Soccer Party

FUN NIGHT with the Comets!!
As each sport season ends we meet at a resturant and try to contain all our children, listen to the coach say nice things about each player, pay too much for food and then leave without making real connections with other families.  Tonight Chris and I hosted a night of smores with the families of Reagan's soccer team.  Almost everyone made it...11 girls and their families.  Whew, we had a big crowd.  Here's the real sign of success...no girl fights!  Oh and a night of Chocolate!

As the night ended we still had some chocolate left over so you can bet the fire pit will be lit again soon.  Please stop by for a roasted marshmallow and some chocolatey goodness.

Saying Good-bye

I have mulled over this post for several days, not knowing exactly what to write.  From day to day I have different comments, some of them are beautiful thoughts while others are not.  It is true, events that evoke great emotion can bring out the best in people but blink your eyes and another side can rear it's ugly head as well.

Aunt Delma passed away on Friday the 6th of May. 

I still don't know what to say. Already, I miss her dearly!

Below are some pictures taken shortly after the funeral.

The Family

Emma is excited to be taller than Oma, however this picture is a little deceiving as Emma is one step up.

I Can Be Found

You can now find me on the Norwex site

1 .Go to:  Norwex.com

2. Click on: United States

3. Find my consultant:  Melanie  Raabe

OR

Maybe you can just go to this link

http://melanieraabe.norwex.biz/

Let me know if that works.

I would love to tell you more about these fantastic products.  My hostesses have earn an average of $325 in FREE product.  Every party, my hostesses earm more than I do.  I love helping my friends improve the quality of life in their home by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning.

Girls On The Run

 Her coaches call her "Smilie"  Even in a tu tu, this girl is smiling!

 I'm not sure how many schools participated in the Zorinsky 5K
This is the group from Reagan's school

 Two pictures of Reagan SMILING while she is RUNNING.  The bottom  picture is the end of the race.

Reagan ran her first 5K in 28 minutes.

Because of her competitive nature, Reagan started out a little too fast and had to walk at little bit but finished strong.  The first girl crossed the finish line in 22 minutes.  Reagan wasn't too far behind and was pleased that she as the first girl from her school.

Reagan, we are so proud of your accomplishments!

Side note: A couple of weeks ago we had games rescheduled and to be honest, I was alittle irritated because it's hard to change our busy calendar.  As it turned out, what a blessing it was that Emma's Thursday game was moved and we had someone able to fill in for Chris both coaching and umpiring.  This 5K was a great distraction for our family on Saturday. It was a beautiful day and a happy time in the midst of sadness.  Thank you God for going before us and planning out every detail of our week so that we could tend to Aunt Delma in her time of need and still love on each other.

Wedding In 3 Days

When Chris and I got married it took eight months to plan the ceremony.  It was a big deal, a celebration of our new life together.  What  a joyous time and even tho most of it was planned by me without help from family members I had time to think things out.

This week I am planning a funeral.  Actually that's not an accurate statement, I planned a funeral in the last 18 hours.  There's so much of what I have done that resembles planning a wedding but you do it under high levels of emotion, fear of making the wrong choice and it a SHORT amount of time. 
MORTUARY:
This person is much like a wedding planner.
INVITATIONS:
Well, you don't really send those out for a funeral but there is that issue of letting friends and family know about the event however the friends might not be people you know.
CHURCH & PASTOR:
Fortunately Aunt Delma was a long time member of a christian church and I had been in contact with the pastor several times over the last 6 months.  She even called me the day before Aunt Delma passed.  Thank goodness we didn't have to wait 3 months for a church. 
SOLOIST & PIANIST:
Music is an important part of a wedding and a funeral.  Who do you ask?  What should they sing? Hurry up and decide the programs have to be sent to print 3 days before the event.  No, there won't be a DJ.
DRESS:
When you get married the dress is a main item and when you are buried the dress is less important but you do have to decide if you buy a new one or try to make something from the closet that is 4 sizes too big work.
FOOD:
No cake and punch but you do have large groups of people around and what are they going to eat? 
CASKET:
I don't know how that plays into a wedding but it's a MAJOR decision with a BIG price tag and once again, hurry and decide it's gotta get ordered.
PICKING A DATE:
Family flying in.  Long drives. You can't set the time and date until you know which relatives are coming and when they can arrive.
REGISTRATION BOOK:
Really?  $200 and What will I do with it afterwards?
FAMILY CAR:
It's much like the "get-away" car for the bride and groom but seldom does it have beverages aboard
HOTELS:
Good news here, you can get a berevment rate.
FLOWERS:
Over priced...people please send memorials.
The list goes on...
Just like a wedding most things tied to a funeral cost more than they should.  It's an emotional decision.

I'm not trying to make too light of the situation I am in.  I am thrilled to be the one who puts on the celebration of Delma's life.  I have found myself crying when it doesn't make sense to, laughing and cracking jokes that might be considered inappropriate and calm in stressful moments. 

Last week was a time of grieving.
This weekend has been filled with planning.
Next week I will be grieving and celebrating.
The following week I will be packing again.
After all that is done, I don't know what I will do. 

Defining Moments

What are you made of?  What do you stand for?  Does adversity build your strength or show your weakness?  Some days it is hard to answer these questions but when you face a defining moment, suddenly you do answer these questions whether you plan to or not.

Through a long process of moving my dear loving aunt to Omaha I have seen many defining moments for myself as well as several other family members.  My husband is simply amazing, truly a man who lives for Jesus and let Christ's love pour out at the most difficult of times.  Thank you Chris for being more than I ever dreamed of. 

To be completely honest, my mind is not clear enough right now to share the story of the last 30 hours but I can tell you it has had incredible lows, moments of peace and much uncertainty.  My first action was to ask God for strength and wisdom, He never fails me.  My second action was to drive through Starbucks, that's where I cried the first time.  How odd, thinking "I'm a pillar of strength" but then the voice of a friend and the smell of my magic potion (chai latte or caramel latte, both because they are pretty cheap) give me the permission to release all that worrisome junk I have hidden inside.  Then time, quiet time, time to listen to God instead of just barking for answers.  Aw, that is a defining moment for me.  I remember the context of the verse God gives me, Mordecai is talking to Esther but can't remember the verse exactly.  I know God has brought me to this position for such a time as this.

Now more than 12 hours later I sit in a hospital room with a lady whom I have loved dearly all my life, watching her die.  The pain I feel is tremendous.  I am selfishly begging her to live and yet pleading that she will let go of this life for one that is waiting for her in Heaven.  There will be no pain, no JIA, no liquid diet, no confusion, no anxiety...rather a loving Father with His arms held out welcoming His daughter home for all of eternity.  I want to know what comes next and when will it happen.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

I have seen tonight that there are tough times ahead.  Making final plans and some other things that I guess I can't or shouldn't mention here.  There will be more defining moments.  What I do may be the example that brings someone closer to Christ or gives them the excuse to walk further away from Christ.  Who I am and what I'm made of will show in those moments of adversity.  Pray for me that all I do and say is a witness for my Lord and Saviour.

 

Beth Moore's Scripture Challenge

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Proverbs 1:7

Here I am in week #9 of Beth Moore's scripture memory challenge.

I am learning scripture but not as much as I would like.  I need to

be more diligent with my study habits.

Our pastor is challenging our church body to read a chapter in Proverbs a day. 

May has 31 days and Proverbs has 31 chapters.  So there really isn't a good

excuse for not knowing what chapter they should be reading.  My two

verses in May will probably both come from this month's reading.

I can't let today pass without at least mentioning the latest world news.

To be totally honest, I don't know how to feel about the death of Bin Laden.

It a relief to know he is gone but that doesn't change the status of

what he built.  I don't see his cause skipping a beat.  We have all been

affected by 9-11, certainly some much more than others.  The pain of

loosing a loved one probably never goes away but I know resentment does

not heal anything either.  So does Bin Laden's death release the resentment?

He (terrorist in general) has changed us forever. 

I'm not sure if I should delete that, I don't really know what to say or

how I feel.  I read a cute little saying on a friend's blog, all the

sudden I can see how true it is.

"Blogging is cheaper than a therapist!"

Ha!  That makes me laugh but I guess getting those unorganized

feelings out is proof of that statement.  If you have strong opinions

about what I said feel free to comment but if you leave something ugly

I won't post your comment.  Aw, the power!  :)

UPDATE:  saw this on a friend's facebook status today...I like this.

Whoever said it, doesn't matter:
"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

Diamondbacks Face the Tigers

Today was Emma's second softball game of the season.  Yesterday they beat the Yellowjackets (Emma's team from 2 yrs ago) and today they tied the Diamondbacks (Emma's team from last year).  As we got in the car, Reagan made a comment about the score, 17-17 and Olivia said, "a tie means both teams lost."  I don't know where my little 5 year old got that but it made me laugh.  Personally I hate a tie but it's certainly better than a loss.

Pitchers from both teams struggled a bit, there were lots of walks but it's to be expected this early in the season.  They all will improve as the weeks fly by.  Emma got on base 3 times and scored all 3 times.  She was disappointed that she didn't get a hit but when you are walked and then hit by a pitch, it's pretty hard to put the ball in play.  I was very proud of her on offensive and defense.