A Decade

I wrote this post for Miss Haley 5 years ago. 
My Haley:
Joyful, determined, passionate, strong
loving, energetic, intense, loyal and crazzzzy!
Most of all, you desire to honor God in all that you do!
What an example you are to me! 
Happy 15th Birthday, beautiful girl!!
 -------------
written 10-23-08

HALEY:

You came into the world ready to take it on with a vengeance. Since that fall day, ten years ago, not one thing has stopped you from enjoying every moment of your life.

Hours old..before you were transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center

Miss Haley, you took three days to make your entrance into the world...those 72 hours of waiting in that hospital room are as vivid to me as if it happened last week. I remember your brother and sister visiting with your two grandmas, I remember what friends stopped by and I remember the McDonalds that Dave and Amy snuck in because I could not eat one more cup of jello. When you did decide to come that late Friday afternoon, you decided to come in 2.3 seconds...once again, you did nothing even remotely similar to what your siblings did..which is your trademark...YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON! (and we love that about you) When it was discovered that you were not going to come in the world naturally, you were stuck and needed a little help.....we were quickly wheeled into the operating room and the doctors were removing you from your warm home of nine plus months. This c-section turned out to be blessing. A pediatrician is routinely called for emergency cesareans and we needed that doctor that day. Within an hour of your birth, it was evident that your little heart, the size of your baby fist, was not working properly and you were whisked away before I even saw your chubby cheeks. Thankfully, your daddy was with you every minute. I knew the moment your dad came into my room a few hours later that something was wrong...he had no baby, bundled in blankets with pink skin in his arms. That was the day that I truly knew from my gut, the meaning of PEACE THAT PASSES UNDERSTANDING. By the time I had received the news, prayer chains across the country had started. You had relatives in five different states covering us and bathing us in prayer! At one point in this journey, your grandpa received an email from a pastor in China that heard about our family and he was praying for you a world away. You were taken to a hospital about an hour away. Grandma Rita and Dad were with you for the next three days as doctors assessed you and made plans for your open heart surgery at a mere ten days old. The saddest part for me.... I was left behind to heal for a few days from surgery. I was never left alone and blessed with nonstop visitors, in fact, they let Mamaw sleep in the bed next to me. One nurse was thoughtful enough to snap some Polaroids of you so I could look at you.. I slept with those pictures...sometimes it felt like a dream, like maybe I didn't really have a baby...my arms were empty and my heart was broken. I missed you and those were three very long days without you and daddy. On Monday morning, mamaw picked me up and we headed to meet you and hold you for the very first time. As I walked into that NICU, I so clearly remember, the smell and sounds and I remember exactly where your little bed was..You were HUGE compared to your nursery friends. They don't see 8lb. babies in the NICU very often. I picked you up with so many wires attached to you and I held you, smelled you and cuddled with you for hours. ...you were mine and I had waited way too long to hold you! The next two weeks were long and scary. Dad and I were able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House across the street. It was wonderful to be so close to you. Sometimes, if we couldn't sleep, we would walk over and peek in on you at midnight, or we would go to the prayer chapel and pray for you. We knew that you were in God's hands and all your days were ordained by HIM, we gave you to HIM, knowing that HE was in control. Most days we would just sit and hold you, bath you and soak up every minute with you. On the day of your surgery, Mama, Papa, Grandma Rita and mom and dad met at 6:00am to pray over you one more time and anoint you with oil. We followed you and your team of doctors and nurses to the surgical floor and as they wheeled you through that last door, I was sure my heart had ripped right out of my chest. They repaired your small heart in just about 4-5 hours and we were holding you that night. You made it through surgery with flying colors!Within days of surgery, you were home and we were a family of five...finally!

This is just a small part of the story that God has written for you Haley. He has chosen you and you are called by HIM! I am excited to see how God is going to use you and what avenue you take to serve HIM in the future! You are a blessed girl and I pray you will never forget how your story began! Remember, you are a fighter!

Haley you have brought us laughter, laughter and more laughter into our home! Your curiosity, your creativeness, and deep thinking, challenge me daily and keep me on my knees...seeking the ONE that created you!

My first time holding you...3 days old

The day after your open heart surgery

We are so honored and blessed to be your parents!

Happy 10th Birthday Little Girl!

Through My Windows

I LOVE FALL in Oregon and especially since we have had some unusually warm weather...the colors are more intense with the sun shining through the tress. The mornings are cool and crisp and the sunrises are beautiful. Our 3 mile drive to school is breathtaking! Here is the view I get to look at everyday when the sun sets in our backyard!

From our kitchen window

Our bedroom door to the deck

From our bedroom window

Mountains Bow Down!

I am loving the NW fall this year! The sun has stuck around for the most part and the leaves are such bright, distinct colors. Today when I was driving home from the store, a very familiar song, Shout to the Lord, came on the radio. I turned up the radio, took the scenic route home and worshiped...LOUD! I do worship with the kids in the car, they are used to that, but today I am glad I was alone because I was LOUD and incredibly overwhelmed with My Lord!

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar

At the sound of Your name.

HE is the creator of all things and one day every knee will bow and tongue confess that HE is KING of KINGS!

I sing for joy at the work of Your hands,

Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand,

Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.

No matter what is happening in my life, I WILL SING FOR JOY, For nothing, nothing, nothing,nothing compares to the promise I have in HIM!

My comfort, my shelter,

Tower of refuge and strength;

Let every breath, all that I am

Never cease to worship You.

Shout to the Lord, all the earth,

Let us sing, Power and majesty, praise to the King;

HE is my strong tower, my refuge, my strength and I want EVERY breath I take to be a sweet fragrance unto HIM! Thank-you Lord, for that time with you today, our stolen moment in a hectic day! I LIVE FOR YOU!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

This is what we were blessed with

while eating dinner

on the beach last week.

A FLORIDA SUNSET

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
Psalm 45:3

The Other Half.....of ME!

I met my husband twenty years ago today. We had been at college a total of two weeks! There was an "all you can eat rolled taco night" happening on campus and you can bet there would be no way this chubby freshman was going to miss that! When I walked in with my roommates, we immediately gravitated to the taco bar and without realizing it, cut in front of a group of the cutest guys I had ever seen. I quickly noticed the "cute guy in the red hat"......our story began that night and we rarely spent a day apart during our college years. We were married two years after meeting and it has been pure bliss since then......throw in the blood, sweat and tears, but other than that, pure bliss!

Darren has a different version of what really happened at that "rolled taco night" ....something about I had guacamole on my face...and that's what made him "notice" me?? Yeah, whatever...he still asked me to go walk on the beach with him that night! ; )

Where did twenty years go?

I love that within weeks of meeting you, I wanted to keep you!

I love that our story started in my favorite city , San Diego, where dreams come true!

I love that our story really started on the beach, late that night, on Oct. 7, 1988!

I love that our story started when we were only 18!

I love that our story began with many nights in that small prayer chapel on campus,

I love the story that we have made together, a story of God’s grace and faithfulness!

I love that God knew we would be a perfect fit.

I love God knew that you would be everything I needed and wanted.....
you still amaze me, sweep me off my feet and always make me come back wanting more ; )

I love that you are my partner, my best friend, my strength, my hero!

I love that our story is not over and still being written!

Yes, you had me the moment you let me cut in front of you at rolled taco night on campus.

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

If my people, who are called by my name,

will humble themselves

and pray and seek my face

and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven

and will forgive their sin and

will heal their land." --2 Chronicles 7:14

As November approaches, I am aware, more than ever, how desperate we are as a nation....How critical it is that Christians, across the nations are lifting up this election, in prayer. I don't need to repeat everything that is being said in the media....on a daily basis....this is history in the making, we will see days like this nation has never seen before...etc. Here is part of a prayer taken from a Prayer for Our Nation.....

Awaken them that the same hands lifted up to you in prayer Are the hands that pull the lever in the voting booth;That the same eyes that read your Word Are the eyes that read the names on the ballot,And that they do not cease to be Christians When they enter the voting booth.....

We could all write pages on this topic, but instead, I commit to pray, pray, pray like never before! Pray scripture, pray as a family, pray as a church!

As the words from Chris Tomlin's song...."God of the City" so appropriately states:

You're the God of this city

You're the King of these people

You're the Lord of this nation

You Are

Weekend Plans:

Off to a rainy, varsity football game,

a very large bonfire, with massive amounts of teenagers,

a JV Volleyball tournament all day Saturday,

church on Sunday

and hopefully some dress shopping..

.because we have a

Freshman Homecoming Princess

in our home that needs to be outfitted ; ) whoohoo!

Wordless Wednesday

My Backyard......

Remnants of Summer in the Fall!!