Change

It has been months since posting. There is a teenager in the house. We are farming just a bit more land. Planting was finished in record time. We had no snow days this school year.  In one week the kids will be out for the summer. Ben is 40!  We bought a very used camper.  We have 3 kids playing ball this summer.  We have a new pastor at our church. My thoughts for unbelievers is at the front of my mind often.

Some things are the same though.  I hate shoes spread all over the floor.  I think they multiply overnight.  I waste lots of time on TV.  I have great friends.  Ben and I are slowly creeping toward our 20 year anniversary.  The kids are mostly a joy, sometimes not.  I still want to pack it all up and move somewhere.  God is on the throne and sovereign above all.  Praise the Lord.

The weekend

was spent harvesting corn. Ben and the boys spent all of friday and saturday combining. It proved to be a very productive weekend. Miles finally has a job!! He is responsible to turn on the auger tractor...after grandpa gives him the cue. At one point Ben told him to start the tractor and Miles told him he was supposed to wait until Grandpa said so.

Kenna and I brought food and the camera.
Ben on the front of the combine cleaning something out.
Camden in the tractor waiting, which is what you spend most of your time doing.

take a trip with me

Just 2 years ago this week I started a great adventure. I have posted about it before but today I give you the visuals. I wish now that I had taken pictures of my own before, during and after but I just didn't have the courage or the desire to photograph myself. So at my last visit to see the surgeon I asked for copies of their pictures of me. It still kind of makes me heartsick and nauseous to look at these but I need to get past that. So here they are:

October 6, 2009 - 6 months prior to surgery

March 23, 2010 - 3 weeks post op

June 1, 2010 - 12 weeks post op

September 9, 2010 - 6 months post op

December 7, 2010 - 9 months post op

October 6, 2010 - 19 months post op

It is with much joy and thankfulness that I am where I am today. I am 167 pounds lighter than I was just 2 years ago. The battle with food still rages but I am victorious many more days than I am defeated. All glory to God! I am thankful for my family and friends who have stuck by and supported me.

A photo dump...

its been so long that I have tons of pictures from the summer. So here goes:

Camden rode on the Junior Knight football float for the county fair parade.
The calm after a horrible summer rain/hail storm.
Christmas in July - Mason donned the Santa costume and then fell into a deep slumber.
Makenna at her first horse show!
Every good firework needs to blow from the former head of a Barbie.
Camden's back to school rubber bands were a great joy to us. He said the boys had been daring him to put on pink and purple and he decided to take the challenge.
Miles following the same rain/hail storm photographed above.
Mason hanging with buddies at one of Kenna's ball games.
Another of the back to school photo shoot.
Vacation at the lakes.

have a great week. God Bless you.

Its Expected

that we take a photo before we head to school the first day. No one was really in the mood and Mason can't sit still anyway. So here is the best one I took:

I really don't have to write what they are thinking - it is pretty obvious.
Mason is not going to school but wanted to try the picture frame on for size.
Miles is a first grader.
Kenna is a third grader.
Camden is a sixth grader and it kind of chokes me up. He wouldn't even walk with us to school this morning. I am thankful for his independence but sometimes it gets me. Here is to another school year. Let the spelling words flow and the reading commence.

hello.

wow. it has been awhile. summer is gone. schools starts thursday. i just spent an awesome 2 days volunteering at women of faith. i loved working with people that i didn't know and ended up finding some really great friends. hoping we can connect again over dinner. i volunteered to usher and what that really meant was make people welcome and help them in any way possible. i spent lots of time just visiting with people. one of our jobs was to maintain organization during the autograph sessions. so i visited with people while they waited in line to get autographs from people like, Mandisa, Lisa Welchel, and Sandi Patty.

it was very exhausting but energizing as well. if women of faith is coming to your city i would encourage you to volunteer. i could travel every weekend and do it but Ben didn't really like that plan!

40

Today is the day I turn 40. I am happy about it because I feel better than I did at 30. Last night my amazing husband and some super terrific friends pulled off a huge surprise birthday party. It was fun. I was a little overwhelmed at first but following the shock it was a joy to visit with so many special people.

In no particular order, here are the things that I have found to be immeasurably valuable over the last 40 years.

1. a good husband

2. loyal friends

3. a community that cares

4. knowing what matters

5. loving others

6. doing what is right

7. honesty

8. saying "i forgive you"

9. saying "i'm sorry"

10. the love of a gracious Savior

11. family - the blood and chosen

12. trials that test