big girl panties- check!

i woke up this a.m. "put my big girl panties on, and got on with it."

surprise the kids with the annual first day of school breakfast- check!

read scripture and pray with the kids- check!

model new converse (or "congers" as josie likes to refer to them)- check!

get first day of school photos taken with the school photographer (a.k.a daddy)- check!

take the boy to school-check!

think about him when he had his first day of preschool-check! (probably should have sterred clear of this one).  

(i give you permission to laugh at my BIG hair and the what-was-i-thinking outfit!)

waterproof mascara-check!

sunglasses-check!

swim-goggles (in case sunglasses aren't enough)-check!

GINORMOUS chocolate bar (if swim-goggles aren't enough)-check!


ready or not let him go, and trust the One who goes before him-check, check, CHECK!

 

ready or not, here HE comes

noah starts school in 2 days.

i'm not ready.

i cry to God, " i'm not ready."

He tenderly reminds me of other times i said i wasn't ready...

i wasn't ready to leave my hometown and move to these mountains for what i though was one summer 17 years ago (i met michael that summer, and have been here ever since)

i wasn't ready 1 month before our 1st wedding anniversary, 23 years old, holding a positive pregnancy test,  

when noah was 14 months old, i was absolutely NOT ready for his new baby sister to join our family (and on top of that 7 weeks early).

i wasn't ready when each of my children took their first steps, slept in big beds, began kindergarten, stayed with g-ma for a weekend, swam in the deep end, went to camp for two weeks...

and i will in NO WAY  be ready when they go to high school, drive, graduate, go to college, leave my nest. 

God gently points out that i may never be ready, and that is okay, because HE is.

"Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it IS GOD who determines his steps."

God asked me to look back, and hope forward...

to look back and see His faithfulness (i could not write enough blog posts to share all the ways He has been faithful), and to hope forward, trusting His plan...

because ready or not, here He comes.

in 2 days noah WILL GO to school.  he will walk away from me, into a class of 30 jr. highers, and into his (HIS) future.
 

It's only for a moment you are mine to hold

The plans that heaven has for you

will all too soon unfold

So many different prayers I'll pray

For all that you might do

But most of all I'll want to know

You're walking in the Truth

And if I never told you

I want you to know

As I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams

And that faith gives you the courage

To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

So let my love give you roots

And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind

That leads you through your days

And may conviction keep you strong

Guide you on your way

May there be many moments

That make your life so sweet

Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God will fill your heart with dreams

And that faith gives you the courage

To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

So let my love give you roots

And help you find your wings

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky

I'll have tears as you take off

But I'll cheer as you fly

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams

And that faith gives you the courage

To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

So let my love give you roots

And help you find your wings

By Mark Harris

beach play & a bit of "porkacheese"

if reading from facebook, visit here to see complete post with videos.

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We interrupt the regular scheduled vlogging to announce this message: 

roller coaster of love

after camping in san simeon for two nights we headed north along the pacific ocean to our next camp sight, new brighton beach (near santa cruz, and the santa cruz beach boardwalk). 

WARNING! 

wear earplugs while watching the following videos. failure to wear earplugs may result in one of the following symptoms: hearing change or loss, general discomfort, vertigo, an intense need to purchase me a life time supply of ear plugs, an urgency to pray for my sanity, uncontrollable laughter (second video), and incontinence (from the uncontrollable laughter as a result of watching the second video). 

after watching the second video josie asked me if that's what i looked like when i was in labor? i'm guessing, yes, and i'm sure i shouted "i want off, i want off, i want off!"

f.y.i.  during the summer, on monday and tuesday evenings after 5:00, the santa cruz beach boardwalk's rides, hot dogs, soda, and cotton candy can each be purchased for $1.

camping corniness

i miss you blog friends.

i survived our camping trip.  i battled the frizzy hair blues, tent living, campfire smoke smelling, and 30 degree below zero temps (i might be exaggerating a tad), by inhaling  2 s'mores per day (i might be under exaggerating a tad).

time away from everyday luxuries- hairdryer (i hugged it when i got home. really), non coin operated showers, my cozy bed, internet, t.v., wii, work, and daily responsibilities (which right now are a lot as we are gearing up for a busy school year which begins next week) gave us much time to take each other in.

soaking each other up and making memories is the only part of camping that i enjoyed more than s'mores (i'm not exaggerating at all this time).

now go pop yourself some jiffy-pop popcorn, and enjoy these pix and clips from the first two days of our trip.

josie modeling the latest in camping wear