Birthday Memories

OK ~ looking back on yesterday it really was a good day. And it was just what I wanted...low key. We didn't plan a big get-together with family and friends because I knew I wouldn't feel up for it.

I got to spend the entire day with my awesome husband (half of it just the two of us). My parents came over for dinner and my Dad made an incredible Mexican casserole, and he brought his homemade salsa. Dinner was delicious! My sister made a cake and sent it with my parents ~ it was yummy! Emma bought me some great kitchen towels and Tim got me a Panini maker ~ all things I had been asking for. And to top it all off, we were in bed by 7:30 pm and were able to get a good nights sleep.

Here are some pictures from dinner last night. Emma cut the cake for us and had us all laughing. Look at those cake slices!







It was a day truly blessed by God, and I was so acutely aware of His presence from the moment I set foot outside. I am so grateful for His faithfulness ~ even when I waver in doubt and despair and unbelief.

We have just lived through the hardest year of our lives, and we are just now at the edge of the darkness where we are beginning to see how God carried us and walked with us all along the way. We are beginning to see how He orchestrated every single step. We are seeing His plan for deliverance. We are seeing HIM anew.

One day I will be able to share the details of this long year of suffering and how God used it for His glory and our good. But for now I want you to know this past year ~ full of suffering and despair and sorrow ~ has been the year of the Lord's favor!

God led me to Isaiah 61 a year ago ~ and I have to admit that I expected to experience His favor in a much different way ~ but He did not fail us. He bestowed on me a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

"I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness." ~ Isaiah 61:10

Happy birthday to me...now let's move on.

Today I am 35. I am nauseous as ever. Emma is sick. None of us slept good last night so we are all exhausted.

But let's look at the bright side.......
~ Today I am one month from my due date!
~ Tim took me out to breakfast at one of my favorite restaurants.
~ My parents are coming over tonight and bringing one of my favorite dinners.

The real countdown begins today to baby Wright's arrival. I am praying I don't have to go another 4 weeks, so maybe this will all be over sooner than I think.

My cross is too heavy

My dear friend Ann who has cancer told me the following story this week. It is a sobering reminder that things could always be worse than they are ~ though that might be hard to imagine at times.

A young man was at the end of his rope, seeing no way out, he dropped to his knees in prayer. "Lord, I can't go on," he said. "I have too heavy a cross to bear."

The Lord replied, "My son, if you can't bear its weight, just place your cross inside this room. Then, open that other door and pick out any cross you wish."

The man was filled with relief and said, "Thank you Lord," and he did as he was told.

Upon entering the other room, he saw many crosses; some so large the tops were not visible. Then, he spotted a tiny cross leaning against a far wall.

"I'd like that one, Lord," he whispered. The Lord replied, "My son, that is the cross you just brought in."

Nesting....What, am I a bird?!

Isn't that such a weird word...nesting? But I guess it's true. I finally feel the need to get some things ready for baby's arrival ~ whether I feel like it or not. (And I don't) At the very least I decided I needed to wash some clothes and blankets so baby would have something to wear on the big day.

I haven't bought a thing for this baby. I'm just too sick most days to even think about shopping. Thankfully I have a sweet mom who loves to buy baby things. She blessed us with all these wonderful clothes, blankets, washcloths, etc. So whether we have a boy or girl, this baby will be well-dressed from day one.


What else have I done for the nesting instinct? I had Tim bring the rocking chair to our room about a month ago. And I have been thinking for about two weeks now that we should put the changing table together. Every day ends with the same thought, "Maybe tomorrow."

As each day passes and we get closer to having this baby, I cut the nesting to-do list down. I figure...what does a newborn really need? Clothes. Diapers. Food (that's me). A place to sleep. Ok ~ we still need to do something about that last one. I wonder if the baby furniture fairy is planning to stop by my house and get that taken care of for me?!

Race Day

These are pictures from Emma's first race last week. She was so excited to get a ribbon and kept saying "I won!" because of it. (She really did place in the top 3.) It was an exciting night...one we get to repeat tonight for the second race. Can you believe these kindergartners and first graders run a half mile?! I am so impressed every time I watch them. They work hard at it and do a great job!




This is her fan club ~ grandparents, cousins, aunts. Some of them drove for an hour to watch her 5 minute race. Isn't that sweet?!


And I have to introduce you to "Katie the angel robot." Emma made this at school last week. Isn't she darling?!

Out of the blue

When 2008 first began, I was so excited about turning 35! I thought this would be a great year for a big celebration. I had lots of ideas in mind about how I wanted to celebrate.

But then I got pregnant...and the morning sickness began...and never left. This morning when I looked at my blog and saw the birthday countdown all I could think is "I don't care about having a birthday this year." And I truly meant it. What I care about is having this baby and feeling better. Let's celebrate that! As I was commiserating about having a non-birthday, the doorbell rang. It was the mailman and he handed me a rather large package.

To my delight, it was filled with gifts! Gifts for baby. Gifts for Emma. Gifts for my birthday! My sweet cousin Jenny, who is due around the same time as me with her second baby, took the time to put together this amazing care package. It totally made my day! And because I love Willow Tree angels so much, and because she sent me a new one that I didn't have yet, it made me glad for a birthday.

Look at all the great things she sent us. The "Healing Grace" figurine was for my birthday, and the "Congrats" figurine was for the baby.


She sent this super soft baby blanket and set of outfits for the baby too.


And this was Emma's gift: a Life is Good long-sleeve shirt and book. Emma said, "This is a really good book."


Thanks Jenny! You are an amazing friend. I love ya!

May I boast a little?

"Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." ~ 2 Corinthians 10:17

Yesterday after Emma's cross country practice I had this strong urge to boast about what a great little runner she is. But there was something even bigger going on in my heart, and it was all the things God had done for us in the past 24 hours or so.

You see, Tim and I still have some BIG prayers that we are waiting for God to answer. And I will admit I have had my times of doubting whether God really will answer those prayers. But God...(don't you just love those two words?)...He showed up in a big way for us by answering some "smaller" prayers.

God showed us His faithfulness by sustaining us in a time of need and by carrying us through some difficult hours. It was all I needed to know that, yes, God would answer our prayers...in His time and in His way. I was reminded that not only does God care about the BIG picture things we pray about but He also cares about our individual days. And He is in the business of changing both!

So I will put off boasting about Emma and her running talent so I can brag about my God. He is faithful. He is good. He is my every need.

P.S. Beth Moore blogged about this very thing yesterday, and she says it much more eloquently than I do. Why don't you read how God spoke to her about this very thing on a post called Seed and Bread.

Our Little Runner!

Emma joined a cross country running club called Landsharks, and she loves it! I can't believe what a natural runner she is. There are only two other kindergartners in the club, the rest are older kids (all the way up to 5th grade).

Yesterday at practice the coach said everyone had to run three laps around the field, but the kindergartners only had to go one lap. Well Emma finishes her first lap and says, "I want to keep running." So she ran another lap...and a then another! It is so exciting to see her developing as an athlete and to see her determination to do a good job and to keep up with the big kids.

Here are some pictures from one of her practices.




I wish you could see the look of determination on her face in this one as she runs.


She's doing jumping jacks in this last one.

In a couple weeks she will have her first race. There will be three of them, so I am sure you will get to see lots of pictures!

When God Interrupts

It was one year ago this weekend that God began to interrupt our lives, and the interruptions just keep coming. Some have been delightful (like the baby I am carrying) and some have been tragic (like the illnesses that have touched our families or the death of a friend).

At times my faith has remained strong and unwavering, and at times I have wept at the realization of how little I trust God. I have praised God through the darkness, and I have been angry at Him for allowing the darkness to last so long. I have prayed and refused defeat, and I have surrendered in total defeat to my fears. It has been a year of ups and downs, highs and lows, victories and defeats.

Just this week God reminded me of a book that was given to me several years ago titled "When God Interrupts." I have not been able to put it down since I pulled it off the bookshelf. It has pricked my heart with conviction. It has reminded me of Who God Is. It has restored my faith in subtle ways. So I want to share a few quotes from this book that have given me clarity to the interruptions in my own life.

"God has interrupted our ordinary expectations...to conceive something. We can't manage it. We can't even understand it. All we can do is receive it. Because if God has conceived this thing, then it is holy, and it will save our lives."

"When God brings glory into our life, it comes not as an achievement but as an interruption, not as a moment of recognition but as a terrifying answer to prayer."

"We do know that no interruption, be it tragic or delightful, is greater than our God. He can bring hope into inexplicable loss."

"The challenge to people of faith is to learn how to follow. Central to that task is giving up the expectation of knowing where we are going."

"Typically we learn to pray best in the belly of a fish. That's because inside a great fish, either you pray or you remain scared to death."

If you find yourself in the belly of a fish or living an interrupted life, I hope you will read this book by M. Craig Barnes and let God speak to you. We don't have to like it. We just have to be willing to submit to what God has in store.