Coughing & Motrin & Earaches...OH MY!!

My sweet little Marina is miserably sick! Her nasty cold started on Saturday morning, and it culminated into an earache Saturday night. She was up literally the entire night, in my bed with me, squirming and fussing and telling me her ear hurts. Tylenol hardly seemed to help. So, at about 2am, I woke up Ryan and told him that we need to do something else for this poor girl! Bless his heart...he put on his coat and shoes and went out into the blistery cold to Wal-Mart to pick up some of those eardrops that numb earaches. As soon as we got those into her ears, she was finally able to rest and sleep! I slept with her till 11am the next morning! And, to my sweet surprise, when I came downstairs, I found Ryan and Mark both cleaning and scrubbing the kitchen and the basement. They were cleaning up the rest of the mess from the birthday party. I couldn't believe they were so thoughtful! Ryan told me he just didn't want me to come down to a mess. So he was trying to get everything cleaned up before I came down. How I LOVE my husband! Of course, after about an hour of playing and eating lunch and stuff....the kitchen needed to be cleaned all over again. Welcome to my world!

Mark's 9th B-Day

Wow! My oldest son has just turned 9 years old! We celebrated on Saturday. Ryan and I put on a 'Fear Factor' party. It was such a blast!

A bunch of 9 and 10 yr old boys, real earth worms, live crickets, raw fish, strobe lights, and team competitions...that's all it took to make for an awesome night! I'm turning the camcorder footage into an 'official' episode, and will post that on this blog when it is complete.

The best part definitely was messing with their minds. LOL! They saw the crickets and earthworms in jars on the table, and were totally spooked! Then, when I pulled the blender out, they really went crazy! They had no idea that the cricket bits were really chopped up raisins, or that the fish guts were really crushed graham crackers. We saw them cry, dry heave, and completely chicken out. Then, when we explained what it really was, they busted out laughing. It was so cool. We had booked a professional fire-breather to put on a show too. (He is a good friend of ours), but just our luck, the temperature outside was -25 degrees....with windchill....so we had to postpone that part. Even so, everyone had a blast. I can't believe we actually pulled this one off! So fun! Now, Mark has $100 of cash and gift cards burning a hole in his pocket. He can't wait to get over to Game Stop and buy some new games.

My day has finally come!

Ok, so my church puts on a weekly women's bible study, that I've heard is just amazing! It has really exploded over the past few years, and that is so exciting! I've longed to be involved in all the fun. I've also craved that kind of depth in relationship with other christian women.

But, that's kinda hard to come by when you're a stay-at-home mom.
My days have become so monotonous. Wake up, change diapers. Feed the kids, change diapers. Drive to school, change diapers. You get the picture. So GLAMOROUS right??

Well, I've been struggling BIG TIME in my prayer life, lately. Meaning...I have none. And it has become pretty depressing. I long for that relationship I once had with my Creator. But, it's pretty hard to see the importance of your ministry...when your ministry is changing diapers!

So...finally my kids are old enough to be left in the childcare that the Women's Ministry provides. So...finally I decided it's my turn to join the bible study! After all these years of saying, "My day will come..." Guess what! Today was MY DAY!! I went and was blessed and was inspired.

I know...I don't get out much. So something like this is really exciting for me. I'm excited to do the reading and start the homework tonight. The topic for the next 6 weeks is prayer. Wow! God knew!

So, not only am I excited to learn and be encouraged by other women of God......I'm also happy for a reason to put my make-up on! Ha! I need some glamour in there somewhere!

Sad Sad Day!!

We actually made the trek out to Indy this November to support out favorite football team...the COLTS!! What a surreal experience! It was larger than life to sit in the RCA dome among fellow blue and white clad fans, and cheer our hearts out for our favorite boys. They dominated the entire time, but unfortunately they let it slip in the final minutes of the game, and the they were beat by their arch rivals, the New England Patriots.

And we thought THAT day was depressing.

What's even worse is not having a chance to settle the score in the playoffs. We were so sure that our boys would meet up with the Pats again, fighting for the AFC title, and have a chance for a repeat Superbowl victory.

But no such luck. To our utter dismay, Marvin Harrison looked like an old man, fumbling the ball during a crucial play, then warming the bench for the rest of the game...Payton Manning threw some awful, awful throws, which were intercepted quite often, and the rest of the receivers were on and off throughout the game...looking like butter-fingers more than anything. I love the Colts. But they do not deserve to advance to the next round if they are going to play so sloppy. Especially against the Chargers. That team is notorious for reading the Colts and stopping them dead in their tracks. So sad. Now they will advance to face the Patriots, instead of us.

Although, they also have a score to settle with them Pats.
After all, the Patriots crushed the Chargers last year, ripping them off the chance to advance to the AFC championship. So...I guess this could get interesting, huh?? Maybe next year for the Colts. That's all I hear from people. Yeah, we will see. But, it is never the same exact team from year to year. With players being traded and fear of Tony Dungy retiring...Will they ever have that magic again?? The magic we witnessed when they earned the Superbowl last year??

::cry::

My Rye Guy

When I think of my husband, so many thoughts come rushing through my mind. Like the punk rock concerts we used to attend while we were dating in high school, and the youth group retreats, and summer camp...to name a few. Ryan would come to watch all my soccer games, even on rainy days, and even the away games. Our favorite place to grab dinner was Taco Bell. Ryan would pick me up in his little red Geo Tracker, and we'd listen to loud music blaring from his subwoofer while we made a run to Taco Bell. Good times. Good times.


When we first got married, we were like sponges, trying to learn all that we could from other married couples. We realized early on that there is so much to learn! Like how to argue in a way that actually produces positive results. How to honor each other through daily interaction. What each other's needs are. The biggest thing we learned is that we are SO DIFFERENT...but our differences can truly compliment each other.


Then came the birth of our little Marky. When he was born, those first few moments were such a bonding time for Ryan and me. I remember us both crying and holding each other and saying, "We did it! We did it!" That was so amazing!


For our 5 year wedding anniversary, we took our very first cruise! A 5 day cruise to the Bahamas. What an experience for us both! Ryan was working full time plus working his way through college. Phew! My, how we celebrated when he walked across that stage and received his degree! He's the very first in his family lineage to have a college degree. The rest of his family has been built on entrepreneurship and small business. So, we were all so incredibly proud of Ryan! And Ryan knew it was a family effort, to get him to that point.


Now we have 3 kids. Two rambunctious boys, and a little daddy's girl! The dynamics that are at work in our home are unbelievable. I've realized that the intensity of our walk before God has had to increase. Before...our mission field was outside our front door. But...now that we are parents...our mission field is inside our home, living and breathing under our nose at every turn! Soaking in every move and every choice we make.


Ryan turned 30 last summer, and was super excited about that. LOL! He has completed some coursework for his Master's degree, but is being affected by some of the government budget changes regarding nuclear energy research (he has worked for a government nuclear research facility for 9 years). With the proposed budget cuts, things are getting pretty stressful at work. He survived a wave of lay-offs this month, but I am anxious about what may be in store this coming year.


We will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this year (holy moly!), and as I look back, I can say without wavering, that God has had His hand upon our family from the get-go! We were such a young couple, with so much to learn, and so many odds against us, but look how far the Lord has brought us! He has always supplied, always protected, and always sustained. So, what will the next step be?? Well, only God knows. And we will make ourselves available for what He brings next.


Meantime, Ryan is feeling like he's ready for a change of pace. He's tired of the rat race in the business world. Working for the gov't, there is very little movement among the different tiers of administration. He is frustrated that there is little to no room for growth. So, he plans to test for the Wheaton Police Dep't in February. Totally different field, but totally exciting! There are so many different avenues he could pursue in time. It's a long shot. The waiting list is about 2 years. So, there's no guarantee that he will even get hired on. But if it's God's plan, it will happen. And if not, we will be satisfied, and know that God has something else for us. And we are continually grateful for the job He has given Ryan these past 9 years.


So, I'll keep you all updated on the job situation as it unfolds.


Till then, I'm trying to come up with ideas for celebrating our 10th anniversary in August! Of course, I HAVE to make it glamorous!


Love you Rye!
xoxo

Warrior God

I know that I can't go through this life with my weaknesses without a Warrior God to come in and rescue me...mostly from myself.

This profound statement was made by a close friend of mine, who is also a fellow blogger.
She is a pastor's wife, which carries high expectations in itself, yet is still able to admit when she has fallen short of God's standard.

I just LOVED the way she worded her thoughts. And it's so true for me too. I am a woman with many weaknesses and shortcomings. But praise be to God that he rides in like a warrior to ransom me back.

I also know that I am a woman with many strengths. And if I allow God to cultivate and use those strengths, His incredible purpose will be fulfilled. So, thank you darlin, for making yourself vulnerable so that someone like me could read your deepest thoughts and be inspired!

xoxo

One more 'funny' from Mark...

Tonight, Mark was working on his homework...filling in a map of the United States. Out of the blue, he tells me, "Isn't it funny how God made all the states weird shapes? He could've just made them all squares." LOL!