Fireproof - Wow!

Went on a date night tonight with my hubby to see Fireproof. Wow guys, go see this movie! It was awesome. And make sure and take your spouse along. I left that theatre feeling so good and inspired. The movie does start a little slow but give it time becuase it gets great! This movie got me thinking too, just like Sunday night at church. But I don't want to give the movie away and talk about much of it. Just go see it.

Jack Van Impe

Wow, just got back from seeing Jack Van Impe tonight at church. Wow. What a wonderful speaker and his message tonight on the end times was incredible. I could never tell you everything about it so if you're interested in God or the end times or salvation, or anything, his site is great. www.jvim.com . Or you could talk to me too. Anyway, I took my whole family tonight, even my mom and Grant's girlfriend. I sure hope they all took it in.

And just for myself, thinking about what I heard tonight, makes me want to get more on fire for God and do more to spread his word and his love. I know my main mission field is my children and I've been doing that since the day they were born. And I loved doing the Young Christian Leaders Group I started with a friend at my old school. But I'm not there any more and I want to do something more like that again. I'll be praying that God gives me some more things to do. I actually am going to stay a little involved with the Young Christian Leaders from my old school. The guy I started it with called me last week and asked if I could at least go to the activities and help with the devotions at the activities. I jumped at the chance for sure. I miss those guys. Well, I'm doing a lot of thinking tonight for sure.

God is awesome! And in case anyone reading this doesn't know, God does love you, just like a mother or father loves their children (and all of us with children know how much that love encompasses us). And this is how I've been feeling since i've had teenagers. We are teenagers to God's parenting....acting out, sinning, partying, and then trying to be good, trying to be respectful, you know, bouncing around like teenagers do, all the drama. The same way I feel about my teenagers I know God feels for me, for all of us. He just keeps loving even when we mess up. And he waits patiently for us to come back if we run off on a crazy time.

More of the Senior Shoot

Here are a couple more pics of Ashley's shoot with me the day we went driving around. The goofy girl of mine just changed right in the car without a care in the world! I would never have done that when I was her age. But I love this color on her. I have to remember that and buy her more stuff this shade. I can't believce what it does for her. This is two different spots but the one with the woods in the background was so gorgeous. the wind was blowing leaves down while we were shooting and it was very peaceful. I coul dhave sat there all day. Anyway, as always I ask, isn't my daughter just so pretty???

Scared....

Tonight I was sitting here with Blake and Brooks when we all heard what sounded like cupboard doors being opened and closed several times upstairs. We were all downstairs including the dog so what could the noise have been?? Well, needless to say we all jumped up and ran out of the house, got in the truck and pulled out the driveway and watched. Even grabbed the dog! Luckily I had my cell phone on me and I called Brent and the cops. See, Ashley had left earlier in the evening and left the front door unlocked. We got home late and I didn't like seeing that the door was unlocked but settled in for the evening any way. An hour later we heard the noise and there's no way it was a mistake, or something falling. Well, the cops checked the house and found nothing but they took about 15 minutes to get here and we were parked across the street. There was plenty of time for someone to run off. That's the only reason they could have been making the noise. I figured we trapped someone in here and they were wanting out so they made the noise to freak us out so they could get out. Well, now we're all freaked out, an hour later and cops gone. Grrrrrr....hate this feeling. And Brent's not home yet either. I also have two boys who do not want to stay here tonight. Well, that's my story. Guess we just have to get past it and go to bed. Hate stuff like this....

Hugs

Why are hugs so great?? All I know is a hug feels so good and it feels even more extra special when you get it from you 18 year old son who thinks he's a grown up. Those hugs are few and far between and when I get one, it melts me inside. I snuggle in and smell my baby's neck and wonder how he's bigger than me. He squeezes me tight, for a second, maybe two, and then is off but wow, I could live off a hug like that for days. If you dont' have teenagers, you probably can not even close to understand this but things change dramatically as your kids get to this age. It's bitter sweet. Of course they have to pull away and go and be themselves out there in the big world but it hurts just the same becuase to me, with the weird way time folds on itself, he's still my baby. I swear his neck still smells exactly the same. So, I'm just thankful to God tonight for the moments he still gives me, however small they are. That boy of mine can be a pain, but I love him so much....so much...my first born. My dreams of motherhood came true the day he was born.

I Don't Know...

Made my girl laugh ..... she's been wanting this guy to pick her up and take her to school every morning. Well, I don't know him and that' s a rule about hanging out with friends...if I don't know them, then the answer is no. She just keeps bugging me like crazy the last few days and I started quoting "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - a show we both love....the dad says when he learns about the new guy " is he a nice boy? I don't know. does he come from a nice family? I don't know. Do they go to church? I DON'T KNOW" She figured out what I was doing and started lauhging and calling me crazy. Well, bottom line, he has to come over and hang out a few times if she wants to ride with him. Yeah, I'm a mean mom and I'm proud of it!! But you know what I do know? I love my daughter with every part of my being and I will always love her no matter what.

21 years - and it's like yesterday

What a cool night. I met with a friend after 21 years! We both took the same mission trip to Africa in 1987...whoa, 1987...and just ran into each other on Facebook and then realized our kids go to the same homeschool group and she lives about eight miles down the road! How crazy is that? So we met for coffee tonight and talk about the old days and the old friends and caught up. Made the years melt away on the one hand but made me feel old on the other when we talked about it being 21 years ago. Wow!

It was sure fun though, catching up with an old friend, someone who knew you "when"... you were young, skinny, carefree, and full of dreams....those were the days.

Facebook

Just thinking tonight how glad I am I started using facebook. I've found so many of my old friends and have been keeping in better touch with family. My sister and I had not been able to have as many phone calls as we used to either and now we're keeping in better touch. I'm loving it. I found friends from my two Teen Missions teams from back in the 80's. How cool is that? Makes me feel young and old at the same time. We're all sharing photos and memories. Good times for this old soul of mine, almost that dreaded 40 here in a very short few weeks. Where did the years go?

random thoughts on a monday

why are teenagers so....so....grrrrrr....? Well, my mom's says so it doens't hurt so bad when they leave. Hmmmm, she just might be right.

Rainy fall days are awesome, seriously, call me crazy but I love them! cuddle up with a book by the fire awesome.

Ashley is not happy tonight - we took the land line phone all the way down to basic so she can't use it anymore except for quick calls. She is so in love with her daddy now! NOT! We just figure it's dumb paying for it when we all (except Ash) have cell phones. I'm only keeping it so the house has a phone - meaning Ashley - for emergencies.

Spent a while teaching Blake tonigth about the French and Indian War. Love history - I get so into it and he's like "yeah, mom, got it, can we move on??" Then we did his math and he got 100%. His math is now an overall A and last year he was so NOT an A, if you get my meaning. Brent and I are so proud of him.

Two Thoughts For Sunday

"take the world up out of me, put the fruit back on the tree"

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you so that your daily life may win respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

These two thoughts really caught me today. The first one in a song - I hear this song all the time and this sentence always catches me. The second one caught my eye when I was looking for something else in my Bible.

How do they make me feel?? Convicted. Everyday I let the world take over my mind and many times I'll get to bed and begin my good night prayer to the Lord and realize I spent no time with him today other than a few quick prayers. This makes me sad and I think of how I'd feel if my children were too busy for me all day, several days in a row. So Lord, I ask you to help me take the world out and put You in. On the verse, whoa, yeah, minding my own business to me could encompass gossiping or talking about what is going on in other peoples' lives. Where do you draw the line? I guess if you're talking about uplifting things it's not gossip but anything that's not uplifting would be gossip. Lord, help me mind my own business!

Time with my Daughter

Went off this afternoon with my daughter to take pictures for her senior shoot. We are totally spreading it out and she's able to do her hair differently each time. We had fun driving around the back roads looking for spots. We stopped at one place and off in the distance there were cows. Ashley said "hey mom, lets get a picture with a cow!" What a doof! Then, and this is how you will know she is bipolar, i turn around and see some of those cool rolled hay bails, you know, the ones that are taller than you are?? I ask her to pose with that and she says "what do you think I am? a country girl??" She bounces around so much like that! Let me tell you. Well, here is an example of what we got today.

This one was taken toward the setting sun so a very different look. Isn't my girl beautiful?

Blessed

how blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in His ways.
when you shall eat of the fruit of your hands,
you will be happy and it will be well with you.
your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
within your house.
your children like olive plants
around your table.
behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord
Psalm 128:1-4

My Girl - Senior Photo Time

And my second sernior in as many years....Ashley. Here are a couple teasers. If you'd like to see the rest you have to go to wwww.flickr.com/photos/angelafreed .

But isn't she beautiful??? I still can't believe she's my girl even after 16 years. I know I don't deserve her. And when people stop the both of us and say how much we look alike, I say no way. She is a million times more beautiful!

sunday morning

Sunday mornings we get a taste of what it WILL be like. Brent and I don't sleep in much and are usually up hours before the kids. All those years we begged THEM to sleep in while we were younger and could sleep in, they wouldn't do it. Now, Brent and I can't sleep in and the kids could sleep till lunch. What is that about??? So, Sunday mornings, becuase no one has to be anywhere, Brent and I bump around the house for a couple of hours before the kids have to get up and get ready. We have a quiet breakfast (this morning eggs and pancakes), watch TV, Brent likes the Waltons that he records, and I start laundry or do the dishes up. And it's so quiet!

Cousin Photo Shoot

We did our every other year cousin shoot the other day. This is one of the ones we got. Yeah, look at those teenaged boys of mine. They are having sooo much fun they can hardly stand it. This is how they looked in every one of them! But the rest of them are cute. However, I think little W is in training to join his older boy cousins. Either way, to continue the theme of this blog, this very probably is the last picture when they are all children and unmarried. We do it every two years so who knows where Grant will be in two years. I'm glad he's still here each morning let alone two years from now. So, like I'm treasuring everything else, I'm treasuring this picture already thinking, yeah, this could be it. I might not be able to get him to the next shoot, who knows??? Plus Ashley will be all graduated by then too and off to college. It will be tough to do this again.

and the beginning is more like the end that is a beginning

confused? yeah, i usually am too. I'm beginning this new blog (and abandoning my old one) when it's practically the end of this season in my life. The season of my motherhood (the motherhood that you are mothering 24/7). But, that end will also bring a beginning. The beginning of my life with my hubby and I being together with no underage children we are responsible for. We are truely at a point where we're looking forward to this.

But I'm going to quickly. Even though that new beginning is close, it's not here yet and don't get me wrong, i don't want to rush these last few years. I'm cherishing every moment. Eating up every hug and cuddle (however few they are getting to be - Grant). Living the most of every family moment, family game, family car ride, family vacation. Becuase I know how quickly it goes. I blinked the other day and my daughter was driving the car. Then I blinked again and Blake had a date!! What? Next thing I know I'll blink and Brent and I will be alone in the house, in the quiet, in the privateness.....

So, I decided to abandon my old blog and start one where I'm concentrating on these last few precious years of "being freed" here at our home. I know i'm making it sound more dramatic that it is. I mean, they aren't disappearing off the face of the earth. But things are going to be different. They will have their own lives that center around themselves. Brent, and I, and our home will be on the outside orbiting, waiting for them to slow down so we can work in family time. Family time won't just happen. Family time will have to be worked on and planned.