Blessings and Raindrops

seeking joy in the midst of the ordinary

a weekend away.

There’s this girl I know that is on the crazy about to lose her mind and head straight to the loony-bin path. She may or may not have five separate check-lists on her phone and in notebooks and sticky-notes covering the countertop and the passenger seat of her car. She may stay up way too late every night over-analyzing the aforementioned lists and then drink way too much coffee in the morning to get through the next day in a caffeine-induced stupor.

So, let’s just say that this girl is about to go meet her daughter for the first time on the other side of the planet, send her little baby boys {aka- three-year-olds but they feel way too young to go on a plane without her} on a plane with her parents {no-they’re not going on the plane by themselves, she isn’t that crazy} and is trying to finish a bunch of paperwork that makes her eyes glaze over and causes her too many paperwork-stress-induced m&m binges. Oh, yes, and there are all of these amazing, incredible, generous donations to be sorted through and organized and packed leaving no room for cute outfits and hair dryers for the trip {that is a warning for the once-in-a-lifetime photos of meeting S for the first time…I know I’ll have frizzy hair and we’ll all just have to get over it, okay? okay}.

What is the solution to prevent the looney-bin check-in?

A girl’s weekend. Right smack in the middle of the crazy preparation {any logical person would say that there is no time to get away for the weekend}.

Yet, off this gal went for a full 48 hours of relaxation, laughing into the night, talking through all of the worries and emotions and fears and excitement… with some of her favorite girls for their 13th annual reunion trip in Denver.

This trip was planned long before I knew I was going to the Congo this summer. I debated whether or not to go. I seriously considered canceling many times.

And, I’m so very glad I went. I am back feeling a little lighter and a little less frenzied. As always, these girls lifted me up and reminded me that they have my back. They have always been a support system for me and I couldn’t be more thankful for our time together this past weekend. Even though I didn’t think it could be possible, it was the perfect time for this quick getaway. SO very thankful for each of them.

Because when it comes right down to it, there isn’t a whole lot that cannot be solved with good friends, champagne, guacamole and margaritas. Am I right?

I even got to squeeze in a visit with my pre-school bestie and her sweetie pie daughter. LOVE this little cuddlebug and am so thankful I got to love on her while I was in Denver!!

It was a really fun weekend and I received the BIGGEST hugs and smiles when I got home to my boys. I feel ridiculously blessed and am hitting the paperwork piles with renewed energy today.

Have a great week, all!

provision {spiritual markers}.

I’m human. I tend to forget. Easily.

I forget all that God has done. He has performed some pretty amazing, powerful, supernatural miracles on our journey to our daughter. And, I’m overwhelming grateful. In awe of His goodness. Even still, the fear creeps in. The worry, the doubt.

I need to record spiritual markers along the way. To remind myself of His faithfulness. Reminders to look back upon and rest in truth — He is on His throne and will receive the glory from our family’s story.

One of these reminders can’t be shared just yet. But, when I can tell you this story, you will see His hand in it. He answered a bold prayer in a way that we never imagined.  It was our prayer concerning the month of June. I knew that this month was laid on my heart by the Spirit and I just prayed that God would work in a mighty way. He did. He absolutely did. Oh, I can’t wait to share that story. It is truly incredible.

And, just this past weekend, we learned that {in less than one week!} our fundraiser for the orphans in the DRC was fully funded {we even exceeded our goal}!! We are going to be able to bless His beloved children with full bellies, fresh water and a soft spot to lay their weary heads because of the generosity of so many.

Then, another prayer was answered in an unexpected way. I have been praying about blessing our dear friend, Dr. L, with a vehicle. This would make her life a little easier. This would allow her to visit the orphanages that she serves out of love and compassion more often. This would allow her brother to use the vehicle as a taxi to earn additional income for their family. This would give her the opportunity to minister to many more little hearts in Kinshasa orphanages.

Dave had originally brought up this idea and we only shared with one other person, who joined us in prayer, knowing how this would indeed bless Dr. L and her family.

As the costs for our trip started piling up and the needs for the children were unending, I prayed a simple prayer. I asked God to find a way to provide this for her. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own and I told Him that I wouldn’t mention it to anyone {and I wouldn’t pester Dave about it again :)}. Knowing that if this was something that He wanted for her, He would provide.

And, He did.

An unexpected visitor arrived at our door just two days after I prayed that prayer. With a check to be used as we see fit during our trip that would cover most of the cost of this vehicle. I cried and explained what we wanted to do {this happened right as our fundraiser was fully funded}. Dave and I called Dr. L and told her the news. She cried. We cried. It was incredible. To be a small part of the story God is writing for His children on the other side of this earth is a beautiful, awe-inspiring privilege that I am, often times, unable to grasp.

Sing to God; sing praises to his name. Prepare the way for him who rides through the desert, whose name is the Lord. Rejoice before him. God is in his holy Temple. He is a father to orphans and he defends widows. {Psalm 68: 4-5}

Max.

This weekend was really, really hard. And, it was really, really incredible too. I’m a little overwhelmed by the sorrow and the celebration and how they were so muddled together this weekend.

God was faithful in mighty ways this weekend. I will tell you all about it soon.

Today, I want to share about the sorrow we carried so heavily these past couple of days. We found out early Saturday morning that our best pal, our pup Max, passed away at the Vet’s office {where he was being observed because he wasn’t feeling well}. I think that one of my biggest regrets will now be that we didn’t push back and insist that he come home. The reality that he wasn’t home for his last few days on earth {we brought him in on Thursday thinking he would stay for the day but they wanted him to stay for observation each day and thought he would be able to come home on Saturday afternoon because he was improving each day} is so hard to swallow.

headed to the vet clinic late monday night…

He would have been 10 on November 25th. He had aged and slowed down recently but he was still so full of life and his passing was sudden and unexpected. Dave and I have grieved hard. We have had shed so many tears and have felt like our world was rocked. To be honest, we were both surprised by how heartbroken and grief-stricken we were. Some would say “he was just a dog” but I am telling you that he was so, so much more than that. He was a part of this family and we loved and cherished him.

In February of 2004, Dave and I spotted Max among a litter of little squeaky lab/beagle pups at the animal shelter. He was spunky and had huge paws. We could see right away that he had personality.

I could go on and on about how Max has impacted our lives. I have so many memories that include him…he brought so much joy to our family. He was the first to console me when I was upset. He was the first to jump and cry for joy when we came walked through the door {whether we had been gone for five minutes or five hours}. He loved us fiercely. He loved the boys fiercely and felt it was his duty to protect them. Bedtime has been really hard not having him lay at our feet during stories and snuggle in between the boys’ beds when they lay down for the night.

His presence in our home is missed so much. I don’t have the words today to share more because I’m just tired. I’m sad and still reeling from his loss.

At the little burial we had for our sweet boy, I thanked God for showing us a little more of his heart through Max. He gave us a way to see selflessness, unwavering love and devotion and joy in action.

This afternoon, the boys wanted to read “Clifford, the Big Red Dog” again and they always like we when change Clifford’s name to “Max.” During the story, Ben stopped me and said, “Mommy, Max isn’t here anymore. He is in Heaven with Grandma.”

Oh, sweet boy. My eyes welled up again with the tears that seem unending. I believe he is right. God promises that Heaven will be a perfect place and I couldn’t imagine it without our Max welcoming us with his wagging tail and unending kisses.

just for fun.

dave has a reward program through one of the suppliers he uses and he is able to purchase all sorts of random things with the reward points. so, the other day, we got a new pocket sized point-and-shoot camera for our trip {i decided not to bring my pro camera because it is big, bulky and heavy} that can shoot photos and video. this will save me the hassle of carrying my bigger camera and we can take video of important moments.

{being a photo-crazed; document-every-moment type of momma, i’ve been stressing out a little about the camera situation for our trip. i really want beautiful images of our time there but i’m nervous about bringing a ton of photo equipment for safety reasons AND i don’t want to waste precious space in our luggage}.

i tried out the point-and-shoot and, although i wasn’t overly impressed based on the rave reviews and high price tag {i only “bought” it because we were using reward points}, it will do the job.

this boy’s a mess!
can you tell we had to get creative in fedex today?! VISA applications are on their way to DC!!

i also ordered a new lens for my camera. i decided on a 28mm lens because i’ve been eyeing them for a while. and, i needed one for photos of the houses dave builds {so we can finally get his website up and going…he is a pen & paper type of guy and hasn’t seen the need for a website before now}. so, i tested the lens out on the boys this afternoon and have decided that i love it. best free purchase EVER. 🙂

trip lans are coming together!! shots are done. prescriptions are filled. visa applications are in the mail. embassy appointment is requested. flights for the boys and my parents are booked. our flights are booked. donations are ready to be packed. this is feeling real!!!!