Days 354 - 365 The Omega! The End!

Well, y'all...this is the End of my one-year journey to rediscover God and His will for my life and my family. What an amazing year it has been, to say the least.

Thank you, Father, for guiding us and leading us...thank you for my husband's salvation, for job security (as much as they CAN be secure), for healthy children, a marriage still intact, and our new church friends.

Thank you, as well, that I got a 92% on my first ever theological class assignment towards becoming a Biblical Counselor.

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My family and I spent the last seven or eight days camping along the Clark Fork River and vacationing in our new 1968 Shasta travel trailer. We had a blast spending time together as a family. Well, almost all of us had a blast. My teenager had a "good" time, but she would rather be hanging with her friends...or her first boyfriend ever, "Logan." But the rest of us thoroughly enjoyed our family time camping, swimming, and visiting the sights of Montana: Garnet Ghost Town, Huckleberry picking in the mountains, and attending a 2-day outdoor Christian Concert in Great Falls called "Downpour," where we got to see David Crowder Band and The Afters play.

Yes, it's been a blessed year-long journey, and I am SO thankful and appreciative of the way in which God has led us.

Praise Your name, Lord Most High, for guiding, leading, and forgiving this family! Amen.

Isaiah 25:1:

Oh, Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness, You have done marvelous things!

Day 353 - Naturopath?

Ha Ha Ha! This cartoon is silly. But I'm dead serious about taking my middle daughter to visit a local naturopath.

Middle daughter has been suffering from migraines and vomiting for a while now. I thought she kept getting some type of flu bug, or food poisoning, but now I realize it's all the result of migraines. For an 11-year-old girl to suffer with migraines is unacceptable.

I've called a local naturopath to get her in for a consultation. I'll have to pay full price for the visit since it's not covered with my State health insurance. But I don't care. I refuse to medicate the problem. I want to know what the root cause is, and how to proceed from there.

Naturopaths work with natural remedies to help cure a physical ailment. They will delve into the root problem and find a natural solution that works. I can't wait. However much it costs, my child is worth it to me!

It might actually get my own foot in the naturopath's door. I'm not too far off from menopause, and I know I want to treat this naturally and without synthetic hormones. As for my toddler, I'm nervous and skeptical about all of the new immunizations out there, so the naturopath can help me maneuver this maze.

Thank you, Lord, for nature and the natural ways it heals. Amen.

Days 348 - 352 Journey to Northern Idaho

My husband, middle daughter, and I traveled six hours one way to Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, near the Canadian border. We went north up to the top of Montana, and then over to Idaho. It was a beautiful trip full of dense, lush forests, wildlife along the road, and cold glacial lakes dotting the two-lane highway.

We stopped at a scenic park near Libby, Montana, that has the oldest and largest cedar trees in America, sorta like the Redwood Forests out along the West Coast. Huge, massive, looming cedar trees that tower over the large mountains. We saw evidence of black bear (scat along the way) but thankfully no grizzlies to be seen, although we were smack in the middle of grizzly territory.

We stayed the night in a cute little lodge in Bonner's Ferry, enjoyed a bit of a relaxing hot tub before bedtime, and then curled up and slept hard. Woke the next morning bright and early and made our way to a sweet little cafe run by Mennonites, which brought back memories of my childhood and growing up among the Amish. Bought some homemade apple butter, enjoyed a homemade breakfast with strong coffee, and then drove down the road a short ways to pick up our new 1968 Shasta Starflyte camper that sleeps the whole family. Needs some work, but nothing we can't handle.

On our return home to Helena, we drove South towards Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and then over to Missoula and home again. But this time, although we were on Interstate, we were stuck in construction and stop and go traffic. It took us an additional two hours of travel time! Finally arrived home at 9:00 p.m., parked the camper, did a few last minute before-bed things, and crashed at 10:30 p.m.

I was worried before we left that there would be some terrible accident and I would leave my children behind. Thankfully, I have a few wonderful friends who prayed for our safe travels, and continued to pray throughout our day. We pulled that heavy camper over three mountain passes in nearly 100-degree heat. We only stopped a few times to gas up, use the restroom, and continue on our way.

At one point, traffic was at a standstill as we came flying over a hill at 70 mph. We would've hit the travelers in front of us had there not been an off-ramp at that precise moment. My husband swerved and took the off-ramp, avoiding colliding with the stopped traffic in front, as well as avoiding us getting rear-ended by the traffic behind. Apparently, we saw, a camper trailer was traveling too fast and had overturned in the Interstate, spewing the contents of the camper for a good half mile.

At another point, on the return trip, a semi-truck full of boards of wood spilled a few boards in the highway in front of us. We would've hit these boards directly, but my husband was able to swerve into the passing lane to avoid that near catastrophe. Again, had there been someone in the lane next to us, we would've been forced to hit the boards head-on at 70 mph.

So the Lord was with us, for sure. His angels protected us and kept us safe from harm. No overheating engine, no blown-out tires, and no accidents. Thank you, ladies, for praying, and thank you, Father, for watching over us.

We leave for our week-long camping vacation on Monday, so that gives me a few weeknights as well as the weekend to scrub up the camper and pack it for our family fun! We visited our camp site on the way home last night. The river is low enough that our girls can walk upriver and float down to our site in innertubes without any danger. The mosquitos, however, are awful. We also noticed that about 1/2 mile down the road from our camp site is a beautiful little pond for swimming and relaxing at the edge. There's a tiny little island in the middle of it for the girls to swim to and play on. As well, there will be a county fair in the area, so we will pack up the children and spend some time at the county fair.

I want to thank the Lord for selling our previously-owned camper so quickly and for full asking price. Wow. I am still amazed at how God works in our lives.

When I was in Bonner's Ferry, I was so jealous of the lives these Mennonite women lead. They are the caretakers of their children and home. They bake, they craft, they can foods together, and they take care of their husbands.

I think my next blog will be about asking the Lord to allow me to stay at home with my family and do the same. I have a strong desire for this. We shall see...

Day 347 - Fabulous Year

It's been a fabulous year, all in all. yes, there were some pretty difficult times, but some pretty fabulous times, too.

I really can't believe how the Lord has led us these past 11 and a half months!

I am looking forward to my upcoming weekend. We will be traveling to northern Idaho - near the Canadian border - to purchase that travel trailer I discussed in yesterday's blog. Well, I might go. I still haven't decided.

Today was a great day at work. I accomplished quite a bit.

This afternoon, I had to leave for about a half hour to run some items to my daughter, who was stuck at an outdoor practice with no water, no sunscreen, and no sunglasses. At first, I clucked at going. I'd have to use some vacation time to run to her. But then my mothering instinct kicked in and I drove home for the necessary items and dropped them off for teenage daughter.

She was so thankful, she actually stopped by my office with two yummy, sweet donuts as a special "thank you."

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I am wondering if I'd like to continue with a different blog at the conclusion of this year. Maybe something where I ask God to use me and my husband...and see where He leads? Maybe God will lead us to Wyoming, or maybe to Tanzania...but more probable than not, He will keep us here in Montana where we can raise our children and serve in the little everyday things we do for others.

Micah 6:6-8:

"But God has told us what is good. This is what the Lord wants from us: "You must be fair to other people," God says. "You must want to be kind. You must be careful to do what I've told you."

I think maybe I'll keep a prayer journal, as well.

Day 346 - A new Retro camper!

She's a 1968 Shasta Starflyte...and she's our new family recreational vehicle! She needs a bit of a scrub and maybe some fresh paint, and the interior could use some bleach and fresh paint and curtains, but I am rather thrilled with out soon-to-be camper that sleeps 5.

I was getting rather tired of using our compact camper that only sleeps 2 adults (3 children, LOL), and taking along the tent for my husband and me to sleep in. I was actually okay sleeping in the tent...until my husband woke one night startled at the sound he was hearing just outside our tent flaps. I thought we were going to get mauled by a grizzly bear right then and there! I nearly wet myself. And the rest of the night, I didn't sleep a wink.

So with this newer, larger retro camper, we can ALL sleep inside the camper. No need to fear the grizzlies in this!

We'll be traveling to Bonners' Ferry, Idaho, up near the Canadian border, on Sunday. We'll pick up our new family member and drive the 6 hours back to Helena. It should be a beautiful trip! Mountains and lakes...territory I've never seen in Idaho before.

I'm looking forward to having this new camper so we can now go to Yellowstone and Glacier to camp. Couldn't before. Can't camp in a tent in grizzly country. Well, you CAN...but you shouldn't.

Thank you, Lord, for leading us to this gem of a recreational vehicle! I am thrilled! My girls are thrilled! My husband is thrilled! I look forward to spending more family time camping in God's Country.

Day 345 - Nearly A Night Off

Last night, after working all day, I arrived home to chili cooking on the gas stove. My husband had the day off, and he had decided to make some dinner.

As well, he decided to take two of my three children to a local baseball game to give me the night off. Thankfully, my toddler boarded the SUV and went to the game, so I was really looking forward to putting my feet up and watching a chick flick by myself...in peace and quiet.

My middle child was lying on the downstairs couch with a tummy ache and headache. She was asleep, so I ran up the stairs to my room with my netbook, logged onto Netflix and chose the perfect drama movie. I had just finished loading it when my daughter ran up the stairs shouting, "I'm going to throw up!"

I sighed, pressed "pause," and followed her into the bathroom to rub her back and be a good mommy. She's old enough to know when that feeling strikes, and sure enough, she was ill. "Mommy, pull my hair back!" It's a yucky job, but a good Mama will press through the ordeal with a steel stomach and a gentle hand.

Then it was over, and I had to help wash her up and prepare a makeshift bed on the bathroom floor. There were tears, so I sat beside her and rubbed her and cooed softly to her.

And then I bolted back to my bedroom, threw my feet up onto my bed and hit "play" on the computer screen.

I spent a marvelous hour and a half watching a romantic drama. Ahhhhhhhhh! And I even had 25 minutes left over, so I checked on my daughter who was sleeping on the cool bathroom floor, then jumped back into bed and fell asleep.

It was dark by the time my husband and two other children came banging through the front door, wildly excited and chatty about the baseball game.

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Lord, thank you for my stolen time by myself last night. I don't get that luxury very often, and when I do, I am SO thankful for it! Amen.

Days 342 - 344 Twenty Days To Go!

I only have about 20 days to go with my one-year journal. I can't believe a year has gone by this quickly!

I wonder where God will lead in the next year? I am considering doing another year journal, focusing on finding my mission in life and my husband's mission in life. Maybe we'll end up in Puerto Rico...or Jamaica? Who know! Or maybe we'll end up right where we are and doing the same thing we're doing right now?

Anyhow, this morning as I prayed, I asked God to lead my husband and me. I told God I wasn't sure if working full-time and being a business woman was the ideal He had for me, especially since I'm raising three children and time is so precious with them. I told God how I wished I could be available to the church more, but that as it stands now, I am so busy with work and family that I really don't have the time.

So we'll see where God leads in the next year. He has worked mightily this past year...I can't imagine the next would be anything less.

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This past weekend was, as usual, a whirlwind of work around the home and extra duties, such as repainting and repairing our 1960s camper. It only sleeps 2 comfortably, so my husband and I would like to sell it and get something that sleeps 4 or 6. We have quite a few years left with our middle and youngest children, so it really is something needed for our budgeted vacations.

We had a crazy man, strung out on drugs and alcohol, invade our yard this past Saturday. He had a shaved head with sweat pouring out of every pore, his eyes were huge and crazy looking, and he was wildly waving his arms and running zig-zag through the neighborhood. He spotted me kneeling in our grass in the front yard and came at me. Thankfully, the children were in the back yard. I thought this man had been shot, or stabbed. I screamed for my husband, who came running to the front yard to find out what the commotion was all about. Crazy man tried to run into our home! I called 9-1-1, and crazy man took off down the street, screaming and wildly waving his arms and yelling for help. He nearly accosted the neighbor man who was peacefully push-mowing his front yard.

My other guy neighbors heard the commotion and came running out in their bare feet. They chased crazy man nearly 4 blocks. I followed crazy man, too, hoping he wouldn't hurt a child wherever he was heading. One of my neighbors who chased him on foot eventually tackled crazy dude to the ground. We waited for police.

Police came and recognized this strung-out male and even had a nickname for him. They placed him on his stomach and cuffed him, then called for an ambulance.

I have never seen Satan face to face, but the terror and fear and hate in this crazy man's eyes was definitely Satanic. It was so scary, in fact, that I had nightmares about it the next night.

I can't believe what our neighborhood and city is becoming. I am actually frightened at times to be in my own yard. I am frightened for my older girls who stay at home alone during the summer time.

Well, thank the Lord that crazy man did not harm me. He could've easily overtaken me and hurt me seriously, as strung out as he was.

Thank the Lord that crazy man didn't hurt anyone else in his rampage through our neighborhood. Amen.