Thankful For the Good and Not So Good........

Wow! It has been a bit since I have blogged!! This year has gone by so fast. It seems like we have just moved in our new home when in reality its been almost six months. And no, I have not unpacked every box. I know that is surprising to you. What this has revealed to me is that we can live with a lot less than we have to be quite honest. There are boxes in our garage that I am sure have something in them that I thought I needed at one time. I spent some time out in the garage today going through boxes and thinking to myself that I wish I could have a yard sale in December!

 I have so much to be thankful for this season. This last year has been such a year of transition for the family. Our family has learned a lot about one another and how we handle the stress that life hands out. Our family is changing, but in a good way. We are learning to give back and to reach out to those who are in need. Our church has been a big part of that. Yet another thing for which I am thankful every day. Through church we have made some great friends and are growing closer to the Lord through them. Of course we are always thankful for the good that is brought our way, but what about the not so good? I am thankful for the fact that the position I moved to Nashville for changed dramatically. However I did not think it would be that way, but the Lord blesses even through the storms of life. I am getting more time at home with my on call position which means more time with my family. There are always things that happen that we say to God, "Is this really happening?" But He always know what is best even when we do not understand His plan at the time. November is a very special month for our family. Five years ago this November, Jeff and I should have had another blessing. God had another plan. A plan that I still do not understand entirely. Our baby that was due in November 2006 was delivered stillborn at 17 weeks. A very dark time for all of us. We named him Jonathan, we had the pleasure of holding him and getting the sweetest handprints and footprints. I was not thankful for that experience at all until some time later, much later. Even now, I wonder what he would have been like and looked like. The peace is that I know I will see him one day and he will know me. I am thankful for that difficult time as it brought me closer to God and a chance to have a peace during such a dark time that only He can give. I have been able to minister to others that have gone through similar experiences and hope that one day I can start some sort of ministry that would be comforting to others going through such difficult times.

Ok I will end on a happy note! Here are some of the many things I am thankful for: Jesus, without Him, how lost I would be, a wonderful husband that puts up with my crazy self, a little girl who sings most of what she says, a son that has a soft heart for others, a job that I am passionate about and so many other things!!!

So, praise Him in the storms and on the sunny days. Be thankful in all things.

Counting the days.......

Well we have bought a house!!! This is the actual photo not a just a picture of someone else's house somewhere else. The waiting is killing me. I have been inside this house enough that I have claimed it as my own. I would move in tomorrow. But we have to wait on petty details such as closing on our other house in Jackson, inspections, and such! So every day we are still in the apartment I think of reasons to never want to live in an apartment again. Here are just a few: hearing your neighbors toilet flush or clothes washing, if you come in after nine pm, there will not be a parking space close to where you live, too many folks in that tiny of a space is a recipe for disaster, etc. I have looked at the house we are buying, thinking of what I want to put where, what colors I want to paint what rooms, thinking of places I can hide where no one will think to look and so on! AND that God of ours is so funny! His timing was perfect and when a house that we liked about 3 months ago sold, He told me that He had something better. He was right, of course. Since we have moved to Nashville, I have learned a lot about trust. It was sort of forced on me but never the less, I have learned and have enjoyed seeing God work in the various areas of our life. God is still working and I claim Jeremiah 29:11 daily, knowing that He has plans for me and my family.

The kids are ecstatic as you can probably imagine. Claire cried because we can't move right now! When I told her in would probably be about another month, the meltdown started. Jacob is planning a sleepover all ready. Jeff is, well in typical Jeff fashion is in banker mode and just trying to get all the paperwork done and submitted. And I in my typical Merri fashion is foreseeing all the friends we can entertain and all the rooms we can paint! I am already deciding where each Christmas tree can go. I am so glad Jeff is the grounded member of this team. Someone needs to be for sure. He keeps us all on track when at times I tend to derail!

Pray that all goes well from here. As more things get finalized I will try to post more pictures. And we get moved in, you are all invited over!! (All two of you that read this blog

CSI: Mt. Juliet

Right or wrong, my 6 year old daughter likes to watch CSI. She gets totally interested in what is going on and who did what. When we lived in Jackson we caught her walking around the house with a camera around her neck and a ball cap on. When I asked what she was doing, she said,"I am a CSI agent." I told my husband to hide the Q-tips or she may start swabbing us for DNA. The child has been asking for a CSI kit since Christmas. Well she got one for her birthday. Her and her brother Jacob set up a crime scene with tape and all. Collected my fingerprints off of a glass and obtained my fingerprints for their files. My sweet son listed me as 5'5" and 135 lbs! That was the best part of the whole crime! Anyway they found me guilty for the murder of Baby Diego. Do not worry. This was just a training exercise for them and Baby Diego is alive and well.  I have personally always been interested in forensics. At one point even looked into getting my masters degree in forensic nursing. I guess the love for catching the bad guy and trying to put pieces of the puzzle together has rubbed off on Claire. My favorite books are by Ted Dekker, Jefferson Bass, James Patterson, and Patricia Cornwell. My husband thinks that I have a very dark side and is scared to sleep too soundly! I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Dr. Bill Bass. The Body Farm in Knoxville was his idea. To place bodies in various places, trunks of car, water, in the woods, etc and see how they decompose. His research helps determine how long someone has been deceased for the most part and he has helped to train other law enforcement how to collect evidence which in turn helps to catch more criminals. Anyway, meeting him was the highlight of my year. How cool would it have been to spend just one day with him? Most of you are thinking that is the farthest thing from cool and I completely understand that. Anyway if you happen to visit our sweet home, watch out. I have two children that will have you confessing to something you did not even know you did!

Over too soon...

I can't believe Christmas is already over. I mean all that preparing, well I did not prepare as well as I should have, but I am not talking about me. It seems thought that others prepare 6 months to a year ahead of time and it seems like it is all over in a couple of days. A friend of mine said its like a wedding, all that preparation, then over so soon. I do wish I had more time just sitting and talking with the family and less chaos of making sure everyone had the right gift, that the gift was wrapped, that the gift actually made it in the car, etc. We made it back today from West Tennessee in a van packed with gifts so much that you could hardly see where the kids were sitting. We are so blessed. We came back with a XBox, Barbie house, scooter, video games, clothes, etc., only to hear Claire say this afternoon that she was bored. I thought I would choke her! She did get a microphone on a stand that comes with its own applause button. It's great. The funniest thing was when she finished singing she shouted, "How's everyone in Nashville, TN doing tonight?" This could be the beginning of her career.
I have decided though that I will start shopping for next Christmas tomorrow. It was entirely too stressful for me to have to finish the day before Christmas Eve. Of course, I probably will not be able to find it by then.

Oh Christmas Tree????

The family was all distraught this year. Where will we put a Christmas tree in our apartment?? You see we have two large trees and the kids usually have one of their own in their rooms.  I honestly thought about putting our big tree up on the balcony of our apartment but I figured it would be a little cold on Christmas morning opening presents not to mention frightening our neighbors with how our family looks on Christmas morning. So we decided to order a "corner" Christmas tree especially designed for small spaces. It is actually quite cute. In reality, it is half of a tree. It is pre-lit and was very easy to put up.

I had my tinsel all in a tangle about Christmas this year. I was having my own pity party about not having room for a nice tree, no mantle to hang stockings on, and all of my Christmas decor being in storage. Somehow I bet that the manger where Jesus was born was not lavished in red and green. There were no blinking Christmas lights or a fireplace mantle all decked out with garland and lights. I am sure Mary wished for a Yankee Candle with the sweet scents of Christmas instead of the not so sweet scent of a stable. But what they did have were friends and strangers coming to visit. AND can you imagine the Christmas music?? a multitude of heavenly hosts singing. I bet Mary did not worry about what she was going to feed all of their company or if there was enough room for everyone. The reason there is even a Christmas season is because God sent His son down to be born of a virgin in a lowly stable in Bethlehem. SO, I decided that the decor that I don't have out this year is of little importance to me. This is the season to give and to remember what a sacrifice was made for all of us. This year has made me realize though that Christmas starts in each one of us and that we should tell others that the best Christmas present they could ever receive does not come from a mall or a toy store. AND the best part is, it is a gift you will never want to return.

Moving......

"We are moving!" I had no idea what those three words would mean to my family. The kids were excited at first~ new home, new town, new life. My husband and I were very excited at what moving meant. It meant that I would be home more, we hoped. I was traveling so much after my promotion that my family did not see me a lot during the week. Moving would mean I would not have to travel overnight as much which meant more time at the house. I had no clue how it would impact our lives. Our families were excited for us and at the same time hated to see us leave. After a lot of prayer, we knew that God was leading us to Nashville. Jeff found a job rather quickly at a local bank and off we went to discover whatever God had in store for our family. Funny how you think that if it is God's will to do something, that everything will be smooth sailing without storms. I have a good friend that has to keep reminding me that God would not lead us here only to leave us and that just because we have times that it feels like we are in a valley, His hand is still at work in our lives. Over the last six months, it has been challenging to say the least. We are still in an apartment which seems to be closing in at times. Our son has had issues adjusting to the move while our daughter sees it as a never-ending adventure. Finding a church home has been a challenge to us as we were so rooted in the church that we left behind, BUT God is good in the challenging times as well. I am home more which means I think I am supposed to be cooking more which is kind of funny because I really can't cook. Our family is forced to spend more time together. The apartment is not big enough to hide from each other! We have all cried together because we miss our friends and prayed together that we would just make it through the next day. We are clinging more to each other and to the Lord, which is never a bad thing. So we take it one day at a time and look forward to what is coming next....