10 Years of "Maw-wej" (Almost)

This weekend, I was surprised. I'm never surprised. Take that back, when I was 16, my parents threw me a surprise birthday party, of which I knew nothing about, and as I blindly walked up to door of my own party, I asked fellow party goers, "Hey! What are YOU doing here??" Lots of weird looks that night.

Anyway, this weekend, my hubs whisked me away "pack your bags, no questions asked" for a two night, kids free weekend, celebrating our 10 year anniversary a little early. We'd been talking about our 10 year anniversary for about 9 years. We both knew that since we hadn't taken any "couples" vacation since our honeymoon, that we'd do just that on our 10 year. Somewhere breezy. Oceany. Where the salty air hits your nostrils the moment you wake up. Nice.

Then came Africa. Since all our extra funds are headed that way these days, we decided we'd just go out to eat or something whenever that 10 year day rolled around. That was cool. No biggee......but nope. My hubs is my hubs. He will not just leave it at that.

We had a wonderful weekend in Dallas. We decided to try new restaurants - like Parigi's and Breadwinners (a new fave) and made sure to stop at the old regulars like Eatzi's and Cheesecake Factory. We went for a 3 mile run around the Turtle Creek mansions - oogling and oohing at the gi-normous homes of the lawyers, doctors, and hedgefund managers. And yes, my hubs even set me up with a morning at a spa.....heaven.

With Africa so heavily on our minds, alot of this weekend was spent in thought - the kinds of thought that burden you once you've had your eyes opened by that kind of poverty. It is truly hard to enjoy, really enjoy those moments without having to stuff back the ugly truth that our self-indulgences are just that ....self.....indulgences.

The main thing I focused on this weekend was knowing that in 10 years, many things have changed in our marriage. And many things have stayed the same. We both still love each other dearly. We hold our marriage high - a proud accomplishment each day. We both are still each other's favorite person to spend time with, and our children are our heartbeat. But we've changed, too. 10 years ago, we were living in Dallas chasing after that Turtle Creek life. The McMansions, the fancy cars, the great job.

Our heartbeat has changed, and we continue to try to make our life resemble that heartbeat each day - failing more often that succeeding, but trying nonetheless. One weekend celebrating our marriage was wonderful - but getting back to our 'real' life is even better.

Love you, babe. Thanks for being mine.

Things are Progressing!

Lately, it seems I can't keep my mind off of the 'to do' lists that taking my family to Africa for a summer has created. All these things are good....actually, wonderful.....burdens to have, but can I just take a moment here and freak out on ya'll a bit? ( I lack a better way to say it.)

Thanks. I will. Let's see....getting my girls' passports this week. Working on what all shots my littles will need, as well. Trying to track down old Vacation Bible School material. Figuring out how in the world we'll pay for all this. Getting emails that have the subject line "Bank account info needed" and not deleting them because I actually DO have to wire money to a foreign bank account. Oh...and my regular daytime superwoman job of teaching. And raising kiddos. And feeding my hubs. And doing laundry. (Which one of these can I slack on? .....l.a.u.n.d.r.y)

If it weren't for this heavenly couple below, then I would be 10, no 100, no 1,000,000 times more crazified than I am now. Colleen's family (hubs and their four children) will be our roommates for part of the time we are in Uganda. Can you imagine four adults and six kids all under the age of 10? We are in for it!...in a good way.

Thanks to her nimble skills, she has located a wonderful home, advised on many-a-flight info, settled my fears, and well - she's just been aawweeesome. I can't thank her enough. Ok, I can. If God has burdened you to help someone this month, find your way over to her blog. They are fundraising, as well, for their trip and every dollar counts. It does.

And if you've donated to our trip already, thank you - thank you - thank you. It means the world to us.

Summer 2012 - Uganda Bound!!

It looks like God just decided to take this little family of four and push us out the door - literally. To Uganda. This summer. For two months.

That's right....it was made 'official' this week. My girls, my hubs - all of us - will travel to Uganda and work for Sixty Feet. We'll be working in the children's prisons, teaching whatever is needed - English, life skills, wood working, etc. , giving the on ground staff some help, and assuredly doing a number of things we never, ever imagined.

To say we are excited is an understatement. That hardest thing about being in Uganda last summer was the fact that I missed my family so much. Now, I get to have them all there, seeing what I saw, and hopefully, letting it sink into our pores so deep that our lives will forever be changed.

We do ask for your help. The cost to get there is ....well...God's just going to have to provide it. 4 tickets to Uganda costs over $8,000. Plus, housing, transportation, etc.

If you feel led to give to our Ferrell Mission Trip this summer we would be extremely blessed and grateful.

It's a tax-deductible donation. You can donate online at Friends of Sixty Feet (just be sure to put "Ferrell Mission Trip" in the box) OR write a check with "Ferrell Mission Trip" on the memo line and mail it to:

Friends of Sixty Feet, Inc.

2451 Cumberland Parkway

Suite 3526

Atlanta, GA 30339

Please pray for us because already, those 'momma concerns' are popping up. I'm thinking about all the shots, traveling, etc......little girls....dangers......well, I just gotta push those out of my mind, right?

Thanks to all - Blessings!

Uncomfortable

(photo courtesy of Amazima Blog)

This photo is uncomfortable to see.

Katie Davis, from Amazima Ministries, shows on her latest blog the triumphs and trials of the work in Uganda. Celebrating a year long effort of healing the 'town crazy man' from his burned leg and saving a soul in the process, all the while, nursing this 7 -year old, 20 pound boy back to health. His poor body ravaged from malnutrition and lack of basic health care.

Uncomfortable is a luxury most of us have. That prefix 'un' (uh-oh...the 4th grade teacher coming out in me....) means 'not' and put together - we feel 'not comfortable'. Meaning we were in comfort (a luxury), then suddenly from seeing disturbing images, or from being in a room full of strangers, or from sleeping on someone else's pillow - anything out of the norm can make us un-comfortable.

I think uncomfortable is a place we need to reside. To be a stranger to comfort in this world. I love that Job talks about 'when God's intimate friendship blessed his house'. The presence of God in his life made him do the uncomfortable ...."I was a father to the needy, I took up the case of a stranger, I broke the fangs of the wicked, and snatched victims from their teeth."

I doubt that Job, having had all his needs and desires met through fellowship with God, would have felt peace just sitting there, in his home, with no action for what concerns God. Someone recently said, "Advocacy is not action." I disagree. Advocacy is action..... Jesus advocates for us. Advocate for a mission you find that touches your soul.

Then.....paint the world with that brush through action with hands and feet.

On the Flip Side

"I think marriage is a great institution....but who wants to live in an institution?"

I read this quote recently in a magazine. It made me laugh, so I read it to my husband, which made him laugh. It was a good, laughy moment.

Ironically, that was about two weeks ago and little did we know it, but we were on the verge of one of those weeks. You know what I'm talking about you married folk. One of those weeks where one of you feels stretched too thin, the other one has no clue, things pile up and pile up and pile up until suddenly.....the bottom falls out.

I'm better a faking it. If my hubs and I are in one of those 'bottom fallin' out periods, I can smile, function normally, go to work....it all gets buried deep inside and comes out in the form of a stress pimple here (or there). A tummy ache. Tense shoulders. My hubs, on the other hand, looks like an absolute stress case. He doesn't handle it well, at all. Walking around, head hung low, a confused look on his face.....the epitome of 'wearing your heart on your sleeve'.

Thankfully, when our 'bottom falls out', it usually leads to some sort of realization - on both sides. And we both have this unofficial, but official, policy - absolutely no quitting, no "d" word, no thoughts of the sort whatsoever. No way. We also both know deeply that no one else in the world would think that my wearing fleece to sleep in 90 degree weather is 'cute', nor would anyone else love his ability to quote every movie line in a handful of popular movies while somehow making them apply to the current real life situation. He does this. Alot. And I find it quite amusing.... ; )

So. I guess this post has less to do with the bad stuff, than it does with the good stuff. The good stuff is that once we get our 'bottoms' back on, we've grown a bit. Learned one more thing to add to our marriage tool box. Little gems that are so valuable you actually have to learn the hard way to obtain them.

I know marriage isn't easy. Jobs, children, you name it. They are blessings that can sometimes bring out the horns in us all. I'm thankful to have a man who will go to God to seek counsel and wisdom. I'm thankful that God is at the top of our marriage food chain.

To any almost married, newly married or married for a while couple out there, I heard through a friend who had just went to a marriage seminar that what you need most from your husband or wife is not for them to hear you more, or spend more time with you, or help out more.....you need him or her to abide in Christ more. That and that alone will. save. marriages.

Make Joseph Kony Famous in 2012

I have to admit that I've really had nothing to blog about. There have been marital moments that I've thought, "This would be good to write about..." or kid moments of similar thought.

But this video, created to make the LRA's warlord Joseph Kony a famous face in the world, is absolutely something we all should see. In the latest Sixty Feet movie, "Beloved", one of the imprisoned children that was interviewed was a former member of the LRA. Abducted at the age of 3, forced to hold a gun and kill as a child, killing over 100 people at a time (including his own parents).....all for this man, Joseph Kony's, dream army of children.

Watch. Learn. Act. Inspire Others.

What else do you have to do today?

A Break.

My girls have been needing a break. Maybe their momma, too. You see, I have this thing ..... It's called "mother's intuition". It's relatively new. I'm sure my own mother missed out on hers, but somehow I can always sense things. Little stretches of truths, disappointments, if teeth have been brushed, and other whatnots.....

This time, my intuition told me that both my girls, especially the littlest, were needing some down time.

Sophie, at just 3, has shown us in her short life that tiredness affects her in ways I never have thought about really. It plays out in her physically .... Stuttering, eye blinking, worrying...... when I start to see these signs, I know - she needs some time off. Sometimes it'll be time in nature, which according to the"Last Child in the Woods" author, nature (or in my opinion God in nature) is a wonderful healer. Sometimes it might be a day or two off from school. ( perfect attendance is not high my priority list!)

Anyway. A break it has been. Some pedicured feet, some time at a museum, outside play, a movie ..... Just us girls.

At 7 and 3, they are fun buddies. I hope they remember these days...... And I hope my intuition only improves with time. I know I'll need it!