Life Update

Last week was rough. Ethan was sick, then I got sick, then Jeff got sick. And all on different days...and it lingered about 2 days each. So we all didn't get much good quality time together. Anyways, I'm glad we're all feeling better now!

Last week was also one of those weeks where Jeff and I were just both kind of struggling with where to go from here. What to do in life, what jobs to have, wanting to be in God's will, but not knowing how to get there...
Ever have one of those days where you just don't know what you should be doing in life and you start looking at your circumstances and the job you have and just feel like there's gotta be more to life than this? That was like our week last week. The devil was just really putting depressing thoughts in our heads and it was really a tough battle. Thursday when Jeff stayed home from work because he wasn't feeling good, we just had a long worship session and just had to THANK God for all He HAS DONE and WILL DO. It seemed like all hope in things was failing, but when we turned our eyes on God, the burden was lifted. Even in the natural it just seems like things aren't going good, but when we completely give it to God and stop giving thought to it, that's when we feel free. That's what I've been doing this whole month it seems (just keep on giving any thoughts to God), but last week I started taking those thoughts back into my own hands. Just wondering what God has for me. I just want to be in His perfect will and it's so hard to know what that is sometimes. I feel like I just need to take steps of faith and just ask Him to close doors where they need to be closed and open them where they should be open. That's the other thing, I haven't been working much (only at the flower shoppe which cancels out Ethan's daycare) and so I've gotten worried about money so much that I have been tempted to go back to Eagle Street. I know I am not supposed to go back there and it was like I kept getting this image in my mind or sentence in my mind (probably Holy Spirit led) that kept saying "It's like a dog going back to its own vomit"
Enough said. I'm not going back as tempting as it is sometimes. It was such good money. Man!

All this to say, sometimes the devil tries to sidetrack us with thoughts and situations happening in the natural, but we have to keep our eyes focused on God and how HE cares for us and how He takes care of the birds and He'll take care of us too. Somehow we always seem to make it. And it's because of God's provision. I just have to keep focus on that. Our God is supernatural and He will always provide.


Here's a little story...some may say it's a coincidence, some may say it's favor!

Jeff wanted to go get some beans for coffee from Starbuck's...so we went there to get it and if you pay with a Starbuck's registered gift card, you get a free drink. So, we decided to load a card and then pay for it and get our free drink.
I guess you could say it wasn't really planned and the money would come out of our grocery fund...we decided we'd put $20 on the Starbuck's card. Don't know why $20 since beans cost $10-$12. I pulled $20 out to put on the card. After giving the cashier the money, I looked on the floor and said, "Jeff, I think you dropped this" and he said "I didn't drop that, I didn't even have a $20 bill in my wallet" The $20 bill was folded so I knew it wasn't in my wallet either (I keep my cash straight). After talking a little bit about it, we realized it was a random $20 and that paid for the $20 re-load on the starbuck's card. After finding it, it was like God was saying to me that He'll always make a way to provide. Even for the little enjoyable things in life. Some would say it was a coincidence that we found $20 on the floor and decided to put $20 on the Starbuck's card all at the same time, but some of us (me) would say that is just one way our supernatural God works and one way that we get favor in small situations like that. (Thanks, God for the coffee money...haha)

I hope whoever reads this finds some encouragement in it, and if no one reads it, that's ok too because I really just enjoy journaling about life. Let GOD be your source of provision today!!!!

Sunny Summer Days...

Summer is finally off and running!

Yay!!! There are blossoms on my squash and tomato plants...yay I can't wait!!! We had some summer squash from Jake & Sheena's garden last night...it was delicious...thanks for sharing the wealth you two!!! We sauteed it in a little olive oil, when tender added some salt, pepper, and soy sauce...it sizzled nicely and had great flavor! Bon Appetit!!!

Here are a few beach pictures...







Wednesday we went to Lake Calhoun...Sailboats in background...





























Ethan kept picking up the rocks and was trying to eat them...















Thursday...We went strawberry picking yesterday...(Mom, Sarah, Ethan, and I) delicious strawberries...we were eating them while we picked.






































Today...Ethan got into a little trouble when I forgot to shut the bathroom door...look at that guilty face! Ethan: "What'd I do? I'm just playing with my truck, see?" (That was a brand new MEGA roll of toilet paper...looks like less here than it really was) He unrolled it all the way to the cardboard! Must have been fun!


















And right now, I'm updating my blog while Ethan naps! (Oh, and enjoying this too...)
(It's called a Venti Iced "Starbucks Double Shot on Ice" (containing 5 shots of espresso) It's just like an iced latte...it's probably the best deal they have right now...for summer. I ask them to substitute the classic syrup in it for vanilla syrup, but tell them to only do half the amount and I add a little extra milk...it's perfect. Only $3.04 with tax. Jeff and I sometimes split one of these (Who says it has to cost $8 everytime you go to Starbuck's?) Try out my discovery! You can substitute any flavor for the classic syrup...and 5 shots...come on! This would normally be atleast a $5 drink!
(I needed a little motivation to clean...hahaha oh lovely Friday!)