Misc life stuff....

Well first let me apologize for not keeping up on all of YOU, my readers. I am sorry. Life has just flown in a lot of directions lately and I have not been able to keep up. I am interested and I do care. I find myself thinking of some of you through out the day. I have you and your children's names in my God box and I do lift you up in my prayers. So you are not forgotten by me....if that is any comfort. lol

I went to my friends memorial and it was beautiful. Sad but beautiful. There was standing room only, people lined down the hallway of the church listening in. I hope she saw that and knows that she was well loved. The thing that was so wonderful was that all of her friends who got up to share about her shared similar things...she was who she was. One old friend summed it up perfectly..."she was the glass half full to my glass half empty." I loved that because that was her. We all spoke of her love of shopping and finding a good bargain, the extra things she did that let you know that she *knew* you, she knew what you liked and didn't like and she paid attention to those details in the lives of those she loved. I am wearing a charm bracelet that she put together for me about a year ago that has charms of a garage sale sign, a little bench for "our" bench, a book, a purse, shoes, on and on...all things that we loved.

I miss her.

I went to visit H's bf in jail. He brought some of his books that he is reading and held them up to the glass to show me passages that were meaningful to him. We had a good conversation...about being broken and the mercy of God allowing us to get to that place so that we will *finally* turn to Him for repair and wholeness. We spoke of surrendering our will and accepting our HP's will even when we don't understand or we are afraid. We spoke of faith and trust. Of being persecuted for our faith and the cost of deciding to turn our lives around.

Will it last...I don't know. I just know that today he feels some hope and some direction. He is one that looked like he was without hope. *Everyone* (family members, law enforcement, judges, DAs, PDs) have said that he will never change, that he will die in his disease, that there is no hope for him. What a miracle it would be for God to come in and turn his life around. What an amazing story he would have to share. I do believe it will go one of two ways...he is for real and is experiencing the hand of God in his life right now and he will have a miraculous testimony to share someday. Or he will go back and he will die in his disease.

Poor Molly has been texting all weekend. She went on a camping trip with a good friend and her family. It ended up being a drunk-fest with messy sloppy drinking going on. She was miserable from day one. The mom let the daughter drink and told Molly not to tell me. Gggrrrr. Big mistake.... I told Molly I would ask my brother who lives about an hour from where they were to pick her up, he could put her on a train home, I would come myself and get her... she didn't have to stay. D was willing to go and get her, H was ready to get in the car and go... But she was worried about what she would say and it being awkward. "Oh look here's my mom. She must have just been passing by, 4 hours from home.... I guess I have to go." She is almost 17, it was one of those times where I didn't know if I should say, "I'm the parent. I'm coming to get you!" Or should I let her work it out her own way. Because she is old enough I didn't feel like she was in danger....but emotionally I know it took its toll on her. She hates the chaos of drunkeness, the gross slurred voices, the unreliableness of what could happen. I have her room all vacummed and her bed made so when she gets home she will have a refuge for awhile to rejuvenate.

As of today I am busy preparing for our camping trip to the ocean. We usually camp in the mountains...but we live in the mountains so we always get there and think, "Why did we leave home with electricty and showers to come and sit in property that is like our own backyard without all of the comforts of home?" So this year we are heading somewhere new... the coast. It will be cool, we can bundle up at night and personally, I think beach camping is much cleaner than mountain camping. Maybe this will be our new tradition.

It will be D and myself and our 3 girls. Big brother has to work and couldn't get away. I am really looking forward to it. We are bringing the puppy that Molly snuck home....a little 8 week old Austrailian shepherd/lab mix. We have had her 2 weeks...baby Jemma, she was too young to be away from her momma, so we had to feed her puppy milk from a bottle for a couple weeks. She gets her second set of shots tomorrow so she will be ready to greet the public. Odin is going to a kennel and a friend is coming to feed and water everything else.

Tonight is big brother's and my own birthday dinnner at home...barbecuing hamburgers with all of the fixins. Some friends will be here and one has a baby....I can't wait to hold that baby!!

So life is very full around here. Life, death, disease, joy, hope, fun, and laughter....finally the good seems to be outweighing the bad! Whoo Hoo!!

Annette