2 sweet boys

Please pray for Jonah and Stellan - two sweet baby boys who are fighting for their life. Please pray for peace and rest for their hurting parents and families. I can only begin to imagine what these 2 mamas are feeling or experiencing but I know that Jesus is holding them and their little ones as they are clinging on to Him.

Off and running...

Trey and David reading before bed

We have been having fun with our little man walking / running from place to place. He is a very curious little boy, and we are enjoying (most of the time) watching him learn and discover. One thing he does when I am in my room sleeping from working the night before is he will knock on the door. And then I will hearing him calling for me. He knows I am in there but he doesn't know how to get to me. It breaks my heart to hear the little tap tap on the door. When I work and come home in the morning, Trey is usually just waking up. I will play with him until about 10 and then go to sleep until about 4. Then I get up and play with him, spend time with David, eat dinner, then head off to work. It makes for short sleep on the nights I work, but it is working for us.

Trey loves to "help" me get ready for work

We went to the airshow at Luke Air Force Base on Saturday and Sunday. We actually rode our bikes there on Sunday. The Thunderbirds were there, and we were all amazed at their skill. David had seen them before when he was in the Air Guard, but I had never seen them. Even Trey watched them - we had brought earplugs for him but he took them out after about 20 minutes and started eating them. We were able to look inside different aircraft and talk with different airmen on the base. It was a fun couple days.




David has been busy around the property. We had a windstorm on Sunday night that knocked down most of the lemons. Instead of throwing them away, I juiced them and froze about 25 cups of lemon juice for future lemonade. I have to tell you that lemons truly make me happy - they are so yellow and sunshiney. Our place smelled great yesterday. Trey carried several lemons around the house as I juiced the lemons.

Trey also loves to be outside, and we love all the room we have for him to run outside. I am looking on Craigslist and at yardsales for a little slide or something for him to play on outside. We also have parks nearby that we can take him to. David takes him for tractor rides. He sure loves to be with his Daddy (I do too - so thankful David is able to do what he is doing right now - the family time is priceless).



We have had so much fun riding our bikes around town - we rode to Walmart last night and bought some groceries.

A precious gift

Today I received this sketch in the mail of me holding Trey when he was 10 days old. I didn't even know that it was being drawn for us. My Aunt Christine in Florida drew it - my mom told me she spent hours on it. I think it is one of my favorite things anyone has ever given to me. She has done other sketches (including one of my Grandma and also my dad as a baby), and she is available for freelance work. You can see more of Christine's work on her website. The below picture is what she sketched from. Thank you so much, Aunt Christine! This is something I will cherish always.


As a side note, if you could remember to pray for my Uncle Charlie and Aunt Christine as they have been in a very long process of trying to adopt their little girl from China (since at least 2006). They have named her Sarah - please pray that God will bring her home soon. They are trusting God's perfect timing, but their hearts are anxious to have her in their arms.

Missionary Aviation Day

Getting ready to take off

Our view from the air

Still sitting still...

Fascinated (almost as much as his Daddy)

Trey felll asleep about halfway through our flight

Trey's arm painting - an airplane with UIM written

Running to his Daddy

Off and running...

Watching the other kids in the bouncey house

We had such a fun weekend together. We went down on Friday night to Tim and Ginnie Ried's home to spend the night. They are missionaries with UIM which is the mission that we are serving with currently as caretakers. We have been praying and thinking about missionary aviation for a while. We didn't know the plan when we moved out here last August. We thought that I would work and David would go to school. Then this caretaker position was literally dropped into our laps while we were driving out here. Our plan was to rent until we found a home to buy - the housing market out here is truly a real estate mecca for buyers. As you know, we had a contract on a home but then felt like God was directing us to wait on buying a home. We were kind of disappointed but didn't want to rush into something we shouldn't. But more than that, we felt like God was directing us to stay and serve here as caretakers for a while longer. We don't know how long God wants us here but we are content to stay here as long as we need to. Missionary Aviation Day was further confirmation to us that God does indeed have a bigger plan for us than what we ever dreamed. We were so encouraged to talk with other missionary pilots on Saturday, and David got a lot of excellent information on schools that specialize in missionary aviation. The downside is that none of them are here in Arizona. One that David is really interested in is Moody Bible Institute that has their aviation department in Spokane, Washington. We are really committing our future to Him like never before. It is scary and exciting. We were reminded on Saturday that missionary aviation has to be a calling - if not, you will burn out quickly. So this is something that we are seeking direction from God in - is this His plan for us or is He leading us in another direction? So many things have been pointing in this direction - from landing here at UIM that has a aviation branch to meeting so many different missionary pilots.

So we had a great day visiting with different people and getting information on schools - there were probabaly 15 missions and schools represented from New Tribes Mission, UIM, and Missionary Aviation Fellowship to Moody and LeTorneau University. We went up on a plane ride in a 4 seater aircraft. Trey did great and fell asleep at the end. Please pray for us that as God gives direction, that we will be faithful to seek His will for our lives.

Trey slept for 1 1/2 hours in his Burley after the plane ride - we took our bikes down to ride

Amanda!

My very very good friend Amanda came to Phoenix and was finally able to meet Trey. I love this girl - she was so good to me when I lived in Arizona before. We worked at Good Sam together and she let me stay at her place on days when I worked so I wouldn't have to drive back and forth to Wickenburg. She was so encouraging, and she even flew out to our wedding. Now she lives back near her family in Nebraska but still comes to visit friends in Phoenix which is great cause I get to see her every few months. Trey loved her - but then again, everyone that meets Amanda loves her. Thanks for coming over and having breakfast with us, Amanda!

He knows my cry

Psalm 18: 6-19

In my distress I called to the LORD;

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came before him, into his ears...

He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out into a spacious place;

he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Psalm 142: 5

I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion

in the land of the living."

I went to pick Trey up from the childcare center at our gym the other morning, and I heard him crying. There were probably 20 other toddlers in the room, and at least 5 of them were crying when I walked in the room. But I knew his cry. Even before I saw him crying, I heard him. I know his voice. I immediately went to pick him up and love on him and remind him that his daddy or I always come back for him. As I held him, I instantly thought of these verses written above - my God knows my cry. He cares about what hurts me. He wants me to cry out to Him. I was so comforted to remember that He knows right where I am each moment of every day. He knows my fears. He doesn't criticize me for being fearful, but instead He loves me. I love being Trey's mama, and I love how I understand more of my Father's love for me as I have moments like these with Trey.

Our little man decides to walk

Trey has been taking 2 or 3 steps for a couple months, and he walks very well with just holding onto one of our hands. But he has had no interest in walking. He is a super fast crawler, and he will even stand and bend down and stand back up on his own without holding onto anything. But finally this past Sunday, March 1, he started taking about 6 or 7 steps while we were getting ready for church. Each day he has taken more and more steps. He is still pretty wobbly at times, but we think he is doing well. We are so proud of you, Trey!

And now more of the fun begins.... the other day, I was thinking that I wasn't getting much accomplished. I was cleaning, but as I cleaned, I felt like I wasn't making any progress. But then I realized why - I have a new little "helper" named Trey who likes to undo everything I do. I counted 6 times in an hour that I picked up the dishtowel that I keep on the oven handle. As I put it up, Trey would remove it a few minutes later. It can be a little frustrating at times, but I wouldn't trade having him follow me around for anything. I know that he won't always want to play under my feet, so I am trying to cherish these days with him in this sweet curious stage.

My sweet friend Cheryl

Laughing together about and trying to eliminate the "double chin" look in pictures - Cheryl suggested we just raise our chins up high in the air for our pictures

My sweet friend Cheryl went home to be with Jesus on February 20 after a complication in surgery. She was having a procedure on an aneurysm that she had had for 14 years, and it ruptured during the surgery. Another totally unexpected loss in such a short amount of time. My heart is hurting again.

Cheryl was my first friend when I moved to Wickenburg back in 2003. My parents had driven to Arizona with me from Pennsylvania, and the morning they left, I was invited to a Women of Virtue conference at a church in Phoenix with some other girls that worked at Remuda Ranch. I hadn't started my job at the Ranch yet - I was starting on the following Monday. I was a little lonely after moving out to Arizona by myself but I was excited at what God had in store for me. I loved the conference, and during one of the breaks, I went to see the Remuda Ranch display booth. Cheryl was the marketing representative there at that conference, and she introduced herself to me and invited me to her church in the morning. I went to her church (Community Alliance Church) the next morning, and it was the church I attended all 3 years I lived in Arizona. Cheryl invited me to lunch, and we ate then played board games at a park after lunch. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

I loved so many things about Cheryl, but I will miss her honesty and transparency the most. She wasn't afraid to tell me the truth (whether I wanted to hear it or not) and yet loved me anyway - flaws and all. Before I left Remuda, Cheryl was the first person I talked to about it. It was a deep, broken time for me personally - I was so burnt out. But she helped put things into perspective, and offered her love and support through that very hard time. She brought over a magnet that I still have that says "A true friend understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you for where you are today." Cheryl helped me understand more about Jesus. She had an amazing perspective on life - I suppose living life with an aneurysm will do that for you. But she didn't spend much time focused on herself. She just focused on life and living it well.

The fun memories I have with Cheryl are too many to recap. We loved to laugh together. When she turned 39, I wrote her a song about her saggy butt and her osteoporosis for her birthday party. I sung to her, and we laughed through the whole thing. We went to a resort in Sc0ttsdale one time with our friend Becky - what a great time we had. I was having a bad attitude that weekend, and like the good friends they are, Becky and Cheryl told me my attitude was wrong and yet loved me despite that and helped me figure out what was bugging me. You don't have many friends like that. Cheryl lived 2 apartments down from me for a year, and we had so many great conversations by the pool. We had countless cups of coffee together and wonderful visits together at the Pony Espresso. We loved to play board games with Diedra and Michelle. We hiked together, and I remember one amazing talk with God she and I had at the top of Turtleback Mountain. We sat up there together and worshipped our amazing God even though both of us were facing trials at the time.

Cheryl and her husband Dominic stayed at our place the night before her surgery. She had slept in my bed - the alarm was still set where she had set it to wake up for her surgery. We had some last laughs together, and she was able to see Trey again and feed him some of his lunch. The next and last time I saw her, she was on life support. I hated seeing her that way, and I had to sleep with the light on for a week. I still have a hard time comprehending she is not here.

Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of my friend Cheryl. Teach me to love people like she did. Teach me to embrace life and truly live life the she was able to. I am so thankful for the hope that I know I will see and hug my sweet friend again. Something Cheryl quoted on her facebook page is "Lord, strengthen my faith to depend on Your perfect timing for my life". I echo that prayer - not my timing, but His perfect timing.

I love and miss you, Cheryl. Can't wait to see you again.

September 2008

The day before Cheryl went home to be with Jesus