Flashback Friday - 2012 -A Year in Review

January 2012

We started the year by welcoming a new dog.  Jules was my mom's beloved dog and was not doing well at my Dad's house.  We decided to give it a go and try make things better for her here.  Dad insisted on a no return policy.  Jules is still here and she does much better now, but we are still struggling with potty training.  Her obstinance in this area means that we confine her to a small area of the house where there are only hard floors, and this means she does not get as much affection as she should.

2012 started the Chinese year of the dragon, and we celebrated with a dragon cake.

February 2012

In February, I found a good read with 1000 Gifts and prepared to start my own joy journal.

Wyatt and Julia both attended school dances with Andy.  For some reason I can't get my hands on Wyatt's pictures right now.

March 2012

I officially started my own joy dare, and March roared in with tornadoes all around us and so much heartache and damage.  

Loss visited friends, and we made too many funeral home visits.

Some of my moments of gratitude included:

5. organization of Wyatt's life book from China

8. courage in action at Julia's talent show when a third grader messed up and could not recover her act.  She left the stage but returned to cheers and encouragement from the crowd and did a fabulous job.

9. a beautiful blanket of snow

32,34,62, 81, 90 great friends - Lynne, Trae,  Flo, Nikki, Curt, Nancy, Kaye, Alice, Terri, Kathy, Beth, Kathleen, Lori, and Allie

36. a reminder that God is always for me even when I am not for myself.

40. beautiful enough day to bring out the flip flops

87. welcomed Piper Joy 

April 2012

Savannah turned 14.

We met a family who traveled with us to China when we went to adopt Julia and enjoyed a great day at the zoo.

I started catching on to the fact that my best pictures of the 4 kids together happen in zoos..things that make you say hmmm.

 more gratitude

111. spring break

113. witnessing the baptism of a child for whom I prayed before her birth

118. hope in the midst of unbelievable sorrow when a teenager is taken from her parents

120. more great friends - Alicia, Jeff, Jonathan, Cheri, Mary Jo, and Rob

168.  Andy - my best friend

178. Simon Mbevy - prayer is meant to be fun

181. If you can accomplish your vision without outside help, it is too small. -Simon Mbevy

May 2012

Zach got his first job.

Savannah received a $500 scholarship for high school which affirmed a much prayed about decision.

We welcomed our new nephew Ira.

196. everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sundaes to celebrate a day off school

202. five giggly girls had a fun afternoon at our house

207. kind strangers at Wal-mart when we ran out to get a bandage for Zach's injured hand

221. Savannah's narrative describing how glad she is to have Zach for a brother.

226. adoption picnic with 45 countries represented

242. Wyatt used his own money to buy me a small package of Lindor Truffles and told me he loves me  so much.

June 2012

Julia turned 8.

We spent Father's Day at a great amusement park.

 We celebrated Gotcha Day X2.

253. dinner date with Wyatt

255. pool time with more great friends - Andrew, Susan, Teresa, and Steve

261. Summer!!

262. a friend like family -Shelley

270. Regan's dance moves

277. enjoying s'mores around the fire pit

281. Isaiah 58:10-11

285. Andy and Zach to Bible and Beach

297. jewelry party to help friends afford adoption

299. VBS for Wyatt and Julia

July 2012

Freedom!

Andy's birthday

Julia finally got to try riding lessons.

We visited the beach.

I loved scrapbooking again- even if only for a page.

Wyatt and Julia enjoyed church camp.

328. ran 4 days in a row

339. my generous dad

347. Hershey's nuggets

349. great message on FB regarding Zach - parents love him

361. Tessa and John engagement

367. hours spent in awesome ocean water

385. great ride to camp with a friend -Stacy

388. time spent with Savannah getting ready for field hockey camp

397. 19 years of marriage to my best friend

August 2012

We loved watching women's gymnastics and especially Gabby Douglas!

We were reminded that Julia seems to be a gymnast.

Everyone returned to school...some earlier than others.

Julia found a blue ribbon on the art she submitted to the state fair.

We found that frozen yogurt soothes heartache and makes a celebration more fun.

421. my birthday
427. wisdom from Simon Mbevy - We need God badly, not just as a spare tire.
428. Kenya is praying for America
436.  He says it about 365 times in the Bible- one for every day of the year.  "Do not be afraid."
440. Zach got his license!
442. "I love my sister.  She is the sweetest girl in the world." - Zach to a classmate

September 2012

Wyatt had a great soccer season and fell in love with the game.

 three amigos

Field hockey and football resumed, so we stayed busy.

I had a great time with Wyatt's class on a field trip.

482. my mother-in-law drove into town to take Julia to an event

485. God provides!

494. great friends and dinner companions - Trish, James, Mary Lynn, and Carlton

499. the smell of new wood in my home

October 2012

Per tradition, I had lots of fun taking fall pictures of the kids.

Love these two!! Awesome kids!

an amusement park adventure

The road from 16 to 17 is full of firsts - first job, driver's license, and first car.

How can he already be 17?  He's becoming an awesome young man!

513.  Wyatt declares the day blessed!

520. the promise that if we pray, God will heal our land.

November 2012

Zach receives his class ring!

John and Tessa marry.

my middles remain close and clean up alright, don't ya think?

Spectacular season for Zach!  Hoping for the ability to continue what he loves in college.

535. the freedom to vote

540. Savannah's moment of truth.  When we adopted Julia, she realized that she wants a God who pursues the forgotten.

541. Bob Russell's blog - always encouraging when I am discouraged

543. 3 pairs of shoes for $55

548. my big family

553. Wii game night with most of the family

563. nobody can steal your joy unless you hand it over - Ann Voskamp

December 2012

football banquet

cheerleading

Christmas music - Why does it all come to a stop on December 26th?

soccer

beauty

568. online shopping

570. Christmas - hope in the form of a Savior who came to identify with us

572. pictures of family and friends shared on Facebook

579. laughing harder than I have in ages with my family

583. lamb over me= righteousness

Clearly, I did not meet the joy dare goal counting 1000 things for which I can be thankful in one year.  However, we have started a new year, and I continue to count.  

Hoping for many blessings for all of us and all of you in 2013!

The Worry/Fiscal Cliff

I have a confession to make.  Today, on the first day of the new year when new hopes for blessings should be on our minds, I awoke instead to worry. I knew throughout the holidays that the fiscal cliff loomed ahead, and I thought it might involve a very hard hit to our family. However, a few weeks ago, Andy's employer laid out the real deal.  He was given the exact impact that higher taxes would have on his income.  Through those figures I was able to determine an approximate amount of the hit on my income.  This would be life changing.  I awoke this morning trying to wrap my mind around how to live with drastically reduced salaries (all raises for the last few years and upcoming year gone and then some).We then have to factor in the reality that milk prices are set to double and wheat is expected to increase by 60%.  So my thoughts started the new year with these possibilities to address the situation.

• Savannah must decide to either get a job so that she can continue to play field hockey which would also mean dropping her honor's classes so that she could manage more demands on her time or give up field hockey.  The McDonalds within walking distance of our house hires 14 year olds, so a job is doable.
• Zach must pick up more shifts in order to continue football and track.  He must pick up the high prices of both sports.
• We should consider a cheaper school choice for Julia and possibly for Savannah too.
• The kids need to take their lunches to school, and the majority of our diet needs to be beans and rice (I actually do not like beans at all, and Julia and Savannah might actually starve on this diet).
• All camps and sports must go.  
• I must learn how to be one of those extreme coupon people.
• I may need a second job.
• Any debt on which we have been paying aggressively in our attempt to be out of debt in 5.5 years would have to be dropped back to minimum payments.

In other words, what few extras we enjoy would be gone.  I get that this is a first world problem.  I get that I feel entitled.  The reality is that I do feel that with two jobs that require  college degrees combined with the fact that I never had the luxury of being a stay at home mom, and at various times in our marriage, one of us has held two jobs that the few extras we enjoy should be something we can hang onto.

We live a fairly frugal life.  I rarely buy anything that is not on sale or for which I don't have a coupon.  I love shopping but do it rarely and am more of a window shopper than a buyer.  I rarely make impulse purchases. Movies and dinners out are very rare treats.  The whole family eats out at a decent restaurant once a year on vacation.  Our vacations are only possible because we share the lodging expense with 16 people and cook our own meals.  

I confess that while these thoughts churned in my head, I was also very angry.  I am angry with a congress that votes to raise their pay while demanding that I pay more in taxes. Do employees of businesses and non-profits that are operating with a deficit get pay raises?  Does their pay raise mean that they won't have homes in disrepair because they can't afford to fix them?  Without it, would their children turn in their soccer jerseys and cheerleading uniforms?  They have been fiscally irresponsible, why do I have to pay heavily for that?

What about those for whom this change will mean more than giving up some extras?  I know single moms and families with young children for whom this will be more than devastating.

I couldn't help but think that God lays out a flat 10% that He expects us to give on our gross income.  While I do believe that He expects more from those of us who have been given more, I also know that with our 10%, He can take care of us as promised and provide for the widows and orphans.  Welfare is the job of the church, not the government, and if we had done our part, the government might not be in its current position.

I fought to get these thoughts under control and to remember that I am not to worry and to take all my prayers and petitions to God.  

I decided to enjoy my Christmas tree one last time this season, and I sat on the couch in front of it and opened my current Bible study.  I have been working on The Frazzled Female by Cindi Wood for months.  I had to set it aside for several weeks because even the Bible study frazzled me, and I took a break.  Today, however, I was directed to read Psalm 27, and that was truly a gift.

I loved reading that he will keep me safe in His dwelling - verse 5.

He will hide me in shelter and set me high above the problems challenging me - verse 5.

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  verse 13

Finally, I am instructed to wait for the Lord, be strong, and take heart - verse 14

In the end we may have to do some or all of the things that played out in my mind in my fit of worry, and while change is painful, sometimes it is a good thing.  We will wait for the Lord to determine our path because He is bigger than the Fiscal Cliff.

Lamb + Me =Righteousness

During a sermon illustration yesterday, our minister talked about the tombstone chosen for Ruth Graham.

As she and Billy were driving through a construction zone one time, she saw a sign and remarked that she wanted the statement from the sign on her tombstone.  It read, "End of construction.  Thank you for your patience."  Her family honored this request and had this included on the tombstone.  When our minister shared a picture of the gravesite, I noticed that she also had a Chinese symbol at the top of the stone.  I vaguely remembered that she had grown up in a missionary family who had served in China.

Intrigued, I decided to investigate this symbol and its meaning.  I found a blog where a commenter mentioned that the symbol on the stone is the Chinese symbol for righteousness.  The comment also mentioned something about the symbol including the symbol for lamb.  This led me to investigate further, and I found this:

http://www.baptist.org/god-in-the-chinese-written-characters-part-2/



Isn't our God amazing?  The symbol for righteousness in China combines the symbols for "lamb" and "me."  We can't be righteous without the lamb, can we?

Bare Your Cross

A friend and co-worker gave me this great gift this Christmas.  We hung it on our basement door which is passed by every family member multiple times every day.  We chose a verse from today's sermon to put on the cross for this coming week/month after removing our Christmas verse.  

His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness... 2 Peter 1:3  -The verse we are using to welcome 2013

These crosses are hand-painted and sold by a young mom in Alabama.  You can find her on Facebook, just search for Bare Your Cross.  She has many, many designs, and they would make for great front door decor in place of a wreath.

I do think she is actually taking a break right now as she is expecting a baby and trying to stay away from paint fumes, but when she returns, she has some great Easter crosses, and I may just have to get one for my front door.

While I am putting in a plug for this cross, I must add that I used Command strips to hang it.  How did we ever live without those things?

fun gifts

Everybody got headlamps this year for Christmas from my dad.  We are coming up with some uses for them.  So far we know they will be handy for running after dark, crab hunting on the beach, and for power outages. Any other ideas?

Here we are having fun with our new toys.

Did you see the LL Bean commercial this year where the four kids sat with their headlamps on in front of the fireplace to await Santa?  That was my favorite Christmas commercial.

Here's the link in case you missed it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7t5BZYgMtA

Good times.