Is what I didn't have 2 hours ago and now have. Courtesy of Ian.. and of course-
Just imagine the lighter shade of green on this box splattered from the top of the ceiling to the bottom of the floor in a diagonal pattern.. We were sitting down just finishing up dinner and I happened to look over at the wall and notice the SPLATTER.. I point it out to the boys and ask who did it. Bless Ian's little heart- he instantly got a guilty look on his face..
I saw that my neighbor Emily did one, and I said to myself "No!" I am not going to do it... But-Facebook suckered me in.. So why not post it here for all my "stalkers" to read too... ;)
20 Random Things..
1. I am a Sinner.. But God knew I would be and sent His only son in my place..
2. My husband and I met "cruising" on a Saturday Night.. We were married 4 months later..
3. This year will be my hubby and I's 10 year anniversary.
4. I use the word "freakin" way too much and my kids tell me to stop cussing..
5. I honestly think Satan created Brownies and Double Stuffed MINT Oreo's..
6. I have 5 tattoo's and want to get the sign of the trinity on the inside of my wrist..
7. I like the "idea" of having our dog, but can't stand the hair/messes that comes along with ownership..
8. Having kids has softened me..
9. My BIGGEST pet peeve is when people smack their food while chewing..
10. I most likely gave my mom the majority of her gray hairs, with all my rebellion growing up..
11. I am a recovering Costco Addict..
12. Instead of buying 1 $50 thing- I will buy 50 $1 things and think I got a good deal..
13. I think coffee tastes like warmed up cigarette butts.
14. 10 years ago I told my husband the one place I would NEVER move to was Kodiak, Alaska. That he would have to Geo-Bach. if we ever got stationed there.. But the Lord has such hilarious sense of humor and changed my heart and slowly moved us further and further North. ...and I was actually the one who pushed to put it on our "dream sheet".
15. I can smell my husbands fart as soon as it starts to leave his bum..
16. I am a very open person, sometimes to a fault..
17. I am thankful I am not a cat and limited to 9 lives, or I would be dead by now.
18. When I turned 21 I was nursing and couldn't have my "first" legal drink..
19. I love routine but am horrible at consistency.
20. I have been on the 10 year 2 year plan and 2 classes shy of getting my AA.. (maybe in another 10 years??)
I know.. What's the point of the title, Jen?? Besides some random lyrics that pretty much sum me up. Well, I'll tell you.. It starts with the routine of stripping sheets every Sunday before Church.. It just so happens that this last Sunday, not 5 minutes after Shane stripped his sheets off his BRAND NEW MATTRESS that we paid WAY TO MUCH for at a local, I'm not naming names(ARDINGERS!!!!) furniture store- Ian climbed on top of it and unexpectedly got a bloody nose. Being that we are a family that is notoriously late to everything, I decided to leave the blood splatters from a mattress jumping 4 year old until after church..
So.. We get home from church and I do a little research online for the best way to get blood out of a mattress..
Tip #1: Hydrogen Peroxide is not only good for getting that sun bleached look in your hair when your 14 and your mom says: "NO" to getting it dyed, but it is also fabulous for removing blood from mattress's...
After drenching pretty much all of Shane's bed with HP (note to self, buy stock in Hydrogen Peroxide) I decide to pull the blower dryer out so my son not only has clean sheets to sleep on but also isn't bathing in a cure all oxidant. My wrist starts to cramp and I walk out to make a phone call...
Shane decides to help in the drying of his mattress..
20 seconds later- he comes running out to the living room crying and begs me to come quickly.. To any mother out there, you know when your child is crying and asking you to come quickly it CAN'T BE GOOD!
Remember that over-priced mattress that I spent a good 45 minutes on getting blood stains out of?
Apparently it actually caught on fire.. (just for a split second)
Tip #2: Hydrogen Peroxide is not flammable but sticking a blow dryer directly on a mattress is.
And now, to tie in the second word to my title.. Ice..
It is now Monday, mid-morning.. I had made Eggplant Parmesan for dinner the night before and know my sweet friend Johnna has never tried it, so I decide to run some over to her. After a quick phone call to tell her my plans, she invites our dog over for a play date. I get ready to leave, knock on my "hallway confessional, best neighbor" (Emily's) door and ask if she minds keeping an eye on Ian while I take Shane and Caleb with me. She suggests that I leave all the boys and enjoy a little time to my self. I say- SWEET.. And head out..
I pull up to a stop sign just past the check point leaving base to head towards Johnna's (maybe 2 miles away) ...I wait for a truck to pass before turning onto the road. I think to myself- "He's driving kinda fast, the roads must not be that bad" and pull out. As I shift into 3rd gear I feel my back end break loose.. I've just hit black ice.. In what felt like hours I went from thinking "My tires are gonna catch, don't freak out, don't freak out" to "Holy *%&$, Holy *%&$" (Forgive me, Lord).. I do a 360' and then a 180' across the opposite side of our two lane highway, pass the shoulder and start sliding down a steep hillside.. I glance out my passenger window and brace myself to start rolling..
At that exact moment God heard my heart instead of my words.. And once again provided a Guardian Angel to protect me. There is no other way to explain how the leaf baron bushes that I thought were to weak in preventing my 4runner from rolling did what they did.
These are the bushes..
a closer shot..
I did not realize this until I went back to take pictures but if you look at the slide marks from my front tires, it looks as if God took His almighty and powerful breath and blew me 2 feet forward so my tire would be braced against the thickest part of the bush. It's roots.
another example..
a close up.. Of God's GRACE ..
The MINUSCULE damage to my 4Runner..
About 10 minutes after it happened, my forever friends Michael and Heather just happened to be driving by. At that point the guys who were already there were trying to figure out the safest way to pull me out without having the 4Runner roll. The guy from Military Police was standing on my back left sided tire to keep it on the ground and I was instructed to get out of the rig. Michael came running- asked me if I was OK, and gave me a hug, and of course I started to cry. The first attempt to get the 4runner out was basically where I think I got all the scratches. Because it just slid further down the hill and was drug sideways through the brush. Michael offered to jump in and steer it out. SUCCESS! (Thank You again Michael)
I am so thankful God provided and protected in both moments. And has once again reminded me of these powerful Holy words:
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Psalm 3:3
You, O LORD, are a shield around me,
My glory, and the One who lifts up my head.
and my all time favorite
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Oh, one last thing.. After they had pulled me out and I was talking to MILPOL, Kona (remember she was in the back of my 4Runner through all of this) climbed up into the front seat, AND ATE THE EGGPLANT PARMESAN and the foil it was wrapped in and had a massive bout' of diarrhea the rest of the day. Nice..
And know that I have written a book for a blog post.. I wanted to share with you a song that I constantly sing when feeling the pressures of LIFE...
(just a reminder to pause the music at the end of my page so you can hear this video by it's self)
This morning something very painful happened that involved Tweezers and Hydrogen Peroxide.. I'm actually going to let Caleb type the story out in his own words since he was the one it happened to...
I was sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing my foot along the wooden bed frame and talking with my mom and all the sudden OUCH ouch ouch and my mom said what happened? I got a huge splinter it was deep inside the bottom of my foot and i mean huge.and my mom wanted to take a picture after she pulled it out and I said no because I was afraid it would get stuck inside my foot again but then I finally said ok a
nd I'm really glad I did because it,s a huge freaking splinter.
by the way my mom told me to say that word.
And now that he has shared his story and ratted me out for using the word "freaking" here are the pictures..
...at the Commissary is usually on any other day a dreaded chore.. Especially when I have to take all the boys with me. But today my friends was a NEW DAY.. Today, I would have to say, grocery shopping at our tiny, "do they not know how to keep a decent stock of NON-rotting produce", "clear the shelves of expired things", and "seriously who is your stock manager" commissary was the highlight of my day..
Thursday is when they usually get new shipments in of produce, meat and dairy, but because the weather has been so bad the past week I thought for sure I would be going into a bare and forsaken land.. I seriously am still gitty about how fully stocked everything was.. And YES, I am totally blogging about it.. Why, because #1- My husband is gone and I have to do something to keep my mind busy. And #2- For a moment, I mean a very brief (like blink of an eye) kinda moment, I felt like I was in COSTCO. As soon as you walked through the doors, there were stacks of BULK items just like you would find at my beloved Costco.. And the best part about it was that the prices where not "Give your first born" or "take my left kidney" sky high, like everything else on this island..
I know, I know.. I should be appreciative of what I do have here on the island and I am (somedays). But all you lower 48ers have no idea how hard up you get for a good deal on bulk items every now and again.. Yes! Yes! I know- I need help because I actually took the time to take a picture of all my lovely finds, but can you tell me what meeting I need to attend on another day, because right now all I want to do is BASK in the glory of Cuties, Gold Fishies, Granola Bars, and Hot Pockets..
Caleb (like any other 8 year old boy) is really into Legos right now.. So for Christmas we bought him a Lego Contraption Book.. I don't think there has been a day that he has not created something out of that book.. So today he comes into my room as I am folding laundry and asks-
"Mom, do we have any string?"
I say-
"For what?"
He says-
"For something I am building"
I say-
"Use Dental Floss"
... about 10 minutes later he comes running in and says "Mom, you gotta' come check this out".. I of course think he has hung Shane or convinced Ian to wrap his finger until it turns blue- so I run with urgency into his room and find one of his best creations yet.. After showing me half a dozen times I say, we should video record this to show your dad.. Being the proud, braggin' Mama that I am, I had to share with all of you as well.. :)
Just a reminder, make sure to pause the music, before you click on the video so you can hear Caleb talking.. :)
at least I know when He'll be back again.. ;) Yesterday the boys and I took Dale to the Airport to board a very long flight to Florida. He will be in training until the 28th and the boys and I have already made one of those construction paper counter downers (what are those things called anyway?)
So after putting the kids to bed last night, I found my first note... and cried..
Then I found my second note... and cried...
And this morning as I felt better and ready to tackle my day I found my third note as I grabbed a pair of socks out of the drawer.. and cried..
Luckily, I baby sat a sweet and lovable 4 month old GIRL today that kept me pretty distracted, along with homeschooling and the daily "to do's" of being Mom, Dad (for now), house cleaner, teacher, Chef.. Well you get the point.. ;)
and then I found this while cooking dinner...
and I actually didn't cry.. It was like he was right there in the kitchen giving me a great big hug. And as I put the kids to bed tonight I thought about how complacent I have become. How I assume that he will always make it home from work, how he will always be there to fix the car, or just simply, be here- to help me put the groceries away, brush the kids teeth, or get my nightly glass of water.. It also got me thinking about how much I love him and appreciate all that he does on a daily basis to provide and care for his family. And I have come to the conclusion that I don't verbalize my appreciation as much as I should.
Wait.. Are you ready for a rabbit trail?
Cause.. Hippity Hop, We're there..
Thinking of all this, made me also ponder my love and appreciation for my Heavenly Father. How often do I verbalize my thanks to Him? When I start my prayers- do I start them with earnest Thanks, or do I just do the whole "Forgive me for this, and "Please" for that.." kinda prayer. I know I try to focus on my thanks, before getting into "MY" needs and wants, but I need to thank more, complain less.. And not just at bedtime or in the morning when I rise.. I need to do it continually through out the day. I mean, sure when I get front row parking at the grocery store (which by the way Dale and I call "Rock Star Parking") I shoot up a little prayer thanking God for such a close spot. And every now and again I shoot up a "Lord, bind my tongue" or " Thank You Jesus for this moment" but I guess I just feel like I should be more thankful, more of the time. Just imagine being hugged by the Father all day long... That is what He wants to do, if we allow Him. With that I am off to bed..
