Happy, Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL husband!!! I love you so much!

We didn't do anything amazing... just went to Ikea and got a dresser so we can get our clothes out of the bins. (Exciting, I know! That's how we roll! lol.) Monday when we actually get the dresser assembled and the clothes out of the bins and into said assembled dresser -- THAT will be amazing!!! :) We've been looking at garage sales and auctions, but the drawers are always too heavy. We left our dresser back in PA because it was very, very old (60-70 years) and the drawers were so heavy. When I'm having a bad MS day I can't open them. We finally decided to get the one from Ikea because it was (a) in our extremely low price range and (b) has very easy to open drawers.

I'm such a slacker this year. I've always been into baking cakes for birthdays, but my husband would rather eat ice cream. So, I got him an ice cream cake. Sure, I've made them myself before for him, but you have to understand that I found a coupon for $3.00 off an 8" round cake from Dairy Queen. I mean, we're talking a THREE BUCK savings on a way overpriced half gallon of ice cream!!! I may not be one of those extreme coupon chicks (who I think maybe are on the wrong show...I mean, why would you buy 100 bottles of Excedrin just because you have 100 coupons for it? It will expire before you can use it. Well, unless you take, like, 20 of them each day... in which case you'll end up with some kind of major organ failure and there are NO coupons for that!), but I know a deal when I see one! ;) (Where do they get all those coupons anyway? The only reason I've watched that show is to find out where they get the coupons, but they only brag about their "stock piles" and how much $$ they saved. They NEVER share their secret coupon sources!)

Where was I? Oh, yes. I saved $3, but the real savings was in the time area. I have just been so busy the past few weeks! So, yes...I'm a slacker. I admit it! "Hello, my name is Stacey and I'm a slacker." But, he was very happy with his DQ ice cream cake. :)

I should mention on here that I've made a new friend! Well, we haven't actually gotten together or anything, but she's a pastor's wife here as well. We both moved from another state. Both moves were quick moves. We have a lot in common. Our churches even have the same name. Hers is about 40 min. from ours (I think). It's going to be nice to have someone to chat with who isn't in our congregation.

Better get to bed! I have to get up early and get Gidget to the library to sign up for their summer reading program. Apparently last year they brought in miniature crocodiles and let the kids pet them...which immediately meant to her that she HAD to become a member...and immediately meant to me that I need to pray more!

Humbled

So, today was an AMAZING day for me! For the first time in over, wow, 6 or so years I played the piano for church!!! It was totally indescribable how God helped me with it.

I was really terrified when I was asked to fill the spot for the lady who usually plays. She's an amazing pianist and such a sweetheart! But ya know...I promised God that I'd serve Him where He gave me opportunity. I didn't ever think I'd play the piano again for church, but He opened the door and I knew He wanted me to do it. I figured, "Well, I'm either going to crash & burn and be totally embarrassed by doing this OR God is going to take over and let me use my fingers again." Once I accepted that, an amazing sense of peace came over me and I knew that God was in control.

Yes, I played the piano today and it was an amazing feeling. I have missed it so, so much. It's hard to explain how much you miss something like that. It was just a part of me. But, God in His infinite mercy gave me it back for today. I don't know if I'll be able to do it tomorrow. I just know that He used me today and it felt really, really good. (And, yes, I hit quite a few sour notes. lol.)


"Indescribable, Uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are AMAZING God!
All Powerful, Untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim:
You are AMAZING God!"
(Chris Tomlin)
It's AWESOME to serve such an AMAZING GOD!!!!! I'm feeling just totally humbled and grateful and just plain amazed.

As Time Goes By...

"Tick-Tock; Tick-Tock. Where did the time go on the clock?"

Do you remember that rhyme from school? Maybe it was just a thing from the elementary school I attended. I do find myself asking, "Where did all this time go?"

It seems like it was just yesterday that we were in our Pennsylvania home listening to Christmas music and decorating our tree. That was Thanksgiving night. Somewhere in the middle of that night, someone clicked the fast-forward button and now, here we are...less than 2 weeks from Memorial Day!

After posting THIS BLOG POST in January, life just got so busy so fast. My world became surrounded by cardboard boxes to which I had to surrender. They are still holding much of our belongings hostage, but I believe they will eventually agree to releasing them. I would truly appreciate it if the box that is holding my iron hostage would kindly set it free. I'm happy to exchange one of the many cake pans I've discovered for the iron. I'd like to have some wrinkle-free clothes.

Life here in IL is very different from life back in PA. We are in a town that actually has a Wal-Mart, too many fast food places, too many pizza joints, an Amtrak station, and lots of people. Yet, it's a much simpler place. The kids here aren't all attached to the end of the newest electronic gizmo beginning with a lowercase "i". Their parents expect them to (GASP!) get their driver's licenses and jobs and pay for those gizmos themselves if they want them! People in this town are "lifers" -- what they call themselves since they were born here and intend to stay her until they die.

We got here and were met by a band of people from our new church home. They had the moving truck unpacked quicker than my brain could comprehend. I thought maybe 2-3 guys would turn up to help. NOPE. There were men, women, teens, & children -- whole families who gave up their Saturday to help us get unloaded. The women immediately jumped in and began to help me unpack the kitchen stuff. It was amazing how quickly they worked! They were just so happy we were here. It made me feel really good... and humbled. It doesn't matter to me that I still can't find some things and that they have a very different idea of where things should go in a kitchen. They are just such kind, loving people!

I remember thinking, "Well, this ain't gonna last long!" We'd been hurt before, so I have a tendency to expect it. These people are the real deal, though. I'm enjoying getting to know them all more and more.

Life has been crazy busy! We have been running full steam ahead and I'm getting tired. I love it, though. It's pretty sad when you are looking forward to taking a trip out to MN for a memorial service in June because you are expecting to get a little rest. (Pathetic... I know.)

I love our house! We hadn't seen it except for an outside shot before we got here. I got to walk through it for maybe 2 minutes before the church folks got here to unload us, so it was just too much to take in all at once. We have a garage attached to the house! It's so cool! I don't get wet now when it's raining and I need to get in and out of our Jeep! And, there's another garage that sits behind the house. Right now it's holding all those boxes that need unpacked, but my husband is looking forward to turning it into...something. His man cave I suppose.

I have a basement. That's where the laundry room is. My physical therapy so far has been doing those steps a few times each day. Do you know how AMAZING it feels to be able to do steps after being in a wheelchair for so long??? God is so AWESOME! Sure, I have my own quirky way of doing them, but the point is that I do them! :) Oh, and there is a laundry chute in the bathroom. That's really convenient!

I'll post pictures when I have more time. I guess I'm just still in awe of things. You see, I've never lived in a house that had a garage or a basement. I really feel truly blessed. I was terrified at the thought of leasing a house for 2 years that I hadn't even seen. But, we had to have a place to live and this is what God provided in our price range. Our landlord is considering doing a lease-to-own deal with us. That would be nice. This was a "blind move" for us, but God saw it and knew this was just what we needed. It's not a big house, but it's big enough. It's not a new house, but it has all we need. I think it's perfect. Do I like all the decor? No. I'm not really into all the granny-ish prints. I don't like the drape choices, and the landlord's wife wants them to stay put while we are leasing in case we decide to move...but that's just something that provides privacy. No sense in letting my particular taste get in the way of enjoying a true blessing from the Lord! In all honesty, it would take me the 2 years on our lease to figure out what drapes and wall paper and such that I'd want...let alone the time it would take to get it all put up! We moved in and it's all in place. YAY!

I have to laugh because a lifetime ago I dated an older man. I was 22. He was 38. Nice guy, just not the man God wanted me to marry. The laughter comes in when I think back to the way he had his kitchen decorated. It was all done in fruit, and I just wasn't the fruit decor kind of gal. I'd tease him about it. Guess what my kitchen boarder is??? LOL. Yep! Fruit. Mostly clusters of grapes.

Anyway, I should get to bed. No, I still don't sleep much. I did go for a week or so sleeping. Now my mind is too busy to let me sleep. UGH. Some things never change.

My husband is so happy to be serving full time in the ministry. It's not as lucrative as his former job, but his retirement plan is out of this world! :) He loves serving God, and I love that he is so happy. I'd rather be dirt poor and happy because we are in God's will than be rich and out of His will. God is meeting every need. He's even providing some wants. What a MIGHTY GOD we serve!

Yes, that fast-forward button got pressed Thanksgiving night... but it's nice to be moving forward for a change. :)

Sorry this is so discombobulated...but it is 4:42 a.m. here in IL and I haven't been to sleep yet. I'm going to try to keep this blog more updated. I need to do it. I love blogging. Time just slipped away...

"Tick-Tock; Tick-Tock. Where did the time go on the clock?"

Coming Soon...

...an actual blog post! But first I think I should do our taxes...don't want to do them, but I must. I just thought I'd put myself back into the cyber world to say "hello" and "thanks" to those who have been praying for me and my family! I so appreciate it and have a lot to tell... But first, I really should do my taxes...

Reconnecting

It's funny how as soon as people hear through the grapevine of your imminent move, all of the sudden they contact you and feel the need to get together. Some of these people I haven't even heard from in 20+ years!

However, there's one friend I've been trying to make plans with for several years... only something ALWAYS happened and the plans got postponed. When she found out we were moving, she sent me a very sweet message that simply said, "I would love to see you before you leave, but I know you will be way too busy. Just know that I'm very happy for you and will be praying for you."

So I sent her a message back, "Linda, you're right. I am way too busy. That's why I'm going to do whatever I can to get us together before I move and become way to busy somewhere else."

We went back and forth trying to find a time that worked for both of us. I finally said let's just shoot for Friday night and meet for a cup of coffee somewhere in between our homes. So, that's what we did. We met at Starbucks at 7:15 and talked until after 10 p.m. It was WONDERFUL!

Linda and I taught Sunday School together for years. I first met her when I was 19. She was married with 2 daughters. We became instant friends. I always wanted to be the kind of mom she was/is. I taught her youngest daughter piano, and had both her daughters in my children's choir/drama club. They are both married now. I remember them walking down the aisle at my wedding as Junior Bridesmaids! Time flies! Linda was one of my bridesmaids, too. She was so supportive of me and always helped me with anything I needed help with.

So, tonight we chatted about her girls and her husband and my girl and my husband. We talked about our moms who both became widows at about the same time. We laughed and cried... and kept getting free packets of ground coffee from the workers who were obviously wanting us to leave so they could close up early. lol.

Reconnecting with old acquaintances is nice. I've done a lot of that on FaceBook. But reconnecting with a true friend... there's just nothing like it!

And, yes, I had DECAF and still cannot sleep! UGH! lol.

Take time and reconnect with someone who at one time was a special part of your life. You may be surprised to find that you just pick right up where you last left off.

Well...

WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited to now have an address! Thank you so much to those who were praying along with us!

I have to be honest here and tell you that it's very weird having other people find a house for you... and then getting excited about it even though you've never seen it! It sounds really great and I can't wait for someone to email me pictures of it! I'll have to post some when I get some.

It has a full basement. I've never had a basement before! It has not 1, not 2, but 3 garages (or so I've been told)!! I've never had a garage before! I'm not sure what to do with 3 of them! We only have one vehicle! It's funny because it isn't what they (the people who have seen it) consider a big house, but it sounds pretty big to me! It has 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, dining room, 2 bathrooms upstairs & 1 downstairs, a living room... sounds perfect to me! It even has a laundry chute! That means the washer/dryer hookup is in the basement. That's okay, though. Maybe I'll fit down the chute. ;) If not, I'll be able to perfect the "sit & scoot" stair method. It should be good exercise.

I do have to say that I'm still in awe of the way God is doing things! He's just going right down the list & checking things off! All these mountains to us are nothing to Him! Thank You, God, for being so AWESOME!!!!!

There is so much packing to do. I just keep trying to force myself to start. lol. Once I start then I'm fine. It's just getting started... Okay. I'm going to start now. Really. I'm going right now to fill a box. Right now... just as soon as I check my email I'm going to start! Really! I am!

Looking for an Address...

...for my family! LOL.

Seriously, PLEASE keep this in your prayers. God has answered so many prayers in such amazing ways! I know that nothing is too big for Him.

I also know that He knows which house would be the best for my family. We kind of have our hopes up for this one in particular. The landlord has narrowed the applicants down to 2 families. We are one of them. We will be given an answer by Saturday.

PLEASE, PLEASE pray! I know God's got this under control. I lay this need at His feet and then go and pick it up again. How pathetic am I??? If it's a "no" then I must trust that God has a very good reason for it!

On another note, we are only about 1/3 of the way packed. All of the snow has slowed things down substantially. Don't get me wrong -- I absolutely LOVE snow! However, when you are supposed to be moving in only 2-1/2 weeks...you kind of need to be able to get everything out of storage so that you can determine what goes, what gets trashed, and what gets donated. With about 2 feet of heavy, wet snow between you and the storage shed... well, you can see how this makes things difficult. Again, God knows what He's doing when He sends the snow. It sure is pretty to look at.

I'm finally feeling better -- PTL!!! Gidget got an antibiotic yesterday and is beginning to feel better -- PTL!!! Now let's just pray we all stay healthy!

My Mom is NOT handling this move very well at all. She's trying to put on a happy face and be supportive, but she's hurting inside. Please keep her in your prayers. I truly wish she'd come with us, but she feels her ministry is here.

I should head back to bed. So much is running through my mind. I need to follow my own advice from a while back and just "Be Still" and know that He is God!!!! What an awesome, mighty God He is!

Until my next moment of insane rambling...