I Live in a House Full of Clowns

Quips from Jared's Facebook:

Jared David was playing the piano, I'm learning something new and so it didn't sound that good...my little brother walked into the room and watched for a minute and then said, "Oh thank goodness, it's just Jared playing the piano, we thought a donkey was in the house."

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Today....

Mike was able to Skype with us quite a few times. He arrived three hours EARLY in OR. Not a bad start to a separation.

I pulled out Step into Fitness by Becky Tirabasi. I realized that I first did this thing 19 years ago....and today my knees creaked when I did it. I certainly am not going to be able to do that 6 days a week. LOL Friends loaned us an exercise bike which proudly sits in the living room. I get a harder workout with something like the video - but my knee doesn't ache as much with the bike. I'll alternate.

We had a good day of school.

Piano lessons went well. Olivia came along and that play date was just about right for Stacia.

We had a pancake dinner and I told the kids Lent was beginning...but I'd missed the REAL pancake day...since all of you are just about to wake up and celebrate - it worked. LOL I've not really been led to fast any differently during Lent than I do year round. When I start hearing folks saying they are giving things up for Lent, I start feeling, "I WANT TO GIVE SOMETHING UP TOO." I had a V8 moment. It's fairly obvious what we're called to give up for Lent this year....Michael. ::snort:: I'm sure God will continue to speak to me about how He'd have us best focus on His death and resurrection. This also means it's time to prepare for PASSOVER.

We ran out of time to read about Nate Saint today, but we did have family time and a piece of chocolate.

Kids are in bed, floor is swept and mopped, bathroom is clean, downstairs is dusted....I'm ready for a busy Thursday.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

This book is AWESOME! There, I gushed. ::snort::

Joshua Harris has succeeded in writing a primer on orthodox doctrine and theology in Dug Down Deep: Unearthing what I believe and why it matters. Theology - the study of God. Doctrine - Teachings of the gospel. These are things that EVERY Christian should know and be concerned about. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Josh has written a book that is EASY to read (and many theology books aren't), is sound, is rock-solid and personal.

I loved Joshua's honest sharing of his journey with God. I wholeheartedly agree with his premise that orthodoxy, doctrine and theology matter! However, more than having it right, we need to apply what we know! We need to be more concerned about "getting it right" and "living it right" ourselves, than we are about judging others' orthodoxy. Josh brings these points home.

I planned to share extensive quotes, but after listening to my thoughts on this book, Mike packed it. I plan to have all my children read this book. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy to giveaway, but this book is well-worth the price to have in your home library.

Author Bio: Joshua Harris is senior pastor of Covenant Life in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which belongs to the Sovereign Grace network of local churches. A passionate speaker with a gift for making theological truth easy to understand, Joshua is perhaps best known for his runaway bestseller, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, which he wrote at the age of twenty-one. His later books include Boy Meets Girl, Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is), and Stop Dating the Church. The founder of the NEXT conferences for young adults, Joshua is committed to seeing the gospel transferred to a new generation of Christians. He and his wife, Shannon, have three children.

This book is on my 2010 Reading List.

Disclaimer: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. I receive no payment, other than the book, for posting this review. If you'd like more information, click the link in the sidebar.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

He's Off....

From 2010-02-16_mike flies

I think I've spent a lifetime lagging behind at airports. ::snort:: There was a bit of drama when we arrived at the AMC terminal.

"Major G, is that you?"

We were congratulating ourselves for arriving 20 minutes early, only to find out they'd moved the time up 1 1/2 hours and the message hadn't reached Mike. LOL

From 2010-02-16_mike flies

Stacia was VERY preoccupied with making sure that Mike knew...." it's time for a last hug."

From 2010-02-16_mike flies

I do think it is good that Michael is coming home for a few days in March. I know it will be tough to say goodbye all over again, but it does two big things: 1. Let's me pretend this is not a long trip at all, and 2. Let's Stacia see that Dad leaves and Dad comes back before Mike's more extensive travels.

I have been tasked by Michael to keep a list of everything I think of that we've not done yet and he'll take care of it in March....and the list is growing.

Has Arielle been driven to chocolate at Mike's departure?

From 2010-02-16_mike flies

At MOPS a few months back, Melissa shared that they have a candy jar that starts full and goes down as the days near for Dad's return. I thought this sounded like much more fun than a paper chain. Of course, I think Melissa waits until near the end of the countdown....but we wanted to count the whole thing down....we figured a nice little chocolate after family circle would be a great way of bringing Dad into our family prayer....but um.....

From 2010-02-16_mike flies

THIS is enough for each of us to have a piece nightly until he returns in a month....to do 200 days...well....honestly....I'm going to either have to make the kids share chocolate, get smaller chocolate OR buy a 25 gal aquarium!

We are brainstorming about various ways to count time: weekly celebrations, various places we want to visit, and ways to surprise Mike in the upcoming months. We'd love to hear your ideas. Our Flat Daddy is at the base's media shop...they said it would take two weeks...humph! BUT they were very impressed with the size (20 x 27) and the quality of the photo. LOL

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Savoring (and packing ::snort::)

We've spent the past couple of days simply savoring each moment we have together. How strange that it takes an upcoming separation to really slow down and savor....to laugh about the snoring, reach for hands more often when running errands, hug and cuddle more often, silly little glances, snuggling close to hear the heartbeat you won't hear for a bit of time....savoring. One of the joys of deployments; a new awareness of how much you truly do mean to each other.

We are staying up late to watch Star Wars; a special, special treat for the kids.

Tomorrow, we begin our "deployment trial" as Mike leaves for a month. He'll be home mid-March for a bit more time and then the real thing. Our goal in the next month is to find all the little things we've not thought of and take care of them before the real thing. We've never had the luxury of a trial run before. ::snort::

One of the fun things about these trips are the new toys Michael brings home!

From 2010-02-15

From 2010-02-15

Nah, I won't get preachy - but - (ah shoot; I'm a teacher,I have to get preachy) if you have the luxury of keeping your spouse home, why not pretend you have a long separation coming up and see if you can't savor a bit of the fun without the parting?

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

26 Years & All of Japan is Celebrating With Us....

Twenty-six years ago today, I married my best friend.

From 2010-02-14

We had a great day. To do it justice, I'll have to write it up later.

Twenty-six years later....

From 2010-02-14

From 2010-02-14

Snow...fireworks...and a new cultural experience. It just doesn't get any better than this.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Saturday Sledding

I have a FANTASTIC husband!

Mike took the kids out sledding and told me to go to bed. I was on Day 3 of a migraine, which started with Jared's science experiment. I hadn't had time to sleep it off and the meds were having limited success. I agreed, with the understanding that they'd take lots of photos.

From 2010-02-13

They headed to this great hill on the base. We were a bit sad when we couldn't find "sleds" earlier in the season, but this snow mover has proven to be wonderful fun.

From 2010-02-13

Mike finds the size to be a bit limiting. Jared commented that watching Mike slide down the hill was "like watching a giraffe do the things giraffes do."

From 2010-02-13

This is the photo that made all wish they'd had video running.

From 2010-02-13

As the story goes, Stacia, Zander and Arielle were sliding down the hill. They hit a bump and Stacia flew out. She continued holding on to the sled and the sled went over the top of her.....with Arielle commenting, "One minute Stacia was there and the next all I saw were her arms under the sled." Since no one got hurt, and it really was funny to see, we enjoyed a good laugh.

From 2010-02-13

Stacia got back on the sled and the day ended well. She told me ALL about the day several times when they arrived home.

Mike came home with lasagna and garlic bread to throw into the oven. Shew. What a blessing.

Choosing Joy!
©2010 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...