If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try, Again, and Again, and Again...

Tonight was the Oldies Dinner at Church. Chad has been preparing for this with the men's ministry team for months. My involvement pretty much started this morning when we went shopping for our wardrobe. After we figured out our clothes, and our decade (the 50's), I set out to figure out my hair. When I Googled pics I saw many "Victory Rolls" and Faith said she thought I could YouTube a video that I could pull it off. Bolstered by her encouragement I found this video, and started out to try I will now show you my attempts...

Roll 1 -

Roll 2 - 

We found this one acceptable (at the time) and so then went on to the other side. 

Roll 3 (Second Side) - 

This one I called my Minnie Mouse Roll... Not good! 

Roll 4 (Second Side) - 

We really liked this one, and Faith said this one looked so good, we needed to redo the first one, and she offered to help. 

Roll 5 (The first one again) - 

We were getting there, but they were too far apart. 

Roll 6 (The first one again) - 

Almost Perfect! 

The final touches! 

And with the outfit & makeup! 

The Bar Has Been Set... It is High.

Faith has always been my introvert, so when she told me she was thinking about going to prom I was a bit surprised, but happy.

Faith went to Homecoming her Freshman year. We told her she should give a school dance a try. If she didn't like it, we would never push her to go to a dance again. She went and met up with friends there. She didn't hate it, but also had no desire to go to another dance... until now.

When I asked her why she wanted to go she said that the theme of Prom was Masquerade, and she thought that would be fun. She also said that there was a meal, and they were serving mashed potatoes. Mashed Potatoes. Well, if that is what it takes for my girl to interact socially... so be it!

She does not love shopping, so Prom dress shopping was a bit stressful. We had very little success in Auburn Hills, but we got a better idea of what she wanted. Last Saturday we went to Grand Rapids for prom dress shopping Round 2! We started at David's Bridal. We found a dress that worked quite well, but did not feel that the search was over. Next we went to Macy's. When she tried on the dress we ended up buying she came out of the dressing room and said, "It is time to Facetime Grace!" We tried a few more but ended up coming back to Macy's and got the dress.

Friday, I got a text from Faith while I was at work, "Zach asked me to prom!" When I got home I got to here the rest of the story...

At lunch, a young man approached Faith with a manila envelope, He asked Faith to open it for him. Inside she found this...

 

She said yes, but that he still needed to talk to her dad.

 

So last night the young man called to talk to Chad.

 

Yesterday was so fun. Each of the little sisters came and talked to Faith and she told them she was invited to prom. They all looked at the book he made for her and thought it was so sweet.

 

I have always thought about the day that my daughter would start the process of leaving my home. This young man is her friend, and they are going to prom as friends, but it is still her first date. I could not be happier about the effort he put forth to invite her. He took such care to know about her and ask her in a way that would speak to her. I am thankful for his family that are raising him to be a good man.

 

So whatever happens... If they just go as friends, or if this is the beginning of a longer relationship, This young man has set the bar high. Not just for a guy who will be her boyfriend, but also for all the little sisters who are watching.

 

This young man is truly an Unexpected Blessing.

To be continued...

We love a good story don't we? I know I do. But what about when the story takes a sudden twist? You think the plot is moving in a certain direction and then all of the sudden the floor falls out of the story, and you realize you are not at the end of the book, there is a sudden cliffhanger, you could not see coming. That is where I feel like I am today...

Last Wednesday morning I got up to go to the restroom at 2:40 a.m. (hang with me people... there is a point) At 2:51 a.m. I heard the soft noise indicating a Facebook message go to Chad's Phone & then immediately following to mine. I instantly knew it was Lynn.

Lynn is a foster daughter that lived with us for a few months in 2010 and then she came again in 2011/12 and we pursued adoption with her. It didn't happen. We didn't adopt, and she went back into the system where she bounced around for the next several years. Last fall she turned 18 and went into the states transition program as an adult. We have had sporadic contact over the past 4 years. July of this year (2015) she contacted us to let us know she was pregnant. She hinted that she needed help, but never came right out and asked for it. October 6th, Chad & I went down to visit her and ask her if she wanted to move in with us. She told us that her living arrangement was abusive, and we encouraged her all the more to move. She said she would, but she wanted to visit first. Chad made her promise that if her Ex/roommate became abusive that she would call us...

So back to Wednesday morning October 14th... I grabbed my phone, it was Lynn. She asked us to come get her right now. Chad was in the car in 10 minutes, driving toward her, a 2 1/2 hour drive at normal speeds. We were Facebooking with her as he drove. She said, "I need to be out of here by the time my Ex gets back." Chad remembered a SpringHill volunteer who he had just "happened" to talk to about Lynn the week before. He lived 15 minutes from where Lynn lived. Chad texted him, and when he got a quick response He called the volunteer. The volunteer drove to get Lynn. As he pulled up and she hopped into the car they saw Lynn's Ex coming around the corner he had picked her up just in time.

My heart was elated that morning, my prodigal daughter was coming home! We would keep her safe we would help her raise her baby! What a beautiful ending to our pain filled road with our sweet, sweet Lynn. She came in and hugged us all, she cried, it was beautiful!

As she slept in the guest bed Chad said to me, "She wants to go back. She says she needs to get back to her job, and that she is only here for a few days." My joy was only dampened slightly. This was God's story! She was gonna stay. I just knew it!

Chad took her back on Friday so she could work through the weekend. She would move in for good on Monday! I did not love that she was going back, staying in the same apartment, putting both of them at risk, but she is an adult, and she promised she would be back.

Sunday night I texted to see how everything was going. She said that her Ex said that they were moving out. Her ex was the reason she needed to leave, so if they were moving out, she might just stay. As I went to bed, I clung to hope, this is God's story. She will come home.

Monday morning my fears were confirmed. There were calls from Lynn's social worker, texts from Lynn, calls to Chad, all while trying to remain business like at work. Lynn was not coming.

As I continued working I began to try to process... "Why? Why did she come? Get all our hopes up? What was this whole thing about? I wanted to rescue her from this life she was stuck in. The Prodigal Son did not go back into the world after feeling the love of the Father!?!

And then my thoughts turned... The story of the prodigal son is based on us, Our forgiving God and our rebellious hearts. Don't we say we want to change run to his grace, accept the party and then turn and say, "No. My sin fits my life better. I can't change. It will be too hard." I was reminded that the pain I feel is only a small picture of what God feels when we turn our backs on Him.

 But then what was this all about? "It was about keeping her safe" the words came to my soul.

So that is it. This book, or chapter has ended. It was not a glorious homecoming, and everyone living happily every after. It is but a segment of the story. The time we kept Lynn safe.

Will she come back. I have no doubt she will come in and out of our lives until the day we die. For now we will wait for the next chapter...

SpringHill Has Changed Me

Before we moved to SpringHill I hated really did not like tie-dye. I just felt it was not classy. I had never made a tie-dye shirt, but it seemed messy. I had no desire to make a tie-dye shirt. Why would I? I was a classy person.

I am not sure how my opinion on tie-dye changed exactly. Perhaps it is that tie-dye is part of  SpringHill culture, and I am growing to love SpringHill culture, well... most of it. Maybe it is that some of the SpringHill Staff have tie-dyed for themselves the most AWESOME shirts! Maybe it is that I now live in Evart, and even when I go to the grocery store in tie-dye, I still feel classy.

Whatever it is, I have changed. Last summer, the girls & I made our first tie-dye. (The boys had made theirs during their weeks as campers) It was exciting to pick my colors, and put them on the shirt. I had planned to do 2 colors, but in the heat of the moment I squirted on a 3rd. This really was fun! I walked out of the tie-dye room proud of my dyed hands! Somehow I felt even more SpringHill, like when I put on my first pair of Chacos, and learned the words to Brown Squirel.

As we brought them home, I searched out advice from SH Staff on how to achieve the best color. "Microwave it" said one, "Rinse it out with vinegar first" said another... I did both. As I rinsed out the color I was so excited! Would it be everything I had wanted my tie-dye to be??? As I rinsed it out I regretted adding my 3rd color, but it was still good. I liked my tie-dye!

Over the winter I wore my shirt often, Probably twice a month or more!

Saturday I left Joy & Hope with the McCallums to enjoy the camp open house, while I went to Joshua's last baseball game of the season. When I picked them up they had done tie-dye without me! Today as I rinsed out their shirts, I found myself wondering when I can arrange it so I can tie-dye again! I must continue in the pursuit of the perfect tie-dye!!

So you see, I am changed.

Excuse me now... I need to search tie-dye on Pintrest.

Things We Did Not Really Think Through When We Found Puppies on Craigslist.

We have been looking for puppies on Craigslist for a few months. Not like the "looking everyday" kinda way,  but more like the "looking once every couple weeks" ways. Last summer I thought about getting a puppy for Chad for Christmas. This fall we started talking as a family about getting one at some point.

Chad & I have never had inside puppies. All of our dogs growing up were outside dogs. Brutus came to us 4 months old (according to the vets best guess), so we didn't do the small puppy thing with him.

We have friends that did amazing research before they got their puppy. Research on breads, breeders, and training, ect. We did none of that.

Saturday morning  we were laying in bed, and Chad once again went to Craigslist to check on the puppy listings. This time we found a post! Pit Pups! And some of them were a medium brown! We quickly called and made arrangements to meet on Sunday. We told only Faith, we wanted to surprise the kids.

Sunday afternoon, we loaded up the kids, and Brutus and headed across the state to Flint. We met the owners in a Sears parking lot. They brought 2 female medium brown puppies from their litter of 10 to choose between. Chad asked some questions about their potty training. They said she used pee pads. We chose the one with more brown fur. It was obvious the puppies were very cold so we hurried.  Less than 5 minutes from the time we arrived. we were puppy owners.

We stopped by Pets Mart. We took the dogs inside. We found pee pads, puppy food, a cute collar & leash. Chad took the puppy and Brutus into the training area, so they could check each other out. Within 1 minute, the puppy peed on the floor. Thankful it was the pet store with self accident cleanup racks, we cleaned up the mess and started toward home.

As we drove home, reality started to settle in on my brain. Where would the puppy sleep? How were we going to make sure she didn't pee everywhere? What had we been thinking?

We decided on the name Ella. She did great in the car. No accidents. I sat in the car as Chad & the kids went inside Taco Bell to get some dinner, keeping the dogs safe and warm. Ella stretched out on my lap, and went to sleep. Brutus would not look at her, but kept watching the door of Taco Bell, looking for Chad & the kids.

When we got home, Ella pooped, near the pee pad, but NOT on it. Next she went over and peed on a blanket laying on the floor. Brutus was jealous and sulking. He was sitting in the landing of the stairs, completely avoiding the puppy.

Chad & I attempted to make a plan for the night. I went out and got Brutus' kennel. We tried to put her in it. The whining began. We took her out. We put her into a shoe box, it was a little too small, but was okay. We all went to sleep.

11:30 ~ Ella started walking around. I got her situated, while Chad slept.

12:30 ~ Ella walked around some more. and ended up by Brutus'  leg. I knew she would get cold, so I tried to move her closer to his tummy. Brutus woke up, looked at her, lay back down, and then looked down at her again, jumped up and hopped off the bed as if to say, "oh no you don't!" I tried to get Ella back into the box, and realized she had peed in the box. I think it was about this point that I woke up Chad. I needed help. We regrouped. Got a new bigger box, put a pee pad in the  bottom and several t-shirts in the box to keep her warm.. Put clothes in the laundry, Got everyone back in their places and tried to sleep again.

1:30 ~  Ella started gagging, and spits up phlegm. I threw the t-shirt in the wash and get another.
1:45 ~ She starts gagging again. We go into trouble shooting mode, and decide maybe she needs water. get her a tiny bowl of water and she drinks a bit.
2:15 ~ Ella gags again, spits up more phlegm. Throw the t-shirt in the wash.
5:30 ~ My alarm goes off, and I get ready for work. I take Ella out before I leave, and she goes poo outside for the first time. Oh the joy!!!

The last 2 days have improved. Accidents seem to be getting less as we get into a schedule. Brutus is starting to like Ella, and they are playing, although at times I am not sure if they are playing or fighting! Last night I slept most of the night, I took her out at 1:30 for a potty break, and Chad at 3:30. Then she made it to the morning! So things are improving!

It is SO hard to take her outside as much as is needed. It is SO cold out, and she is NOT used to it, plus I just don't want to go out either! What were we thinking getting a puppy in JANUARY!?! I threw together a little sweater for her to wear when we take her out. I know it is not well made, but it is functional, and she will be growing out of it very soon!

I am so thankful that the decision to get a puppy was mutual! Chad & I have both been exhausted, but we have been able to laugh about it, because we both wanted a puppy, and now we are stuck with the consequences! We didn't think things, through, but we know we are making memories with our puppy Ella, and our sleepless nights. So we laugh, and look into Ella's beautiful eyes and know... things can only get better!

Rarely Spoken Thoughts

David, my oldest son, has cognitive delays. He blends in quite well, so it is not always obvious. He is 14, but his brain ranges from occasional 4 year old reactions, to 7 year old  reading comprehension, to 14 year old curiosities. I don't talk about it often.

I am not sure why I don't talk about it. Am I embarrassed? Am I concerned that people don't realize it, and if I do say something I will embarrass him? Is is just private, and no one really needs to know? I am not really sure.

Somehow with the start of this school year, my struggles with his disabilities is harder for me. It started with cross country. David ran last year, but Grace was on the team with him, and I was confident she would keep an eye out for him. As we started to get David to train for the season, we tried to have him run around camp. Twice he got lost on the campus. The main road through camp is a big figure 8, and we have been here all summer, we have rode the tram at least a dozen times around the main paths, but still he got lost. So I didn't have him run much at all, and I worried. I told the coach of my worries. He promised me He would look out for Dave. Chad said I need to trust God, and let him go. So David is running cross country.

David was in a special-ed class at our old school. The change to Evart has given me concerns on two fronts. The first is his friends. His friends are good kids, from good families, but I still am concerned. Do they understand that David has special needs? Will they protect him? If they don't really understand his delays, will they discover them someday and make fun of him or trick him into doing stupid things?

In his classes I often feel that the information is too much for him. Tonight he & I worked on his homework on the Articles of Confederation. He was supposed to write a summary of the page. I read the first paragraph. I asked him what it meant, He had no idea. We talked about the page a bit, but in the end, I  had him write down a sentence I dictated to him. He could not understand the words of the page, so how could we expect him to be able to put it in his own words? Once we finished I e-mailed his teacher to let her know that I had helped him. I struggle to know how to best advocate for him with his teachers.

How do I protect him? How do I push him? What is my role to be as a mom? It seems so much clearer with my "normal" kids. I guess this is just one of those things that will just keep me coming to God, because that is all that I can be confident of.

The Unexpected Blessings of Gardening

You Know the Movie Princess Diary's Two? In the movie they use the line, "The maids know everything." I never really go the line... until I became the gardener.

In case you hadn't heard, our SpringHill gardener moved on to a new adventure last month, and I took over as the gardener. This is way out of my element. I have had vegetable gardens, but I would never say I have had a pretty garden. My plants grew in spite of the weeds that I neglected to pull. Often the weeds appeared healthier than my plants. I have had good intentions of having a flower garden on a few occasions, but have never quite succeeded in my plans. 

The last gardener here did a great job. She left things in great shape, so I just had to keep up. 

My gardens are growing well. Most of the flowers are still alive, and I am keeping the weeds at bay.

As I move about the camp doing my gardening, I have noticed that people don't really notice me. They see me, but they don't stop their conversations, or quiet their voices, they just continue on in their phone calls, prayers, or conversations. It has given me wonderful opportunities to observe what God has been doing at SpringHill this summer. 

One of my first days gardening I approached the founder's house, and their were two staffers who were on break sitting on the porch. They were praying. Praying for the safety, protection, and growth of the campers and staff. As I listened to their prayers, it moved my heart.

You see, the founder's house was here when the Camp was just a dream in Collie Decker's head. This man walked the land he owned and planted trees dreaming of making his 515 acre farm into a Christian camp. When he died his wife Pearl refused to sell the land to the many buyers that came. Finally one day Clarence Balmer came and wanted to make this land into a children's Christian Camp. (This is a huge simplification of the story) Many, many prayers were prayed for this camp in the Founder's house before it ever was founded, and today those prayers and work continue. 

A few weeks ago it was Family Day. The summer staff were able to invite their family up to spend some time with them and enjoy the SpringHill Campus. That day as I watered I over heard a councilor telling her parents about how God has worked in her heart over the summer on surrender, and trusting Him. It was a beautiful testimony. 

Another day I heard a one on one councilor (a councilor for one of our special needs campers) talking to a friend on the phone. She started by telling the person on the phone, that she was tired. Her camper was not used to sleeping at camp and was having trouble breathing in the night, so the councilor was up about every 3 hours to help the camper.  But then she went on to talk about her camper. She talked about her beautiful eyes, and how she was just so precious. Listening to her speak with such love for this sweet girl touched my heart. 

Last week, I was again watering at the founder's house, while a councilor got a call from his mom. He said, "Mom, something awesome happened last night. I got to lead one of my boys to Jesus." 

God is good, He is Faithful. 

So blessed to be a gardener for the King.