Blessings in Disguise

Well, here it is, the pictures of John's truck. It has been totalled out by the insurance company. Of course, plenty of jokes have been made at his expense, especially related to why he couldn't see the boat in front of him. But we rejoice that he is fine and no one was hurt. We have decided to put the insurance check towards some debt and possibly a new washer and dryer. We have gotten the eagle talon back (which John was driving before the truck) from some dear friends. We were able to give them the car last year when they were in need of one and now they have returned the favor and given it back to us. Thank you so much, Ben and Erin!! I know John is going to miss his pickup truck, driving the back roads of NC with the windows rolled down, arm hanging out the window and the country music blaring but he is willing to sacrifice that for a while. For once, we are trying to play it smart and not jump into another car payment again.
All things work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purposes. Romans 8:28

An Eventful Day!

Well, this morning I was planning on spending the last few hours with my mom. She had come to NC for her first visit with us. We had a good time showing her around the place, having her meet our friends and attending our church. The time went by way too fast - Especially today!
John called me a little after nine o'clock this morning and says, "Yeah, I need you to come and get me from Rowan (that is pronounced, row-Ann, with plenty of country twang) County off Hwy 152." My immediate reaction was, "Why, what happened?" John replies, "Well, I just rear-ended a boat and think I may have totalled the truck."
So I left the kids with my mom and off I went to retrieve him. It was about a 45minute drive from where we live and of course I got a little lost on the way because Hwy 152 takes several turns this way and that. I ended up in the middle of nowhere which is exactly where I was supposed to be, just a few miles in the wrong direction.
I finally made it to the site of the accident where the officer was still finishing his report. The little lady who lived on that road came out to offer everyone a cold mountain dew. She made a point to tell me that "we come into this world with nothing and will leave this world with nothing" and to be glad that my husband was alright. I was tickled by her attempt to share the gospel with me. A mechanic who just happened to be traveling to work at this time offered to tow John's truck to his shop which was literally two blocks away. He seems to be an honest guy and has offered to repair the truck at a fair price - of course this will all go through the insurance agency too.
So out of it all, we can see ways in which God has provided. It is very evident to me yet at the same time, I still wonder why. And it goes back to the verse that I was intrigued by on Sunday morning. 1 Peter 4:12-13 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
So I've come to the conclusion that: Yes, I live in a fallen and sinful world where I will experience yucky stuff yet, I am a child of God who will also experience His provision and joy, so that one day I can join Him in heaven and live forever and never again experience hardships.
This reminds me of that country song - "Lord I want to go to heaven, but I'm not ready just yet". I like this song, it has a catchy tune and I find myslef singing along when it comes on the radio. In fact I think I've lived most of my life feeling this way. I wanted to go to heaven but there were still things I wanted to do here on earth, like get married, have babies, see my kids grow up, travel the world, etc.. But now I'd like to change the lyrics to: "O Lord, I want to go to heaven, and I am ready right now!" Guess it probably doesn't rhyme as well but the older I get the more I see of my own sin and the sin around me and realize that this world doesn't have as much to offer as I thought. So Lord, I'm ready!

To BE (friends) or Not TO BE (friends)

Okay, so you know how you have those friends that may call you and say, "my child has been running a fever, not sure what's wrong, better not come over". And then you may have other friends that don't tell you until you get there. Well, I've never been really bothered by either one. I'm not overly cautious about germs, I figure my kids are going to get sick every now and then. But I do want to make sure that I respect other people's space.
Well, you may have friends that invite you over, but then break the plans (because a child may be sick)but then call you at eleven o'clock at night with other friends at their house, laughing, and asking when you are coming.... What do you do?
I mean, my children had been asking me all day, "has Mrs._______ called? Can we please go." What do I tell my children - "Well we weren't invited this time." I guess we know who are true friends are now.

For those of you reading, who think I have lost it, this is just a little joke on our good friends, at least I think we're still friends:-)

It's final ? !

Well, we are truly, no longer TN residents - Yesterday was the big closing on the sale of our house. It feels good for it to be done. Of course it couldn't have gone down without those last minute struggles. Let me just fill you in on the details...
We had traveled to Nashville a couple of days early to complete the last few repairs and move out the furniture items that had been left behind. It went rather smoothly. Saturday was the final walk through. We heard nothing so we assumed everything was still a "go". Sunday we spent hanging with friends. Mid-day John realized that we had forgotten to get receipts from our contractor. These were rather important for proof that the inspection report repairs were indeed completed. Monday morning we stopped by the house before closing to load the pickup truck. John also had to finish installing a garage door eye. We arrived to discover the electricity had already been turned off. John continued to work while every few minutes stopping to call the contractor. We continued to call the contractor every two to three minutes for the next hour and had been calling since the day before. We were both stressing! All we could think of, was this was going to be the detail that breaks the deal.
Five minutes before we arrived at the Title Office we finally heard from the contractor. He decided to drive to our location and deliver the receipts. Praise the Lord! We continued with the closing proceedings but not without realizing a mistake in the paperwork. We had to have it changed. After out part was over it still didn't feel done. We knew that the buyers were coming in for their part after us.
In the meantime, we had mentioned our loaded down truck to our realtor. "Know anybody who needs a couch?" my husband says. "Well, actually I do". replied our realtor. So on the spot we decide to deliver the couch in the back of our pickup truck to a needy family who had no furniture. On the drive there, I was quite emotional. I wanted to burst into tears, I think mostly from the stress of the day. I was really discouraged about the amount of money we were going to receive for the house. It was much lower than we thought it would be. So to make matters even worse, as we are sitting at a stoplight, a Metro cop pulls up behind us. Great! Our tags are expired and he pulls us over. Yes, he wrote us a ticket and then sent us on our merry way. What can you do but laugh.
We are still waiting for the actual deposit into our bank account. I've checked it a few times today already. Why do I still feel nervous? Because at this point I feel like anything is possible.
I apologize if this post is unorganized in thought - but today it is about getting it out, so I can release it. I'm wanting to let go, but am having a hard time.

Do you like it?

I've been playing around with my blog site. I finally (with a good friend's help) got a background added and then also got the playlist uploaded. What do you think? The first song you'll hear is one that I use in my zumba classes. Honestly, I have no idea what she is saying (so I hope it's "clean") but it energizes me, makes me want to get up and dance! And then the second song is one that I taught the kids at Covenant. I always have loved this verse and fell in love with this song the first time I heard it - Brings back great memories of "assembly time". The last song on the playlist is one that I chose for all my dear friends, new and old! Love you guys!!!

School Days

The girls have been working hard each day. We have recently been blessed with two new desks for them to work at. Kelsey uses one, where she thinks she is as much a part of the schooling as the others. She mostly colors and loves to cut with scissors! Emily uses the other desk and finally has a home for her own books and things. Anna sits at our table while we do work together in the dining/office/school room. She has her very own desk in her bedroom but prefers to be with everyone else. It is a small space but we all seem to manage. We are happy homeschooling!

Doesn't take much!

Well, it doesn't take much to turn a good mood around. Yesterday I discovered an electronic check written against our account for an amount that I did not have record of. After investigating it a little further we have come to the conclusion that it is a fraudulant check. Whoever it was, took John's nickname that he only goes by at work, used it as the name on the account, had our routing number, account number and old TN address and cashed a check for $400. Honestly, I'm glad it wasn't for a larger amount and I know I should be thankful but it still makes me mad!!
So yesterday we had to go down to the bank (with all three kids) close our current accounts and open new ones. Now I have to change all our direct deposit payrolls, contact all our automatic bill withdrawals, and write new checks to those that are still out. What a pain in the butt! And yet again my faith is tested, when I ask, "Why me, Lord?"