I deserve a boat.

I try NOT to use my blog for ranting. Cuz it’s annoying. And most of the time people don’t really have a vested interest in what you are ranting about so you kind of look like a loony. I have tried, fought mightily, bit my tongue, and finally am giving in to one teeny tiny little rant: God is good. ALL...THE…TIME. I knew that, you say. Yes, we do know that…I know it, you know it, but we seem to forget it when times get hard. *This rant is for me too, FYI*

Ok…so what is this rant about? People posting on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc, that God is good…when He finally gives me what I have been Santa-Clausing Him for. “I got a brand new car…GOD IS GOOD. I got that job I wanted…GOD IS GOOD.” What would we have said if He DIDN’T give us the job, car, house, boat, boyfriend, or lottery winnings we wanted? God, you stink? Nope…He’s always good. Not just when we got that swagger that says things are going our way. He can’t not be good.

Life is unpredictable, it twists and turns and drops us in the mud and picks us back up again. That’s why we need to trust in the goodness of the God who is holding it in His gigantic, safe hands. His GOOD hands. We won’t always get it…we will question it, and sometimes with good reason. God wants us to question. He wants us to run to Him with our questions, our anger, our desire to just give up. My youth pastor hubby is always telling me “yell at God if you need to…He gets it.”

Even when it chokes me to say it through my confusion or anger. God…you are good. All the time. Even when I don’t get it, even when I think you really aren’t so nice. I recognize that You are bigger than what I understand. But one day…I’m gonna sit on your lap and You’ll explain it all to me.

He loves us, and loves to give us what is best for us. Most of the time…we totally don’t even know what that is. It also doesn’t feel like “His best” when we lose a loved one or disaster happens. I recently lost an aunt, and it hurt. It still hurts, and I think it always will. But she is in Heaven right now…who am I to wish her back here? What she has now is the best thing she could have. She’s with God…she has got it made.

I’m sure sometimes it may look like a new car is what’s best for me, and daggonit I deserve that boat, but I think God can dream a little bit bigger than that.

Play On

I'm not much into going to concerts. I usually cringe when I realize I have to go to one with our youth group. But my husband is a huge Shinedown fan, and I am a huge Shinedown fan, by inheritance I think but still. Last year we had the chance to finally see them in concert.

One day about a month ago, Billy told me that he had gotten a tweet about $10 tickets to a nearby concert. I decided if I was gonna keep a happy hubby I had better get on that. So...we left the hooligans with my sisters Monday night and made a little road trip out of it. I also do not like road trips, FYI...thankfully this one was only about 2.5 hrs. ;)

Usually about as concert as I get is my iPod playing really loud over the speakers in the house. But it was fun to take a day trip with Billy and see these guys. We of course had to google the nearest Chipotle en route while we were at it. Billy needs to just have Chipotle set up in an IV.

They put on a really great show. Way better than when we first saw them. It was a much bigger venue and they had a lot more going on with their set-up. Which made the wifey happy cuz there were lots of pretty lights to take pictures of.

We did sit kind of far back, on the lawn, but that actually ended up being nice because we could stretch out. I took the zoom lens, but was secretly, or actually not secretly, harboring jealousy in my heart over people who are actually close enough to get some great shots. Concert photography is hard enough when you're close up...but it was fun to try.

We didn't end up getting back home until 2 am. I had set my phone alarm to wake me up so I could pick up the kids from my sisters by about 12, also so Billy could get to work by 12. I woke up at 12:15...as in PM. My first reaction was, "uh oh." So I shook snoozing hubby awake and he ran out the door putting on his pants.

After the shock of "how did I manage to sleep until that hour" wore off we were both grateful for the 10 hours of sleep. Pretty sure that hasn't happened since college. It's left me in some kind of a weird stupor all day though, and I cannot seem to figure out what time it is. I'm glad to have my kiddos back, too. I'm sure they'll be waking me up bright and early in the morning.

Speaking of hooligans, I think it's my cue to stop blogging for now. Tirzah is biting my foot. Also...the noise level in here is rivaling that of the concert last night. And Merrick definitely just stage dived off the entertainment center.


This week at YouCapture the theme was "Play". I think this works. Ouch...more biting my toes. Check out the link for more shots.

Different Tune

Some days I don't do anything the way I'm supposed to. I'm clumsy and stumbling in my walk, and hitting all the wrong keys. But in His grace, He hears my heart. And it's music to His ears.

Oh, Lord, You have searched me and You know me.
- Psalm 139:1 -

Perspective

I really feel like I need to start looking at things through my kids' eyes. Everything is new, and better, and bigger. Ok...maybe I shouldn't look at everything through my kids eyes. Like when Merrick told me recently that I had a "big butt". I know he meant that in the most kind of ways...of course. And no I did not look in the mirror to check to see if he was right.

But this is a good philosophy I think for a lot of things. Everything is so exciting and fun for kids. They don't take much for granted like us "big butted" people tend to do. (Thank you, Merrick.) For example...Merrick calls this thing, featured in the pictures, at my parents' house "a boat". I guess when you are 2...it pretty much is a boat.

There are a lot of things that I'm not satisfied with now, that I was at one point. It always kind of creeps up on me, and all of a sudden I realize how whiny and annoying I've become. Hey, part of that could be the company I'm keeping...they have the whiny thing down. But I need to start looking at things in a different way, and realizing that there are a lot more "boats" in my life that I should be grateful for. Just not my backside, I hope. ;)

While Mommy is Away

My kiddos were in good hands last week while I was at camp crying myself to sleep. Not that I really slept. Nothing new here. If it's not my kids keeping me away it's someone else's. ;) All the students were well behaved though, they just seem to not need to sleep...ever.

Obviously we aren't vegetarians around here. Yes, my daughter is gnawing on a bone. Their grandparents, who watched them part of the week, fixed ribs for dinner, and Tirzah is always up for some good eating.

Merrick was up to his usual antics as you can see. Practicing his climbing skills. Jails should hire him to see if there are any weak points from which convicts can escape. If you can get out of it, he will. Unless its his sister's crib. For some reason that one still has him stumped.

It was great to be reunited with my two kiddos. I missed them so much. But I already am pulling my hair out, just a bit. I always manage to forget just how wild and crazy they are. And how much they just hate to see me have to do anything alone...even taking a bath. ;)