happy times.

our family spent this past weekend with my sister's and their incredible men. Among other things the world changers loved loved loved the snowmobile rides, like ALL day rides. My crazy bro in law has 5 sleds and this amaxing pull behind thingy that seats at least two.

super fun watching my oldest world changers zoom around the winter tundra. just wish i had a picture to show you of the whole lot of us jamming out to "smoke on the swatter." the weekend finished out with a very convincing win for my vikings. which of course made me happy.

oh and this next shot has a story...

it started with Facebook. Revive our Hearts posted this comment "How long do you think it will take Nancy Leigh DeMoss to sign 400 copies of her book while listening to a John Piper sermon?" i commented. "she can take as long as she wants, as long as she sends me one."

and she did. and i was reminded that i was a blessed and loved individual.

i hope you get reminded about how loved and blessed YOU are today!!

what if all you had was 15 minutes?

i hadn't planned on talking. in fact, it's the one thing i can't stand to do when i'm sitting half naked in a hot tub, especially to strangers. but i was sitting by myself, and so was she. so i began to talk to her.

her name was jill, which she told me right before she left.

her son was sitting on a lounge chair reading harry potter, not enjoying himself one bit, you see her son has only one leg, and the "water park officials" wouldn't let him hop up the 10 flights of stairs to go down any slides, so he chose just to read.

when i inquired about how he had lost his leg. jill opened up and told me just about everything. like how at the age of 6 they chose to amputate it due to an infection, about how 6 years in the hospital had affected the family.

the family: four kids, a house in suburban Minneapolis, mom is a bartender, dad is self employed, which is why he wasn't "on vacation" with them at the water park that day.

she told me about the oldest boy who was has been in and out of drug rehab at the ripe old age of 16 and had just declared that he was an atheist. her middle girls are into horse back riding which are $170 per lesson, they all had braces put on in one year, and in that same year she was diagnosed with breast cancer. and for some unknown reason she dove into faith issues. she admitted not going to church at all, and maybe that's why her family is being hit with all this "stuff" at one time.

i didn't say anything.

i was silent.

she had answered her own questions. questions that she has asked herself over and over again for some time now i presume.

i'm not suggesting that not going to church is going to cause you to have horrible times, not at all.

but what i am suggesting is that maybe God puts deep into our hearts the desire to cling to something much greater than ourselves in hard times, and for many, churches is a start to begin to hold onto God, until your strong enough to hold on to God by yourself.

so i told her what i believe is that God wants a relationship with her, not a religion. then, i asked if i could pray for her. she was kinda taken back, but she agreed.

her name was jill, which she told me right before she left.

a different plan.

this morning i ventured out in this cold cold world, kinda feeling like that fan. moving through the motions of life. wanting to desperately connect to the "Source" so i stuck out my "paper clip" arm. and went.

i quickly connected to something, but what was it? this certainly wasn't the "plan" i had.. i just wanted to connect to the source.. what was i connecting to the "wrench" for? it really made me super sad, bitter, selfish, concerned (just pick a interesting feeling here that doesn't jive to Biblical authority, and i probably felt it.) to realize that i wasn't going to be led to the "Source."

until i stopped to realize that the "Source" hadn't moved. it was the same old "Source" i was just forced to see it and experience it different. a plan i didn't plan on, but you have to admit, the "Source" is pretty resourceful and can really pretty much use anything He wants to help you to hear what He want's to say to you.. (just read the talking ass story in the Bible!)

so looking back on the morning, although it didn't go AT ALL like i planned it, i still got to hang out and connect to the God (Source) who loves and takes care of me no matter what i feel like. yah.. you could say, He keeps me all warm and fuzzy on these very cold dark days of winter. Thanks God.

*and thanks lead singer for keeping my feet warm with your "go for broke" effort to keep the corn stove working in this -20 degree weather.. i notice.

tute virgin no more!

This month without further ado... i submit my first creative attempt of the year. a tutorial for homemade corn tortilla chips.. yummy!

you will need:

a bag of corn tortillas

table salt

Pam cooking spray

on a cutting board place about 5-7 tortillas

spray each side with Pam (or other cooking spray.)

cut like a pie into halves and then again in fourths with a pizza cutter.

put "chips" onto a baking sheet lined with foil.

sprinkle with salt to your taste.

bake in the oven at at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

after 10 minutes take out pan and turn some over.

bake another 10 minutes.

when the buzzer buzzes your done!!

put in a bowl and experience the joy of easy peasy homemade chips!

seriously good stuff. end of story.

i resolve to.

ok, holidays are over, and we are all in the beginnings of another year. i even had the chance to get and recover from the 24 hour flu thingy that made it's rounds to our family. yeah me! so, have you made any resolutions/goals yet? i'm sure at least you have thought about something you'd like to change, be better at, or complete in the year 2010. here's my list.

1. become healthy. which means...

~ dentist- (nope, not brave enough to pull my teeth myself... i have to draw the line.)

~ pediatrist-

~ complete physical- (and i'd BETTER not get a fishing for the vein kinda blood work guy)

~continue to run. ( i took a break thinking it's too cold out there, but the benefits FAR out weigh the cold for me personally.

2. Significantly reduce debt by

~ not spending money on stoopid stuff (fabric and books are not stoopid just so ya know)

~ getting another job or requesting more hours at my current job (my personal favorite)

3. Finish a "creative something" once a month

~ creating is my outlet, no matter what it is i'm creating. turning on the music, lighting a candle and losing myself to the process of creating something clears my thinking and makes me slow down and fall in love with the One who created me more. i say finish cause i'm not a finisher.. i'm a starter. i'll be posting these creations here. no matter if they turn out or not.... i'm sure it will be a humbling experience.

there. that should do it. it's not a ton, but it's enough. to just have nailed them down to three of all the options in my head and heart is practically a miracle. so, did i jar anything in your brain that you'd like to work on, accomplish? i 'd love to hear them!