The Garden

Last year we put in a small raised bed so that we could have a little vegetable garden.  I didn't know much about gardening and we planted things sort of haphazardly.  We got lots of squash, a few cukes, and little else.  This year I took a little more organized approach and here is what we have so far.

Lots and lots of tomatoes this year! Last year we only got a couple because it was so cold. 

This little yellow flower will be a cucumber.  Amazing!

These flowers will be beans. 

Nathan is so excited that the tomato plants are as tall as he is. 

This is ONE zucchini plant!  Look at the size of those leaves!!

Our first zucchini!  We ate it with pasta.  Yumm....

 

One of my potted Gerbers.  Totally makes me happy!  

 

And last but not least one of our nuts!  Nathan took this picture and it just makes me laugh so I thought I would share it with the world. Karin Rowe you are awesome!

 

Be it ever so humble...

 Growing up we moved a lot.  Granted we stayed in the same city but every couple of years we would move to a new house.  I never really felt like I had a place that I could put roots down or really call home.  When I married my husband and we ventured off on our own all that changed.  His parents house really became home to me.  It was the place that we could always return to, to relax and feel safe and loved.  This was an entirely new experience for me and sometimes still catches me wonderfully off guard. 


Yesterday my mother-in-law, Rob, Nathan, and I all went tubing down the Muskegon River.  Other than a sunburn and getting a little far behind the rest of the group I had an amazing time.  There was however one moment where I was wonderfully caught off guard.  Floating down the river all by myself, I looked up into the canopy of trees and heard Rob and Nathan giggling and splashing in the background, and realized how familiar and right everything felt at that exact moment.  All too often I feel like I'm just visiting, at that moment I felt like I was home.  Here is the most amazing thing, while it felt really good to be surrounded by things familiar I realized that it wasn't the location that made me feel like I was at home, it was being with my son, and husband and mother-in-law. 

A sense of home isn't about location but family.  Most people figure this out quickly, but for a girl who really had no experience with neither growing up, it was an epiphany.

Thank you God for beautiful moments of growth.

Jumping off the hamster wheel....

This week Rob and I have jumped off the hamster wheel that is our crazy lives for a little respite.  We are on vacation spending time with our family, just trying to catch our breath.

It's amazing the things that God is saying when you finally get away from the noise and craziness to hear Him. 

I'm still processing how and what He said to me at Congress and all of the little things He's been saying through the noise. I hope to share several times this week about being yourself, resting in Him, digging into the Scriptures, friendship, the passing of time, and maybe even a few pictures of my aprons that I'll be working on.  

Praising God for an extended Sabbath rest and looking forward to sharing what God is doing!

No excuses....

Usually when I am feeling any type of negative emotion, ie. anger, sadness, disappointment, frustration, etc, that is caused by another individual or group of individuals I make excuses and don't allow myself to feel that emotion.  I tell myself the other party couldn't possibly have meant it that way, or maybe I'm just being a baby and I need to put my big girl pants on and deal with it. 

Well, in an effort to "live honestly", I just want to say publicly.....I"m angry, hurt, and disappointed.  For all of you TSA folks out there, it has nothing to do with The Army.  (I thought that I should say that so tongues don't start wagging.  :) )

No excuses, no apologies, just what I feel. 

Am I supposed to feel better now?