Jeff #2

The Second thing that I really love about Jeff, and I must admit somewhat hate about him as well, is that he is very spontaneous.

Before we had kids, this was a terrific thing. At the drop of a hat, Jeff would whoosh into the room and say, "Hey, we have two minutes before the $1 matinee starts - Let's go!" We could be driving in one direction and Jeff would suddenly do a U-eee in the middle of the road because he thought of something that would be more fun than what we had initially planned.

Now that we have kids, his spontaneity has slowed a tiny bit. But he definitely pushes me to drop my plans, change my mind, reconsider another option or just chuck the idea all together.

I tend to like to know what is going to happen, stick with the schedule, check off the list....

Jeff has the ability to be very systematic as well so I am jealous when he is able to just throw it all to the wind whenever he wants to.

Now, this can also be irritating when he decides he wants to cook a gourmet meal (one that we have no ingredients for) and it is 6:00 at night. I find myself getting nervous and stressed out and do not have the ability to loose myself in the moment like he can.

I LOVE to see couples together and watch their personalities and tendencies and just ponder how different they really are and how wonderfully God paired them up together. I also love to see older couples and watch how their differences have complimented one another and see how they have melded together to becomes such a stronger unit.

So, I am thankful for Jeff's spontaneity and how his freedom to live in the moment at times opens up a whole new side of me!

Jeff

Taken about five years ago on our 10th anniversary

I was going to blog about my family and our trip to St. Louis, but I decided that anything I would have said about it would probably be boring to everyone except my family members and would most likely bore them as well. I imagine that most of the things that I think are exceptional in my family are just that - exceptional WITHIN my family. There is nothing really worthy of anyone else's time or attention.

Don't get me wrong. These moments are precious to me and I am so thankful that the Lord has seen fit to allow me to care for my children and raise them up for this moment in time and no one will ever be able to convince me that my kids are just mediocre. They must be in my book the very best that is out there!

All that said, this post is about my husband.

He hates when I write about him but I may this time just have to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. And so as not to bore anyone, I will present him in a series of blogs. This is not really to pump him up or boast in anyway, but to just show him how deeply I appreciate HIM and all that he has done for me. And Easter is a good time to start since it is my Redeemer and Lord who has granted Jeff to me.

If you notice in this most picture and if you have any history with us at all, you can see that Jeff is looking quite fit and trim (as well as me). About three years ago (and 35 pounds heavier), Jeff came under deep conviction of how he was treating his body - in the food he ate, how much food he ate, how he exercised (in his case lack of any exercise) and how he rested and recuperated. From that point on, we have been on a journey of how to properly care for our bodies to keep them in the best shape possible, both for service for our King and also for our children. We have not gone crazy on organic foods and wheat germ (although I must say we are headed in that direction) but we are exercising regularly, making sure we rest our bodies and trying to eat moderately and naturally.

I always keep nice ideals of how my life should be in my head but to live them out on a consistent basis...well that is where Jeff has pushed me. He commits to it, he does it. I have been so impressed with his dedication to lifestyle changes and it has motivated me to change many of the habits in my life that were just causing me to function like I had sludge in my blood.

Today I feel healthier and fitter than I have in...well....a really, really long time. I truly do not think I would have made these changes on my own. I am not even sure I would continue if I did not have Jeff researching everything and regularly giving me articles to read. He has challenged me in ways that I didn't even think I needed challenged in (as I always assumed I was healthier than him :-0). He has also helped me see how I can help HIM in what I cook, how much I serve, etc....

So, this is today's entry. Why? Perhaps it was because I felt a freedom that I did not need to gorge on Easter dinner food or candy, and I am quite literally much stronger today because of Jeff. Thank you Jeff for helping me be a good stewart of my body and thanks for kicking me out of bed (in the most loving manner, of course) when I am too lazy to get out on my own to work out.

Peoria Civic Youth Chorus Concert

For those of you who are in the area and have nothing else to do on a Friday night, the Peoria Area Civic Youth Chorus will be having their spring concert at the First United Methodist Church this Friday at 7:00 p.m.

The chorus does a wonderful variety of music genres and it is obvious that most of those children LOVE to sing. The theme of the night is "It's Raining".

Tickets are $6 at the door (I think students are $4). Cameron and Cosette would love to see you there and me??....well I just told them I would do what can to promote the event.

At the fall concert we went out for milkshakes afterwards, so I am sure we can carry on that tradition and you are more than welcome to join us!

Finally... Cosy's birthday party!

After a week delay, we were finally able to celebrate Cosette's 10 year birthday party. She just had a couple of friends and then two of her cousins were able to come at the last minute which was another sweet surprise.

Each girl was given a small gift at the start of the afternoon...

For Cosette, this was a terrific surprise gift~

I can give you the name of the seamstress if you would like one of your very own....

And now one to some serious baking!

Read directions carefully....

And Wallah! A giant cupcake!

Just to show you how GIANT it was....

The decorating got a little crazy and perhaps more of the sugary icing went into the tummies than on the cupcake.

They actually made a turtle cheesecake as well, but we were not able to finish it before they left.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Cosette! You are sweeter than any cupcake no matter now large! Thank you too for being so patient in waiting for your party.

Dad

I went to the house today to give my dad some barbecue ribs and corn bread.

Every time I enter the house, it seems to echo mom and the echo seems a little more empty each time. Piles of sympathy cards lay open, sliding off of one another. The beautiful flowers from the funeral are now fading and the pedals are littering the table. It all seems so strange, so quiet, so curiously unfamiliar...

I went into the den where dad was and his eyes seemed so tired...so empty. Today he seemed more sad than I have seen him all week. I hug him, joke with him....try to just be with him. I sense his great loneliness and have no idea what to do.

So....

If you think of my dad today, please say a little prayer for him - that Grace will help cover the brokeness and emptiness that he so intensely feels right now. There is just no easy way to walk through this, but I do pray it will draw him every nearer to his Savior and Lord. And for now, I will walk beside him.