What a couple of weeks!

Flying High! Halloween Lady Bug!

THIS has been the longest two weeks ever. It seems as if either myself or Boog or us together had something to do nearly every night for the past 14 days. I'm sure that's not the case, but it seems that way.

Halloween '08 started and has ended. (Whew!) My little girl decided to be a ladybug, along with her cousin, and we took part in our church's Annual Fall Festival. I kept thinking how different it's going to be next year hanging onto a little baby while making sure my other child doesn't wander off with the sea of Halloweeners......why didn't God invent mothers with octopus hands? We NEED 8 of them!

Gettin' a Boost from Mimi

Grace in her duds

Anyway, we are tired, but I HAD to blog. It's been forever. Here's a picture of MY costume - a very preggers gal. That's my costume. 6 1/2 months now and STILL no nursery. What is wrong with that picture? With Grace, I think I had her nursery completely done by now with at least a three month supply of diapers and wipes. Poor 'lil Sophie! Getting the shaft already. I was the #2 child who always got the shaft.....you'd think I'd know better! ( I must try harder, note to self.)

On another note, God's mysteriousness had been ever present this week. He's woven in some truly wonderful things like friends giving birth for the first time, with some utterly sad losses. I couldn't sleep last night, so I got out of bed at 1am and read the rest of Exodus in the quiet of the morning hours. My brain couldn't stop itself from thinking of how things can change in a moment's notice.

Bible Journey: Exodus 28:1-Leviticus 1:1
Onto Leviticus. Man.....our God. He's such a perfectionist. Wait....he really IS a perfectionist. Those were my thoughts as I read the intricacies of his building plan for the Ark of the Covenant. How he cared about the color of the thread in the drapes and how many lampstands there would be, how long they would burn, with what kind of oil, and how the priests would dress......the dimensions, the layout, the colors.....how it all would be created by the craftsmen He gifted for just that purpose. Such a perfectionist...what can I say? I'm preparing myself for Leviticus right now.....I always give up on that book. I won't this time.

Tagged!

I've been tagged. Here are the rules:
1. Open your pictures folder.

2. Go to the sixth folder.

3. Open the sixth picture.

4. Import into your blog and tell the story.

Here's my photo!

This is a photo from our Breckenridge ski trip back in Christmas '06. Grace (if you can see her!) is skiing on the bunny hill for the first time! The skis were actually a little too big, but she was a trooper. Daddy was a trooper, too, for even trying to get a 2 1/2 year old to ski.

Grace is a well-traveled tot. She's been to Colorado (twice), Florida (twice), California, all over Texas......way more places than I had ever been to at her age. Traveling is something Boog and I plan to continue trying to do with our children.....maybe venturing internationally one of these days. We want to show her the world. But something else about Grace that I'm noticing more and more - she's a lot like her daddy. Not afraid to try new things, always up for an adventure, cautious but curious....so her loving the slopes was no surprise.

Anyway, the Ferrell family loves to ski, so I can't wait to hit the slopes one day with my two girls.....maybe I should wait until Sophie can actually walk first, huh?

I now tag: Stephanie, Heather, and Jennifer!

Bible Journey: Exodus 22:1 - Exodus 28:1
I love the descriptions of God in the Bible. Mainly, I love the sounds and pictures that are associated with who He is......in Exodus it talks about the thundering, lightening, and deafening trumpet sounds that the Israelites saw and heard when God's presence was on Mt. Sinai. I can't even imagine what that must have looked like or sounded like....loud trumpet sounds amidst a thunderstorm like no other. In Revelation, where it describes His voice "like the sound of many waters". Can you just imagine how overpowering the sound of a waterfall is...and attribute that to His voice? And in Exodus, just simply describing how the Lord's feet were standing on a road of sapphire with clarity unlike anything we know. As a visual person, this stuff gets to me! I imagine meeting God one day and truly having the question ....'Will I dance for you Jesus?' (to quote "I Can Only Imagine") being answered - YES. Because that is the only response I might have to His magnificence.....

Stop. Breath In. Exhale.

Today, Boog & I found ourselves a bit overwhelmed. Most of it was the "post vacation" stress of catching up with life after being gone four days. Some of it was self-made "have to's" (ie. this weekend's garage sale that we reluctantly agreed to do with our neighbor), some were weekly commitments, but most of it was just life.

I kept telling Boog we need to quit the whining. Really....I'm so sweet, sometimes. But what I meant was, it's just like this occasionally. It's busy. These months, for some reason, everyone starts to plan things.....parties, functions, get togethers, festivals, water fights, cat fights you name it - it's planned.

But then - everything stops. January usually puts the capital B in Boredom.....do you agree? And we adjust to life in winter lane where the tv is bad and the weather is worse. Longing for spring to rejuvenate things again.

What's worse? Boredom or Busyness?

I prefer the wave.

A time of busyness, to let me know that I'm still alive and there are people around me to care for (not that I do a great job, but I try). Followed by a time of boredom, to let me clean my house and organize my life......you know, the wave.

Without the wave, I think I would either have a heart attack by stress or die of loneliness if either of the two became my only option.

I know there are others out there probably surfing the Busy Wave right now. If so, count your blessings. You could have no one to care for.....or have nothing to be a part of.......or no one that cared if you were there or not.

Today (and maybe just today....hey, one victory at a time), I choose to quit the whining myself. Count my blessings......and enjoy surfing. Surfing must be on my mind.....I did just get back from California!

Bible Journey: Exodus 21:1-22:1

Our Sweet Californian/Texas friends!

The Ledbetters

What a trip! 3 days......a whirlwind tour of beautiful California.....completion of a marathon (NOT me -Boog!) and spending time with the kind of friends that just make you smile.

California. What can I say? I now know why people spend oodles of money to live and work out there......it's 100% beautiful. The people are friendly, the air seems cleaner (maybe because of the smoking ban), and everywhere you go - pedestrians rule. Not because they force their kingship, but because there are so many dadgum health conscious people out there, that you see bikers, hikers, runners, surfers, walkers everywhere. 6am, 9am....you name it, people are outside burning their body fat and enjoying a great quality of life. For all the health consciousness, it just might be worth an earthquake or two.

But the main purpose and joy out of our quick trip to San Diego was to see our friends, the Ledbetters. They are the kind of friends that you pick right up with....even when it's been five years since seeing them. Their cute as a button daughter was Grace's BFF for the weekend - she was in baby heaven. And well, you can't say enough about a guy who dropped everything to be a Marine and pilot this gi-normous helicopter below and save a few thousand lives.......and a woman who supported his choice, even when she was delivering their first child while he was in Iraq. Amazing.

Jared said, "This is your basic helicopter." Yeah, right!

Captain Ledbetter, inside his 'copter.....bleeding Aggie maroon.

Grace, trying to figure out how in the world Capt. Ledbetter flies this thing...

After a tour of Jared's base and 'basic helicopter' ( I can't get over how he thinks it's "basic"....you should see the thing!), we traveled up "Beach City" road and drove through Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, all the way to Long Beach where Boog's first marathon was held. Him and Jared did great, finishing right at 4 hours.
The Happy Runners- Jared & Boog!

There were over 18,000 participants in all the races

Grace and I...supporting our man!

All in all, it was a wonderful trip. I was a bit sad to leave Cali.....I could get used to that lifestyle. And Grace? She was sad to leave little Izzy.....they were good buds. Friends are few and far between - I'm glad we got to share this weekend together.

Grace & Isabelle

Bible Journey: Exodus 19:1-21:0

California Bound!

2:00 tomorrow, I'll be leaving my 18 little crazies.... I mean, sweet students...and heading for DFW Airport, where I'll sit....and wait....and wait....and pray....and wait for my flight to begin. I'm not a nervous flyer, I just simply pray that the cockpit team has had a full night's rest and plenty of experience. But....it does ease the worry a little that if the plane does happen to go down - at least my entire family will be with me. (My mind!!)

Grace is super-uber-excited. And Boog....well, he's gearing up to run in the Long Beach Marathon, so he's just ready to conquer that....(what'll be next for him to conquer, dare I ask?) Anyhoo, all this traveling for a couple of friends. But what friends they are....

I can't wait to share with you pictures of this lovely couple and their new family. During mine & Boog's early married years -sans children - we hung out with the Ledbetter's nearly every week in Dallas. We were young married couples with nothing but time to burn. You know how you meet a couple and you just click? That was how it was with them. We'd known Jared from college, but his wife was new to us....but boy, did we have fun together. It definitely was a God-given friendship and we're blessed to have been able to continue that friendship even after moves, his stint in Iraq, career changes, etc.

So we're headed off to see their new daughter, for Jared & Boog to run the marathon together, and for us to catch up before he heads off to his second tour in Iraq. Pray for a safe flight, please! I'll post pictures soon!

Bible Journey Exodus 17:1 - 19:1
I was beginning to get so frustrated with those complaining Israelites! After God had done all these wonders....parting the Red Sea, raining down manna for their sustenance, giving them light to walk by at night for goodness sake.......all that, and then, when they get a little thirsty or hungry or impatient, they start the "Why did you deliver us from the Egyptians?" complaining to Moses....thinking they had it so much better then. I was beginning to get frustrated.....and then, like a lightbulb, I started to think how we're no different sometimes. How easily we forget the blessings when a moment of hardship happens in our lives. How easily we forget that God was with us through all of our trials.....I know that's no new revelation, but since they were testing MY patience and I was just reading along, wondering why Moses didn't put the smack down on them, I faced up to the reality of my selfish complaining. Why doesn't God put 'the smack down' on me?.......only He knows.....thank goodness.

I Hate Being Away From Her....

"Depression" is what I called it last night, to Boog. Not the kind where I need to go get medication, but a depression of the heart.

Grace and I went to Waco yesterday to see my brother-in-law get ordained as a deacon in his church. It was a sweet, simple ceremony to which I kept thinking how 90% of his large church probably didn't even realize that the man they picked to serve as deacon, was already a servant in so many ways.....full of humility, washing other's feet daily. That's just the person he is.

I planned on staying just the afternoon. Angela, however, had extended an invitation for Grace to sleepover......to which Grace told me in on the way there, in not so many words, "No, I want to sleep in my bed tonight." BUT.....as soon as she got to "Beeler Fun House", full of new, different toys and a great pal, Landrie, she changed her tune. So I set off for home by myself, knowing Grace was in good hands, and knowing I could get a heck of a lot done with my day off on Monday!

However, as soon as I got home, my heart hurt. Our house was so quiet. I missed my little girl. I was sad she wasn't in the next room, peacefully sleeping. I just fell asleep while Boog was watching a movie.....maybe to make the time pass.

Today, as I cleaned my house and got "the stuff" done that I was wanting, I wandered in and out of Grace's room......it's sweetness and simpleness. My feelings turned from sadness to thankfulness. So thankful to have been given the opportunity to be her mother for four years......already thinking of how the future will be here too soon......wondering if the "Marriage Masterpiece in progress" that Boog & I work on daily will give her a good example of the type of marriage and husband she wants for herself.........wondering if I'll be able to handle those tough teen years when she wants to make decisions for herself......thinking how I hope even when circumstances might not be the best, our family will always find our hope in God.....and pass that hope on to Grace.

What a responsibility a life is!

And now, adding little Sophie to the mix.......sometimes I wish I was a little more naive about parenting, like I was with Grace.......
Bible Journey- Exodus 16:5 - Exodus 17:1

Fall Free Day!

Happy Fall!

One must have a day where nothing is on the agenda. Today was that day for us! Oh....we did get busy a little. This morning, I asked Boog to unload all of Grace's baby clothes (0 mos - 3T)from storage to see if anything was keepable for 'lil Sophie. Out of the 14 plastic containers we had been storing for four years........I kept one bag full. How's that for trying to be frugal? I was trying to save and reuse......but unfortunately, after 4 years of storing, the colors were faded, spots were darkened, and well.....'lil Sophie just might need a new outfit or two! So.....the rest are going into a garage sale....or donation pile....or something.

But other than that, we Ferrell's hung around the house, watched college football (not the Ags, mind you, no decent TV station wants to get within a mile of this season's team. Boo.) and did what you sometimes need to do on these beautiful Fall days - relax. : )

(We're headed to California in T minus 4 days to visit some precious friends and their new daughter......I can't wait! Pictures will be coming soon!)

I DID bake a dump cake....would you call that baking?

Grace takin' a nap on daddy's shoulder

Bible Journey Exodus 13:1-16:5