Old Time Fun...

Emma was invited to a classmates 5th birthday party....roller skating at the local roller rink! Yes, that's right, they're still around, at least in Texas. I was amazed at how many people were there...but we had a great time. Emma skated, or tried to, for the first time, and I brought my own skates from years ago. Emma spent most of her time "skating" on the carpet and I was out on floor. It brought back so many memories from growing up at the roller rink in Cypress, CA. Emma was a little overwhelmed by the loud music and all the people...but now she wants lessons.

You can't really see me in this picture, but I'm there skating. It was really funny because this kid skates up to me and says, "How do you skate in those?" (I had the four wheel skates) and I said when I was his age, they didn't make the in-line ones yet (at least I don't think they did). His response, "Wooooo. Really. That's weird."

I think I'm getting old.

Resting...

I've just recently received two emails from people who have either a family member or close friend dealing with cancer, and both families have small children. It really makes your heart heavy and sometimes hard to process..I too have a close friend whose been dealing with breast cancer at the age of 38, with 2 small children. She's recently had surgery and God has been good to them, though she still has more chemo and radiation ahead of her. I'm proud of her and how she's remained focused on God's plan for her life.

When I think about my desire to move back to California, or go back to school for my master's degree, it seems so minimal to what these families are facing. I may not be physically near my family, but I still have the opportunity to see and talk with them. So, as I rest and wait for God to reveal His timing for my desire, I pray, and rest with these two families as they start this emotional and weary process of fighting cancer...or recovering from cancer.

Psalm 37:7
Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him...

It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our life. Our faith will be a tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trail without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us. - Charles Spurgeon

I will chose to wait with joyful anticipation...

What's a $1.81?

.....the gas at Costco in Spring, Texas. Boy howdy!

One Day at a Time...

Do not worry at all then about tomorrow. Tomorrow can take care of itself!...
Matthew 6:34

Well, the election is over, and it certainly didn't go the way I had planned. However, now I need to move forward and trust that God is in control. He knew how this was going to turn out, so I need to have faith and not worry about tomorrow.

When I read my devotion for the day, I was amazed at what I read...the timing could not have been more perfect.

"...there is great relief in recognizing afresh that our lives are in the Lord's hands. We need to live today as much as we can to the glory of God...the Lord invites us to release our burdens into His care...how freeing it is to let go of our anxiety about the "what-ifs" of our lives and focus instead on seeking His kingdom and His righteousness...make the best use of your time, despite all the evils of these days. Don't be vague, but firmly grasp what you know to be the will of the Lord" (excerpt from Abiding in Christ by Cynthia Heald).

Fall Festival...

On Halloween, we went to the Fall Festival at church and we all had a great time with our friends.

Emma's milking the cow...

The girls all dressed up. We had a fairy, Tinker Bell and two Dora's.

The girls tried their hand at square dancing. It was so cute!

Emma and daddy in the fire engine.

Going for a train ride.

Art Project...

Emma's preschool decorated pumpkins the other day and I thought they turned out so cute, I had to share.

It's a Party...

Last Sunday, we had Emma's birthday party and decided to have it at our home. So, I put Barry in charge of entertainment, since he's better at that than I am. He even had some parents ask if he'd come do their child's party...the pictures are a little out of order, but you get the idea.

Emma with her gifts. We had her open them after everyone had left, the party was from 2-4 and we had just enough time to finish all the activities.

Pucker up!

Cupcake Tree. She wanted red icing because, as of right now, red is her favorite color.

Uniqua was the pinata and they all had a great time with that. This is one of Emma's friends and I thought this was such a great action shot.

There's the birthday girl taking a swing.

Friends hanging out...in the heat. It was around 83 degrees!

We had 12 kids (all girls) and it all went really well. We had pizza, painted rocks, did a bean bag toss, pop the balloon game, pinata, cupcakes, and then decorated the rocks. Turning 5 has been a pretty big deal for Emma. She's all into "I'll do it myself," which we are fine with. She's growing up.