Renewed

Ever feel run down, unmotivated and just plain defeated? Well, lately I have been feeling like that; to put it bluntly, I feel under attack. Does this come from my lack of faith? Is it real or imagined? Am I playing the victim? Yikes, what is going on?

It wasn't until this past week while on vacation and removed from my normal daily routine, that I was able to analyze and look clearly at the problem.

Life has a way of putting stones and stumbling blocks on our path so we have to make choices and possible change our course or figure how to get over the barracades. Where is my path headed and the stones I have encountered, should I proceed over or change my course?

This is what I have determined - for one, I haven't been too faithful in my personal time with the Lord; two, I've been allowing outside influences to alter my moods; and three I continue to try and 'fix' my problems instead of laying them at Jesus' feet!

Vacation is good! Fresh air, no schedule and the ocean breeze has a way of renewing and refreshing my outlook. During my time away, I wasn't burdened with the hustle and bustle of a busy work day, evenings figuring out dinner or dealing with finances, phone calls and other miscellaneous 'things' that tend to be placed on my path and clog my mind preventing me from focusing on what is truly important.

As I return from my time away I've decided to use this list when deciding which path to take or when feeling attacked so I can focus on what is truly important:

God first
my husband and family next
then me
work and whatever else

When I put my focus on God, all the else seems to fall into place and becomes clearer and gives me strength to face the challenges of life! Releasing my life to the One who is truly in charge makes choosing the right path a little easier and most often ensures a smoother path than the one I would have chosen without His guidance and protection!

I am thankful for the time to be away from the daily grind to focus on my relationship with Jesus and the importance of putting Him first in my life -

We've Come A Long Way Baby!

Boy does time fly! I was reading Leanna's blog today - she just celebrated her 12th wedding anniversary with Jared! Wow, where did the time go? Jason and Corynn also celebrated an anniversary, their 4th. It is hard to believe that our children are grown up and married! Uh-oh, that means we are getting old! As I sit here catching up with friends and family on Facebook, my lovely husband of 32 years is snoring loudly on the couch - boy, could life be any better?
Really, I barely can remember back to that day in November, 1977 where Otto and I walked down the aisle and become husband and wife. When I see our children in their marriages, watch their struggles and triumphs and think back to when we were their ages... wow, we've come a long way. Life is Good!

No Vacancy

Well, the Stuck Hotel is at full capacity and we are hanging up the 'no vacancy' sign yet again. We recently welcomed Tina, Kaya and Eden to our humble abode here in the southwest. Hopefully they will find some peace and restoration that is much needed after the unexpected and crazy events that have plagued their family these past few months. Eden and Kaya were excited to be able to spend some time with their cousin, Delaney at the beach in San Diego, then back in Phoenix for the day. They've spent almost every day in the pool and we even camped this past weekend at Lake Pleasant. We've been busy!

So far, we have been constantly reminding them that they need shoes on even if it is just to go outside to get the mail, and sunscreen, even if it is just to go outside to get the mail..... get my drift! Goodbye Minnesota, hello Arizona!

The girls are registered in school and have 'meet the teacher' next week on Wed and Thur, and school starts on the 17th - they seem excited. Eden is going into 3rd at Las Brisas and Kaya 7th at Hillcrest. Tina's gone on two interviews and is now in the waiting mode for those, and still holding out hope to hear from SV. So, as things settle down and the hustle and bustle of emptying and rearraging rooms and filling them up with girlie things diminishes, we have to stop and take a breath and offer thanksgiving that we we are able to help out and provide a safe and somewhat peaceful environment for them.

Please pray for employment for Tina (a job with benefits!) and a smooth transition for the girls into their new schools.