Sundays are usually a day full of pondering and soul searching. There's a lot in my life that I'm trying to overcome. I have many struggles and weaknesses. Today in church a speaker said something and it was made very clear to me how special my situation is. He was talking about how he wishes we could live life backward like Benjamin Button did. He said how amazing it would be if you could live life already having so many experiences and how that would alter your choices because of all the knowledge you have at the end of your life.
hmmmm....
I've been receiving feelings already about how a future marriage is what I choose it to be. I have the power to choose what situation I want to be in (future) when choosing a spouse. I've been thinking a lot lately about how many married people are in unhappy and struggling marriages. And though I know that's a natural challenge to the institute of marriage itself, you can reduce a lot of the hardship by choosing someone who will be the "best" choice (good, better, best) in having a happy life. Someone who is happy on their own, who is driven the way you are, who are already doing those things that are important to you.
Today was a confirmation of what's been revealed recently in that I am Benjamin Button. I have gone through so much and have learned priceless lessons (the very hard way) and now can choose, having a lot of life experience already. And hey, the good news since I'm Benjamin B. is that I'm aging backwards and will soon look like I am 25. Great skin, great body, and really knowledgeable. My future is bright!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Valentine's Day
We got these cool ideas from Pinterest. We had fun and think they turned out SUPER cute! :D
Bentley's had a sucker in his right hand. He was so great and had a
double punch!!
Kensi's sucker was at the end of this stick!
Haha She's so funny!!
This Week Sucked
There's been A LOT out of the normal this week. None of it being great!
You see the cute little guy two pics down?? Do you see the pitchfork in his hand? Yeah...
He broke my laptop Monday night... Happy Valentine's Day to me!
To have it repaired was between $300 and $500. I can't do that. So, I had to rig it. I was all over Houston Valentine's Day trying to get it all figured out. :( ugh!
This is driving me crazy!!! I have major OCD and the wires are everywhere!! I am seriously having a hard time functioning in this office. I feel closed in. I have my laptop under the desk plugged into the monitor and the keyboard and mouse need to be plugged in as well as the usb hub with the printer and hard drive. CRAZINESS!!! Ahhhhh!
On Thursday morning at the serious butt crack of dawn I made my way to the airport to drop Bentley off with his dad to take a trip to CA. While we are dropping off this little dog was out in the drizzle and was looking for food. He was very friendly and I just couldn't leave him there.
No one makes it easy to do something nice for a stray dog anymore. I called the SPCA which had a 30 minute wait. They referred me to the City of Houston animal shelter or the Harris County Shelter. Harris County (where I live) referred me to City of Houston which just happened to be closed THAT DAY! I fed him (with food I had to get) and bathed him (with soap I had to get) and he was covered in fleas so that made me nervous to have him around the kids at all. He was a sweet pup but I felt so overwhelmed with adding something else I had a hard time getting anything done. Friday I was trying to clean up the garage from where he poo'd and while he was in the back yard he escaped. I got him back for him to slip out of the garage and I knew I couldn't take anymore. I took him down Friday to the Houston shelter and sat for TWO entire hours just waiting for them to take him back and interview me. Two hours to try to help a stray. The drive itself was over 45 minutes. My entire day was gone.
It's been a super frustrating and heart-breaking week. Financially & emotionally. Tomorrow is Sunday and I hope a new week will bring better times.
:(
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Our Little Buddy Turns Two
Mees at 1 yr old
Mees at 2 yr old :D
We are crazy about this one! It was so fun to visit and spend time with your family Nynke and Mel. Thank you for having us! We love you!
Star of Hope
We volunteered at Star of Hope on Friday night. It's a transitional home to keep people and families off the streets. We had heard about it from a friend in League City who volunteers there monthly. She was going on Friday night with her family and I wanted to join them with my girls. I didn't really know what to expect. We knew it was cookie night and there were possibly going to be 225 residents who attend. Becky, my friend, asked if I wanted to bring bottled water and she would bring the cookies and juice. As I picked up the water I picked up a couple boxes of Chips Ahoy to take as a backup. I thought the facility was providing the main dessert (cookies) and the volunteers were helping provide them. What I came to find out is the residents get only what the volunteers bring.
We left in plenty of time because I wasn't sure how long it would take us to get to Medical District in rush hour on a Friday night. The greatest challenge on the way there was overcoming all the contention in our own car. UgGH!! :D We got there and found out that my friend was stuck in traffic. Good ol' Houston traffic (www.ihatehoustontraffic.com)! She told me there was a big back up on 610 and would be running a few minutes late. We found our way in to the main lobby and was quickly and without much direction showed into the cafeteria to set up. The man was abrupt and quiet and told me to set up and asked if I brought paper goods (paper plates, napkins) for the cookies. I was so dumbfounded! Ahhhh! I had nothing. I told him I did not to which he brought out napkins and told me to set up and get ready. Sooooo, we put out about 225 cheapie cookies out on napkins and hoped Becky would arrive soon. :D The residents showed up sooner than we hoped (bc Becky was still in traffic) but they came in and it was mass chaos. I had no idea how it worked but they came in and the kids played with my younger girls and they seemed to have fun. My greatest hope was to share with the adults that the good cookies were on the way! Becky arrived about 15 minutes in and we were SO glad to see their family. The entire cookie night lasted about 40 minutes then we swept up and left. As we drove home we were stuck in construction traffic because someone for some reason thinks it is a good idea to shut down the north freeway on a Friday night at 9:30. My kids were bickering like crazy. Let me recall exactly how it went so I can share. Brae and myself were up front. Ken was in the way back and Cali and Bella were in the middle seats. Mind you traffic was pretty much at a stop while everyone was merging. Kensington was SINGING everything she wanted to say. Cali was SCREAMING for her to stop singing and Bella was crying because (honestly, I have no idea why Bella was upset. I think it was because something on the radio said a word that she didn't like). 3 of us had to pee and all Brae and I could do was laugh. It was so ridiculous to have come away from a very chaotic service project where we felt like we didn't really do any good to a car full of noise and craziness! I know when our car was hopping with noise I told Braelyn I was sure I would never find a husband! Who in their right mind would want to ride with that! haha I didn't want to ride in that either! ;'D
The morning after I was reading in my journal and came across a quote about how the atonement truly means "one" and is all about helping just one person. As a couple days have passed I can see the good we did by going. It wasn't at ALL how I thought it would be. It was PLAN B. We met a nice woman who lived there who was really special you could tell. Her name is Laura. She was bright and hopeful and faithful and sweet. She and I talked for awhile. We met a birthday boy who was turning 15 who was cute and nice and I knew he didn't want to be there. We met some friendly momma's and some loving kids. My kids chased the kids around outside. They laughed. 3 of my girls want to go back. 1 isn't so sure. I know we will go back to give it another chance. I think knowing in advance what to expect makes a lot of difference.
I wish I had more power to do more good.
We left in plenty of time because I wasn't sure how long it would take us to get to Medical District in rush hour on a Friday night. The greatest challenge on the way there was overcoming all the contention in our own car. UgGH!! :D We got there and found out that my friend was stuck in traffic. Good ol' Houston traffic (www.ihatehoustontraffic.com)! She told me there was a big back up on 610 and would be running a few minutes late. We found our way in to the main lobby and was quickly and without much direction showed into the cafeteria to set up. The man was abrupt and quiet and told me to set up and asked if I brought paper goods (paper plates, napkins) for the cookies. I was so dumbfounded! Ahhhh! I had nothing. I told him I did not to which he brought out napkins and told me to set up and get ready. Sooooo, we put out about 225 cheapie cookies out on napkins and hoped Becky would arrive soon. :D The residents showed up sooner than we hoped (bc Becky was still in traffic) but they came in and it was mass chaos. I had no idea how it worked but they came in and the kids played with my younger girls and they seemed to have fun. My greatest hope was to share with the adults that the good cookies were on the way! Becky arrived about 15 minutes in and we were SO glad to see their family. The entire cookie night lasted about 40 minutes then we swept up and left. As we drove home we were stuck in construction traffic because someone for some reason thinks it is a good idea to shut down the north freeway on a Friday night at 9:30. My kids were bickering like crazy. Let me recall exactly how it went so I can share. Brae and myself were up front. Ken was in the way back and Cali and Bella were in the middle seats. Mind you traffic was pretty much at a stop while everyone was merging. Kensington was SINGING everything she wanted to say. Cali was SCREAMING for her to stop singing and Bella was crying because (honestly, I have no idea why Bella was upset. I think it was because something on the radio said a word that she didn't like). 3 of us had to pee and all Brae and I could do was laugh. It was so ridiculous to have come away from a very chaotic service project where we felt like we didn't really do any good to a car full of noise and craziness! I know when our car was hopping with noise I told Braelyn I was sure I would never find a husband! Who in their right mind would want to ride with that! haha I didn't want to ride in that either! ;'D
The morning after I was reading in my journal and came across a quote about how the atonement truly means "one" and is all about helping just one person. As a couple days have passed I can see the good we did by going. It wasn't at ALL how I thought it would be. It was PLAN B. We met a nice woman who lived there who was really special you could tell. Her name is Laura. She was bright and hopeful and faithful and sweet. She and I talked for awhile. We met a birthday boy who was turning 15 who was cute and nice and I knew he didn't want to be there. We met some friendly momma's and some loving kids. My kids chased the kids around outside. They laughed. 3 of my girls want to go back. 1 isn't so sure. I know we will go back to give it another chance. I think knowing in advance what to expect makes a lot of difference.
I wish I had more power to do more good.
opposition in all things
Ok, I understand there is great power in opposition. I know it's a tool needed to teach us gratitude and about good and evil and about ourselves. It has been effective in my life lately to help me truly appreciate some of the luxuries in life and not take the little things for granted.
I'd like to take this post to write about my mop. You know that old saying,
"sew it up, wear it out, make do, or do without"???
That's kinda how I dealt with my old mop. I just made do through a few months where money was tight. It kinda did the job.
Last week I decided it was time to spend the money and get a new mop.
WOW!!! What a difference. I didn't even know what I was missing out on.
Check this beauty out...
hahaha
It actually cleans the floor.
Honestly though. I was surprised by how the new mop did the job better. I appreciated the job it did. How much easier it was on me with the new mop.
I know this makes the topic light to write about a mop but I know opposition is real and vital for our growth. If we never went without, we'd never know with.
Punishment
My punishment was being in the car (yet again) with a group of cranky kids but that's not what I'm writing about today.
My girls in the back seats were bickering badly and it had been going on for a few days. I said to them, "If you don't stop fighting I am going to give you an extra chore or something else that I don't know what yet, but that you won't like!"
Bella: "Oh, you mean like a wedgie"??!!
Huh. I'd never thought of that but I'm open to it! :D
My girls in the back seats were bickering badly and it had been going on for a few days. I said to them, "If you don't stop fighting I am going to give you an extra chore or something else that I don't know what yet, but that you won't like!"
Bella: "Oh, you mean like a wedgie"??!!
Huh. I'd never thought of that but I'm open to it! :D
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