Remembering

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3

We are truly a blessed nation.
We are grateful and thankful to God for each man, woman, and family who has sacrificed so that we may have freedom.

Today on this Memorial Day as our family hung outside and took a few things off our to do list, I thought of not only the men and the women, who had gave of themselves so that we might be free, but also of their families.

As I vacuumed and washed our minivan, Josh and Grace mowed and cleaned the yard. I thought to myself what it would be like to take care of our home and three children with my husband gone overseas. How much harder would the daily chores be. How much would I long for my husband and they for their father, to sit at the dinner table with us. How they would miss the nightly kisses and their daddy carrying them to bed. And then what if then unimaginable happened and while defending our freedom he never returned to embrace his girls.

The sacrifice is great and the days are hard I am sure.

To be away and to be without.

Remembering each one, who has given a moment, a day, a year, or a lifetime.

~ANDREA

*This was meant for posting yesterday, blogger wouldn't allow. Glad it posted today!

My Week in Review

This week I am linking up to a fellow adoptive moms blog and doing my week in review! I have loved each week when she has done this! But this is the first week I have found the time to compile my highs and lows and still have time to post them! Thanks Amy for the fun idea!!!

***Blogger wouldn't let me upload photos until today, so I am 2 days behind on this post!

{HIGH}

So many great things this week!!!

The high for my week though, was definitely the quick getaway we took this weekend to Dolan's Lake. Dolan's is a state park only about 15 minutes away from our house.

We set out on Saturday after the girls' opening day ceremonies for summer rec league. We thought we would camp in the tent, but the constant mist of rain kept that from happening. So, we got a cute little cabin right off the lake.

The cabin had a full side bed in one room, two sets of bunks in the other, a small frig, and a little two seater table. It was wonderful. (all except the walk to the bathrooms in the rain)

We built a fire, roasted hot dogs, made s'mores, played checkers, had church, and goofed around all right there at our tiny cabin. We also hiked and skipped rocks down around the lake!

We all loved it!

{LOW}

My low for the week was on Friday. Josh and I had an appointment, that we could not reschedule. So we missed Grace's award ceremony. I have missed very few of my children's activities and such, so today was hard. She understood and we were at her school yesterday to watch her read an essay. But as a momma, I still feel like I failed her today.

{Lesson Learned}

My lesson learned this week is that it is okay that I don't have everything mapped out and well planned in my life. That I need to truly allow God to hold the map and reveal things in His timing. ***Side note:I am still in the process of learning this (I think I always will be!) ****

I hope you have all had a great week!!!

~ANDREA

The Dress that Revealed More

source

Getting ready to pack for the Orphan Summit. Trying on clothes that I haven't worn since last spring. I tried on a dress just for the fun of it, a cute floral maxi dress. ( No I am not planning on wearing it!) I put it on and I instantly felt that feeling when you are a little girl twirling around in the new dress your momma just bought or made you. Aaaah! I felt girly, super feminine and pretty. None of which I feel too often anymore. I usually feel like a frantically dressed, half wrinkled, food stained, hair always out of place, in a hurry mother. But at this moment in my bedroom all that had been pushed aside and here I was standing feeling a bit renewed and almost overwhelmed by the way this dress made me feel. Now mind you, once I took a look in the mirror, I caught a glimpse of my hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, the hint of day-long-makeup left on my face, and the bags from an already-long-week hanging below my eyes.
Uugh!!!! I cringed for a moment and asked..."Why is it that a pretty dress can make feel the way I often long to feel. When I have access to the one who can fill me so full and refresh even my darkest of days."

I know He is there waiting and whispering daily to me that I am his.

I know that He gives a peace that can surpass anything a dress or anyone on this Earth can provide for me.

I have felt his restoration and heard Him tell me even in my long, hard, not getting anywhere, full of mistakes kind of days that he has created me in His image AND for a purpose.

So WHY??? is it that some days I let little things dictate how I feel about who I am???????

Just want to say that I am thankful that my Savior never gives up on me!

~ANDREA