the very core of who I am...good and bad....and He still loves me! WOW....that's humbling!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend brought a whole new set of adventures for the Ohs family. On Saturday we loaded up the car and drove to the Grand Coulee Dam. On our way there we stopped at the Lenore Caves and hiked up to see some of the caves. The kids thought it was pretty neat and were begging to hike further, but daylight was running out and we didn't want to miss the laser light show

at the dam. Further down the road we stopped at Dry Falls and it was there that we learned how the unique geology of our area came to be. What a fascinating story. Dan is convinced that we could make money by printing t-shirts that say "Restore Lake Missoula" with a picture of a grizzly bear that is hanging on for dear life at the top of a tree. I think they would sell well in Bozeman? Go Cats...Poor Griz! (OK, I had to put a plug in there for my beloved Bobcats!) Anyways, we finally made it to the dam later that day. It was truly enormous. I still find it hard to believe that we were looking at the largest concrete structure in North America. One interesting fact that we learned was, that if you took all the concrete that it took to build the dam and made a sidewalk, 4 feet wide, it would circle the earth almost 2 times! That's incredible! It really was an amazing site and it's mind boggling to think that someone had this

vision of making this area productive way back in the 1930's and now look how much it's impacted our lives!

We sat and watched the laser light show that night and then Ryker has his own light show right in the middle of it. The nice people sitting next to us gave the kids glow sticks and Ryker decided to see what would happen if he bit it. Well, needless to say he was "glowing"...so was Dan's jacket, Renee's pants, and everything else that it spilled on. Pretty funny in retrospect, however, he did not find the humor in it at the time. He was convinced that he had been poisoned and was surely not going to make it home alive! After much reassuring, he finally settled down and slept the entire ride home.

Sunday was filled with lots of yard work and cleaning out the garden. I can't wait for our veggies to be done growing. We are starting to get potatoes, onions and cucumbers. Our corn is finally ready and the squash is coming right along. One more month and it will all be ready.

Monday was such a blessing for me personally. I ran into a dear friend at Staples and she was a huge source of encouragement to me. I love it when God blessed you with unexpected blessings! Later, I got a phone call from my mom and it left me feeling so very blessed once again. I am so very fortunate to have such an amazing mom who I can truly call my best friend. God uses her time and time again to teach me lessons in faith. By the end of our conversation we were both crying tears of joy and I was once again counting the blessing of such a wonderful friend and mom! Thank you Lord for such a wonderful weekend!

Lincoln City

Last weekend we took a trip down to Lincoln City, OR and it was one of the most enjoyable weekends we have ever had as a family! We stayed at a beautiful hotel called "The Inn At Spanish Head". We arrived on Thursday evening and immediately headed to "Mo's" for some good seafood followed by a walk on the beach. The next morning we all headed down to the beach for a morning of exploring. The kids had so much fun discovering all the new creatures that were hidden in and amongst the rocks. Starfish, sea cucumbers, mussels, barnacles, fish (not sure what kind), and all sorts of other things, had the kids saying "LOOK AT THIS!" all morning. Later that day I took the kids school shopping at the outlet mall then Dan came and picked up the kids and took them crabbing while I shopped for myself for a little while.

Saturday was the best day! We spent the entire day on the beach....building sand castles, crabbing, flying kites and just plain enjoying each other. We took a small break and made our own glass floats at a wonderful art place. It was a fun experience, but really hot! Yikes! We took our own sweet time coming home on Sunday and even had time to stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. I am sad that summer is over, but couldn't think of a better way to spend the last weekend of it

First Day Of School

The first day of school always seems to be a bittersweet day for me. I mourn the loss of time with my kiddos and yet look forward to the routine that has been absent for the last 3 months. The kids, on the other hand, are excited and nervous! We now have a 1st grader and 4th grader in the house! My, how time flies! As I sit here writing this I have a very strange and uneasy feeling as this is the beginning of both kids at school for the full day. What am I going to do with all this free time?!? Well, for starters, I am going back to school in a couple of weeks. So, I guess my days will be full of studying and housework. Sounds like a good combination to me! I start my anatomy and physiology classes in 2 weeks and am looking forward to starting my journey towards getting my degree in diagnostic ultrasound imaging. Lots of changes taking place...lots of prayers going up.....lots to look forward to!

An end to Facebook?

Back to blogging... After more than a year of neglect, I am firing up the blogging engine again! Facebook had totally taken over my desire to blog, however, as of last week, I deactivated my account for an extended, possibly permanent amount of time. It was a bittersweet event as I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with long lost friends and classmates, as well as long distance relatives. However, as I have learned, facebook can be an amazing tool of blessing and encouragement as well as a terrible tool for destruction in the form of criticism, gossip and slander. One of the posts I saw on fb was simply "Less bark, more wag!" What a great, simple statement. I am, therefore, wagging! :)

Catch Up....

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. Renee keeps asking me..."When are you going to update your blog?", or "Are you ever going to update your blog?". So, I guess it's time. It's hard to believe that today is July 1st! Where has the year gone? Where has summer gone? Our days have been very full and very fun. Here is a short recap of what has been happening in our lives....
1. The kids and I spent spring break in MT with my parents and had a blast
2. We left the van in MT and rode the train back to WA
3. Sold the van and bought a new car...finally!
4. I got my eyeliner tattooed on....ouch!
5. We had a cancer scare with Renee...all is well thankfully!!!
6. Ryker graduated from Happy Hearts and is officially a kindergartner
7. Renee finished 2nd grade and is looking forward to 3rd grade.
8. I turned 36 on May 10th
9. Dan bought me a Dyson...wooohooo!
10. Renee had a piano recital and dance recital all in one week....she was fabulous!
11. Ryker started karate and loves it!!!
12. 2 VBS's in 2 weeks
13. Renee is taking horse riding lessons
Phew!!! That is pretty much a snapshot of the big events. We have been blessed with Dan's new job and so far everything seems to be going alright. I have been kind of holding my breath wondering if going into business for ourselves was a wise decision in today's economy. So far we are alright and it was been great to stay put here in WA. There are definitely times when I miss family and friends in MT, but God is blessing us here for now.