The Big Day Revealed
I realized late last night that some of you that don’t know me well may be thinking you’ll get a ultrasound picture or something as my big announcement. That is not it.
Today was the end of a 20 month journey – to the Land of Straight Teeth.
(You’ll have to excuse the totally cheesy self-portrait – the only photographer available was 4)
This is me with no braces and straight teeth 
It feels wonderful to have them off. The put permanent retainers on both the top and the bottom. It’s much different than friends my age who have them. It’s just a thin wire that’s bonded to the back of the teeth – the front 6 or so and the top 4. Then I will also get clear retainers (sort of like Invisalign braces) to wear all the time for about 6 months – then just at night. Oh, the advancements of retainers in the last 20 years
I can’t decide what to eat first – a big juicy burger, perhaps some carmel?
Tomorrow, tomorrow
Well tomorrow is a big day – at least for me. And I’ll have pictures.
You’re very curious now, aren’t you?
See ya tomorrow.
I should have been there
So a couple weeks ago almost everyone on the church staff went to the big Catalyst conference in Atlanta. I was invited to go along but had no one to watch the kids as my parents are still out of the country and my MIL was having knee replacement surgery.
So I wasn’t there when my husband got to meet the man who has probably had more influence on our lives than anyone except for God and our families. That man is Dave Ramsey.
I’m actually working on a book right now (it will probably become an e-book) that tells our financial story. But to make a long story short, 10 years ago my husband started to listening to Dave’s radio show. And we started following his steps. We brought Financial Peace University to our church, teaching it for a couple of years before handing it over to others.
We have a 3-6 month emergency fund in place and have been debt free except for our house for the last 6 years. And now, we are standing on the brink of true financial freedom. Within the next 4 weeks we will have our house paid off.
God has truly blessed us as we have honored him with our finances but we owe a big thank you to Dave too!
My To-Do List
Well since my kids are on Fall Break this week it means I’m not working in the office this week. So I thought I might actually get a few things done around the house. Here’s my list, in no particular order.
1. Clean the under the stair closet which you can no longer get in to, much less reach anything at the back.
2. Hang more hooks inside said closet for backpacks and Lara’s cool organizing bags.
3. Paint the flowers on Natalie’s redecorated room so I can post pictures.
4. Wash my van.
5. Clean out the garage so I can get my bike inside now that we don’t have a storage shed.
6. Visit Grandma who is home recuperating from knee replacement surgery.
7. Research activities to do on our Mexico cruise coming up next month.
It doesn’t sound like much but we may not even be here all week so I have my doubts as to whether it will all get done. But, in case I’m not around much you’ll know I’m probably being productive. Probably
40 Before 40
Green 3 is hosting a carnival on her blog – she wants us to list 40 things we want to do before we’re 40. That’s sounds easier than it is, but here goes, we’ll see how many we can come up with.
- Pay off our house (which will be done next month hopefully so I can check one off).
- Take the kids to Disneyland
- Take hubby on a Scotland golfing trip.
- Go to Paris with Kristen for our 40th birthdays.
- Go to Italy w/ hubby w/o kids.
- Take the kids to go visit Aunt Jenny and Uncle Rob in England – we’re just waiting til their a little older.
- Own a convertible (well maybe before 50 at least)
- Get caught up on the kids scrapbooks.
- Find the correct way to channel my desire to write.
- Help others find financial peace like we have.
- Finish my master’s degree.
- Learn CSS
- Get the pavers laid in our backyard (they’ve been sitting in a pile for like a year).
- Teach something (not sure what or where)
- Go on a missions trip (hopefully more than one)
- Go to New York City at Christmas time with my mom.
- Get Kristen moved to Phoenix.
- Write a book
- Read the Bible front to back.
- Flip a house
- Meet Dave Ramsey (hubby did last week so I gotta too)
- Hire a maid
- Or figure out how to get my kids to clean the house
- Learn to let go a little re: the neatness of the house
- Have friends over for dinner more often
- Teach Noah how to ride his bike (actually I’d rather hubby do that)
- Learn how to keep the garage clean
- Get the extra washer out of my garage
- Ride a zip line (hopefully next month)
- Take the kids to the Grand Canyon
- Get back to saving for retirement
- Help my kids to mature spiritually
- Prepare my daughter for the years of teenage angst (how I’m not sure)
- Help build churches in third world countries
- Do more to help those in need
- Send more packages/letters to our other two kids (Marjorie and Estivan) whom we support through World Vision.
- Finish reading all of Karen Kingsbury’s books
- See our church move into a building
- See my kids run in the kids fountain that they’ve been giving money toward for the last several years (on the new campus).
- Do more public speaking
WFMW – Backwards Day
It’s backwards day at WFMW so we’re supposed to ask for tips instead of give them.
So, anyone have tips on how to teach your 8 year old conflict resolution skills so he doesn’t end up spending his birthday in the principal’s office for hitting a kid? Anyone?
Growing Up
Today my oldest turns 8. A couple nights ago when I was putting him to bed I was recounting the story of his birth – he loves that! It took us a year and a half of trying to get pregnant to finally have Noah. He was born in the great state of Texas which he loves to claim! He was 3 weeks early which was wonderful for me, and his grandma who happened to be in town and got to catch his arrival unplanned.
I never knew parenting would be this hard. I don’t know how much I thought about raising kids – it was always "having babies". Well they grow up and it only gets harder!
Noah is so incredibly bright that he gives mama a run for her money. He’s a whiz at Math and in the gifted program at school. He knows more about fighter jets than I ever imagined an 8-year-old brain could store (I think it’s a guy think – like football stats).
He’s incredibly inventive and has always loved building contraptions – from a very young age. You’d be amazed what he can do with some tape and string. I’m thinking he may be a future engineer, or architect, or inventor.
He loves back scratches (and claims only I give good ones) but HATES kisses! It’s like pulling teeth to get him to say "I love you" but I know he does.
He is a mini-evangelist and loves to tell his friends about Jesus and heaven.
We’ve had some difficult times along the way and he certainly challenges me as a parent to be consistent and loving.
I pray that as he grows he will continue to learn to love God and to rely on Him for wisdom. He has the potential to be an incredible leader and I am only to honored (and scared) to hold the responsibility of raising him up to be all that God has created him to be.
Happy Birthday Noah, I love you!
