OIKOS

When I first believed as an adult. They had what was called
OIKOS- it was your list. Who God called you to be family with
-but more in the sense that they did not know it. You knew you were called
to invite them into the "home" to do life with them. I
could not figure out what God was trying to say until now.

I have been hearing the movement and action theme for quite
some time. Some through my husband, my gift from God. And the
rest through His heartbeat in me.

You were created to ride His highway at His speed
with His Sounds.
Part of that includes what you are doing now. You are
serving the generations behind you until he releases you into the next
wave of what He has for you.
You are to give of yourself to
demonstrate to the children how to give of their own talents to perpetuate
the ways of God. It is the spiritual circle of life.

History Makers are Obedient and Intimate. Through their
intimacy in relationship with the Father they are urged into obedience.

Here is where OIKOS comes in......

Oikos means family, house, home, household- in modern
greek, the people you spend the most time with. These kids need all of
us to continually point them to the cross, they need the security
of that, like a night light as they fall asleep in darkness. As they
mature and grow they find comfort in the truth- the word.

No road is long with good company. Turkish Proverb

The Obedience part also comes into play as a challenge to
them to move as history makers. Not just in group, but in life.
Connect is putting shoes on kids feet. Infuse can take that and
multiply in times a hundred or a thousand for other service acts.

A man felt like God told him to plow a field, so he prayed
for a tiller. The spirit of God needed the faithful to plow the
field.

Someone came behind the man and took a hoe and broke the
ground, the first man continued to try to figure out how to get a
tiller.

The man with a hoe found himself with neighbors helping him. The
first man began to form a plan to do a fundraiser to purchase a
tiller. The neighbors came together for the man with a hoe and blessed
him with a tractor. The ground was prepared because the spirit of God
is relentless. It will not rest or put its eggs all in one
basket. We must work with what we have until we have more and keep
moving forward to the call of God.

What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing. Aristotle

Serving others is the heart of God. Feeding the hungry,
taking care
of orphans, widows, motherless, fatherless, poverty
stricken, broken
hearted etc etc.

Only a life lived for others is a life worth while. Albert
Einstein


What is Oikos?



OIKOS= HOUSE=FAMILY

The following verses contain the Greek work oikos.

Matt 9:7 And he rose and went home.

Luke 10:5 And whatever house you enter first say,
'Peace be unto this
house.'

Acts 16:15 KJV ~ And when she was baptized, and her
household, she
besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to
the Lord,
come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained
us.

Luke 1:27 NASB ~ to a virgin engaged to a man whose name
was Joseph,
of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was
Mary.

Luke 9:61 NIV ~ Still another said, "I will follow
you, Lord; but
first let me go back and say good-by to my family.



O Obedience
I Intimacy
K Kingdom
o OF
S Service

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that
build it.
PSALM 127:1




Through Oikos we advance the Kingdom, isn't that our
Goal.
If you
miss it, God will get it done, He still loves you, but He
is driving
in the fast lane.

Don Williams - Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good (1981)

Today, I had a blast driving the kids to school- that would be Payton and Nash. Payton probably thinks I am CRAZY. I was having my own sort of School of Rock and other music. It just so happened that multiple good songs of different genre provided optimal
teaching materials. Heart- girl rock. Van Halen, Doors, Motown, WIllie Nelson- "Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be Cowboys!" Of course Payton was wearing a Cowboy shirt, so it was funny. Then we had a little hispanic music, with a Tejano distinction. Don Williams classic- God I forgot how much I loved Don WIlliams. Trip huh?
Anyway, just wanted to drop a note to say I am alive. Hi.

Chicken Fish Sheep

She gathers them unto herself
She scratches the earth to find the meat buried within
something is uncovered to reveal what is to be given
as nourishment to the need of those unable to scratch
at least not in the right places
yet

He told them where to cast their nets
They could not see where the meat beneath the water was for them
He delivered them from the void into abundance
so that they might lead others

He said to feed his sheep

ears to hear
listen
eyes to see
wide open
not stuff
but children
all ages
all sizes
need to be gathered and fed

where will you scratch
where will you fish
where do you feed the hungry




trishtrueblood

illustrator
Patrick Latimer

Home update

Things are rolling along just fine. Marriage is good. Kids are a little on the bratty side sometimes, but generally evoke love and hope for the future. I feel very blessed to be in this peaceful time. I have had so many ups and downs in my life, it is nice to coast!
My husband is having a walk-in closet built for me. How cool is that? It is stage one. I have a renovation plan for my house. Over the next year I believe that God is giving me a physical picture of restoration, starting with my home. I should have my own little special place by the end of the week. Then I will be gutting my bathroom. Anyone that knows me, has known how much I have wanted to do that I am so excited. I guess I questioned so much why so many people so much younger than me had so much more ( materially) and it really bothered, and in some ways embarrassed me. I am ashamed to admit that. But it seems that my level of gratitude has been raised significantly. God really is after your heart. Transforming it room by room if necessary. Then granting the desires of each room it seems. As I have mentioned the last couple of posts this Bible study I am doing is exactly what I needed at this time.

"In scripture building a house means more than stacking bricks. It refers to family line. I am thankful Christ was a carpenter by trade. Even now he is preparing a place for us so that we will have the perfect house to occupy when we get to heaven.
Perhaps your home has been like ours- built on human strength or the pitiful lack of it. Either approach turns out to be in vain. Maybe God wasn't invited from the start to invade every part of your family life and you suffered the consequences. Maybe you feel much like your home is in shambles. In desperation I have cried out over and over to the only dependable home builder I knew, asking him to come to the rescue. At times I felt like he was late to work, but little by little I began to see his hand, pouring some new foundation and tearing down the walls the enemy had tried to erect between members of my family. As you continue to pray, trust and look for signs of His work in your family, keep in mind that Christ is a custom home builder. Your home is not going to look like someone else's. Free Christ to let him tell you how your home will look instead of vice versa. He alone has the blueprint."

Beth Moore

Any have a great day. I am on my way to work on the restoration of my body! I.E. exercise.

New Day.

I am so happy today. I got to snuggle longer than usual. I have my first full day off in 9 days. I know some people work much harder. But I am pretty much a wimp when in comes to days in a row. I headed up a wedding reception on Saturday at a beautiful ranch in Hamilton. I got to set up the flowers and food. How fun is that. Thank God for Kim Peters. She graciously helped me. Of course I could not have done it without Jamal, Kim, Tim, or Jeff. We laughed a lot and had fun. Sunday, I worked walk in. It was busy, I was already tired, but it was good work. I also realized I could not take a walk-in Job full- time no matter what they offered me. I know, I am a woman. I can change my mind. I am sticking with my current job. I am not doing anything different until God makes it very clear. My heart is with the staff and doctors I work with now and I am okay with that. It is still a good job and I can negotiate my hours, never on the weekends unless I want to. So I get to see my kids every night. I like it. I found my peace. I get to have lunch breaks. So I can have lunch dates- anyone?

I am currently doing a Beth Moore Bible Study- Stepping Up. It is a study in the Psalms, Cherith, get this study. That woman amazes me. Fran, you have that gift too. I can't wait to see what blossoms out of you.

Anyway. I just wanted to say Hi!
And Happy birthday to my friends Rachel (21) and Brandi (24). Those are the days not the years! I look forward to another year of friendship with you girls.
I love you both.

On friends

Need more energy and to be PETER

Wow. Who would have ever thought having only two kids at home, being done with school stuff, working "part-time" would allow for less time to do free Trish stuff. Not me. I have been busy with work and football practice and bible study ( Beth Moore- Stepping Up) and youth on Wednesdays ( Helping Ira- I love those girls!) and shuttling Nash to Team Kids in between, working for Joel, barely cleaning anything but dishes and toilets. Of course I wish I could say going to the gym faithfully, getting healthy and fit, becoming the woman that exudes health. I seriously have tried several times to eat better. I do mostly organic, I rarely do hydrogenated, never do aspartame, seriously avoid high fructose corn syrups, begin part of south beach then switch to taco Tuesday at Rosa's with probably everything off the list, then back to vegetables only, then Nash's bday party and cake, then the Insulin resistance diet with balanced protein and carbs and just a small bit of Hansen's natural soda. Would you believe I lost four pounds and then they found me again. Basically, I feel like a reed in the wind with food. I need hope. I really want to look like the health I sell. Instead I am nearing needing medical attention for my fatigue and regular pain.

I am trying to drink 64 0z of water a day. I can do this three days a week and fall the other days.
I am now taking B-total sublingual, zinc, vit c, multi vites, Co Q 10, probiotic blends ad a couple of other things.

I am trying the least restrictive diet, which is the insulin resistance diet, the recipes are great and things I enjoy eating. That is the one with balanced carbs and proteins. The thing I liked about it is that it makes you think about your food relationship. WHy you eat the way you do. WHy you over eat the way you do. Stuff like that. Joel calls them "Food Memories".

I am focusing other thoughts on a clinic idea I believe God has given me vision for- for a long time. I will reveal more on that later.

I am trying to learn how to invite and keep peace in my life.

I am trying to fall in love again with Jesus. I don't want to treat Jesus/ God/ Holy spirit like an old blah marriage. I want to keep it fresh. God is so much bigger than simple relationships. I want to sit and be overwhelmed at the revelation in relationship.

I must sleep. Peace to you all.

voting booth is closed

I made a decision with the help of my husband. One week on, on week off. I am excited and nervous. I have been praying so much for peace, yet it eludes me. I think I might have been having some anxiety related to big decisions and a reaction to a medication I was taking for my dental issues. Anyway, I removed the last post, due to to much personal info. Thanks for the prayers and the words. Just thanks.

Thinking Naturally

Been reading books again. I am somewhat frustrated with the status quo in medicine. I am really looking toward a more holistic approach to care. One that would include naturopathic medicine. It seems that this brings a lot more peace and healing in long term ways. I will keep you updated on my findings.

Toothday

I drank Cokes. At night, while I was pregnant. Lots of them. It is amazing Bella is as calm as she is. I worked twelve hour shifts. By the time I had the money to try to fix my teeth, every dentist told me ridiculous amounts- 4-7,000 dollars. Even when I did have insurance, they had these rules like paying only part, or after one year of paying, due the preexisting condition.Blah, blah, SO again, I waited. It was easier and cheaper to keep paying for my kids and husband to keep their teeth, One day, I realized that I would have dentures if I did not fix my teeth. I started working on my teeth. It is painful and expensive, but I am working very hard to pay for it.

Today, I had a tooth pulled, it went something like this....

I was escorted in to the office, I was nervous. I hate dental work. It is the single most anxiety producing thing I go through. I sit in the chair and talk to the dental assistant, Lee Ann, about Joel playing ball with the Dentist's husband and about how hard it is to pull my teeth. The assistants switch places and Roseanna comes in. We joke a little bit about Roseanna, Roseanna, Danna. Old Saturday Night Live. Then the gas mask goes on.
The gas mask always makes me a little more nervous for a few seconds, then it settles. I am generally a pretty anxious person. I tense up pretty easily, I may not always show it, but at the dentist, it stands out. So when the shots went in, I tensed up. I hate that about myself. I took deep breaths and let go. I started to realize that she probably thought she was hurting me when I did the deep breathing thing.

My dentist, is a lovely lady. I really like her. I have never been treated with such courtesy and compassion. I even had a moment, where I was so proud of her. I was so happy that she went through the effort to become a dentist. I was so grateful. I even felt proud, being that she was a woman. It hurt very little, it was uncomfortable, lots of pressure. I thought about my roots. I am told they are curved. They are long and strong. Thus, it took a really long time to pull.

I couldn't help but start entertaining thoughts about a way to graft fake teeth to the roots. It seems a shame to waste them. In my mind I began to engineer a device that allows the root system to anchor the implanted tooth. Then, I am jolted back to intense pressure. It is kinda like having a baby with no prize at delivery. I breathe again, to cope, again I am quizzed about the pain. I wonder, is it part of the training to ask about pain every time the patient breathes deeply? Or is she just really sweet?
I felt like right in the middle of it God's peace just floated on top of me and I teared with joy. Mouth open, tooth almost out, peace that transcends. Thanks for praying Brandi. God is faithful.

For those of you still having kids- DO NOT DRINK COKES WITHOUT BRUSHING YOUR TEETH AFTERWARDS! And floss...

In the end the tooth was out, I was relieved. My sweet husband had retrieved my pain medicine and we were on the way home.

Its getting hot in here....

Well thanks to all that participated in my fun little party. Congrats to Payton, high bowler for the kid category! Congrats to Chad and Jennifer, male and female high bowlers.

But back to the topic, I have been expecting it, it has threatened once or twice, this time it was real. The AC IS DEAD! Yup. dead. But hey, there are still worse things. I have running water and a job. I had enough cash to buy a window unit to get me through until I have the rest of the cash together for the AC repair ( around 4700.00). A professional in the business told me to wait until the fall and the prices are cut in half. Anyway, feel refreshed as your AC bows strong and cool, our water bill is sure to go up.

Happy Birthday - The Beatles

Hey, if you guys are not busy on Wednesday the 20th, please join me at Prime Time to bring in my 38th year of life. You are invited!

Picture time

Wrapped in the pages was this moment in time.....

They appeared as mini-superheroes
Through the mother's eyes
Her tired body, slumped in the chair of the coffee house
Weary for the anticipation of the drive
The boy's uncanny ability to breathe life to an inanimate teddy bear dressed in kacky pants and a fishing hat
He actually has a side bag and pockets you can stick your fingers into, the bear, that is
The girl is curious also
She, however, has moved slightly past that age, into another age of beauty
Uncanny, almost, untimely beauty that is too soon for a mother to want to see on her precious baby
The one her mother breast fed only eleven years prior
But here she stands defying time, with bangs dipped, reddish on brown
Porcelain skin, timely fashion, and pink lips money cannot buy
Then there is the eldest daughter, sitting humbly, asking for nothing
Apologetically posed against her seat of disappointment
Trying to not feel too bad for not doing the things her Mother expects of her
Ahhh Mother Expectation
Kin to Father Time?
Perhaps a sister to Mother Superior
Ruler slapping hands not mine
In her heart the mother wants to give her children everything
In her heart the mother cannot give her children everything
It is as though she is the gatekeeper, rationing out gifts
So clearly she saw it, in a dream
The Superhero Mother stance with arms outstretched at her sides
One hand receiving and one hand giving
One hand yielding and one hand open
The traffic controller to the influx
Never too much too fast
For lack of appreciation
Nor too little
For the pain of want
The mother wants, hopes, yearns for a life of goodness and mercy for her children
The mother prays always
For safety and health
The mother teaches gratitude
The mother gifts with love
If only the pages of this comic book drew the end
As happily ever after
The mother could fall asleep a little easier

It occurs to her the answer is in the Gift of Love
That should be showered and not
Rationed
No punch card required for a dose of
Patience, kindness, or encouragement
No waiting til next month for more
The shelves of Super Mothers' heart are always stocked
Especially when her kids are low
Thanks to the Endless Supplier
The Glorious Giver
The Lover of her Soul
Her Father in Heaven
That never counted her wrongs and His disappointment in her

Happy Anniversary to me!

I cannot believe it is twelve years! Wow. I am so mushy, I have this Barry Manilow, Looks Like we Made It tune running through my mind. We are going to www.theturtlerestaurant.com for dinner tonight. My husband, the terminal foodie. I guess I just wanted to say thanks to all of you that help us in life. Being married is not an easy thing. Being in love and married is awesome.
I recently had a revelation about how I love my husband. I was mad at him and felt like God asked me if I loved my husband. I thought sure I do. Then I felt like He asked if I was "loving him" like this...1 Corinthians 13:1-13 - Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
I thought, nope.
I am far from the perfect wife, but I try to remember this when I start counting what he does "wrong". Anyway, back to happy, blessings to you all. I hope you all know the kind of love that endures all things.

Memory lane sort of

I have had so many posts that I kept in my head lately. I thought I would take you down memory lane today. This evening Joel and I had dinner with Jennifer Elva and her beloved Tony. I mentioned some unknown super powers I possess. She encouraged me to post a few things.


In 1980, I had a pretty major fascination with Wonder Woman. I think if it were not for the inspiration I would not have won the presidential seal of athletic performance that year. (I WON first place for the fifty yard dash, flexed arm hang, and sit-ups) too bad you can't live off the past forever.

Anyway, I was on the playground, some boys were throwing rocks at me. I. instinctively, lifted my hand and the rocks were deflected off of my wrist. I felt very much empowered, super-powered, maybe even a future wonder woman in training.

Of course this was also the year Roger Moreno asked me to "GO around". The note said, "circle yes or no".
My sweaty hand wanted so badly to say yes. But, I really did not know what that meant. "What did I have to do if I said yes? Is it like getting married or something gross like that?" I slowly circled no. Sigh.

I went home because my corduroys were too tight and my stomach hurt. After my dad picked me up he bought me some fried chicken and I watched cartoons the rest of the afternoon- stomach ache free.

This was also the year, I won the spelling bee, I know Erica and Pam, be jealous. And also wonder how smart the kids were at my school since I am a terminal mispeller.

I wrote a report on the TV show Dallas, I mean who really cared if Sue Ellen was a raging alcoholic and J.R. was having affairs with everyone. It was really good acting. I could figure out how the "Man from Atlantis," got on that show. (If you don't get that one, don't ask).

Anyway. 1980-81 was a good year to be a kid. Except when Reagan was shot.

What is next?

I can't wait til vacation. I am slotted for the last week before school starts. I am really excited that my cousin has a time share he is going to let me use for the time we are there at a seriously discounted rate. I am planning Orlando, Disneyworld! Universal Studios and fun! I am not sure why I wanted to go so bad, but I am excited that things are looking like they are going to happen. I am working lots of extra shifts to get this paid for. SO I am a little more tired. But hey, that is what vacation is for.

We are planning our family strategy for the fall. Nash Cornerstone, Bella Clyde, Nash Football in Abilene, Bella Soccer. This eats up serious amounts of time! I am nervous about Nash and football. I wish he just wanted to play tennnis or golf. I am going to cry.

Tru blu is working on Fall menus and strategy.
Chef Joel is working on Changing the way kids eat locally and a Food Network possible pilot show. Prayers welcomed.

We are working on how to move forward with our single parent budget. I was standing behind by a single dad in Abilene. He had been raising his kids for five years. His daughter was 6, and son 9. He became a dad at 15 years old. The mom got hooked on drugs and left him. He was talking about how he could not afford for both of them to be involved in something. I tried to tell him that I was not in line behind him by coincidence. I wanted to help him though the funds we had available. He was just "weirded" out. I think he thought I was a creep. I really don't know how to do this. I told him he did not have to do anything for it. He just could not grasp it. Please pray for me to have the ability to offer help without being scary. In the mean time if you guys are hungry around 6:30pm today, come over. Lots of food.

Off to the walk-in today so my house might be a mess, but we will be mostly outside anyway.

Ode to my Uncle Eddie

I think everyone should have had and Uncle Eddie. He was amazing. My uncle Eddie died Saturday night. I am here in South Texas (Mc Allen)getting ready to go to the funeral. I was thinking about his humor, (he even did stand up comedy). At the traditional Catholic Rosary last night they had a slide show of pics. He really was a nut. He could do the Donald Duck voice like no other. Except maybe Donald Duck. He was extremely articulate and intelligent. People usually thought he was a lawyer, just because he was so analytical and logical. Which leads me to another point. He loved Old School Star Trek, I am not sure if he liked Spock for his logic or Jim for his passion, but being who he was I am sure he liked them both. It seems part of their characters were part of his character. He had polio as a child, he married a beautiful lady in 1991, much younger I might add, but they never had children. He had children in his many nieces and nephews. He loved us with a grand love. He always encouraged, always leaned the glory fire of God into us. His goal was to light a candle into our lives. One of insight, passion, life lessons or just pure fun. I know that each and everyone of us has a story about Eddie. A joke he told, a first concert, the teaching of a the first chords on guitar. I like the example of that one. Uncle Eddie taught my brother his first few chords on guitar. My brother Matt does not make a living playing guitar, but the compositons that have stemmed from the inspiration will last a lifetime. I predict that some of Matt's Flamenco style guitar will be studied for its form. To me this is an example of the glory of God being in a persons live that honors another life with what they know. Eddie knew relationship. Son, brother, father to Aaron by choice, uncle, cousin, nephew, friend, co-worker, husband, but there were others, Eddie the philosopher, writer, poet, dj,comedian, inspirer, musician, worshipper of God. Multiple intelligences is what a personality test would reveal. But words cannot capture the man. I thank God for the experience of being loved and influenced in becoming the person that I am, in part to my Uncle Eddie. I love you. I will miss you.

Ready, Set, GLOB

I guess I have sort of felt like the opposite of BLOG. So my absence perpetuated the lull. SO to nullify the lullaby, I hereby update.
Joel went to the Grand Canyon with Aaron. It was the best long trip-away from the family without any mishaps ever. Joel did leave me a present. TWO parties to cater. BACKtoBACK! If it were not for my old faithfuls, ERICA, JAMAL, and the lovely AMANDA. I could not have made it. Well, maybe I could have painfully, gouging my eyes out made it.
Anyway, he came back a man that could not complain about TEXAS HEAT. Having experienced his own personal hell. I don't think hell has a 53 degree river/creek in which to cool off, or a waterfall in which to gaze at the beauty of God's creation. I hope hell does not have any of my friends there either. This includes you Aaron.
The garden is in full swing, as are other bloggers in the network. We have some gorgemousginormas sunflowers, some going to seed. I will post pics soon. Joel says we will grow hundreds of sunflowers next year. We do not have near the production level we need to survive the possible impending doom many predict for the next four years.
We harvested organic/pesticide free corn ( a little starchy), lots of okra, Salmonella free toms of varying types, some golden beets, lots of lettuce that has now gone to seed. Fennel, Basil, Lavender, Rosemary, Oregano, Cilantro, no dill. Lemon cucumbers. I have a couple of cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries(low yield first year), asparagus( low yield first year). Got lots of new plants just for pretty sake.

Mia came for a visit. It was sweet to see my big girl carry herself with confidence, but come home cause she missed me.

I am liking my newer job, I have had it two months now. I am working for three family doctors part-time, covering vacations for them. It is good. I am free, have less expendable cash, no benefits at this time, but it is better than working so stressed that I need to use my benefits.

I am going to highlight health point of the month. WEAR SUNSCREEN! Malignant Melanoma is real. My Brother in Law is 39 years old. He is a STAGE 4, in Liver and Brain. Pray for my him, my sister and their family.

All you beautiful fair skinned people. Listen up. The ABCDE's of skin screening are as follows:
Asymmetry: If you were to fold your mole in half would it line up?
Borders: Are the Borders of the Lesion irregular?
Color: Are there more than 1 to 2 colors in your mole/skin lesion?
Diameter: Is it greater than five millimeters in size?
Evolving: Are there new lesions or moles next to it? Has it been changing, itching or bugging you?

Call your doctor or nurse practitioner and make an appointment!

I do not want to steal Erica's thunder, but my kids are going to be in a play next Thursday that Erica is directing, I will let her fill you in on the details, Fran's kids are involved also. I am going to have to have it filmed, because I work Thursdays, If we are slow I might try to get out to go watch. Insert small hopeful prayer here.

Joel is brewing up some serious stuff in regards to farm to table in our community. I am really excited for all of us. I might let him guest blog to fill you in. He is such a talker I might have to film it and post a video blog with real live interactions. I would like to do a documentary on the transformation of a school district before good food and after. We have dubbed the next generation, a really cool term. I can't tell you all of the stuff, but, my husband is sooo cool.

I am applying for a legislative intern position in Austin, 1-2 days a week from January through May. This may not seem like much to you, but it is so awesome. I used to want to be a lawyer, but I am not. SO this would be way cool to learn to read legislation and lobby for the rights of NPs in Texas. I WOULD LOVE, love, love it! Insert another prayer here.

I would say something about our fundraiser, but I don't want to . God taught me a lot about obedience through that situation. All I can do is apologize to all of you that read and say that I hope what we did to raise money for single parents was not divisive or offensive. I pray that you would forgive us if we offended you. We offended ourselves and will try harder to move when God says move. What happened was not our initial concept, yet it was blessed financially. We believe God did not empower those he wanted to empower through this. I believe He will redeem it.
If you would like to be part of how funds are invested in single parents, please call us. We would love to have anyone involved that feels called to be part of what we are doing. Everyone except Fran. By the way, my relaxation techniques will require you to get a babysitter and us to go to lunch or dinner and talk.

I guess that is all for now. Peace out.

Are we there yet?

So here we are at the end of June. I usually have fantasies of some magical trip I take with my kids and grand illusions of all of the projects that will be accomplished. Thanks to my friend Rachel, I actually do have a shelf put together. Joel might have helped a smidge. She is super-talented and well-planned, and appreciated. But back to the subjectS......I finally left the big city of Clyde to attend Mia's graduation! My niece, Sky also graduated at the same time. It is hard to believe, these two girls shared the same crib at times. They were born three days apart. Then they walked the stage together 18 years later. I was but a child when she was born, just in case you were thinking I was old. Ok so maybe to you young ones, I am old anyway, but it is okay- if you are very blessed you too will live to see your children graduate. Can I say that I have not been too mushy about the whole thing, but I have had some wow moments. It BLOWS me away.

She was in my belly, she crawled, walked, talked, cried, lied, tried, fell, grew, played, prayed, danced, pranced, chanced circumstance, drove, strove( is that a word, word police?), reasoned, worked, earned, turned into a young lady. I miss her face. I can stare at it all day in pictures. But it never quite satisfies the itch of feasting my eyes on her. My brown eyed girl. ( Insert long sigh here).

Work is good. I like what I do. I am pretty good at it most days. Is it okay to say. " I still haven't found what I don't know I am looking for, but I will know when I find it?" me, 2008

Some days I get close, usually in the garden. Usually with the love of my life when he is not being a macho man. I don't much like macho. Speaking of macho, he is going to hike the grand canyon soon, cool huh?

I gotta get some sleep, I am driving to Austin in the AM, going to pick my Sweet Bella up from my sister's home. Hugs and Kisses, pictures soon.