Yes, It Is...

...a blessing. I know, you all look at this like I do...another pile of laundry. Like many of you I have finally come to the realization that no, it will never be done. I used to think that it would. That one day, I would wash, dry, fold and put away all the laundry and have nice clean empty laundry baskets. That's it! It's done! But it never works that way...every time I FINALLY get the clothes put back neatly in every one's drawers there it is, another laundry basket full...taunting me. Oh, maybe I can put it off a day or two but eventually, the cycle will start again. I used to think this was the bane of my existence I certainly complained like it was. I couldn't be more wrong! Those clothes would not be there, piling up, if I didn't have happy, healthy children in my life. Children who go out and get muddy, play in the dirt, jump in puddles, crawl all over the floor (that I still need to clean), drool, spill milk on themselves, and generally take the clothes on their back completely for granted...which is exactly how it should be. I wouldn't have laundry if I didn't have a husband who worked hard every day earning money to buy more clothes, nice linens, Egyptian cotton towels...and I have the audacity to complain?

In the past I had attended a Bible study and the gist of the lesson was that even the menial chores in life should be done with joy and with gratitude. That even scrubbing the toilet was a blessing in that we are making a clean environment for our families. "What crock!" I thought, "cleaning toilets a blessing? I don't think so." Then not too much later, my friend Andrea, who I have written of before had a good day. She felt well. For the first time in months she wasn't literally sick and tired from chemotherapy. She had the strength and energy to get off the sofa to clean, cook and yes, do laundry. And she couldn't have been more happy about it. She told me with enthusiasm, "I did laundry!" I thought to myself "how much do I take for granted?" A lot! She is in the hospital now, hooked up to machines, not even able to breathe. And here I sit, amidst piles and piles of laundry and am so blessed in ways I'll never be able to imagine. I know she would do anything to be at home now folding her son's jersey or ironing her husband's shirts. So when you are doing the next round of laundry, this time instead of seeing it as a burden, see it for what it truly is. It is a blessing.

Please pray for Andrea, her husband Jim, their sons Nic and Anthony, the doctors and nurses who are working hard to make her better and for all of her friends and family who love her.

Philippians 4:4-8

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful weekend. My brother, Mark, his girlfriend, Jenny and their dog, Gary, drove up from Colorado to celebrate with us.
Jenny just got conked on the nose by Luke...I hope she'll still come back to visit:-). She is the best thing to ever happen to my brother. Doesn't he look happy? I am secretly (well, now, not so secretly) hoping she'll be my sister-n-law soon.
Mark baked a delicious apple pie entirely from scratch.
Jay lost his top front tooth. (Not on Mark's apple pie)
And Luke and Gary bonded over Cheerios


I have so much to be thankful for and hope that your blessings are too numerous to count as well.

Much love and thankfulness, Gina

First Snow

Luke's First Haircut

Before

After!
My baby is growing up...

Girl's Weekend In San Antonio!

I just returned from a fabulous trip to see my friends in San Antonio! It was a breath of fresh air. Luke and Jay stayed home with Dad. They had a fun boys weekend while I pined away for them over some margheritas with the girls. (As you can see, I look very somber in the photo below). Seriously, I truly missed them. But from time to time, everyone needs a break. I can't begin to describe how theraputic it is to just sit and chat with the girls.

Unexpected Blessings

I didn't want to move to Goldsboro. I cried as we drove into town. Not small little tears trickling down my cheek...no, it was a full on sob, you know the ugly cry, snot and everything! I prayed, "Lord, let me find my purpose here." I believe in a God that leads us and challenges us. And this was a definite challenge for me. Or so I thought. Turns out, moving to Goldsboro was one of the biggest blessings of my life! It wasn't necessarily moving to Goldsboro that was the blessing...it was what I found there that changed me forever. Friendship. That word holds new meaning for me. The photos below are of women from all different backgrounds and walks of life. We are all in different phases of life. Some have adult children who are in college, others, homeschooling moms with young children at home. And then there is me with an infant. Yet we have so much in common. We all have experienced the uncertainty of not knowing where we will live two years from now...or even perhaps, two months. We have felt the sorrow of kissing our husbands good-bye as he climbs into a jet and flies off to war…and the sweet relief and sheer joy when he returns. We know how to pull together in the mean time by finding fun ways to distract each other and creative ways to care for each other. Military spouses become each other's family...not just friends. This isn't unique to Goldsboro. You will find this camaraderie in all branches of the military all over the globe. It is one of its greatest blessings.

But this group of women, this bond we share is different. Yes, the Air Force brought us together. Some of us have been friends for years moving from base to base all over the world together. And some of us have known the each other for just two years. The exception here lies in our shared desire to pull for a friend in need. Andrea, she’s the petite one pictured in the red bandana. She may look small but her spirit is colossal. She has breast cancer. And we, the rest of us would move heaven and earth to eradicate that burden from her. If only we had the strength or the ability. We don’t so we do what we know how to do and that is by finding fun ways to distract Andrea, and each other, from predator of cancer and creative ways to care for its prey. Like many groups of friends, we would meet on a regular basis to have coffee and chat. Unlike most groups of friends our meeting place would be every Thursday morning in the chemo room. If not for the busy nurses running around and the sound of the chemo dispensing machines, beeping, requiring the attention of those nurses, no one would know the difference. We would be in our own world; laughing, talking about our kids and husbands (all good, of course), solving the world’s problems. Well, if not the world’s problems then at least Goldsboro’s. Sometimes we would pray together and sometimes, if it happened to be someone’s birthday we would throw a party and suddenly, right in the middle of all that is serious one would find joy and celebration.

But before I start to sound too lofty I need to clarify that none of this was my doing. And my being there was not solely for the purpose of helping Andrea. I needed to feel like I was doing something about a situation I felt so powerless and helpless in. Somehow being there, sitting with her, distracting her became a blessing to me. I am still trying to figure it out. That is what is so beautiful about God’s grace. All of a sudden, once you have reached out to another you feel like all along it was that person reaching out to you. Andrea blessed us by being so open to receiving us. She blesses us daily with her wisdom and courage. She and her husband bless us and many others with their faith and their beautiful way of expressing and sharing that faith. And not only was I personally blessed by an amazing friendship with Andrea but all of a sudden there was a whole group of remarkable women around me who are themselves the very definition of grace.

Just as quickly as the military throws people together it tears them apart. We are all now in different locations throughout the country and some will find their way on opposite sides of the globe. We are together in spirit though and will be friends forever.

If someone would have told me that day I was driving into Goldsboro that I would be crying as I left, being too deep in my pool of self-pity, I wouldn't have even been able to laugh. But I did...I cried when I left and yes, it was the ugly cry, snot and everything. So I learned that sometimes God will ask you to do something. And maybe that which is being asked, that which you may not want to do, isn't some sort of punishment or challenge, rather it may be that God just wants you to receive an extraordinary gift.

From Pumpkin Patch to Jack-O-Lantern

Jay did it ALL! He cleaned and carved all four pumpkins!!! And did a fantastic job. Can you tell which one is Luke's? Hint: it has two bottom teeth.

Sleep Deprivation

Who are you? And what have you done with my baby?

Luke is approaching nine months of age now. He crawls, pulls himself up, gets into everything. He is very good at eating Cheerios. He loves his baths but is still not crazy about the car seat. He is generally a happy baby. During the day that is. I am writing this post at 4:00 a.m.. Not because I can't sleep due to some overwhelming inspiration to add a post to my blog but because I am worried. Something happens in the middle of the night to this sweet baby...he turns into some sort of unrecognizable monster. Face red, cheeks streeked with tears, a hideous, pathetic, yet very loud noise emminates from his body. All the books say babies should be sleeping through the night somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks. None of them tell you that once you have a baby you will never sleep again, ever! But here it is, nine months and I can honestly say I haven't had one night of uninterupted sleep. Sure, there have been nights he has slept beautifully...but then I wake up wondering, "What's wrong? Why is my baby sleeping? This is weird...I'd better go check on him." Tonight is not one of those nights. Tonight is the "I think I'll let him cry it out" night. So, here we are 4:00 a.m., correction, it is now 4:30 a.m. and we are going on a world record cry down. Who is going to win? I have to admit I have a very formidable opponent...he is small in size but has an arsenal of tools at his disposal. When I look at him, red faced, cheeks streaked with tears, big brown watery eyes, my heart melts and I have this unbearable urge to pick him up. And that very large noise that emminates from his tiny, little body, well, I just want that to stop.


Wait a minute...what is that I hear? Silence. It is almost deafening. Could it be I won the cry-down? WHOOOO-HOOOO!!! VICTORY!!! I won!!!! The noise has stopped. I'm going to bed now...good night. Or is it good morning?