October Fun

This morning, Phoenix and I are driving to Las Vegas to pick Daddy up from the airport. I am delighted, since it's been over a week since I saw Isaac. Then, as of now, he has 2 weeks until he has to leave again on a 10-day show.

Life has been fairly ordinary. Phoenix and I still spend our days outside in the beautiful Fall weather, going for walks and playing fetch with the dogs. Phoenix just recovered from 2 days of a feverish sickness; after extra sleep and snuggle time, he's feeling much better. Now he's back to his stubborn, aggressive self. Wonder where he got that from?

Last weekend we went up to St. George to Staheli Farm. There was a pumpkin patch, corn maze, and petting zoo. Phoenix really enjoyed the animals, particularly the baby goats. He would pull on their tails and giggle when they tried to run away from him. He also loved the corn maze; he would pick up a husk of the dried up corn, try to bite into it, and then throw it and move on to another corn husk. It was a fun day.

I recently got my hair cut and dyed to my natural brown. at first I wasn't used to the new hair, and despaired at how to style it. But now I have really grown into it, and it's a nice change. Bangs are fun and playful, and I love having my hair back to brown. I've had streaks in it since 5th grade! All in all, life is sweet. We're all healthy, provided for, and blessed. Lord, thank You for another day on this earthly home in which to enjoy all that You've given us...

Lord, use my earthen vessel

I had the great privelege of attending Mesquite's first Women's Conference this past weekend. Wow, was I blessed. We worshipped God through our songs, music, reading of His Word, fellowship, and prayer. I know the Lord was glorified. I was blessed to meet some new sisters in Christ who also have little children. Now I know people here! Not as many as my husband, but he grew up here, so he knows almost everyone.

The theme was from 2 Corinthians 4:7 in the Bible: "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God, not of us." I learned a myriad of things. One of them is that I am God's precious workmanship, created by Him to know Him, love Him, and glorify Him. He has given me this treasure, the Good News about Jesus, in my earthen vessel (my body) to share with others. And the best part is that even though I am a weak sinner, and I stumble daily, God still chooses to use me in my weakness, so that He might remind me that it's by His strength I serve Him and through His mercy that I am any good at all.

We have been trying to find a place to rent in Mesquite. We had our eyes on a place, but we waited too long to put in our application and it was taken. My first reaction was to be angry that we had waited so long, but then I recognized the Lord's hand. He is in control of every detail in my life, and He would have given me that house if it was His plan for me. So now I wait on Him and continue looking for the place He wants to give us to live in.

And finally, family news. Phoenix is growing lots of teeth, very painfully and crankilly! Good thing I love him so much. :) Isaac left this morning for a work trip to California, and he gets back Sunday. Not bad, only a 6 day trip. I miss him already. Thank goodness the Lord has promised me "Never will I leave you," otherwise I might get too lonely!

Goodbye Summer, Fall is Here!

We have really enjoyed our summer. It's been the most exciting summer we've ever had, and included the following adventures:

1. We lived in four states- from Utah, to Missouri, to Texas, and now we are temporarily settled in Nevada. We enjoyed the chaos of moving and learned more things than I can tell. If you ever want to learn a lot about life and about yourself, then sell all your furniture and go on an adventure, trusting God as your leader!

2. Phoenix is not a baby, he is a toddler. A year old, not nearly as bald, starting to talk (his latest saying is "Uh-oh!" whenever he drops something). We wait on the Lord to see when He wants us to try for another baby.

3. Isaac has a new job, another sales job, that keeps him travelling. And he is considering becoming a fire fighter. I think it would be a perfect fit for him, since he loves a challenge and has never done well with traditional, 9-to-5 jobs.

I am seeking the Lord's will for our future. In the meantime, I enjoy the present moment and all that God gives us. Living with my in-laws has been such a blessing to my family. We've learned a lot and being with family helps to curb my lonliness when Isaac's gone for work. His latest trip was to Idaho, and it's a ten day trip- YIKES!- so I can look forward to seeing him around 3:00 AM this Monday. I can't wait to hug him and enjoy some time together before his next trip.

Summer has been great, full of change and growth. Fall is here, my favorite season, and the weather is perfect. 70 degrees, a slight Autumn breeze...ahh...the weather must feel like this in heaven!

Letter to Phoenix

I was reading one of my friend's blogs tonight, and she mentioned that she plans to write a letter to her daughter each year for her birthday to tell her about herself and how she feels about her. I decided to adopt this tradition and just finished writing my first letter to Phoenix. Here is an excerpt:

I want to tell you how special you are to me. You have helped Mommy grow up a lot, because I love you more than I love me, so it makes me want to take care of you no matter what. Even if Mommy is tired or sad, I still want to take special care of you and make sure you are happy. I really love to cuddle with you. You aren’t much of a cuddler, since you like to run and play, but when you do lay your little head on my shoulder and snuggle me, it feels like nothing else in the world. I love to take care of you, to feed you when you are hungry and give you a bath when you are dirty.

When Mommy and Daddy wanted to have a baby, Mommy prayed to God about it. I told Him how much I wanted to have a baby, and I asked Him to please give me a baby in my tummy. And God is always faithful. He did choose to give me a baby, and that baby was you! Even when you lived inside of my tummy, and I couldn’t see what you looked like, I was still your Mommy, and I still loved you with all my heart. I could feel you move inside there, and I could hear your heartbeat. I could feel you growing and getting stronger. I couldn’t wait for you to come into the world and be my Phoenix.

I am thankful that God, in His grace and wisdom, created me to be a woman and allowed me to be a wife and mother. I recognize that marriage and children are not a part of God's plan for every one of His children, but He did choose to gift me with a husband and a son. For that, I am eternally grateful, for all that it teaches me and for all the joy it brings me. I delight in the Lord because of His wisdom, His creativity, and His miraculous plans. When I look at Phoenix, I wonder how anybody could doubt the existence of our God.

September is Fun

Isaac celebrated his 24th birthday on September 4th. Wow! My husband is 24 years old, I can't believe it. In a few weeks I will turn 23. As a teenager I dreamed about what life would be like in my twenties. My life is definitely fun, but I never expected things to turn out the way they have. Life is different than I would have thought but better for sure.

Also, my third wedding anniversary was on September 8th. Isaac left for work in California the day before, so we celebrated long distance, which wasn't much of a celebration at all, but we are planning to do something special together soon and make up for missing it. Tonight I am driving with Phoenix to Las Vegas to pick Isaac up from the airport. I'm so thrilled, I haven't seen him for a whole week. We are staying the night in Vegas since his flight gets in so late. I can't wait to see my hubby again and soak him up before he has to leave for another business trip.

Mesquite has been lots of fun. My days are spent chasing after Phoenix and trying to keep him entertained. He enjoys swimming in the backyard and pushing anything with wheels- toys, bicycles, wheelchairs, carts, strollers, ANYTHING with wheels. We are enjoying the Lord's blessings and provision in our life. We may not have our own place to live, but I know God has put us where we are right now for His purposes. I'm enjoying the journey, learning many things, and looking forward to what the Lord has planned for us each day. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord..."Jeremiah 29:11.