DECISIONS, DECISIONS...

I'm talking wedding decisions!  It's funny, you walk a fine line...not sure whether to dare to think about it.  So maybe you do, maybe you don't.  Do you make your Pinterest wedding board public???Then all of a sudden, BOOM.  Engagement - and there's lot of decisions that have to be made.  My husband and I joked for a long time that we didn't argue until we got engaged! Dating is fun; engaged to be married means time for decisions!  Here's one thing we do know about the wedding.  They have chosen a venue:

It's an historic theater in Denver - should be fun!

FALL REFRESHER...

This week we had our September RefresHER at church!  One of our youngest classes at church put it on, and they did a great job.  Their coordinator asked a lot of questions along the way, but I appreciated it because she paid such attention to detail.  Sometimes those of us who have done it before think we don't need help because we are experienced and then we forget important things.

Their theme was "You can lean on me" and was about giving comfort in times of grief.  The speaker, also from their class, was really dynamic and shared how in her first 5 years of marriage she and her husband lost both their mothers.  She lost hers two months after the birth of her first child and two months before her sister's wedding.  Talk about stress!  It wasn't a tear-jerker though, she handled it very well and focused on ways to comfort.

I'm so thankful for Christian women who are willing to share their time and talents with others!

LOVING YOUR ENEMIES...

This fall on Wednesday nights at church we've had some different women in our congregation speaking on different topics.  One of our minister's wives did a lesson recently on "loving your enemies."  My first thought was "Really?  Do we need a lesson on that?  I have no enemies..."

Well, little did I know it would be so convicting!  As she defined who our enemies might be, I started thinking, well there is someone whose face is unknown to me that I might consider an enemy.  She defined an enemy as someone who might have hurt us, cause us trouble.  The realization came to me that even though the car wreck that killed my brother-in-law and has altered my sister's life forever was an accident, it's hard to forgive the woman.  There is anger there.  She is my enemy, in a sense.

As the lesson went on, she challenged us to think of ways we can truly LOVE OUR ENEMY.  Praying for them was one of the main things we talked about.  I realized I had not prayed for this woman one time since it happened.  I want her to feel bad, I want her to be punished.  But that is not for me to do.  Unfortunately she may suffer guilt the rest of her life over this.  Her two children that were in the car with her saw the scene.  I can't imagine.

So, I'm trying to re-think who my enemies are, and consciously pray for them.  It does not come natural.  But that's what having Jesus in your heart is all about - he makes us indescribably different from the world.

LAUGHTER, THE BEST MEDICINE...

Our college freshman was in a show they call Freshman Fanfare!  It came just in time, we needed some laughs!  There were some serious musicians in it, but mostly just fun group acts and some comedy from the emcees.  Great way to start the weekend!

 His GF, a sophomore, was one of the directors.  She is a great choreographer!

 The shirt

 He's got attitude - learned those great facial expressions from his brother or from high school performance!

These two have been friends since...well, since birth!

 Who can resist a guy with a guitar?

 This guy from Washington was amazing, singing "Gravity".

 A Rwandan student (middle) sang an African worship song - very cool!

 Our boy also played bass on the Beatles medley.  Fun to get to see him performing on this stage!

PRAISING THROUGH THE STORM...

Thank you to Matt and Beth Redmon for this song!  Trying to praise through the storm. My sister is doing great from all appearances but every day is a new reality.  Like men came yesterday to make an offer on his business equipment...

O Lord, You Never Let Go of Me

Even though I walk through the valley

Of the shadow of death

Your perfect love is casting out fear

And even when Im caught in the middle

Of the storms of this life

I wont turn back, I know You are near

And I will fear no evil

For my God is with me

And if my God is with me

Whom then shall I fear?

Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go

Through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go

In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go

Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming

For the heart that holds on

A glorious light beyond all compare

And there will be an end to these troubles

But until that day comes

Well live to know You here on the earth

And I will fear no evil

For my God is with me

And if my God is with me

Whom then shall I fear?

Whom then shall I fear?

Oh no, You never let go

Through the calm and through the storm

Oh no, You never let go

In every high and every low

Oh no, You never let go

Lord, You never let go of me

240 BUNKO PARTIES LATER...

Hard to believe, but I've been playing Bunko for 20 years now!  That adds up to about 240 parties!  There are a few of us that have been in the group the whole time; others were added in as people moved.  Since I've been a SAHM most of those years, this has been one of my primary social occasions and it's been such a blessing to me.  Mommas just need to have a night with the girls once in a while!  We always share concerns and pray for each other, along with eating good food. We've gone from sharing birth stories to menopause...I've learned so much from these friends!

For our 20th Anniversary party, we decided not to do the "Roaring 20's" but everyone had to wear 20 things and there would be some prizes for that besides the regular Bunko prizes.  We also had a t-shirt design so we can order those.  Some of us were pretty creative!

Showing off our 20s

20 pins

20 hair things

20$

Me and my Bestie

 20 pieces of jewelry

Reading Bunko memories

Funny prizes for some funny people!

A WEDDING IS COMING...

and soon!  My daughter is getting married in January!  A year ago she started dating a young man who was a friend of my son - he had left college here to attend a special school back in his hometown of Denver.  He looked her up, and the rest is history!  We invited him to spend vacation with us in July and right before we left, he sent us a beautiful letter.  We knew that something was up...sure enough, not long after vacation he asked for our blessing.  He was not sure when to ask her, with the recent death in our family.  He was kind enough to ask us about it last Sunday, before he did it. My husband told him we would welcome some good news.  So, it happened!  He is a fine Christian man and we are thrilled for them!

One of the coolest things about him is that he's a song leader...so he fits into the family very well!  Looking forward to helping these two get on their own and lots of fun wedding planning in the next few months!

JOHN'S WAY OF BEING LIKE JESUS...

I wanted to share with you one of the most interesting things I noticed at my brother-in-law's memorial service last Friday.  There were a lot of people there - 551 signed the guest book.  There were people from all walks of life.

As people filed by the casket (it was closed but my sister didn't feel up to standing in the foyer to talk to people afterwards) I saw that there were a lot of homely people.  People society might call rejects.  There were poor people; t-shirts were the best attire they had.  There were some who didn't speak English.  People of different races and colors.  There was a very large man, a friend of his from high school, who could barely walk because of his weight. These were people John was kind to, people he had hired to help him complete jobs, people he gave his time to - he didn't consider himself better than them.  It totally made sense with all the memories that the minister read about him.

He was a living example of this scripture:
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Romans 12:16

As I reflected on this, it occurred to me how much he was like Jesus in that way.  Jesus was a friend to the outcasts.  Jesus noticed people that others overlooked.  Jesus helped the helpless.   Every single one of us is placed on this earth for a reason.  We all come in contact with the world in various ways. John had the opportunity to touch people by helping them fix their cars or houses, loaning out tools, hiring others for asphalt jobs, and sometimes just going out for a movie and a burger.

It was a sweet sight.  

REALITY STINKS...

 Every day I wake up, and a few seconds later, I remember.  Six days ago, a terrible, terrible car accident took my brother-in-law's life.  My sister is left a widow at 48 years old.  They were driving along a familiar road, not too far from their house, when another driver who was texting ran a stop sign.  She hit a truck, which was catapulted into my sister's car.  My brother-in-law was killed instantly as the bed of the truck hit their car and peeled off the top.  My sister escaped with three broken ribs.  It's been horrendous and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

When we got the call on Labor Day, I heard there was a wreck and that my sister was taken to the hospital at OU's trauma center, and she was getting some tests done.  I assumed since they told me nothing about her husband that he was okay.  Not so.  I found out when I entered the hospital.  Many family members were weeping in the chapel area.  We weren't allowed to see my sister for a couple of hours because she was getting a CT scan, but we were told she was talking.  I felt sick.  We were mourning the loss and hoping for the survivor.  It was awful. Her brother-in-law on her husband's side of the family who is a medical pilot for OU was allowed to go back and see her, and my friend who works there came and was able to go back and check on her and give us updates until they allowed us to go back.  It was a long 2 1/2 hours.  My sister continually was asking about her husband.  I think she knew at the scene but she kept asking people, including me.  I had to tell her that "He didn't make it."  My mother and I spent the night with her at the hospital, as her girls, 17 and 22 years old, found comfort with friends.

We went home the next morning.  Reality hit a little more each day.  Every emotion under the sun has been on our faces this past week.  There were a lot of things I didn't realize go along with a death like this:  Investigation of the accident by OHP, and Medical Examiners, holding up things like releasing his body to the funeral home and being able to get her things from the car.  Finally on Friday they released the car and  someone was able to get her personal things out of the car from the wrecker service.  She lost her husband, her car, her phone, pretty much her whole world, in her eyes.

But being children of God, we have been able to count our blessings!  The fact that he was a Christian and that he died instantly - no pain involved - was a blessing.  People who came to comfort and help at the hospital, a continual flow of meals, love and support, so many beautiful flowers and gifts. He was always helping someone.  So many wonderful stories we've been hearing from those he has touched.

Now the hard stuff begins for my sister.  I spent the first five days with her, protecting her, making her take her medicine, making her rest, trying to help her make decisions.  My husband was a great liaison with the church, arranging for the  memorial service.  We picked her up a rental car, even though now she is a paranoid driver(me too, if we are truthful).  She hasn't driven at all yet.  But she is talking, crying, and healing.  She is planning for the future.  She is processing insurance, thinking about getting another car, trying to figure out what to do with his business, and what she might do with all the projects in his 1800 sq. ft. garage.

Somehow everything is going to be alright.

VEGAS FOR THE FIRST TIME...

I didn't want to call myself a Vegas virgin.  Virgin is just not one of those words I grew up saying and still don't like it when people call themselves that when they do anything for the first time!  Call me old-fashioned.  

I never really wanted to go to "Sin City" and thought maybe I'd just never go to know what I was missing.  Why tempt yourself?  But the opportunity came up to go with the Hubs on a business trip and I decided to go, even if it was just about sitting by the pool with a book.  What I saw was a weird assortment of man-made monuments and a lot of fake stuff.  Some places even had fake grass in front of their hotel (understandable in the desert, I guess).  Lots of people gambling and others on the sidewalk trying to get your attention. During the days when the Hubs was in meetings, I spent my time walking the strip and looking at the beautiful hotel lobbies and themed shopping areas.  I also did spend a little time reading at the pool every day.  We ate dinner at some great restaurants - Emeril's was the best!  Probably my favorite thing was the fountain show at the Bellagio hotel.  The fountains are choreographed to music and lit up at night.  I got teary-eyed listening to "I'm Proud to be an American" with the fountains dancing to it.  I think that's the ONLY reason I might go back.

Since I didn't have a phone with a camera, not too many pictures were taken - another thing not to worry about!  :)  The Hubs did take a few:

We stayed at the MGM - they had this boxing ring in the lobby.

Bellagio

 A snail made of flowers in Bellagio Conservatory

 The Fountain show at Bellagio

 Jean-Phillipe Pattisserie's Chocolate fountain at Bellagio

 Gorgeous cakes too!

Our last night we went up in the Stratosphere to eat at Top of the World!

 You could bungee jump or ride a couple of rides off the side of the tower.  Crazy!

The view was gorgeous by the time we finished dinner - Las Vegas all lit up!

 Stratosphere lit up