Brad and I had a fun night out with some friends last night to Ichiban and then bowling.....

Who can resist trying to catch food in your mouth at dinner?....haha....well some can, but I cannot.  My little piece of zucchini somehow bankshot off the side of my nose and still made it into my mouth...I wish I could have seen that in slow motion because it felt crazy :P

Love these people!

I had to take this picture just to document because I am usually not a great bowler.....this was probably my best game ever.  It is a little intimidating playing against "Christ" :P  

I had to laugh this morning as I was kind-of chiding my children on what they were wearing out the door...I was saying "you need your winter coat"....."where are your gloves?".....and they were just looking at me.  I started laughing as I was thinking how true it has been that we really have no clue what we are supposed to wear right now!!!!!  Later, I was taking some of the girls to practices and picking up others and there was this blizzard for a while.....then, the snow stopped and the sun was gorgeous and I said to Vannah, "Quick, let's get gas before the blizzard starts again!"....then we got stopped at a stoplight and were worried the blizzard would start back up during the one minute we were detained from turning right into the gas station :)

I gave a devotional at work this morning and, due to some hardships in my own life which seem out of my control to fix....and also losing a good friend this past week to leukemia, I have been thinking a lot about what surrender means....total surrender to God.  I can think it in my mind and determine that I have done it, but my very analytical personality fights against total surrender by thinking "I can think of some way to solve this myself"....and "if I don't fix this, I have failed"...  I am learning (the hard way....but really is there an easy way for me to learn?) that surrender is necessary, that I cannot fix all things and I am not supposed to.  Learning and growth comes out of the failure and the struggle.  I have to want GOD...not for what He can do for me (that is an amazing result of loving HIM)....But, I just have to love HIM in order to glorify HIM....no strings attached to me for my reputation, or pride, or expectations of what my life should look like....I just have to surrender the ME in all of that to the GOD of everything.

Part of the devotional message I used said this:

"True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion.  If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender." 

I was amazed at the highlighted part of that statement....so my intense desire to fix things and to make them right with my loved ones may be hindering GOD'S working with them?  Hmmmm, so it is possible that I can be trying to push open a door or shove open a window that God is not intending to use in this situation and I just need to back off and allow for my loved one's to experience the healing love and grace of God in the middle of their need and maybe...just maybe, God cannot clearly show them their need because I am constantly interrupting with ideas of how to meet their need.....GET OUT OF THE WAY.....ahhhh, why is that so hard!?  God is faithful and true....He will do what He promised.

Way Beyond Myself

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwsykwR0CLM&index=11&list=RD_iEkj8JU5MQ

Karly is MARCHING into reading month as BATGIRL :)  They get to dress up like their favorite superhero today at the elementary school....Danielle isn't too into dressing up...I couldn't convince her, but Karly is all over that!

And, it is weird when life brings crazy coinkydinks....

But, Brad and I went to pick up the newest member of our family last night.....after some deliberation over "Bayou", "La La VAN.....no, wait Moonlight!"  "Blue Streak".....Brad has decided on Dark Knight since he will drive it the most.  He has been wanting to replace our red van and he got a really good deal on this one through connections where he works now.  It actually used to be owned by the funeral home.....I bet you can guess the question I asked him about it.  It is an older model van, but has low miles, so he is hoping this will be the vehicle our girls can use as they learn to drive.

Thankful!