She's Got Jesus

Okay, so as mommies we've all had special women in our lives who we just cherish their advice and encouragement whenever we get it...or at least I hope you've been as blessed as me in this department! Usually, these women are good friends with A WEALTH of "mommy knowledge" and "special insight" that you just don't have. Are you thinking of that special someone in your life? I sure hope so. If so, consider yourself wonderfully blessed from the Lord. I know that I do.

I guess you can sort of call this blog a tribute (sounds corny but, it's true!) to a dear friend. This special friend I'm thinking of is exactly who I would want to be when I grow up...oh...too late for that! Ha! Well, okay, then I'll settle for just being her friend and receiving precious nuggets of advice whenever she sends them my way. My hope is that these nuggets will improve me and my life as a Christian wife and mother to my boys.

One thing my dear friend does is blog and she blogs faithfully about even the little things she does with her family. Someday they will thank her when she stops to put her wonderful blog into print. Yes, she recently sent me this amazing link on how to turn your blog into a book! Ladies that blog faithfully- pay attention! This is awesome! Of course, I will pass this on to you in the hopes that it will encourage you to blog, blog, and blog some more:

http://serv.sharedbook.com/blogworld/printmyblog/index.html

Another wonderful thing she does is encourage me and uplift me at just the right times....when I need it the most. I've had a tough couple of days with Ruben away and then she sent me this article that brought tears to my eyes when I read it. I hope that it encourages you wherever you are at today like it did me. It definitely helped me to take my eyes off of myself and put them onto to someone else. Here is the link to the article. Please take the time to click and read about it...you'll be blessed for doing it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

So, I want to say "thank you" even though that's not enough to my dear dear friend and mentor mommy, Sabrina Freeland. Sabrina is the wife of our former Pastor Brent Freeland; but, we won't hold that against her! LOL! Just kidding Sabrina! You know I have to harrass Pastor Brent and lighten up this blog a bit! ((smile)) Oh, and please keep my "mommy advice" coming...did I mention that already? And lastly, I'm just thankful that I don't have to ask how you keep it altogether everyday....she's got Jesus....what more does she need?

Thank you again Sabrina for keeping our mommy connection alive all these years later. I've "stolen" (that's kind of a strong word but sort of true) a picture of Sabrina and her beautiful family from her blog (where else?) and posted it here for you all to see. :-)

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 will make your paths straight. NIV

Ignoring THE BLOG!

Well, I think for months now I have put off blogging for one reason or another and well...I've realized that at this point with 3 kids in the house there never is going to be a good time to blog so you just have to sitdown and do it. Currently, our desktop computer isn't working and so I'm borrowing one of Ruben's work laptop computers...so pictures won't be added to this addition...sorry!

Well, to catch everyone up to speed...my trip home with Baby Ian was really nice and also really tough. It was awesome to spend time with my family after being away for 2 years....but, tough to take a baby to a 14 hour time zone difference! Yikes! On top of that, I trecked him all over town looking out houses to buy! And then, if that wasn't enough confusion, I made a quick trip out to San Diego from Florida and spent 7 days in another time zone. Ugh! What a mess I made of his schedule! Also, everywhere we went (literally) everyone was sick! God was amazing and kept Ian and I completely healthy...really it was only the hand of The Lord that did it. It wasn't until we got all the way home that the vomitting and diaherea started for both of us and then went from person to person in our family. Ugh!

Well, we found the perfect home...but...can't seem to get financing! Apparently, the banks don't like to lend to folks like us who live by cash and don't use credit cards. That is a story I will save for another day...maybe once we get the final word on this 2nd lender we are hoping to get approval from any day now. Please keep us in your prayers as you can that this lender will come through.

So, back to my travels....Ian and I arrived home literally days before Christmas due to missing not one but two connecting flights with overnight delays in both Washington D.C. and Tokyo! LOL! It is actually funny now looking back on our crazy 4 day trip back to Okinawa....not very funny at the time. But, we were definitely blessed to be upgraded to business class for the loooong D.C. to Tokyo flight both going there AND coming back. That was the very best part! Otherwise, traveling with Ian on my lap for literally 20+ hours was much like holding onto a small baby alligator unless he was sleeping he was flipping and grabbing EVERYTHING! LOL!

Soon after Christmas ended and the sickness was leaving our house...we got word that Ruben's dad was not well and during our planning to get Ruben home quickly, his father passed away on 12/30. Armando was 94 years old. As I type this to you, Ruben is still in NY with his mother and sister. We're very thankful to the Navy for paying for his very expensive plane ticket home as we are in financial limbo waiting on this mortgage loan to go through....or not.

Okay, I think I will end this for now as it is very late here in Japan and the kids will all be up early tomorrow. Sabrina, I will do my best to continue my blogging again very soon....I thank you in advance for giving me a nudge to do so every so often. I really do appreciate that about you and it does encourage me. :-)

Blessings to everyone for a safe and healthy 2009!