May God Be with All of Us Tonight

I just laid Cooper down for the night.  I said our prayer, like I do every night, but tonight I added something.  I prayed to our Dear Lord for the moms and dads who wouldn't be snuggling their little ones into bed tonight.  I then cried.  I cried a lot.

Why?  Many of us are asking, WHY?  This event hit home a little too much for me.  I have taught kindergarten for the past 4 years.  I have had over 100 5 and 6 year olds come through my room, who depended on me to keep them safe while they were away from their parents.  Me.  Me alone.  What if this would have happened to my class?  I can't even think about it.  It is just so sad.  So wrong.  So very, very wrong.

I will never forget the first lock-down drill I had to experience, as a teacher.  Growing up, we didn't have these types of drills.  Teachers didn't have to worry about a gunman coming into our schools and shooting people...well, at least not in my small little Iowa town.  But up here in the city, in 2004, we had to have a lock-down drill.  My student was in industrial tech at the time.  We were down in the basement, there were no windows.  The teacher and I had to direct the kids to go under their tables.  I remember doing the same and thinking, "What the heck are we doing??  What has the world come to that we have to practice what to do IF someone came into the school with a gun?"  It took everything for me not to cry during this drill, which leads me to believe I may have been a HUGE mess if this happened for real!  It is a moment I will never forget in my teaching career.

My prayers go out to the families who lost children, parents, friends, teachers, today.  My heart goes out to all the children who experienced this dreadful event, one that they never, in their short lives, should have encountered.  I want to do something more, but am unsure of what that is at the moment, so all I will do is pray to our GOOD, GOOD Lord and ask him to wrap his arms around those who lost a loved one today.  God Bless You!!!

BUT GOD

I have been away for awhile.  Life has changed.  Life has changed BIG time!  Some highlights:

1.  We moved

2.  I quit my job

3.  My Pampered Chef business has TAKEN OFF

4.  I am SO HAPPY

5.  I have ZERO stress in my life

Let me reflect a little.  At the beginning of October we found out we were going to have to move.  We had just moved into this home 1 year and 3 months prior.  We were shocked.  But GOD had a plan, and we soon understood that home was a stepping stone for us to get to where HE wanted us!  We moved into Prior Lake.  We are in a neighborhood surrounded by homes with CHILDREN, which means our boys have kids to play with all summer long! We also don't have to worry about mice, which makes me smile!

I have had a flashing, neon sign hanging if front of my face for years.  I could never quite read it, and finally on Tuesday, Oct. 16th, it simply said, "QUIT."  That was that.  God needed me to be done teaching at my school for myself, my husband, my children.  It was time to be at home and take control of the family we were raising.  I LOVED my job of teaching my little kindergartners, but my time at my school was done...as a teacher.  Joey is still there, and being very successful in 3rd grade.  BUT GOD (this was the message from Pastor Bill this weekend...BUT GOD!) has another journey for me right now.  So, I am a stay at home mom and LOVING every minute of it!

My wonderful friend, Sara, got me into Pampered Chef.  It was something to do over the summer and make a little extra money.  Well, when I quit my job, I still had to find X amount of money to bring home.  The LORD has blessed us!  With me already submitting $6600+ in sales for December, and 12 shows on the books for January, God is GOOD!

I can't tell you the last time I was this happy.  I get to spend everyday with Andy and Cooper.  I get Joey to school and pick him up everyday.  I am not getting up at 5:15 am and out the door by 6:45 am with 3 boys, I get to make supper (and not be stressed about what we are having!), I get to go to coffee with great friends, and I still get to see my former students!!  Life is good!  God is good!

My only stress is financial (but whose isn't??), BUT GOD is providing!!

Watch Pastor Bill's sermon on Joseph, and here him talk about BUT GOD!

And this is just a BONUS, but one of my most FAVORITE moments at Hosanna!!

Check out our family session with Tina Vega Photography!

MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!