Going back to basics

Sometimes you just have to go back to the simple, basic consequences such as writing sentences. After saying, "have better manners" more times than I can count I had this boy write sentences.

"I will work on having better manners."

I'm not sure if the manners will improve but the laugh we all had was worth every letter written.  😊

But, first, remember, remember, remember....

"But, first, remember, remember, remember"....C.S. Lewis

How many times do my interpretations of trials or hard times distort my view of God calling me to Him? Sadly, most of the time this is the case. A trial will hit and I suddenly feel like God has abandoned me or that I have some how done something that has evoked God's wrath.

God has been calling me to remember the paths, the journeys, the battles, and the adventures, that He's sent my way, but He has also been telling me to not dwell on the pain that was involved in so many of those trials. I had 6 years of very poor health and there was a lot of pain involved. The pain wasn't all physical but emotional as well. So many things were affected and even lost during those years. I have now been on my journey to better health for 17 months and though I feel good  physically I have not moved on emotionally. I have been living in the land of "what if's".  I mourn and at times deeply grieve the time lost with my children. I mourn what I lost in my marriage. I mourn over how much was undone in our family during that season.

God has been pressing into my heart that I need to let all that go and move forward. There are no go backs or do overs. We can live in the past and it changes nothing or we can be present in the here and now and move forward making new memories. This is my goal this year. A year of new beginnings. To embrace today and not keep looking back, but to not forget either. Our trials are meant to shape us more into the image of our Lord. We need to remember the pain, the lessons learned, and the refining that took place in our life. We need to focus on what we have gained during our trials. If we look hard enough we will find we did gain something! (I have gained so much compassion towards others that are battling health issues!) Most of all I want a healthy memory of the time I lost with my family. I want that pain to cause me to never take for granted those I love. I want the pain I feel over what I've lost to cause me to realize the preciousness of time and cause me to use the time I have been given more wisely.

This year is going to be filled with many new memories and traditions. I look forward with anticipation to see what the Lord has planned for us!

The Promise Land

Sometimes God calls you out of your comfort zone and into the unknown and takes you on a journey of blind faith. Even though you know the Lord is in it, the journey can still be hard. This has been our journey to Idaho.

We left California just barely over a year ago, though if feels more like years! Three hours into our fifteen hour trip the transmission and motor mount in Jeff and Shyloh's van goes out. That began what would be our forty plus hour journey to our new home.

We arrived in the wee hours of the night and piled into the house. The darkness outside was one we weren't used to coming from living in the middle of the city. We all took our pillows and blankets and found a spot on the floor.

We woke the next morning to a huge rainstorm and cold with a high of 54°. We left 100° weather so the kids had nothing but shorts and sandals. To say we were miserable would be an understatement. The combination of cold, hunger and homesickness was almost more than we could handle. There was serious contemplation of loading up and heading back to our home and all the people we left behind. 

Our trailers with all of our belongings ended up being five days late. When we thought things could not get any worse the stomach flu hit. There were 18 people crammed into a house with only one bathroom. I will leave how bad this was to your imagination. It was bad.

Things were bad on a physical level but on an emotional level they were even worse. We were totally unprepared for how hard this transition was. We really thought that since the Lord opened every door to bring us here that there wouldn't be hardship or pain. And there was lots of both. 

Our first five months were miserable. There was nothing we could do to pull ourselves out of the sadness and depression that Duane and I felt. The loneliness was suffocating. We prayed that the Lord would just open the door for us to go home, but He didn't. If felt like He had turned a deaf ear to us. Our kids all seemed to settle in good. The little ones loved being able to run and explore outside and the older kids enjoyed the slower pace and friendliness of the sweet city we lived in. For Duane and I it was a completely different story. We were every kind of miserable there was. 

At the end of December the Lord gave me a revelation. He showed me that just because He calls us to something and paves the way doesn't mean it will be a cake walk. He called the children of Israel to the promise land and their story was nothing easy. It was a long, hard journey. Likewise with us we knew He called us but that didn't mean that it would be easy. Duane and I had a long talk and decided to do what we always tell our children to do when they didn't have a very good attitude: fake it! Put on a happy face and choose to smile. You don't have to feel happy on the inside but you still need to choose your attitude wisely so you aren't bringing others down with you.
Somewhere over the next couple of months we went from faking it to really meaning it. I can't even tell you the day that I truly felt joy. It just crept in. It was almost as if the Lord was waiting on our attitude to change so He could bless us. Once we chose to find joy and be grateful even in the hard times the Lord led us to a church, brought friends into our lives, and then life started feeling normal again.
We just passed our one year anniversary in Idaho a few days ago. This has been a whirlwind of a year. If the Lord would have showed me where we would be today, even without knowing how the journey to get here would be I would have had a very different attitude in those first hard months. I have learned so much this year about God's grace and what it means to trust Him. We are called to trust Him without knowing the outcome. Just because He calls you to something doesn't mean it will always be easy. He wants to refine us and mold us into His image even if we must endure some pain and discomfort in the process. When you get to the other side you can see the Lord's fingerprints all over.
This year was full of growth and so many graces. We are loving Idaho, the people, the land, and the seasons. Our house isn't quite fitted for a family of our size so that is definitely still a challenge, but overall we are thriving. We are so grateful for where the Lord brought us this year! As we start our second year here in Idaho I find myself excited to see what the Lord does in our life and where we are next year at this time.

MIA and new adventures

I know I've been mia again the last several months. Our sweet Shandie proved to be a challenging baby! Between her, school, and keeping all the many other plates spinning in my life, blogging had to be dropped from things I wanted to do. I can report that the high maintenance baby Shandie once was has been replaced with a delightful, busy toddler!

(This girl is obsessed with climbing up and washing her feet!)

The last few months have taken another interesting turn. Neyville may be relocating to Idaho! While we are still not positive on this, we are hoping it will pan out. Our children dream of a place to run freely, have lots of chickens, and even throw in some goats. Mama dreams of a bit of land to have a beef cow, milk cow, and a garden big enough to actually feed our crew! At this point we are trying to see if we can make it on less income. We will be taking a pretty big pay cut for the first 3 years. We know it is worth the sacrifice but still working out the logistics of this. Which leads me to....

As many already know I have been diligently trying to rebuild and regain my health over the last 6 1/2 years. My body crashed back in March of 09. After working with the medical system for a while with no help and no real answers other than adrenal failure and lots of tests that didn't tell us anything and all they offered was band-aids for symptoms, we started down a natural health journey. I saw several different holistic and alternative health practitioners. While each one offered something different and added another piece to the puzzle of my health, I was still left feeling incomplete. Something was amiss. Nine months ago a sweet friend who had many of her own health challenges started using some products by a company called Plexus. After watching her continue to improve and feel good again I finally reached out and inquired on it. She told me what she was using, but I was a skeptic and just filed it away. After all, I have spent hours upon hours researching, studying, and learning about herbs, homeopathics, and generally anything that had to do with natural healing. I didn't really think a big company could offer something I didn't already know. I was very leery and considered them another "big pharma". Fast forward to a month ago when this friend messaged me and asked if I had researched on Plexus yet. This time I listened. I made a list of all the supplements I took on a regular basis, sixteen in all! I added up what I had spent the last six months on products and was shocked that it totaled around $1100! We have made some very huge sacrifices over the last six years trying to get and keep me healthy! After looking over all the info I signed up to be an ambassador so I could buy my products wholesale. I had no intention of promoting Plexus, but just wanted to be as frugal as I could. Two weeks into it I was so excited with what I was noticing that I caught myself talking and sharing with people who has similar health challenges. It's easy to promote something you believe in and have experienced the improved health from! Yesterday when we heard about Duane's job change and the income loss we would have I made the decision to leave my comfort zone, step out and really do this! I am really excited about this company! I'm so thankful that the Lord brought something into my life to help me! I believe Plexus is those missing puzzle pieces to my health!! Bare with me as I learn and grow in this and share with you as I do!

Multitude Monday

1321. Robes hung side by side

1322. The sound of my husbands snore

1323. Winter vegetable gardens

1324. Gifts waiting to be wrapped

1325. Advent activities

1326. Wee hour nursing with Shandie

1327. Christmas movies

1328. Family Christmas parties

1329. Shredded cheese on a bowl of hot soup

1330. New one year olds!!!

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23