It's official.

Fall is here. And I swear I'm not going to hate on it for the next 3 months. I am going to rejoice in the wet. The cold. The gray. The ugly. Really I am.

In my efforts, I shall share a GOOD memory of this lovely season called autumn. When we first started horseback riding, we took classes at Royal Ridges in Battleground. Needless to say, it was a blast. One of my favorites days was blustery and cold, and we had to wait for a long time because the other class ran late.

Can you tell we didn't mind a bit? We still love crunching through the leaves, feeling the cold, fresh air on our cheeks, and being together.

1 Chronicles has an awesome chapter that gives us some tips on how to praise God, and I am so going to use that this week as I try not to grumble. Fall might not be my favorite season, but there is so much that I can PRAISE Him for!

"Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always...
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
Let the trees of the forest sing,
let them sing for joy before the LORD,
for he comes to judge the earth.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
and glory in your praise.” -1 Chronicles 16:10,11,31-35

So, gonna go for a trail ride tomorrow, crunch some leaves (if I can find non-soggy ones) and enjoy this time of year! Thank you Lord for life and breath and everything else.

Rain, rain, go away...

It's been a crazy week with family affairs to care for, busy days at the hospital and the clinic, and too many appointments with too few hours. But the kids have enjoyed the end of a first trimester in school, volleyball season is over and Jordan played for his first Homecoming game. Parent/teacher conferences went great and nobody is sick...miracles are real!

But now I know why God has been working me so much at both my jobs. Today is my first real day off in weeks, and all I can think of is... I really miss my horses. I just want to bundle up and spend the whole day grooming and cleaning, scrubbing tack and hugging horse necks. I would love to take any of my sweet horses for a nice cruise. Just moseying along where ever we can. I could let Chester walk along in a dry wash bed with mesquite trees and cactus all around, stirring up dust and watching out for those nasty Emus...or wrestle with Stetson as he sprouts wings and thinks he can fly as he runs up the hill behind our house in Yacolt.
Too bad all I can do is sit in my suburban house and watch the Hannah Montana movie. There is nothing left to clean, the kids are hanging with friends... maybe I will take up the trombone.

I miss Mayberry...

Busy, busy fall days- you would think I was a chipmunk trying to get ready for winter. (I am Theodore- the fat one) I can't even begin to tell you what all has transpired in the last month and a half, but I can tell you that we are all still alive. Which I suppose is a good thing. :)

School is all consuming, I am getting to teach more now than I did when we were homeschooling! Different ways, but still the same stuff. It is a good thing, because I get to be with my kids, but it is a bad thing too. Instead of having a whole day to do it in, I have to squeeze it into an already "bursting at the seams" evening. We have to cover the traditional curriculum, but also talk about right choices, boyfriends, girlfriends, alcohol, language, honesty...and the list goes on. Add to that the drama our negligent landlord has caused, normal marriage stuff, my crazy work schedule and Steve's new business- and you get a little part of the picture. I suppose this is what normal families have always felt, but for those of you homeschoolers- you can appreciate why I hate it. Life was a lot better ...I mean, life was simpler...then.

I suppose I am just being nostalgic again. God pointed that out to me very clearly today- through a Rascal Flatts song. (It's on my playlist now, just for your entertainment.) Go figure, I don't even particularly like that band, but it was on the radio and it struck me. I just miss Mayberry...I miss when the days were simpler, "sittin' on the porch drinking ice cold cherry Coke, where everything is black and white... watchin' the clouds roll by". I miss when my kids and I would take our school books out on the porch in AZ and learn algebra with the horses as our backdrop. I miss going to the zoo on a Tuesday afternoon while all the "normal kids" were sleeping through English. And I miss the other homeschool moms who wouldn't look at me like I was on another planet if I said I loved teaching my kids more than anything else on earth. OUR world really does "seem like it is spinning faster and faster", and I am not keeping up. I know that is just a feeling, so I am praying that God would help me find my balance again...but today...I just miss Mayberry.

Now I need to quit my whining and put on my thinking cap, pick up my shield of faith- and say "Bring it". Because no matter how much I might wish for a different stage of life, this is the stage we are in now, and it is filled with glorious moments too. I have been so blessed to watch my kids growing and learning through this experience. God gave me a dear sister this morning to encourage my heart through her honesty and trust in me- she reminded me that I never have to feel alone, and sometimes...it isn't all about me. (Shocking...I know) I have a fantabulous husband who humors me with ballroom dancing classes when I feel unloved and slaps me around, figuratively of course, when I need it. He knows me better than anyone and won't let me get away with my pity parties. The God Stops are endless, if I remember to stop and look for them.

I may be homeless, totally screwing up my kids, and feel like I dropped the ball in a million ways- but truth be told...GOD will NEVER fail me. He will never drop the ball, and everything I go through will bring me back to where He wants me...right in the center of His embrace.

"I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." Joshua 1:5