2013 Flashbacks... So Ready for the Adventures of 2014!!!

This is bad. It's been so long in between blogs that I keep forgetting my password and having to reset it. Again. And again. I'm hoping this one will stick in my brain or better yet, I'm hoping to blog more in 2014 so my password will be forever ingrained in my memory :o)

I can't believe that in a few short hours, 2013 will end. It's been a year of building new relationships, dealing with pain & loss and yet, it's been full of God's grace & healing. I have seen God's faithfulness through all the ups and downs, so here are a few memorable highlights from 2013...

Dec 31/Jan: Last New Year's Eve, we celebrated with friends over for a "Make-Your-Own-Pizza" party where everyone brought their favorite pizza toppings. It was such a fun night!!! Every weekend following included having friends over for a meal or two. After all, why have a house if you can't share it with others?!?

Feb: We hosted our first Super Bowl Sunday party!!! The week leading up to it, we were hit with the realization that we had intentionally decided to forego a cable service...  No cable, no Super Bowl game, right?!? Jacob improvised and we bought the Apple TV gadget and hooked it up to the iPad and Taa Daa, the party was on again!

My first WOW Women's Retreat where I was away for the first time pre-children for (*gasp*) 3 days & 2 nights. It was SO much fun!!! What a blessing it was to have the best table group ever!!! 

Mar: We hosted our small group for the month & had the world's most adorable Japanese foreign exchange student staying with us. Michael adored Yume and had so much fun teaching her games on the Wii! There wasn't a language barrier between them :o) During Yume's stay, Krista had a few of her friends (who came over with the Japanese students they were hosting) for a cookie baking & decorating experience. 

I think this was also the month my lap top died. A very sad night since I hadn't backed up my reviews... lesson learned :o)

April: I met my friend Marti D. at a WOW Wednesday event. Her husband was willing to check out my laptop and see if he could resurrect it. But before I could send it out to him, we were hit with 5.5 feet of water in our basement. That ended all our entertaining plans. In one moment, we lost over 50% of our possessions and to this day, I still grieve over the loss of my library, Krista's special toys (I loved those doll houses!!!) and our beautiful ornaments!!!

God was faithful in providing us with the last 2 bedroom suite at a local hotel for a month, wonderful friends who either brought us food or had us over on weekends for meals and so much more!!!

May: My dear friend Nancy B. from Cali was able to spend the weekend visiting. She and I had a sleep over at the hotel :o) We bought a new car and three days later, unfortunately, I had my first accident since '94! Thankfully, God protected Michael and I from getting injured but the car needed a new body & system overhaul!

June: We were one day shy of being home for a month (after our extended stay at the hotel from flood #1), when we were hit with 4 feet of water in the basement. Deja Vu, anyone?!? Thankfully, Jacob was in town and our family was safe. God is good!!!

July: My closest friend, Un C. from Cali came and we were able to have dinner together. It was so nice to catch up with her!!! Krista got to go to SandBlast again and had a wonderful time bonding with her friends in youth group. We are so blessed by Impact here!!!

Michael modeling Krista's orange frames with dangling mustache creation on the way to SandBlast

Aug: After 14 months of pure stress and traveling, Jacob started a new job God provided. What a blessing and what a change in Jacob!!!

We were able to return to Cali and be with the friends we have missed so much!!! Krista celebrated her 16th birthday early with Teal C. and we had the best afternoon having tea and pastries!!!

Jacob and I had our first Global Leadership Summit experience at Willow and we already purchased tickets for next year's Summit!!!

End of Aug/Sept: Jacob unearthed a time capsule that impacted the state of our marriage. To make a long story short, God has resurrected our marriage and now, thanks to His grace, instead of just  surviving, our marriage is thriving!!! I'm not going to lie. There have been a lot of tears and a lot of pain through the process, but God is drawing us closer to Him and *to each other. *Now that's a miracle!!!

For the first time ever, I have more time to myself with Michael having normal school hours now that he's in 1st grade!!! I fill my time with making cards, a 1,000 Gifts book study, a mentoring training study, One Pot Wednesdays (purely social!) and BSF!!! Although it's an intense Bible study, I've loved digging deep in to God's Word and bonding with my friend, Diane J and May S :o) 

We spent a weekend with friends in Door County, WI. What an unique and fun experience!!! We can now check that off our "Things to Do in the Midwest" list...

Krista turned 16. She is and continues to be my favorite 16 year old ever!!! We surprised her with 16 presents---a present a day leading up to her big day :o) It was as much fun for me as it was for her!!!

Oct: We were one of the last in the country to get on the Rainbow Loom bandwagon. Michael has been ecstatically watching youtube.com video how to's and cranking out the bracelets for his friends! His big friend Luke J. taught him his first fish tail Rainbow Loom bracelet and he's been hooked ever since!

Krista's small group leader, Melissa & Impact's pastor, Andrew had their first baby: Evan!!! He. is. adorable!!!

Michael introduces Baby Evan to his very first Rainbow Loom bracelet :o)

Nov: We invited my favorite collegiate nephew, Daniel to spend his Thanksgiving break with us. On Thanksgiving day, we had Alice, a new friend from Northwestern over for Thanksgiving Lunner (Lunner: the meal that's not quite lunch and not quite dinner) and afterwards, we had a great time playing multiple games of Monopoly Deal!

Krista survived round 1 of the ACT's :o)

Michael won a trophy (1st Grade Chess Champion) in Chess club at school!!! Only 40% of his Chess comrades won a trophy so he was in trophy Heaven with his big one :o)

Dec: Krista had surgery to remove her tonsils & adenoids, a turbinate procedure and to fix a deviated septum from a rude encounter with a volleyball during a game of Dodge Ball when she was in 9th grade attending GBHS in California (ironically, the initials to Krista's high school here are GBHS!).

We thank God she had an infection free recovery with a minimal need for her pain meds. She can breathe normally again and sleeps better at night, too :o) What a blessing to have so many friends from all around the world praying for her and for us!!!

So, I'm ready for whatever adventures 2014 will hold... but hopefully, it will not include more water in our house...!!!

I'll end this blog with a verse from Romans 15:13...

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound [overflow] in hope." 

Wishing you JOY in 2014!!!

"Mommy, I Dropped My Shirt in the Toilet!" and a Merry Christmas to You, too!!!

One day it was a little warmer than expected and Michael was hot. We came home from school and I helped him take off his undershirt giving him instructions to take it upstairs. Meanwhile, I headed to the kitchen to start making dinner. I think I was peeling potatoes when I hear this voice from the bathroom in the hallway...

Michael: "Mommy, I dropped my shirt in the toilet!!!" 

Me:  "Did you drop it in before or after you went to the bathroom?!?" I'm thinking, WHAT?!? How does that happen?!? Please let it be #1 and NOT #2!!!

Michael: "I already went to the bathroom!"

Me: Okay now. "Just don't flush the toilet or we will have a HUGE problem!!!"

I ripped off my gloves and ran over to him. He was standing at the toilet proudly holding one sleeve (the one that didn't fall in) and told me he "saved" it from falling in! Thankfully, it was a bladder issue or I would have been even more grossed out!!! And just for the record, this is the LAST time I plan on fishing anything out of the toilet!!!

The other day, Krista and Michael were verbally sparring. I interrupted them and asked if they needed to change the tone of their voices or be on the "couch of loving kindness" (the original one drowned in flood #1 but basically any part of the couch will do!). Of course, they both denied what they were doing, so I asked, "Then why are you talking to each other with that attitude?" And they both said in unison, "That's tough love!!!"

Gotta love those moments, right?!?

Okay, so I had this grandiose idea to hand make all my Christmas cards this year...FAIL!!! I made about 30 of them and then ran of out of steam, time and creativity!!! Thankfully, I had 2 boxes of back-up cards (I then ran out of those, too, so I'll start making some more once my second wind kicks in again); otherwise, your Christmas card may or may not arrive until Easter 2014!!!

I had an epiphany this year after helping Krista's 3rd grade girls learn their Bible verse in Promiseland from Isaiah 9:6. This verse comes to mind the most during the Christmas season, but I don't really reflect on it any other time. But then I realized, I've been missing out on a message that's meaningful for now and forever!!! I've added my thoughts in red and when you read it, you'll see why this verse has become one of my favorite verses to meditate on.

I grew up on the King James version of Isaiah 9:6 and love it this way...

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor (I love that we can pour out our fears, our sorrows and our longings to Him... and He listens), The mighty God (He's Omnipotent---all powerful so there isn't a problem too large that He can't handle), The everlasting Father (I'm reminded that He's a God who keeps His promises forever and ever!!!), The Prince of Peace (When we ask, He provides us with His presence and peace in the midst of the disappointments and uncertainties of this life!!!)."

This verse is clearly relevant all 365 days of the year :o)

Merry Christmas with Love, Joy & Peace!!!
from the Lee's
Jacob, Susan, Krista & Michael
Jer. 29:11