Monday

Sometimes it is so nice to have a "normal" day. Life can sure come fast though. I got to stay home today and miss my second MOPS meeting in a row. That is pretty crazy for me since I coordinate this precious group of moms. Savannah has strategically planned these illneses during some of my favorite activities so I have felt a little lonely in those times. Like MOPS and church. I miss church and just the experience I get when worshiping coorporately encourages me so and makes the world fall into complete perspective.

It is in these times that I struggle not to feel so guilty at the life I am blessed with. I have a wonderful husband who works so hard for our family to make life comfortable for me to be able to stay home with my three beautiful and equally trying children. I have a comfortable home that has so many memories and life experienced here, that some days I am not sure if I want to leave it for another. I have family and in-laws that amaze me . . . not a rotten one! :) I also have friends that like me for me and I feel so comfortable around. Not only do they make me laugh, they inspire me to be who God created me to be . . . even when it doesn't always feel good.

I guess what got me thinking is the family who just lost there preschool boy to an ATV accident last summer only to lose the dad just this month to pnemonia(sp?). How hard must life seem to the remaining children and pregnant wife. I also just feel so helpless for a friend who is having a really hard time mucking through the post partum effects of her third pregnancy. Besides marriages that are not all that the people desire of them and friends who don't know deep down inside what a true treasure they are not only to God, but to those who are blessed just by being near them. Or even those that I pray desperately to know life that God has waiting for them if only they would trust His Truth over what feels right.

Bottom line is when I start to feel overwhemed by the "why's" in life, I just have to turn to the one in control. It is ironic that when I feel helpless to be able to answer or even solve life's problems is when I am finally where God wants me . . . in complete trust of all that I am, care for, or hope to be. Where I fall so short, He never does. That is what allows me not to be consumed by the questions life throws at me.

So, so much for a normal Monday. But then again, when is life ever really normal?

Red Means Stop, Green Means Go, and Yellow Means Turn Left?

Sydney is learning about transportation this week at school and ironicly this is a good summary of our weekend trip out of town.

I am not a huge planner, but love to get on the road and get going no matter how slow it make take us to get there. A few friends of mine took a child free trip in my new car down to the river. I'll tell more about that weekend on a later post, but now I tell about the journey.
I was so excited to go in my new car and new we would have a great trip. Well, the tire went flat on Saturday . . . no problem after airing it up. Then we we finally got on the road on Sunday, I added some fluid to the raidiator and I noticed a whine. I asked Pat about it and he didn't seem to worried, so I figured we would have it checked out when I got home.

We had a great trip home, made great time and then on a hill outside of Junction I lost power steering. That was about halfway home on a Sunday night around 4:30. No problem, I'll call Pat. No Pat. Thankfully a friend of mine's dad lived in Kerrville about an hour a way and he came with the part we needed.

So when he arrives we realize we don't have all we need. He graciously takes us to his house to let us take the Mercedes SUV back to Abilene until we can return to fix my truck. So after getting home around 1:00 AM that night, Pat and I head back to fix the truck the next morning. After about 12 hours we finally make it home.

The reason I share this story is because I had my trip all planned out. But God had a different plan and I had to work hard not to miss it. I have not figured out why exactly the things happened the way they did, but because I had car trouble this is what I did get to have that I would have missed out:

1 - Six extra hours with some girls that I have fun with
2- A WHOLE DAY with my husband
3- Knowing how to put a "centrifical" belt on . . . is that right Cindy?
4- Having great friends who stand in the gap for me when I need them: emotionally and practically
5-Understanding that God is good even when He doesn't make sense
6- Life can stink sometimes, but it is how you respond that can determine for how long
7- Letting people see me freak out so they can see your human side :)

I hope I can keep my attention and engery focused on what really matters so I don't miss out on life just because it is not going according to my plans!

The Power of Three

We went to hang out at Chick-Fil-A today for lunch with some girlfriends and their kids. The reason I am sharing this particular day, because any mother who has had a three year old or who has one can relate. First, she hurt her finger. You would have thought she had decapitated her head. Once that was calmed, she was devestated that I didn't get her fruit. Then there was the confusion about nuggets and hers were forever tainted. I think the last melt down was over the fact it was time to go.

I really struggle with keeping it positve and not trying to put a band-aid on the situation, but when it happens so frequently I have learned to ignore it makes things worse. So as I was thinking about the whole day, God reminded me of something. He is three in one, yet very unlike my three year old. I have learned the signifcance of numbers in the Bible. So is that my reminder that God is so much more than I would be able to control or understand, like my "3" year old? (I seem to try and make Him manageable in my mind some days.) While my three year runs out of control because she is mainly learning how to deal with her emotions, I can trust that God is completely in control of everything I see and don't see.

Whew! So glad to know that God can be with me in presence, with wisdom, and with the simple (yet complex fact) that He knows all about my going ons and that can give me peace, especially when that three year old appears to be going out of control. Maybe He really has nothing in common with my three year old, except for the three part. But how cool is it that in the everday expereinces He can show me another part of who He is to me? Even if I butcher part or all of the revelation in my explanation, the simple fact that He loves me enough to remind me makes my heart go all a flutter! :)

Back on the Wagon

I never seem to have time to update the longer I wait, so here is to today! I hope to show how God has faithfully taken care of me, even when I go down kicking and screaming, through out future blogs because He has!

We are the proud owners of a new car! I am so happy and feel so blessed to be driving a newer vehicle. It truly is an answered prayer of over a year. It is a suburban with working door locks, a completely covered driver seat (no foam exposed) and of course the engine runs great! Just in time for a girls weekend trip to the river.

The Fogles had their first family(second if you don't count the movie "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything) day together. We got to go and ride go carts. Jacob go to drive his very own and Sydney rode with her daddy. Can you see her next to him in the go cart? Jacob crahed more than he didn't due to the fact he was so facinated with the other kids catching up to him from behind, scary sight for his mom. Savannah and I got to watch in the cold wind! The kids had a great time and are looking to another fun adventure very soon.

We are also as many already know looking forward to possibly moving in the near future and are currently praying for the perfect family who would be blessed to move in our home, just as we have been blessed here.

That's all for now and I hope now that I got the hardest one out of the way (the first) the rest should be a lot easier! I hope you enjoy this picture of my bathing beauties as much as I do!

Be blessed!

Tammy