It's Always in the Last Place I Check

We are officially in full swing into phase two of the transition from college life to separated, working life.  I'm constantly amazed at how God works.  I realize that, by now, you'd think I'd know He's capable of WAY more than I can fathom.  Yet, each time He does something, I'm amazed...and a slow learner apparently.

Now the N is working full-time, we are having to do the BIG move.  Zoe and I are moving in with my mom and N is moving into a humble abode by the dam.  We've been on the lookout for something with storage because we really don't want to pay for storage.  It is amazing how many apartments don't have garages. 

We've been in deep prayer about this.  I'm not kidding, I probably pray no less than 25 times a day about the living situation.  If I've learned anything in my short life, it's that finding a great place to live in a foreign land is hard.  Especially when N, who is a little directionally challenged, is having to find these places.  He doesn't like to go off the beaten path.  I can't say I blame him.  I don't like feeling lost either.

We had decided that since we couldn't find an affordable place with storage, we'd go with a cheaper apartment and a storage unit.

Then I got a call from my dear friend Steph, who is from the area around the dam.  She had a lead.

In ways that only God can produce, we are the official renters of a 3-bedroom duplex with a garage.  It's only $25 more a month than the apartment with less rooms and no garage.  What's even better, you can see the river from some of the rooms.  Which means N doesn't have far to travel for work.

I cannot tell you how great it feels to have that squared away.  Now we're onto the really fun stuff...packing and prepping for a yard sale. 

The Face that Launch a Thousand Ships

When N and I are apart, we Skype so that we can at least see each other every day. It's done amazing things for this separation and I couldn't be more grateful.  We can't Skype while we're at work, so I've been sending him little pictures of me this week to keep him energize and in loooove!

Here are some of the gems he's been getting:

Surprisingly he's still willing to come home!

Ain't No Match For the Jaws of Life

Now that N is back at work at the dam, I'm having to do more around the house during the week since I'm a single parent of two now.  Zoe is her usual, only child self and requires that we play together, which is fine, I can do that.  I love hanging with my kiddo.  New the family dynamics is Toby.  Honestly, he's sometimes more high maintenance than a human.  He whines when I'm playing with Zoe and not with him.  He herds me away from Zoe so I can play with him.  He will try and sit on my lap when I'm cuddling with Zoe.  He's got all kinds of ideas that revolve around him being the center of attention and not Zoe.  It's sibling rivalry to the extreme. 

Toby is a chewer.  Praise the Lord, he only chews on his toys.  If we get him a stuffed animal, he'll have the stuffing out within the day.  If we give him a bone, he's gnawed off an end of it before the hour is over.  The boy chews and chews and chews.  I'm not complaining because he has only chewed two things he shouldn't have.  I think that's a great record.

However, because he's such a chewer, we are constantly having to get toys for him.  He loves stuffed animals with a squeaker in them.  They make him happy.  We took stock out of these 4-pack of animals that they had a Costco because we got 4 of them and we could make them last 10 days if needed!  The last ladybug is holding onto her last thread and we thought we'd pick up some more this weekend so that Toby would have something to chew this week.

They didn't have them anymore.  They did have these toys called that were appropriately named Tuffy.  They are for aggressive chewers and they're machine washable.  Because God was smiling, they also had squeakers in them, which are Toby's favorite.  We bought a pack thinking that maybe these would last longer than 24 hours. 

Then Toby showed us just how much of a misnomer the word Tuffy was.

Last night I was in the kitchen and in comes Toby making this weird sound.  Then he puked.  It was black.  I'll tell you there's nothing worse than seeing your dog puke and knowing that your husband isn't home to clean it up...until you see it's black and you start to wonder why.  Then you see this:

The Tuffy has been destroyed, eaten and puked back up, all within 24 hours.  I fear for the things that are on the receiving end of that mouth.  I think I'm going to start calling him Jaws rather than Toby. 

No Cavity Club

We've been taking Zoe to the dentist for quite some time now.  I tried to find the original post, but can't, so just trust me that it's been almost or maybe 2 years.  I'm so specific. 

Anyway, in all those previous visits, Zoe sat in the chair, they'd squirt water on a tray with the water gun and "Mr. Thirsty" sucked it up.  Then they'd go to touch her teeth and she'd scream, cry and generally freak out.  They'd move us into a room with a TV so the other kid's wouldn't get scared, count her teeth and then paint them with fluoride.  She'd gag, get a toothbrush and sticker and run, at lightening speeds, out of the joint.

We had to do a dentist appointment during the week of VBS.  Last Thursday was the day and I couldn't make it to the appointment.  Grandma took her and has never really been behind the doors before. 

I called to see how it went and Zoe informed me that she's part of the "No Cavity Club" and she got a Belle toothbrush!  It was the best day ever!  I was so proud of her, but at the same time wasn't sure how they would even know she didn't have cavities because they don't get a very good look. 

Then I talked to my mom.  She made a comment about the cherry toothpaste they used and how she didn't totally understand how to close her mouth around Mr. Thirsty, but it went well.  She said she was confused because they said this is the first time she's been in the chair, but my mom didn't know where else she could be.

Apparently Zoe lost all fear of the dentist and let them work in her mouth.  They scraped tarter, they brushed, they rinsed, they sucked the water out, they even flossed and all the while, no tears!  I couldn't believe it and neither could grandma.  She had no idea the dental miracle she witnessed.

Zoe's pretty proud of herself too.  She's telling everyone she's part of the No Cavity Club and how cherry toothpaste isn't so bad, as long as she doesn't have to use it at home until she's 6.

Full

For three months we've been going non-stop with Vacation Bible School plans.  We had basically three months to organize and pull off a VBS program in our church.  My mom and I signed onto the task because we have a heart for children's ministry.  Between the two of us, we've spent time at church 7 days a week for the last month. 

I'm so happy to report that VBS went off without a hitch.  We had 67 volunteers come each night to help out.  In the prep-time and the actual week of VBS we had no grumbling, just a spirit of compromise.  It was a God thing.

We had 111 kids come through the program.  This was almost double what we've had in years past.  Many of them were kids and families that we've never met before.  Another God thing.

All 178 people kept smiling, laughing and having a great time despite the lack of sleep, the amount of stairs that our church has and how hot it got.  Isn't God great?

Even though this process has been exhausting, it filled my soul in ways that only come from being involved in the ministry God has for you. 

Another person that had to go and do all this with us was Zoe.  She's such a trooper.  She had to sacrifice Zoe play time to be at church and getting ready for VBS.  I know this was hard on her.  I know she had to grow up a bit more than she really should have these last three months.  N and I decided that on Saturday, we were going to treat her to a special day.  She had a great attitude this past week and we wanted to do something for her that showed her how much we appreciated it.

One thing she's been talking about is the new Winnie the Pooh movie.  We decided movie and lunch was a great way to show her just how much we appreciated her attitude with all the VBS stuff.

She got a pretzel and shared daddy's popcorn.  It was a sweet movie that had many funny parts.  She belly laughed at parts of it.  It was great to see her having some much needed Zoe time.

It was also much needed for N and me.  It was time for our family to reconnect and just enjoy each other.  It may have only been a couple hours of time spent together, but it filled my soul.

Amazed

People in our church have been working countless hours to get things ready for VBS this year.  For the first time in years, we're doing a live drama.  That requires actors, props, costumes and a set. 

When I came into the sanctuary this week, this is what I saw:

Isn't it amazing?  It's made completely out of styrofoam, bed sheets, cardboard and wood supports.  The red door on the front is functional. 

I'm absolutely blown away at people's talents. 

The Final Countdown

We are T minus 6 days until our Vacation Bible School (VBS) starts.  In April my mom was approached about directing our VBS this year.  After a call to me, we decided to co-direct it this year.  In many ways, because I work during the day, I really don't feel like I'm carrying my weight.  However, God is using my mom in amazing ways that are only through God.

He has provided so much that we didn't even know we needed.  We were supposed to have a set that another church used.  That fell through and God has provided artists, materials and even a shack for us to use.  We have 64 members of our church volunteering to help in VBS. 

I know God is going to do amazing things.  I can feel it.  I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

Right now, tonight, I feel very concerned about the health and energy of our people.  Some have been working hard for 6 weeks in preparation of this coming week.  Some have lived at our church for the last 2 weeks to get everything finished and ready.  I believe, with all that I am that God is going to do His mighty work in and through this ministry.  I also know that God's plan will try to be stopped and diverted.  My prayer is that we remain focused on the goal by being in prayer and in the Word, that we can let the little things go and be in harmony with one another and that we remain healthy. 

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.  Romans 10:17