Libby is a bit quirky. Although what little kid isn't, right? At my grandparents house, she keeps a "slashlight" in a basket on the back of the toilet for when she goes in there. She turns on the light, gets her little seat put on and the stool in place then turns the light off and uses her "slashlight" while she is using the restroom. Why she does this, I have no idea but it's so adorable.
I know that it is really the day after but I was exhausted when I finally got home last night that I didn't even turn my computer on. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day!
I have this friend. She works with me. She is a real sweetheart. She is also going through a lot lately. She has a tendency to have moments of insecurity. What she needs... is the Lord. Leaning on my faith and the knowledge that God has a reason for everything in our lives, is what has gotten be through the last 2 1/2 months. I want my friend to know that peace, know that if she puts her situation in the hands of the Lord, everything will work out for the better. I have never been the type to be pushy with my faith. I witness through my actions. I have invited her to church many times. I feel that God has put her in my life for this reason. Maybe this isn't the only reason, but it is one of them. Praying for her to be receptive to giving not only her situation to the Lord but also her life. Her life would be so much more fulfilling.
I have been in a bit of a funk the last couple days. It is because I am missing this little girl:
We lost her 2 1/2 months ago. She would have turned 10 months ago yesterday. I think of the things we would be experiencing with her. She would be tasting new foods, standing up, cruising along the furniture, maybe even getting ready to walk. We will never know. I think about her everyday. I don't cry as much as I used to but every now and then I have a bad day and I just have myself a good cry. Casting Crowns (a Christian band) was on K-Love today and they played this song. I think it was appropriate for the way I have been feeling the last couple days.
Praise You In This Storm by:Casting Crowns
I was sure by now God You would have reached down And wiped our tears away Stepped in and saved the day But once again, I say "Amen," and it's still raining.
But as the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain "I'm with you" And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God Who gives and takes away
I'll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am Every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind You heard my cry You raised me up again My strength is almost gone How can I carry on If I can't find You
As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper through the rain "I'm with you" And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God Who gives and takes away
I'll praise You in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am Every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm
I lift my eyes unto the hills Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth I life my eyes unto the hills Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord The Maker of Heaven and Earth
I'll praise you in this storm And I will lift my hands For You are who You are No matter where I am Every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm And though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm.
I have been a real blog slacker lately. I don't really know why. I have kept myself super busy and time has flown by so much quicker than I can imagine. Where in the world did September and October go? Here we are, a week since Halloween and now just 3 short weeks until we celebrate my absolute favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.
The last time I posted was a day of unbelievable grief, confusion and utter pain. The few weeks following Caitie's passing were so incredibly difficult. Thanks to a wonderfully close family and great friends, I have slowly found my way out of the dark days right after. Shortly after losing her, I started thinking of ways I could make sure she was never forgotten (not that we will ever forget those precious 7 months). First I have decided to get a tattoo. I am going to have to wait till I have the extra money for it, but eventually it will happen. It will be a daisy with 7 petals (for her 7 months of life). I have actually designed what I want. Now please keep in mind, I am in no way an artist and I will be looking for someone to take my rough sketch and clean it up a little bit but this will give you an idea.
The weekend after Caitie's funeral, I was able to escape for a few days. I was off to Florida to visit friends and see my 3 week old "nephew" Gabe. Spent some time with all my Florida kids and some time at the beach as well. It was a real fun weekend.
The rest of September was really just spent trying to muck through life and grieving. October started off a great month really. The first weekend we took Libby to Anderson Farms and played and picked some pumpkins. My friend Linda and her little boy Mason (who is just a couple weeks younger than Libby) joined us for the day. It was a fun day.
I have been attending a Thursday night young adults group for a few months now and I had never really gotten to know anyone. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and decided to join them on the ladies retreat. Once I made a connection with someone, I really started to get to know others. I went to a movie with group of them, went to a party and then had the privilege of spending a weekend with 9 other girls in Silverthorne and really getting to know them. It was a great time and I am looking forward to building friendships with them all. (sorry, some of the pictures are kinda small on here but I had to pull them off FB as they aren't all my pics).
The end of October brought our first big snow storm of the season. We had somewhere between 2 and 3 feet of snow at the house that's what happens when it snow for 50+ hours straight). I love it. The snow is pretty much gone now with the exception of the piles left by plows and the little bits that are in areas that are always shaded. We were setting record highs less than a week after the snow. Typical Colorado...
On November 2nd, I got to meet The Pioneer Woman. If you don't read her blog, you should (http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/). It's hilarious. She wrote a cookbook and she was here for a signing. There were a TON of people there and I had to wait 2+ hours for my turn. I have already cooked a meal from it for the family (with the help of my cousin). They liked it so much, they "hired" us to cook a meal for them once a month. I got to thinking, doesn't "hire" imply payment??? I will have to have a talk with them... ;-)
(The roast before it was put in the oven to cook, it was just so pretty, I had to get a pic)
Now to look forward to the things I have planned for the next 9 months. Not everything is set in stone but they are at least possibilities to look forward to.
-Thanksgiving. I love this holiday. Just spending time with family enjoying a wonderful meal. No rushing around, buying gifts for everyone... just family and giving thanks for all the blessings God has bestowed upon us this last year. This year will be difficult because we will be missing one very important member of the family but we can still give thanks for the time we had her with us.
-I have numerous Christmas parties before Christmas and actually have to decide between a couple on the same night.
-Christmas!!!!
-Cruise to Mexico! I will be taking a cruise with my parents for my birthday. I will have a blog set up for that as well. Look for it!
-The end of March will find my best friend Dawn out here in Colorado! It is my birthday gift to her, and to be honest, it is a gift for me as well. It will be just her coming out (wish I could fly the whole family out though). We will spend the weekend together and will close it out with a night of theater. Mary Poppins is in Denver and we have tickets! It will be so much fun!
-At the end of May, I am going to a conference. It's the Set-Apart Girl conference. I am looking forward to it and will let you know more about it later.
-The week after the conference, I hope to make it out for a visit with friends. Don't know if it will be Florida or not. We will see where God moves between then and now.
-July may bring me to Indianapolis with Ashlee and Libby in tow. We will be able to visit family and friends out there and I am looking forward to the possibility.
-There will be many more plans made between now and then. This is my life right now.
I have a few more pictures I want to share but this post is plenty long already. Will save those for another day.
We lost her 2 1/2 months ago. She would have turned 10 months ago yesterday. I think of the things we would be experiencing with her. She would be tasting new foods, standing up, cruising along the furniture, maybe even getting ready to walk. We will never know. I think about her everyday. I don't cry as much as I used to but every now and then I have a bad day and I just have myself a good cry. Casting Crowns (a Christian band) was on K-Love today and they played this song. I think it was appropriate for the way I have been feeling the last couple days.
(The roast before it was put in the oven to cook, it was just so pretty, I had to get a pic)