2 Day Sleep Over with Miss Jenny!

I am sorry it has been so long since I have written. There have been a few things on my heart that are really heavy right now, and I myself was struggling to find something positive to think, much less write about. Then after the weekend, I feel renewed strength and hope. I know that everything happens for a reason and I am trying hard to look at the glass ...half full!
Another thing that kept me busy and that was a good thing, was Miss Jenny came to do a 2 Day sleep over at Nana's. That is a big deal for her, she is used to doing Sleep Over's with her sister but gets a bit homesick when she is just by herself. But she did a great job and we had tons of fun, so much that I didn't write much...as you probably noticed!
The first night we went to a Harvest Carnival at the church.
Jenny: We are going to the carnivore!
 Lauren: Jenny its a carnival
Jenny: I know!
She and Audrey went with us, while Angie was at a B-day party and Mom and Dad got to go out on a DATE. Audrey liked all the kids that were running around at the Carnival and Jenny and Poppa went to every booth to play....bowling, bean bag toss, cupcake walk, face painting ( I was painting the cute little faces, with another friend ), donut contest, balloon making with the clown, bobbing for apples. Yes, she was worn out when we got home but, I think the sugar was still in her because she was talking 90 miles an hour to everyone when she got back about the carnival.
We also picked the pumpkin out of our little pumpkin patch in the back yard (we only had 3 )!
Saturday afternoon we went to Yakama Fruit Market and checked out all the fall decorations and pumpkins...I believe Jenny is as excited about Fall as her Aunt Lauren is!
We found tiny pumpkins and one of the biggest one's she has ever seen. We also crocheted together, she is learning how to crochet with her fingers, she did a great job. I love passing on those traditions of talents like sewing and crocheting with the next generation! My Grandma Johnny would be proud of us! The only problem is she loves scissors, so many projects got cut short ...literally... with Miss Scissor Happy. She said more one liners than I can even remember. She is funny, mischievous, a bundle of energy, unpredictable and sweet, we loved spending time with our Jenny girl!

"Look Poppa, I am crocheting!"

"Fall is in the air...can't you just feel it?"

Demand More From Ourselves

A friend of mine posted this quote the other day, and I had to share it. We are so much more powerful and strong than we think. Sometimes, in life, it is so easy to just be content with our lives how they are and get to the point that we aren't progressing. Yes, life is good, but couldn't it be so much better? Couldn't pushing ourselves and branching out make life extraordinary?
I think so often we are governed by fear, fear to leave our comfort zone, fear of the unknown. I like how the quote says that not pushing ourselves and not struggling and suffering is a "numb existence" when instead we could be taking an "extraordinary trip." This is a concept that I have tried to live my life by, and am now even more motivated to continue pushing myself and exploring the awesome path that is just waiting for me.
 No one ever accomplished all of their dreams by playing it safe, and no one who has accomplished all of their dreams got there without some pain and roadblocks. We just have to "demand more from ourselves" and take the first step to live life truly to the fullest.
-Krystal

Struggling

 

For some reason the past few weeks I have been struggling with feelings of sadness. I am trying to figure out just what it is and yet even tonight, I still am not sure exactly why I am feeling so sad? I am trying to look at everything and see if anything particular could be contributing to these feelings. I think maybe a few of things that are weighing heavy on my heart might be part of the problem. One is …I have a dear friend who is living in a verbally and emotionally situation, and I know they can’t see a way out . I worry about them and about their kids, who have no choice. I wish there was some way that I could help them see clearly…what type of life they are really living in and a way out of it. So that is maybe some of the sadness.

Also we are remodeling some areas of our home, not a lot or something really big, but enough to have my house in disarray and I am struggling with that a bit. I know that in the long run it is going to be beautiful and we will be so grateful to have a new kitchen floor, carpeting on the steps, beautiful trim work in the hall and new paint too…it’s just that I have a hard time living in a such a mess…which happens when you are remodeling. So I know I need to work on being more patient with this situation.

Plus, for some reason I have been in more pain lately than normal. As I look back at my calendar, it is probably because I am over scheduling myself and I haven’t done that for a long time. It does feel good to have a full day but I am paying the price for it now. So to be in pain all day is something I haven’t had to deal with nearly as much,I know to some degree I am back sliding and that is never a good thing.

So I need to stop and count my blessings tonight…

I have a wonderful home and the means to do some improvements for it…that is a real blessing.

I have my health, it has been good for quite some time now…very much a blessing!

I have a wonderful family and extended family, which I love so much.

I have two sweet granddaughters and one grandson on his way in March!

So you see, I have much to be HAPPY about instead of SADNESS. I will try harder to remember that this week.

Oh yes, I have soooooooooo many wonderful friends that make my life richer…it is true, I really should be Happy!

Good night dear friends!

  “Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Give every opportunity a chance, leave no room for regrets.”

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”   Frederick Douglass

Struggling!

I am sorry that I didn't write last night. I had a wonderful Sabbath Day and so I really had a lot of things to share. But I really have been struggling for a couple of days and so I didn't know if I had anything uplifting to say. I have a few appointments that are coming up that are worrying me some. We still don't know what is going on with Lee's health and that ways a bit heavy on my heart. My tooth is still bothering me and Jeff just left for a week long business trip. So it could be one of any of these things that I am struggling with I guess?

There is a heaviness in my heart that I can't seem to get to go away. Sometimes I get feelings like this, right before something bad happens. I have prayed and prayed to know what the feeling is about and of course I try to remind the Lord that I have had so many trials already, and that I don't think I can handle any more right now.

As I even type this, I realize what a silly thing it is to counsel the Lord. I don't know better than He does, I just feel like I have been doing so much better, my health has been getting better and I have been out and about more than I have in a long time. I just feel like I am starting to really live again, and I can't handle any big trauma right now. Then I read this quote today and realized I need to have more faith and trust. I will share this quote with you, in hopes that like me...we will all realize who is in charge and that if we will rely on our God, He will make us equal, to any difficulty that comes  our way. I do know this to be true, I just forget sometimes!

"ON THIS UPWARD AND SOMETIMES HAZARDOUS JOURNEY, EACH OF US MEETS OUR SHARE OF DAILY CHALLENGES. IF WE ARE NOT CAREFUL, AS WE PEER THROUGH THE NARROW LENS OF SELF-INTEREST, WE MAY FEEL THAT LIFE IS BRINGINS US MORE THAN OUR FAIR SHARE OF TRIALS- THAT SOME HOW OTHERS SEEM TO BE GETTING OFF MORE LIGHTLY.

BUT THE TESTS OF LIFE ARE TAILORED FOR OUR OWN BEST INTEREST, AND ALL WILL FACE THE BURDENS BEST SUITED TO THEIR OWN MORTAL EXPERIENCE. IN THE END WE WILL REALIZE THAT GOD IS MERCIFUL AS WELL AS JUST AND THAT ALL THE RULES ARE FAIR. WE CAN BE REASSURED THAT OUR CHALLENGES WILL BE THE ONE WE NEEDED, AND CONQUERING THEM WILL BRING BLESSINGS WE COULD HAVE RECEIVED IN NO OTHER WAY."

"FAITH MAKES THINGS POSSIBLE...NOT EASY!"

It's the simple things like...

Sunshine, smiley face eggs and creative pancakes, that make you happy first thing in the morning! I have to admit that I am grateful that I have HAPPY KIDS, it may not seem like a big thing, to be thankful for but... it actually is. I am amazed at how many people suffer on a daily basis with depression and thoughts that are self defeating. I have suffered from depression a few times in my life ( pretty minor ) but, it is not a chronic thing at all. I am realizing more and more that this is a huge thing to be grateful for.

I met a kid the other day that was a CUTTER, they cut their selves to just feel ...something. Now, having never had any experience with that, it was hard for me to understand. I do realize that any form of self abuse if a red flag of trouble in someone's life, a real cry for help. And I am realizing there are more and more kids out there that are struggling and may need our help and our understanding. I also met a kid that I had known before, come into a restaurant the other day, they were dressed very, very inappropriate. I felt so sad, sad that they felt like they needed to be that extreme, to be noticed or popular. It was very immodest and I am sure could be very dangerous ( as viewed from the eyes of the opposite sex ). I wanted to go up to them and say, please put some clothes back on, but I didn't . I just said hi and as they greeted me, this person said..."I was wondering if you were going to come speak to me?" I felt sad, sad that I had judged so quickly and sad that they were so unhappy and insecure. Sad that I may not have been as available for this person as I could have been. Both of these kid's family had split up, and as I have heard...that is terribly hard on the kids. I hope we can take time out out of our busy lives to see if there is anyone around us ( kids included ) that need our attention or help. Some times just a hug, a smile, or a phone call...could literally save a life!

So tonight, I am just very grateful for good and happy kids. Grateful to be married to my best friend and grateful that he is such an incredible father to our kids. Grateful that I am happy most of the time and  yes, I am thankful for the simple things!

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes."  ~ Andrew Carnegie

 

"Depression is the inability to construct a future"  ~Rollo May

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. It is far better take things as they come along with patience and equanimity."                ~ Carl Jung