Happy Fourth of July!

 Happy Birthday America!

Here's one of my favorites, performed by Martina McBride.

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Enjoying the Lazy Days

Like most places, summer time means swimming. Grandma and Grandpa have a pool, expressly for the purpose of luring their kids and grand kids over on hot summer days. (They also have a zip-line, trampoline, four wheelers, bikes, 100 acres of woods...)

Until recently, the pool has been unheated.

 On the cooler days (70s or even 60s) we would use this little building to warm us up between swims.

The sauna. 

(Pronounced sow-na, it's Finnish. Pleeeeeeeease say it correctly or us Finns get a little peeved.  And don't tell us 'it sounds funny'...unless you also eat Eye-talian food, and TAEcos. ;)

Their sauna is the old fashioned wood fired kind. The kids love it from the time they are quite small. 

It's a challenge to see how much steam they can handle. My favorite temp for the kids is between 120 and 150 degrees.  (And don't worry, we monitor them and watch their time in the heat.) There is nothing like heating up tin the sauna, then running to the pool and jumping in for a refreshing swim.

Anyone up for a sauna?

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Just B...

...Loved

 Guess what? You're special and God created you for a reason. That rainbow you saw the other day after it rained...put there for you.

Your life has purpose.

 It's up to you to find it (but God will help nudge you in the right direction if you ask).

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Freebie Friday!

Everyone likes coffee right?

Thought I'd give you a free cup this Friday.

Enjoy!

Oh, and if you'd like some real coffee, click on the link to the left for Just Love Coffee Roasters. Not only will you be helping to bring Baby B home, but you'll be enjoying some really yummy coffee!

Coffee with a conscience. Fair trade, organic, deliciousness.

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Tough Choices

I like to imagine that I am the expert on 'me'. That I always know what my true motives are, what would make me the happiest at any given time, what the best choice would be for every situation that I encounter in life. 

But that would be a lie.

Like most people, I am steaming through life, trying to make the best choices that I can at that point in time. Hindsight, unfortunately, is often 20/20. 

 You see, the way I look at it, the womb is the only stage in our life where we aren't being confronted with choices. Early infancy, still pretty easy peazy lemon squeezy. Not too long after, our choices become more varied and more complex. As we grow, we also come to realize that our choices effect others around us as well. Our words have just as much impact as our actions (sometimes more.)

 Do we care? Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. 

I find that there have been times in my life that I fancied myself being 'the only one' who had experienced a certain emotion/event/tough decision. The one with all of the answers.

Yeah, right. 

 The people we find in our lives may benefit from what we have discovered-or maybe they are there to help us. In fact, my answer might not be the answer that someone else is looking for because they might really be trying to ask a totally different question (if that makes any sense). 

And that is okay. 

What makes my heart sing with joy today is definitely not the same as thirty years ago. Some choices in my life I might have made differently looking back years later. But that's looking back as the woman I am now, not the person I was then. Perspective (age) changes everything.

Do I have all of the answers? Nope. Will I ever have them (this side of eternity)? Nope. Not even close.

 I need to remember that. 

If you have any questions about any big decisions coming up in your life...you can ask me, but you may or may not like my answer. Or, my answer might not work for you because what you find important might be totally different than what I find important. Plus, my answer might change. I'm like that sometimes. Human. Changing. Learning. Growing. Seeing things from my point of view-can you imagine?!

God knows me better than I know myself. He knows the end result, where I'm just experiencing the present (and my own version of my past). He knew that a Cabbage Patch Kid is not a life changing event, and neither are some new wrinkles. Maybe being an eight year old isn't all that different from being a thirty-eight year old? We still have a lot to learn. 

 While each life is unique and special to God, much of our life could be made simpler if we were to park our pride at the door, and allow others to help us along the way. 

 That's the hard part. Asking and receiving help.

But if we're brave enough to reach out and do it, I have a feeling that it's totally worth it.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. ~Romans 8:27,28

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Thoughts on Waiting

It seems that Monday's are our lazy, just have fun days around here. 

Although I did some of the regular chore 'stuff' around the house this morning, the second half of the day was spent just having fun. Swimming, roasting hot dogs, eating yummy grapes, and a little bit of fishing (Little Man ate fish for dinner!) 

It is still killing me that Baby B isn't here with us. We really hoped that she would be by now. In fact, I am finding that it is more and more difficult to really enjoy my summer without her here. Little Man frequently talks about what we would being doing with his sister if she was here right now. 

It's hard. Really, really, really hard.

But, I know I need try for Little Man's sake. I am his mom too. Each day, I am focusing on being fully present for Little Man during the day, and after he goes to bed, I let myself think about my little sweetie in Haiti.

Each day I try to make time for those things that he will really enjoy. 

Number one on his list? Fishing.

So, guess what we are doing tomorrow morning?

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Just B...

Simple

There is an old Shaker song that I have loved my entire life that speaks about living life simply. I've never known more than just the first few lines of the song, so I decided to look up all of the lyrics.

My goal is to get my life simplified down as much as possible before I bring home Baby B. Nothing to distract me from the precious moments that I will be spending with her and Little Man (summer is slipping by and she still isn't home).

What things are truly important to me? 

What things can I let go of?

 What expectations am I putting on myself that I need to release?

Simply put, all I want to do is enjoy time with my kids.

Who's with me?

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