Who Me? Yes, you!"

So much has happened since my last blog.  

• I began a new job.  
• We moved in to our new home.  
• I resigned from my new job.

Yup, that's the short of it.  Through all of that going on my anxiety level when to new heights and it was affecting me emotionally and physically.  Life is too short.  The job was causing a lot of it and was blanketed with peace when the decision was made.

I was traveling 15 miles to a client when contemplating all of this, came around a curve and there was a beautiful rainbow.  There wasn't rain, but a beautiful rainbow.  Instantly I was reminded of God's promises.  I could not put my finger on exactly what it was I was to be reminded of, but I knew that God was in control.  I was reminded that "He's got this."

Soooo.......

I reflected on different times in my life when I felt like Jonah or Moses, times when I tried to tell God He couldn't possibly mean me.  Times when I thought I must be hearing wrong, because this couldn't possibly work out.

There was the time that I was in the grocery store when someone came up to me to ask if I would be interested in a job at a Christian Preschool.  I loved that place, our children when there.  But inside I was saying, Who me?  Yes you!  I applied and was employed there for 8 wonderful years. 

Or like when I was asked to present at the Clay County Fair about all the dolls I had been creating.  Who me?  Yes, you!  After the presentation, I was asked to do it again, but as a ministry at her church.  I thought, who me?  Yes, you God said.  That night I couldn't sleep but was filled with ideas how I could do this.  I was blessed with presenting for several years to hundreds of women at many locations.  I shared, I was open and honest, and through me I was able to encourage many ladies in a variety of ways.  

Then there was the time that I was asked if I was going to apply for the job on the ministry staff at Hope Church.  Again, Who me?  Yes, you!  Well, this time I denied 3 times, was approached by 3 people and finally I said, "Okay God.  I'm going to trust you."  It resulted in 14 wonderful years of growth and serving Him on the Ministry Staff.

And then of course earlier this year God spoke to us of changing much in our lives to make this relocation.  Who me?  Yes, you!

The ups and downs of the new job, house, finding a car, etc. -  many times I have doubted, took my focus off of where it needed to be and still God tells me He loves me, He's got this and He promises.  When we give ourselves over to God, when we confess of our love for Him, belief in His son and resurrection, when we promise to obey - problems don't melt away.  The road is not smooth and His promises are not that it will be easy.  But we are never alone.  We do have His promise of love, eternal life, and He is in control.  Most of the time we can't explain how it is going to work out, but that's when we grasp His hand even tighter.

But I should share another time when I said, Who me?  Yes, you!  I attended church all my life, I read scripture, listened to the messages and believed all of it - except where it was to apply to me.  I believed all of what was said for everyone else, but it couldn't possibly be for me.  Because of this I believed I need to earn His love and the love of everyone else.  Even with my husband.  Then one Sunday we were coming home from church and when we got home, I stood in the kitchen, looked at Phil and said - "you really love me.  Just the way I am."  He smiled with those awesome dimples, sparkling eyes and said, "That's what I've been trying to tell you all along."  Who me?  Yes, you!

Not long after this, I was sitting alone in our living room, and felt God's presence like never before.  My eyes were opened along with my heart and I finally got it.  God loved me right where I was, just as I was.  Who me?  Yes, you!  That was an amazing eye opener.  I went singing while driving the car to pick up the kids.  

More to come in the days ahead of where God takes us, how He uses us and of course the laughter He blesses us with.

Continue to serve Him.

Yikes!! Breathe.......

So much going on!  First I have to tell you that with the close of October also comes the close of the Richland Farmers Market on Fridays.  I have come to love this place and have regular vendors that I go to each week.

It has been like going to a mini fair each week complete with kettle corn and mini doughnuts. You listen to music see great creations as well as go home with the most amazing flavored fruits and vegetables.  I will miss it until next spring.

Next I have to say that I have begun a new job this week.  It is with Home Instead Caregivers.  Already I have met some amazing people.  It is a faith based company and I know we had one in Spencer and knew some people that worked their. I have always thought that working with elderly to help them stay in their own home is a wonderful concept and know I realize what a wonderful company this is.  It is not the same as working at church and I do miss that a lot.  But I am trying to look at this as my ministry area for now.

SO!!!  After 91 days we will once again be in our own house!  Yesterday we signed all the papers on our house and begin moving in today!!!!  

Amy and Aaron have been amazing hosts but I know we are all looking for this next step.  I get giddy when I think of seeing my "stuff" again after being in storage for 3 months.  And then I think of all the unpacking, painting, deciding where things need to go, and YIKES!!!!  I haven't done this for 35 years!  Breathe and take it a day at a time.

A great friend often reminded me that I have all the time I need.  I need to be reminded of that again.  And keep leaving things at the foot of the cross, stop trying to pick it back up - we all know how messed up that can get. :)

A new month will begin soon and that reminds me also that His mercies are new every morning.

22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends![a]
    His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23New Living Translation (NLT)

Yup, I get showered by Him every day!  How great is that?!

So much to say . . .

So much to say and so little time.  Not really, but I do have a lot to share but won't do it all today.

Update - I had my coffee date with a gal that is on the staff at the church we have been attending.  It was great, no problem finding things to talk about and our lives are very parallel.  Amazing how God brings people in your life.

When our kids were younger and we would be on the road to somewhere (could even be just an afternoon drive) we would jest because every time we would pass a sign saying "Historical Marker" our daughter Emily would want to stop.  We did find some interesting things and sometimes it would simply be a large rock marking the spot.  Well, when we were on our excursion Saturday, we noticed that here in Washington they are called Heritage Markers.  No, we didn't turn to look at any of them, but maybe we should.  The name makes them seem a little classier somehow.  :)

So Saturday we traveled to see our first waterfall of Washington.  It was an interesting drive.

And then the lat bit that w drove down - 

was complete with a cattle guard.  

And then we parked and walked a short distance to the edge and wow - 

Beautiful Palouse Falls.   It was worth the trip (only 75 miles from us).  I also found it interesting that in one direction we see the constant fall of the water that is fast moving as it falls and the other direction we see 

a calm shallow stream.  

We took a different way home and you should always be aware of your surroundings or you might miss something interesting.  We traveled through a small town of 1200, Waitsburg WA, and on the way out of town, on the left side at a small pasture we spotted a miniature donkey, some horses and . . . 

Izzy the camel!  Huh, didn't see that coming.

A short distance down the road we went through Starbuck WA.  It is a town of a little over 200.  Since Starbucks began in Seattle WA, I thought I would look up the town info.  FYI, in case you didn't know, Starbucks coffee was named after a character in Moby Dick and the town of Starbuck is named after a man of that name who was big in the railroad in its day.    Huh, didn't see that coming either.  One has nothing to do with the other.

Well, then it was Sunday.  Had a great day of worship followed by lunch.  And for all those that remember by Sunday lunches in Iowa, I was used to having to do much in little time and found myself with a Sunday meal ready at 11:00 a.m.  Whoops, guess I can slow down.  I bet you didn't see that one coming.  

Then later in the afternoon. we tackled the next hike on the list.  Remember we are working our way down alphabetically.  Well, that means we are at Badger Mountain.  I wasn't sure if we should do this yet, but o.k.  Go for it.  

Abby was excited and Phil was my encourager.  Believe me, there was more than one time that I wanted to quit and return to the bottom.  But Phil told me to break when I needed it and go on.  With being overweight and having asthma my heart would do the dash and my lungs were gasping for air.  

The path was not wide and most of the time one side had a steep drop off so whenever we met someone - I stopped.  No I wasn't in danger, but I felt better waiting till they passed.  :)

I'm sure it took us twice as long at least as most people, but we made it to the top!!!!

The view was amazing and so worth it to complete it.  We could see for miles.  Yes, I would do it again.  But maybe not this week.  ;)


I have more to share but it will wait till next time.  What ever path you are on right now, keep you eyes open so you don't miss what God has placed beside you, take it one step at a time, celebrate the mountain tops.  

Hoolie Hoops!

Hoolie Hoops!  Yes, that's right, I said hoolie hoops.  A few weeks ago Aaron came home with a surprise for the girls - new Hoola Hoops.  They had fun trying to get them to work.  But in the end, the most fun they had was having someone hold them and then they would take turns jumping through them.  And in Eden's words, they are Hoolie Hoops.

Well, the last couple of weeks for me have felt like I have needed to jump through hoolie hoops, but I wouldn't call it fun.  In some ways I was prepared for this move - but in other ways I was not.  

I was not prepared for the endless questions and paper work required to obtain health insurance through Obama care, to obtain a new home loan, to purchase a car with a loan, to apply for a new job, and to go through filing a claim due to the fact we were scammed.

And yes at times it has felt like those hoolie hoops are lined with sharp teeth.  I feel like I have been bitten, gnawed on, and even spit out.

Yes, I still believe God has got this.  When we were scammed the thing that bothered me the most was that I felt like I was following God's lead and things went bad.  I believed I had failed.  God has since reminded me that we live in this imperfect world.  He is perfect, but I am not and this world certainly is not.  I do believe He can take all of this and use it for His good.  I have asked Him for exactly that.  Why do I have to go through all of this?  Why not?  Why should things flow smoothly for me?  Why should I have the insight to see the truth in all and through all?  The truth is - I shouldn't.  If we as Christians could see where every road was taking us . . . . well - you can see how messed up that would get. :)

The great thing is God can use the situation to glorify Himself, He can use us to be molded into the beautiful sculpture He desires, He can turn anything to good.  A good friend reminded me of this today, just as I had told her these words over a year ago.

The other day after I dropped Eden off at preschool I traveled West to soon turn North on Keene so I could travel to York Food Market to pick up a few things.  Well, I was daydreaming and realized I missed my turn.  I figured I would just keep going and see where I would end up.  Well, as you can see below - it turned into something beautiful.  The view was amazing and glad I was able to experience it.

I was reminded about being patient and trusting in the truth these past couple of days when I needed to take a drug test for my new job.  It showed a faint line for positive for opiates.  Not going to lie, my anxiety shot up pretty high.  Of course I have not used any illegal drug - but all kinds of things run through your mind.  I even struggled with "out putting" enough into the cup for the second test.  ;)

I recently posted on Facebook how I was feeling and being honest with the struggle.  Here it is:  "I am a Christian. I believe God is in control. I believe He's got this. But, sometimes my imperfect human side seeps through and frustration happens, tears fall, and I can't see through the fog. Just sayin'"  Several people have liked, commented and even a few have re-posted it.  I'm not alone.  People do understand and as God tells us in Galations 6 - "Share each others burdens and in this way you are fulfilling the law of Christ"  

Thanks for listening, for letting me share, for prayers.  Know that it works both ways.  We are here for each other in this imperfect world.  Every day and through those hoolie hoops.  Take care and continue to serve Him together.

Scars

I have to start out today with what I will call - a light moment.  Remember the traffic circles I mentioned in an early post, or turn abouts to some?  Well, first of all Phil has dubbed them silly circles.  That works more than you think.  But what really occurred to me is how much they are like an escalator.  A great example of this is in the movie "Paddington".  Remember when Paddington is in the station to board a train, he needs to board an escalator to get to the lower level.  He puts his foot out, then pulls it back.  He tries again, pulls it back.  Looks around to see how others are doing it.  When he finally succeeds at stepping onto the escalator, he rides it to the bottom and then can't make the exit.  He lands on his bum and repeatedly gets "bumped" by the continuing steps as they descend.

Well the traffic circles can be silly when you think about it.  You know you are to enter the circle of traffic, but when?  Is it now?  or is it now?  O.k. I made it in the circle.  Do I exit now?  I'll go around again, then I'll get off, or will I?  

Ever feel like that in your day to day routine?  You can easily get stuck on trying to figure out when to jump in or you can easily get stuck in the routine and don't step off, even if its for the best.  And then you feel your bum repeatedly getting bumped, hit, nudged.  

Are we afraid?  Are we uncertain of how to step off?  God is nudging us every day.  But because of the unknown, we want to stay put.  We need to obey.  Doesn't mean if we do that everything will be rainbows and roses.  But we can and do have the belief that He is in control, He has a plan, and He can use anything for His good.

We continue to be put to the test.  Is God testing us?  No, I don't believe that's what He does.  But Satan has been busy testing us, trying to get into our way.  He continues to try to place doubts in our minds, to put stumbling blocks in our path and throws out lies to make us doubt.  

When traveling in the circle we need to read the signs (Bible), be aware of our surroundings (stay in Prayer), and watch for the exits (God speaking to us, using the gift of discernment He blesses us with)

Yes, sometimes we jump on at the wrong time, we get stuck or we try to exit at the wrong place.  That's when we can get run out of fuel, get hurt, or hurt someone else.  Healing can take place, refueling can happen, forgiveness is granted.  

But scars can be left behind.  

Yesterday we traveled on hike number 3.  The Audubon Trail near the Columbia River.  It was short, but well marked and we had paved trails to walk on.  

While waking on these trails I noticed several raised lines.  This was from tree roots that were growing underneath and pushing up.  

It reminded me of what scars look like sometimes on our bodies.  They can represent things that we have gone through and healed from.  They can be reminders of where we have gone and where we are headed now.  

Another observation about traffic using a traffic circle is that the traffic continues to move.  It isn't stopped, it isn't just sitting there watching others, it doesn't feel this is the end for them.  

As Christians, we should never be stopped, never just observe.  I was reminded yesterday during worship that Christians are not the destination, but on the journey.  We may have scars, but we are healed.  We may get stuck, get our bum bumped, but God refuels and refocuses us.  We may even hurt others - but God forgives.  

Several months ago God showed us a new map for our future, we were to begin a new adventure.  As I mentioned earlier, Satan has been throwing things in our way to cause problems, to give us frustration, to make it hard to read the traffic signs. He wants to keep us going in circles in the "silly" circle.  We don't want to take the wrong turn, or get stuck in the circle.  We do have scars.  We do have current pains.  We do feel stuck sometimes.  But we are depending on God to get us off at the right time.  We believe in His healing, His grace, and His perfect timing.  

Remember to laugh today, watch the traffic and trust in Him.

Meeting great people!

Today is October 8, 2015.  It's 4 p.m. and I'm sitting outside on the deck writing this.  Gotta love it.  We are just 2 days shy of it being 10 weeks ago when we left Spencer.  When I look back at all that has occurred:  traveled 1500 miles through 7 states, spent 3 weeks in a hotel and 6+ weeks here at Amy and Aaron's, scammed out of $3000, Phil began his new job and today I interviewed for a part time job.  A lot has happened on this adventure.  

A little more about today's interview.  Great couple of gals, felt very comfortable, at home..... and as I was leaving - got to talking and found some common ground in an area and the possibility of even a different position for me.  God is so good!  More on that when I find out.  But met some great people.

Looking at a second vehicle - which led to the scam - but now we are looking at cars we can touch and see :)  Will need this before I can start a job.  The car dealer we went to is a family owned business, great ethics, and morals.  Met some more great people.

Was determined to stay on the phone until I talked to a live person today with our pay pal my cash claim.  After nearly 60 minutes I was successful!!!!!!  And great person, well seemed so anyway, kind, empathetic, etc.  Didn't blow me off.  So now we wait and see.  At least I have done all I can on this end.  And once I talked to someone, met a nice person.

Next week I have a coffee date with someone on staff at the church we are attending.  
I just know this will be another one to add to the list of great people I have met.  

While standing in line at the check out for groceries, I have had some great conversations with employees there.  The realtor, the mortgage officer, and the inspector for our house have been great people and have add fun conversations.  

I can't wait to see who else comes across my path on this journey.  They are not replacing any previous person I have met or cared for in the past, but adding to the list - increasing the family.  

Speaking of family, there are times when the miles seems greater than what I can handle.  This is especially true during milestones that occur, problems that arise, or simply the ache that tugs at my heart.  But I am praying that God uses this as well.  

So, my prayers recently have been for God to use the situation and me to fulfill His will, to do His work, to better the world.  I trust that He will, but the really exciting thing will be when I recognize it and can celebrate that.

In the desert

Sunday I decided to experience another hiking trail.  Couldn't decide where to start with so many of them here, so I started at the beginning of the list which is in alphabetical order.  Amon Creek Trail.  I knew I should take Phil with me and after reading a description of the trail, even more so.  Rattle snakes have been sited on this trail in the summer.  Now I know it is now October, but it was a warm sunny day, so......

Much of the way, I had Phil and Abby out front.  :)

It was completely still, you could hear anything moving - fortunately we did not see anything except birds. 

Who would have thought sagebrush could be so beautiful.  And I always find it so interesting how much growth there is in dry, sandy soil.  

The beauty of fall is definitely evident!  Well, the research said the hike would be 1.6 miles.  When we completed the walk, my pedometer said 2.15 miles.  The trail was not marked out with signage, There were spots where we had a choice of direction.  We obviously took the long way. :)  

And I found it interesting that when we completed the hike, we came by the sign giving information about the trail, etc.  Notice the distance from where we were walking and no path to get to it.  We'll see what the next one brings.

So, back to my previous post about being scammed.  Of course this is an awful thing to go through in so many ways, but the part that was and is bothering me the most is that my faith was compromised.  I don't believe God caused this, but I did ask right away to make something good come from it.    I am not upset at God, but at myself.  I believed I was listening to Him, guided by Him.  But I also know that Satan knows our weaknesses and is good at striking there.  Well, he has shaken my faith - but I am asking God to help me restore it.  Martha was shaken when Jesus didn't come to heal Lazarus when asked.  Lazarus died and then God, through Jesus, did something even more amazing.  I'm not expecting anything this glorious, but I believe that God will bring us through this.  God is greater than any evil and will overcome.  Unfortunately in this world, there is much crud we have to go through.  Feeling like the rough dry terrain that we see on our hikes, but looking forward to the refreshing rain.  

Emergency Post - I was SCAMMED!!!!

Let's get the cliches out of the way first - There is one born every minute, If it seems too good to be true, it probably is, careful it may turn around and bite you in the b___!

Well, it turned around, showed its large ugly head - opened its massive mouth and gulped me up.

Yes, I was verifying the transactions. (I thought I was - unfortunately it was going right back to the scammers)  Please don't say it would never happen to you.  Yes it can.  And all those things going through your head right now?  I've probably said them to myself and thought those same things about myself.

I have been to the local police, spoke with eBay, and tried to speak with Pay Pal.  Unfortunately after lengthy waiting, finally getting through to a live person, I was cut off.  Tried again and with the automated answering just kept going in circles.  

Bottom line?  I am out $3000.  That is a HUGE chunk of money for us.  This is very humbling to admit all of this, but I don't want ANYONE to go through this.  

If you believe you are dealing with someone through an eBay account, don't reply to verify.  Contact eBay and verify it directly.  

Pray that these people will get caught.  Pray that we can work this out.  Still need a second vehicle, even so I can get a part time job. 

Evil is alive and well.  Don't get sucked in.  Every time I doubted, I would get verification.  Only it wasn't real.  

Share with others for their protection.  This is not a form letter, this is a real story.  My story.

By the numbers!

So I'm sure you have all heard this before, "By the numbers".  Whether it was on a news broadcast, a top 10 rating or gimmick or .... who knows.  Well, today I want to share with some with you.  "By the numbers in Richland Washington!  Here are some things I have noticed that involve numbers.

Well, to start off light - last evening Phil and I were driving home from downtown area of Richland, it was getting dark, people had their lights on in their homes.  We were passing a two story house, the upstairs room, of which I assume was a bedroom, had the light on and curtains open. There was a shelf on the wall with 8 styrofoam heads each adorned with a different wig on it.  Seems odd......

In searching for some information on the area here I found that there are 26 lighthouses in Washington that I have never seen!  There are over 800 wineries and 2500 waterfalls here in Washington.  Wow!  That's a lot of sightseeing I need to do.  

There are over 40 walking/hiking trails here in the Tri Cities area.  And you know I can cross one off the list already.  :)  

When we moved here, we sold our second vehicle due to the fact it wouldn't give us great gas mileage and would cost a lot to move it here.  So we have had it on our minds to get a second vehicle again when our house closed in Spencer.  We allocated $2000 for this.  I looked on line (because that's how I shop best) and was led to Craig's list for the area.  I immediately took off all older than 2001, with more than 150,000 miles, with a rebuilt or salvage title and if it said mechanics special.  We looked at one, texted on a couple more.  None of those worked out.  Yesterday morning I received a text back from one I contacted and was referred to an email for further contact.  To make a long story short - we will receive our "new" vehicle on Sunday afternoon.  Someone needed to sell, we needed to buy and we are getting a 2007 Honda Civic for $2000.  The shipping is included (coming from St. Louis MO) along with all the paper work, etc.  God Is Good!!!!

So, yes, yesterday our home in Spencer was officially sold and closed.  We raised a great family there, reached out to many others and have a storeroom of memories.  Was a great house/home.  It will continue to be, for now, our son Timothy.

If you have me on Facebook, you might have seen the almost 3 hours I spent on the phone getting health insurance.  What a stressful, exhausting deal to go through.  The people I worked with were wonderful, but agreed what a deal.   And due to the numbers that make up our monthly premium, I am applying for a part time job.  I really wanted to stay a full time Grandma, but need to do this for now.  The numbers didn't balance.  And who knows what God had in store for me!  I am applying at Hobby Lobby - what a hoot that could be.  Tomorrow I go to take a math test.  More numbers, but anyone who knows me knows that I love math and numbers so this will be fun.

Numbers are used in many places throughout the Bible, God's Word, to teach us, to remind us, to speak to us.  Of course the number 1, being that there is One God, One Son, and One Spirit - 3 yet together they are 1.  Best math equation ever!  Because of the deity of God, the sacrifice of His Son, and the presence of the Spirit - I can trust that the numbers will work out.  And I pray that I will be aware of how God is working the numbers in my life.