I had this fabulous picture post planned for today, but I didn’t get to Gabe’s computer in time to upload pics so there goes that idea. See, we brought two cute little girlies home with us from the pool (because what’s 2 more little girlies when you already have 3?) and what with all the homemade pizza and stromboli-making (I know! And brownies too!), and getting 5 girls to go to sleep in one bed, I ran out of time.

And then Gabe needed his computer all evening to work on a site for this super-cool dude who used to play football for some team that everybody around here thinks is all that and now he goes around the country talking about Jesus.

And I just made entire paragraphs out of three lousy excuse-laden run-on sentences.

What I should have said was: there will be no post today. Sorry.

But because I hate to leave you totally hanging, here’s a sneak peek of the picture post I’ll do tomorrow:

And one I’ll do a couple days after that:

I could just cry looking at that train of precious, precious people. Now if I could just figure out how to get that little girl in photo #1 into photo #2 IN REAL LIFE, I’d be in heaven. Someday. And sooner rather than later. I believe in dreaming big, folks.

Question for you: (and I realize I’m jumping the gun just a little bit here, but) Are you happy or sad (or a little of each) to see summer go, and why?

Just because I moved a loveseat from the basement up to the living room all by myself Friday night. Which would explain why I’m way too tired to write a proper post.

I’m not crazy. I’ll tell you what IS crazy though. I had the house ALL TO MY EVER-LOVIN’ SELF from Friday at 4:00pm to Sunday at 10:00 am. YES, YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY.

Gabe and his dad, brother and nephew had plans to head to a hotel in Cleveland Friday night so they could be there bright and early for the first day of Browns’ training camp Saturday. Gabe’s dad, Rock, is like the hugest Browns fan ever. And Tug (Gabe’s brother, who is like two degrees separated from every famous person on earth) has connections with some of the players, so they were all super-pumped about the weekend.

I was happy for them and all and didn’t give a second thought to just hanging out and having girl time. And then. AND THEN. Gabe’s mom called and asked if she “could have the girls” from Friday to Sunday. Um, yes, YES YOU MAY. And then Gabe decided to just spend the night at the cabin with everyone else Saturday night, and I headed on up after church.

As much as I love my family (which is a whole lot), 42 hours of BY MYSELF ENJOYMENT (Yes-N-No books, anyone?) was the gift of all gifts.

Sigh.

And I guess I must have just had a surge of adrenaline, because all of a sudden I feel like telling you all about it after all. In nutshell form of course.

So I’ve been cleaning out our house. And in one of those posts where I talk about the Hard Stuff From Cambodia, I’ll explain more about how it’s therapeutic for me, something to do while I wait to see what else God wants us to do. How I desperately want to get out of debt, how I want to be free from the tyranny of stuff, free to give and do and go and be whatever God wants from me.

The Kidney Foundation (that runs thrift stores in our area) is coming Thursday to get as much junk as I can give them, so that’s been my motivation. And I put a bunch of stuff out by the curb, and it’s all gone but one thing (including 2 broken floor lamps, 2 nasty end tables, an old car seat, a broken tv, and grimy old doll changing table from the garage and an old chair).

And I moved the loveseat from the basement to the living room. It took an act of God and I’m not even kidding. First of all, what possesses someone to attempt such a feat? Who knows? And whatever that chemical is that helps you lift a car when your friend’s foot is stuck under it? I must’ve had some of that, because you and I both know I’m no body-builder.

And the 90 seconds that I was literally PINNED between the loveseat and the door frame at 11:00pm with no one around to hear my screams? (No I didn’t scream.) I just prayed really hard and Jesus set me free. If I ever do something like that again, I’ll purchase a Medic Alert bracelet first.

So our living room is rearranged. And I’m in love. And totally re-committed to our swell blue plaid couches for as long as we both (three) shall live.

And our basement is going to be a guest room. Complete with a queen mattress and box spring on loan to us for a year from friends who are having another couple (and their 2 kiddos) move into their basement for a whole year. Very brave and very awesome.

And I have many things to say, but we have a busy week. And my cousin Kelly (from FL) and my sister Stephanie (from SC), brother-in-law Daniel (also from SC), and NIECE MIA! are coming Friday for five blissful days.

So.

So.

Thanks for listening. And I hope your week is just all kinds of awesome.

Reminding myself that my God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and a senseless $65 service fee from the heating and cooling company is nothing to Him.

I need some practice trusting, so it’s all good.

I’ll explain in a nutshell and then let it rest. Our parents (both sets) kept our girls while we were gone (trading off and on). The day before we got back, Gabe’s mom brought them back to our house and completely outdid herself. Cleaned, did their laundry, mowed our yard (front and back), made signs for the airport, gave Nina a bath.

A very cold bath. For whatever reason, we had no hot water.

When we got home, Gabe tried to light the pilot on the hot water heater to no avail. He called a service guy who said he could come right then (Saturday) for $97 or Monday for $67. No-brainer. Who needs to shower anyway?

I took a hot shower at our neighbors’ on Sunday morning, and Gabe did a super-fast scrub in our cold water. The girls? They’re still young enough to smell sweet.

Monday.  Heating/cooling company calls. Someone will come between 2 and 4. I go shower-less. He comes. Can’t get it to light. Says, “let me look at your gas. Maybe someone messed with it while you were gone.”

Or maybe the gas company turned it off and locked it because we didn’t pay our bill. Awesome. No warning, no note saying what they did. Awesome.

I pay the service guy (who apologized 10 times for making me pay) $65 and called the gas company. Paid the bill over the phone plus a $50 reconnect fee. Awesome.

They’re coming today (Tuesday) sometime between 7 am and 7 pm. Joy.

Sat down at my computer 10 minutes ago and started cleaning up some of the piles on my desk. Came to a small piece of white paper folded into fourths. What’s this? I ask myself. Unfold it. It’s a notice that our gas has been turned off (on July 12). How in the world did this get here?? Then I make the connection. It was probably in our door when Janelle and the girlies got here Friday. They put it on my desk without reading it (as they should have) and there it sat until after we’d already paid a heating/cooling guy $65 to essentially tell us what the little paper said.

Sigh.

I find myself questioning God with stuff like this. “God, you realize how many starving Cambodians $65 can feed, right?” And then I remember that He is in control, that He owns everything and knows everything and loves those hurting people more than I ever could.

And I trudge on. With joy. And faith.

Photo post tomorrow! I can’t wait!

So, I hurt my neck. Big-time. Like I woke up this morning at 6:00 whimpering and crying and wanting to die. I know I’m melodramatic, but the pain was pretty intense. After a heating pad (I probably should’ve used ice) and some ibuprofen and a lot of praying, I could move my head a little more, but ouch.

Tony the Massage Therapist to the rescue! I could wax eloquent about all the times in the past where he has saved my life, but one of the things he instructed me to do tonight was “stay away from the computer for awhile.” As if. No, seriously, I’m pretty intent on following his instructions, because a.) he’s very wise and knows what he’s talking about and b.) I don’t want to be in this kind of pain on the way to/in/on the way home from Cambodia.

If you’ve never been to a massage therapist, I can’t recommend them highly enough. Well, I’ve only ever been to one, but I have been to at least six chiropractors, and I have very little nice to say about (m)any of them. One in particular was a NIGHTMARE that makes me bitter all over again whenever I think about him.

Anyway. After an hour with Tony massaging deep muscle tissue I didn’t even know I had, I can move my head and neck. I’m just really sore. And wondering how in the world I’m going to follow his “suggestions.”

1. Don’t look down. As in, don’t look down at my children. Don’t look down to read. Don’t look down to see what I just stepped in that was sticky. Okay. Sure.

(By the way, did I mention how my injury occurred? Well, it’s called Trying to Show Your 9-Year-Old That You’ve Still Got It By Doing Flips Underwater at the Pool. I only did 3 mind you, but it was more than enough. The jerky head tucks and flailing forward did me in. Tony said my injury is similar to what would happen if I hit my head really hard on something. I’ll try that next time.)

2. Don’t look up. This is perfect with all the fireworks taking place in the next few days. Don’t look up. Got it.

3. Don’t lift anything heavy. Or even close to heavy. You mean like luggage?

4. Don’t sit in one spot for more than 15-20 minutes at a time. So, I should probably get up once or twice on my 95-hour flight to Taipei?

5. Easy on the computer usage. Oops. I’ll be back. Going to take a little break. Seriously.

(I fell asleep up on my bed. No lie. Ha!)

25 minutes later…

6. Avoid repetitive motion. (too tired to remember his examples)

7. Lie on your back while sleeping. Nooooooooo! Okay, okay.

8. No more flips in the pool. Ever. Yes, sir!

9. I’ll probably remember the rest of them sometime in the middle of doing them.

In all seriousness, thanks for your prayers. For everything. I can feel them. (I go back Tuesday one more time before our big departure the following day.)

Happy 4th of July weekend! A big thank you to all of those fighting so bravely for our freedom (and for their loved ones bravely holding down the fort at home)! We love you!

Well, hi there. Based on what I’m thinking right this moment, the following post will be light and fun with some deep (and possibly even brooding) thrown in. Sounds like a blast, huh? We’ve been up to a lot, and not that you need to know it all to feel like your life is complete, but quite a few people who love us (but don’t live close) like to know what’s going on with our lives.

So.

I’m just going to say right up front that if there’s anyone out there who is a follower of Christ but doesn’t believe that there is such a thing as spiritual warfare and a whole realm of evil that lusts after our souls and a whole slew of other things, then you might not like what I’m going to say next.

My husband and I are leaving in 9 days to bring Jesus to some places where He’s not very welcome (and some places where He’s loved and praised–praise the Lord!), and I’ll be darned if some forces of evil are trying to mess.

You won’t catch me blaming the devil and his minions for all the sins I’ve committed in the past week, but hoo boy, I’ve never had a harder time fighting against my flesh. Let’s just say I’ve lost the battle this week. A hundred times over. Thankfully, we all know that you can lose battles and still win wars (unlike the U.S. soccer team who got eliminated from the World Cup this weekend–boo!).

But first, some happy.

Gretchen, you made me laugh just now with your comment on a post from last week, and I quote: “Didn’t know I could love you more, but the drunk-looking photo shoot brought me over the top.” If only love were that easy to win. Just post a horrid photo of yourself on your blog, and your friends will adore you. Stay tuned for pics from hotter-than-Texas Cambodia.

Did I mention that we’re leaving in NINE days?? And we need just $300 in support. Woohoo!! If God would lead you to give any amount to our trip, you can do it online here or e-mail me, and I’ll give you instructions for mailing a tax-deductible check. I’m planning on doing a post soon about all the amazing places our support has come from. I won’t name names, but I’ll give generalities, and it’s pretty crazy cool. All glory to God!!

Can I just say that I am SO thankful for Facebook? Our June team that’s over in Cambodia right now has been posting pictures and updates and crazy videos of water parks (imagine cigarette butts and clumps of hair and moldy, slimy slides, oh yeah!). I LOVE keeping in touch with them and being able to encourage them from here.

If you’re not my Facebook friend and want super-awesome Cambodia updates in real time next week, please add me as a friend!

You can also subscribe to my friend Jen’s blog for updates from a different perspective than mine (always refreshing!).

So, we went to a zoo Saturday. And I fed a giraffe. And we had a blast with some friends. And I’ll blog about that later, because our camera is being repaired, so I’m going to get pics from our friends. Here’s one photo for now.

We missed my friend Krista’s garage sale Saturday (her husband Doug is going with us to Cambodia), but the girls and I donated a bunch of stuff to the sale. They were great about getting rid of toys they don’t play with, but then I took it a step further and got rid of some stuffed animals without telling them. BE SURE YOUR SINS WILL FIND YOU OUT. Guess who bought them for her daughters?? My friend Amanda who goes to swim lessons and the pool with us every day. Ha! Thankfully, my girls were fine with it. I didn’t sell any of their 247 most precious ones.

Speaking of Amanda, she and I are trading date nights this week. Woohoo!! Gabe and I are going out tomorrow night and she and Jamiya are hitting the town (or Babies R Us) Thursday night. Why we’ve never done this before is a huge mystery.

Speaking of Date Night, I need some time alone with my husband. Saturday morning on the three-hour drive to the zoo was a low point in my marriage. I was UGLY. It was AWFUL. And Gabe refused to play along and get mad at all the awful things I was saying to him in my hurt and frustration and anger.

Anyway. God showed me something. I’m a wicked and depraved soul, in desperate need of Christ. I’ll be honest. A majority of the time I think I’m a pretty good person. Really good even. And I’m thinking I might have gone to Cambodia and seen some of the evil and thought, “Man, those wicked people need Jesus.” And so God showed me that my soul is every bit as dark and ugly as theirs. I’m dead serious. If any of you would’ve been sitting in that mini-van with me, you would’ve been MORTIFIED.

Enough of that though. New mercies. NEW MERCIES.

My sweet, beautiful friend Sarah gave us an envelope at church yesterday of bills (dollars, not her gas bill) that she’s been saving up for months for our trip. She told me that I’m a “work of art.” And my mind flashed back to my tirade in the car the day before, and all I could think was, “I’m a piece of work, that’s for sure.” But her love for me (although she’s never seen the awful side of me) reminds me of how God sees me and loves me (even when He knows my heart).

And thus marks the end of this forever-long post. Bless you, and have an awesome week!