Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows.....

Ahhh sunshine...ahhh cool breezes....ahhh the sound of ANOTHER episode of Home Improvement blaring from the family room as our youngest watches it for the millionth time...Home Improvement I mean, not the episode. He just moseyed out the back door to inform me that he just had a GREAT idea! We could buy him an XBox 360 for a graduation present! Oh man, that kid is such a brainiac! haha!

It has been a really busy weekend. Yesterday Ryans longtime girlfriend, Bri, mentioned that I hadn't blogged since last week! She even had the day right! I was sitting here at the table out on our back deck, becoming engrossed in my 5th Stephanie Plum/Janet Evanovich novel when I decided I would write a blog today! It just had to hit me! No, I dont have anything profound to say although I am sure I could stir something up from the recesses of my mind!

Saturday John worked on the church all day with a crew of guys roofing the building. It has been such fun for me to see the sparkle in his eyes when he comes home from working hard like that and combining work with a bunch of men who love the Lord. They laugh, joke around, poke fun at each other and just enjoy the company of other men who have a heart to serve God and His people. I will try to stop by there for some pictures for those of you who read this and like to see the changes. The sanctuary is HUGE, GINORMOUS, AWESOME and INCREDIBLE! It really is pretty dang cool and with 17 foot ceilings, the accoustics are gonna rock!(as I write this, Aaron is pawing through my flower bed looking for a lost yellow practice golf ball! hat backwards and some awfully horribly stained shorts, like I said...) Yesterday we had our "usual" church service at the elemiddle school. We are still adjusting to that place and the way it feels. It just so happened that the school moved up the date that they wanted to wax the floors so we had to load up 200 or so chairs, all the sound equipment, the musical equipment, and fellowship stuff. Its a good thing we are mobile and prepared and its a good thing about 30 people stayed afterward to help us. Now we will be trying out church outside for the next couple of weeks. Oughtta be interesting! We got home and Ryan and Bri had promised to spend the day with us since we rarely see either one of them and after John got the worship planned, we sat around outside and just visited. It was so nice. Bryce and Kales came over with Lu and we all enjoyed the sun and good conversation. Later on Jesse Pattison came over and sat with John and talked for a long time, we ate supper and then John built a fire, justifying the eating of smores and oreo's and ice cream! yum! Funny story about Oreos. Last week Ryan brought home a brand new package of cookies, with only 3 gone. A few days later, he went to get into his Oreo box and every one of them were gone! As he looked at them he said, "MOM! someone ate all my oreos!" "oh, sorry buddy," I sheepishly grinned, "that was me!" Yep, I ate the entire box!! So I promised him a box to replace the one I munched down and yesterday Bryce, Kales, and Bri went to the store and got more oreos and some ice cream! Alexis showed up in the middle of this melee (yes, this is how it is at our house almost ALL the time) and we just had a downright good time! I walked in the house at one point and Bri and Kales were stuffing their faces with Ryans oreos!!!! He so busted them! Good thing too, I think they were gonna blame it on me!!!

I love times like this. Those times when we literally wring every single minute out of the day. At one point Bryce played his guitar and sang the song he wrote for the contest he is in. It totally choked me up as I listened to the words! I looked around at these people that I love so much and listened to them talking to each other, laughing, teasing, making fun of each other, grossing each other out and I thought, Thank you Lord, for this family! For the people who seem to flow around in and out of my life who bring such blessing, such humor, such love! I am so very grateful. I love constancy as much as anyone. I love the familiar. Right now I am in that phase of my life I think, what with my recent visit to see my dad and spending 9 days in a car with my sisters. I am looking at who I am and where I came from in a whole new way. I wonder if my kids do that? I see the awesome constants in my life in a whole new way. My sisters, who have always been there, I literally have never known a day without them and they are my staunchest allies and some of my biggest fans! My friends, new and old. Ones who have been in my life for almost half my life, seen me at my very very worst and know my ugliest secrets and love me anyway and some who are kindred spirits in every way, laughing at the same things for the same reasons! My amazing husband, who definitely deserves a medal for being married to me this long and sticking with me through all the times of heartache, anguish, struggle and just plain tough times plus all the awesome, fun and amazing times. He has made me laugh when I thought I couldn't and made me so angry I thought I could literally strangle him, sometimes all in the same day! He is a man with the heart of a warrior and I have incredible respect and admiration for him and his willingness to change, to struggle, to grow and be teachable. My kids, as I said, who just plain blow my socks off with their wisdom, their maturity (and sometimes their immaturity), their sense of humor and the confidence they carry in their hearts. I count their significant others as my kids and I love them so much too. These girls and Bryce, have blessed me so much, taught me so much and made my heart ache for them as I watch them struggle with life. God is so good! I cannot even begin to figure out why we have been so blessed!!!

So, I continue to sit here, a cup of coffee at my elbow and once again Home Improvement blaring out the door, Aaron gave up on finding the golf ball, even after soliciting my help for a few minutes. I think I will go back to my book after checking on the fish I just introduced into the pond (the mosquitos were thriving too much). Life is good....I wonder what I will make for dinner?????

Have a good one guys!