I had to laugh at myself

I was signing paperwork for Mandi to ski. I had just filled out the payment part and then it asked for height, weight, and shoe size.

I proceeded to ask the teenager running the desk if that part was for me or the person skiing. My mom was standing beside me and burst out laughing.

Then I couldn't stop laughing. You can't tell that I want to make sure I do everything right, even if it doesn't make sense. You gotta follow the rules!!

A trip to a gold mine

We are in Georgia right now. We are visiting my family in north east Georgia. Today we went to Dahlonega to a gold museum and a gold mine. We all enjoyed holding the one ounce gold coin that the ranger had in his pocket. It was worth nearly one thousand dollars. We couldn't believe that the museum had a gold coin collection that was worth 7 million dollars.

It just so happens that one of Levi's recent assignments was to find out his worth in gold, by his weight. I had tried to figure out online, but I was way off. The ranger helped us to figure out that he would be worth about $750,000 if he was made of gold.

The gold mine tour was interesting and sad. Many of the workers were either killed in the mine, lost their hearing, or died within two years of working in the mine because of the dust in their lungs. Also, young boys 8-12 worked in the mine running through the 5 miles of tunnels, warning the men that the dynomite was about to blast.

Olivia's birth-continued

My pregnancy was normal,with no complications, just like my other three. I was planing to have a natural, drug free delivery, like I had with Mandi, my third child. I spent the last few weeks of my pregnancy practicing relaxation techniques. One technique was to listen to worship songs. As I sang and memorized the words, I found it easier to relax, because I was focusing on the fact that I could trust God with my life.

As I sang about the "Mountain maker and ocean tamer"

and as I sang to God "You made it all, said 'Let there be' and there was all that we see"

I believed "You do all things well."


If I started to feel any fear or worry, I would remind myself who God was and I would feel peaceful again. How was I to know what God was preparing me for. This was the only labor and delivery that I was so focused on relaxation through worshiping God.

More to come.....

My Heart Sings a Brand New Song!!

Today I played the keyboard in church for the first time and I loved it!! Now, I only played the chords, so it was very simple and of course I had a brain freeze a few times, but Dick said he couldn't tell.

I had my first piano lesson when I was 12 and took lessons off and on through high school. I practiced almost as much as I was supposed to, but was never good enough to play in church.

Then in college, I took lessons at the college for 2 years and I still didn't have to ability to play in church, but really wanted to.

About 4 years ago, I took lessons for about a year with a local church music pastor and she was wonderful. She actually taught me how to play chords so that I could eventually play in church.

Well, then I had Olivia and then took over our church's children's church, so everything was put on hold.

A few weeks ago, I decided to teach my kids to play the piano and used a dvd designed for modern worship keyboard players. That dvd inspired me to practice.

So I did.

And today, I tried in church and was amazed that I could do it. I kept thinking, "This can't be happening. I'm not a piano player." It was hard to believe that a dream I had had for so long was coming true.

How did you do that God?



Lines from one of the songs we sang explained how I felt.


"Like hinges straining from the weight
My heart no longer can keep from singing,

All that is within me cries, for you alone be glorified
Emmanuel, God with us, my heart sings a brand new song"

Olivia's Birth--My Ultimate Paradox

My fourth child, Olivia, was delivered by emergency C-section with only local anesthesia, the kind that is rubbed on your gums for dental work. And even though I felt almost every cut, I experienced God's presence and His peace more than any other time in my life!

The moment I was told that it had to be done, I knew that I had a decision to make. Would I totally freak out or would I totally trust God? I realized that I would only make the situation worse if I lost control of myself, so trusting God was my only option. Once I made the decision, the rest was a piece of cake.

More to come on later post.....

Becky and Nickie

One of the most exciting days of my life was when I first met my sisters. They were 5 and 3 at the time and I was 21. I was thrilled that my parents were adopting more kids. I was the oldest, with 3 brothers, 2 still living at home. I was married and living about an hour away, but nothing could stop me from coming to spend time with my new sisters. I had loved helping to bring up my two youngest brothers and couldn't wait to be a part of Becky and Nickie's life.

After they had moved in, I came to spend a week with them. Mom and I had fun dressing them up and fixing their hair whenever we had the chance. We laughed at the funny things they said and embraced the opportunity to shape and mold the fragile lives. I took pictures of every new outfit, and every new place we took them. Only to realize at the end of the week that I had no film in the camera.

They were coming to our family, after spending most of their lives in foster care.
Nickie was a charmer. She said things like, " I love you Mommy. I say that to all my new Mommies." She always knew what to say to make people feel better.

Becky called our brother Roger, "Mr. Rogers." She spent lots of time singing songs she had learned in previous homes and quickly learning the ones we wanted to teach her.

In the picture, they are the ones on the ends. The toddler in the middle is the sister they left behind, because their mom still had custody of her.

Now they are 21 and 19 and I am so glad that they are a part of our family.