hot days, cool pools

continued praise

"I was sure by now, God, you would have reached down,
and wiped my tears away, stepped in and saved the day;
but once again, I say Amen, and it's still raining.
And as the thunder rolls, I barely hear,
you whisper through the rain, 'I am with you.'"

These are some of the lyrics to a song by Casting Crowns called Praise You in the Storm.
And boy, I am so trying to do that. Through life's disappointments and unfulfilled dreams that seem so perfect to me, I am trying to continue to praise God, knowing that He is the only one who knows what perfect for me looks like. It's so hard sometimes, to understand why things happen the way they do, but I think what defines who we are is what then?....how do we respond to those situations. And can we continue to praise God through the storm.

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

I'm asking for reinforcement here; Jason's brother, Brian, leaves in just a few days to "report for duty" before his sendoff in just about two weeks. His unit will be going to Kosovo until next July. Please pray for him over these next several months; for his safety foremost, and for his heart; that maybe God could draw him closer to himself during this experience.

We will miss him greatly while he's gone. Jason and I will miss our movie buddy, and our kids will miss their playmate....but all of us will miss his company. We love you, Bri!

4th of July

So these friends of ours started a tradition years and years ago and now we've joined them in it. We've been participating for the last five fourth of julys; we meet at the park early (7:30ish) and cook breakfast on camping stoves and electric griddles and such. There are probably about 20-30 people. We all enjoy games of catch and visiting while the cooks are at work, and then we enjoy the fruit of their labor. Simultaneously, we set up our spot along the parade route, right next to the park where we're eating, with canopy, chairs, and blankets along the curb for kids. The parade comes by about 10, and our kids get more candy than we know what to do with. Also by now, it's usually ridiculously hot. It's a long parade. Finishes really close to noon. We head home for lunch and chill time. We'd really like naps, but the kids protest with wishes to slip and slide, so we oblige. It is a holiday.

It's a great day already, but there's more! About 5:30 we head back to the park to meet up with everyone again; with dinner in tow, along with snacks, coolers, games, gloves, balls, and sparklers. We eat our dinners; watch the kids play, and there's usually a pretty entertaining game of kids vs. adults in kickball or wiffleball. It seems like a long time now, but the four hours pass quickly and as dusk approaches, kids do snakes and sparklers, and then we all settle in onto the sea of blankets and wait for the fireworks. It's so dark after that we struggle to find our ways back to the cars 100 yards away in the parking lot.

It's a great time; and I think my favorite part of it all is the tradition of it. I look forward to it each year, and I love that my kids will have this memory one day, and maybe even carry it on with their families.....or maybe a modified version of it at least.

before and after

Well, I did it!! I mustered up the courage and cut my hair. I know, no big deal; but blogworthy nonetheless, as many other seemingly unimportant happenings in my daily life.

I like it, and am glad I did it. And my husband likes it too! Bonus!

before

after