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.

Valentine's Day And Other Happeneings

"Happy Thanksgiving" is what my son kept saying to me all day! I finally decided not to correct him #1)because it was so cute #2) because it really is a day for giving thanksgiving and love. So, "Happy Thanksgiving" it will be! The day started out by eating "pannie cakes" that said "I love U" and they were served up with a special gift and card. The cute little puppies immediately received their new names (which I am finding out is of great importance) and they played with their musical cards. Boy, whoever thought up those goofy cards is making a killing because my kiddos love them and I know that mine aren't the only ones. This year, I bought ones where I was able to record a message and then it plays the tune. CUTE!!

A couple weeks later I had the privilege of hosting a cabin at our Women's Retreat for the church. This was my 3rd year going and my first year hosting. I really enjoyed this weekend and felt like it was a huge success. The main speaker was the wife of one of our pastors and she was fantastic!! I wanted to share one thing that I took away from that weekend. She had us tear out the shape of a cross from a piece of paper and then hold it up in front of us. Then she told us that we need to see everyone and every circumstance through the cross! That was so powerful to me! I have made it a goal to keep that in my mind and heart as I deal with every day people and situations, especially the difficult ones! If I can just keep that pictures in my mind I am hopeful that it will change my heart and attitude!

Soon after that came some very sad news that has really changed me. One of my dearest friends lost her father to a massive heart attack. I can honestly say that this was my first experience in my adult life where one of my friends has lost a parent to the unexpected. It has been a wake up call for me. Life IS short and fragile. In the blink of an eye it can all change. So, I have made sure to let my parents know exactly how I feel about them EVERY time I call. My friend whose father died told me that she has " no regrets" and that is what I want to be able to say when it's time for my parents to go Home.

Finally, on a lighter note, we offically have another soccer player in the family. My son had his first soccer game last Monday and the big news is HE MADE A GOAL!!!! I has super proud of him! We weren't sure if he would participate because he is so shy around new situations, but boy did he prove us wrong. He didn't even hesitate in running out there and had a huge smile on his face the whole time! On a personal note...if you haven't ever experienced a 4-6 year old soccer game..DO IT! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time! They are trying so hard and they are so cute! GO BARONS!!!!!

Facebook Addiction

First of all, I need to apologize to all of you who have been checking in on my blog. I'm sorry!!! I have been very neglectful with it..... I opened up an account on Face Book and have been having such a great time reconnecting with class mates and long lost friends. It is rather addictive and I have to make sure that I limit my time or else I would spend all day on the silly thing looking for people I have lost touch with. Fun, but beware.......

Where have the past 2 1/2 months gone? So much has happened that it would take a short novel to write it all down. Here it all is in a nutshell....Thanksgiving was spent in Great Falls, with my parents and we had a wonderful time with family and friends....a couple of weeks later Dan resigned from his job at REC and then went to work for them as an independent contractor. This is probably our biggest news of recent. We were all set and ready to move to Billings and then the Lord put the brakes on that. We are staying put. It was a very bitter sweet thing. We were so certain that Billings was in our future. We had the house up for sale, 1/3 of our things were already packed up and in storage, we were looking for rentals and houses to buy in Billings and even checking out the schools for our kids. It was very hard for us to tell family that we wouldn't be moving closer to them, and yet I was extremely excited to be staying near all of the dear, dear friends that I have made here and to not be leaving our beloved church family. I am very grateful that God has blessed us with a good job and one that seems to be stable in this very uncertain economy. So, for now we are staying put!

Next was Christmas, and I must say, something very strange happened this Christmas. We decided to celebrate Christmas here in our home this year, and it was really good. For the first time since we've been married, we celebrated Christmas on our own. We started our own little family traditions, we enjoyed being a family and we made the most of it all. My parents had intended to come, but the train stopped running due to the major winter storm(s) that happened. It was disappointing when they finally called and said that they weren't coming. I really had to regroup and make sure that I didn't show this to much because the kids would have picked up on that, and it would have ruined the mood. We celebrated Christmas dinner with the Shaw's and I cooked my very first prime rib. I turned out pretty good. A little bit over cooked but all in all not to bad.
New Year's Eve was spent at a rodeo and we had a "YeeeHawww" blast! It was so much fun and our daughter spent a good part of the evening learning how to rope! That's my little cowgirl.
January has flown by, and I have to say that I am really excited to be tackling some projects that I put on hold. We are redecorating my daughter's room and I have been on the hunt for a newer car.
All in all I am counting my blessings! The Lord is so good!