Massive Blizzard

Today didn't go at all as planned, but that's not so unusual. We had planned to head to Texas around 5am on Wednesday but on Tuesday around noon we received word that a massive blizzard was heading to Chadron and would make traveling impossible for 2-3 days. Unfortunately we already had our hotel paid for and since family had already taken off work to be with us we figured it was probably best to hit the road. We packed everything for a two week trip in about 90 minutes and hit the road. It seems this type of thing happens to us often--the having to pack in a moment's notice. So I guess it's good that we're learning how to do it.

On another note, just wanted to mention that we are FPU (Financial Peace University) graduates. We had our final class last night and, WOW, tears were flowing. It was such a beautiful final class and truly tied the entire 13 weeks together in the most lovely way. I cannot say enough about this class. Since it's free (other than the initial book purchase) I truly hope everyone will take advantage of it. Enter your zipcode here >> http://www.daveramsey.com/ to find a class near you.

The Grand Kick-Off

I suppose it’s time to start on this blog. I keep thinking that I need the perfect words or that some amazing event must happen for me to finally begin so that I can document a miraculous, awe-inspiring moment in our lives. Then, of course, amazing things happen every single day. Today, for example, my children area alive and they’re both healthy. The added bonus is that they make us laugh and rejoice constantly. So, I have finally realized that I need to just start even if the day seems absolutely normal. Today seems like that kind of day.

For those of you who don’t know me very well, I’m a stay-at-home-mom to two beautiful children and a devoted wife to my best friend and soul mate, Lee. Our daughter, Brayla, is 3.5 and our son, Brandon, is 1.5. Before motherhood I taught K-2nd grade for 4 ½ years and finished an MLS so that I could be a professional librarian in the school system when the kids are older. My darling hubby is a professor of Rhetoric and walks to his office daily to study and teach. Outside of the home I do a few odds and ends including volunteering for MOPS (doing their newsletters, website, heading up a discussion group, handling advertising) and being the emergency fill-in librarian at the college library. I am a research assistant to Dr. Sylvia Vardell, when the grant money is available, and I absolutely love diving into children’s literature and continuing to familiarize myself with up-and-coming authors and illustrators.

We live in a quiet, quaint community nestled close to the foot of the Black Hills—just over an hour’s drive to Mount Rushmore. We're also very close to the Pine Ridge. I called our town "Christmas Tree Heaven" when we moved here due to all of the beautiful trees everywhere. Amazing! Our town has a population of about 5500, but half of that number is made of college students that leave our town every summer. So with all of the families on summer vacation and professors off work, you can imagine how quiet it gets around here come mid-May.

It’s probably important to share that we are believers in God and in his son, Jesus Christ. We work to make our lives a reflection of His love and grace. And it is work because we are incredibly flawed living in a broken world. We are currently exploring and studying a wide variety of theologies and religions in an attempt to come to know our creator better (as well as discovering His will for us as we strive to continually be His faithful servants). Having supported Lee through seminary and having worked together in full-time ministry, we are finding ways to continue that ministry through our day-to-day non-religious jobs and tasks. It’s been an exciting process and our only wish is that we had felt confident enough to begin this endeavor and exploration sooner. It’s amazing how the world can feel more complicated and yet so much simpler all at the same time. Indeed, we’ve needed this perspective.

As I already mentioned, it really is a fairly normal day. When I got up this morning I found one of my maxi-pads stuck to the bathroom wall and at this very moment, I see across the room that my son has gotten into my make-up. Just a moment, I’ll be right back! Okay, another pack of blush saved. Now where was I? Ah yes, a normal day. At this very moment my daughter is completely naked for the second or maybe third time this morning and she’s sticking a whistle in my mouth (who knows where it was before it touched my lips) commanding, “Blow the whistle, mommy! Blow the whistle!” We ate eggs, bacon, and drank a fabulous latte made by my sweet hubby. Our tablecloth on our dining table is covered in paint because, after breakfast, Brayla and mommy finger-painted up a storm. We’re waiting for all of our masterpieces to dry so that we can laminate them for placemats or simply hang them on our kitchen wall.

Unfortunately, we’ve already had one injury this morning (which seems inevitable when you have two or more little ones running around your house): Brandon fell backward and banged his head on the metal bottom of our antique sewing machine. OUCH! I could feel his screams vibrate through my bones as I ran to comfort him, frantically checking his hair and the carpet for blood. I’ve discovered that NOTHING comforts quite like nursing on mommy in a quiet room for a few minutes. Now all is at peace (unless you're a pack of make-up).

Well, it’s only taken about an hour and a half to finish this first post (between cries and emergencies, messes and diapers). I suppose this is enough to share as an introduction, although I should say that I could easily talk your ear off if given the chance. But if you’ve been interested enough to read this far, I should probably quit while I’m ahead. ;)

Thanks for visiting and have a blessed day!