Hearing.....and Gratitude.

So, I had my little surgery today and it was pretty uneventful. Everything went according to plan and other than some nausea, pain, and a pretty funky headache all afternoon, I'm as good as new. I can HEAR again... Yeah! Having my ear clogged up for weeks on end makes me feel a little nutty... I can hear nothing out of that ear and ALL of the sounds around me go through the other ear, making it way too stimulated. Each time this has happened to me I feel a profound sense of thankfulness for the gift of good hearing- and for all of my other senses that work well. It's something that I take for granted when things are good, but oh how I have whined and complained when my ear isn't working. It makes me think that my life would be far different day to day if I took the time each day to be truly thankful for all of the good things in my life... the big ones, the small ones, and the ones that, if they were gone, would drastically change everything about life. That's an issue I have... I know that every good and perfect gift comes from God and I love Him and thank Him for that, but as I go about my life I feel comfortable and blessed, but don't take much time dwelling on it or being actively thankful. So when I wake up tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, I want to show my gratitude for my hearing... to really listen to God and others.... and I want to have an attitude of gratitude that shows in the smile on my face, my tone of voice, and the choices I make each day. It's something that I want to model for my girls so that it becomes part of their character as they grow up.

Paint the World Pink

It is no accident that this blog is all shades of pink. When I was creating it and saw the pink one, I said woo-hoo, they made one just for me. I love pink... hot pink, light pink, even pepto-pink... pink bows, pink dresses, pink shirts and shoes and socks and walls in the girls' rooms, pink scrapbooks and tu-tu's, pink paper and pens.... I'm totally like Bubba from Forrest Gump when it comes to pink... anyplace, anytime, any way. (I'm also like hime when it comes to shrimp and cheese, too!) I often say that I'd love to paint the world in different shades of pink. Emma has taken on my love for pink. Given the choice, she's wear all pink all the time. Andy's first comment was, "Why is this thing pink?", then he realized that I was the one who created it. He says not to expect him to write on it b/c it's too pink and girly... clearly the man has issues w/ pink... I can't even talk him into a nice pink shirt. Oh well, Emma, Genevieve, and I will keep it pink enough! Add a few shades of green and you've got.......... a watermelon (ha ha) and the perfect palate for me- my two favorite colors that remind me of one of my favorite fruits. Speaking of watermelon... who eats salt on theirs? Is it just a southern thing or just my weird family?

My First Post

Two of my good friends have these awesome blogs about their lives and families. They have encouraged me to create a blog for our family. What a neat way to keep a record of what's going on in our journey through life... the good, the bad, and the amazing! I enjoy writing and most of our family lives half-way across the country. We also have friends scattered around the country, too. I hope that this is a good way of keeping everyone updated. As I sit here tonight, I am a bit nervous about tomorrow. I have a minor surgery to insert a tube in my ear. It will be a welcome relief from all of the ear problems I've had this past year, but it requires general anesthesia, which doesn't seem like an enjoyable prospect to me. This is but one situation in which God reminds me that He is in control and that I am not. I will trust Him and rest in the knowledge that just as He has been faithful to me in so many other ways, He will be faithful to see me through this too. Being the control freak that I am, it seems that I need reminding very often... I am quick to fret and worry, to plan and organize, but often slow to simply trust and obey. Tonight I am going to do just that... trust and obey- for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey (a little of my southern roots coming out in that hymn).