Wherever I Go...

When I was a little girl, there were these tiny blue flowers that always grew right by the front door. Whenever I picked them and brought them to my mom, she told me they were called Wandering Jews. I grew to love them and think of them as special flowers for me, since after all, I am a Jew and if there was a flower named after Jews...:) 

When I moved down the road a few years back, I remember knowing in my heart that God would take care of me and direct my steps in a new place, but feeling a little unsure about where He was taking me at the same time. Finding that special little blue flower growing around my new front door filled my heart with joy. God cared to show me He was still with me, by making sure a few tiny blue flowers sprouted where He had sent me. 

In November I took another step of faith and moved an hour and a half away from my family and into the city. There have been many adjustments to city life, and many nights when God showed me in different ways that He was still leading me and watching over my steps. I love my life and what God has put in it. But every once in a while I still feel like a little girl trying to find her place in this big world and in all the busyness around me, the little things like tiny blue flowers seem rare. Until a few days ago, when I walked to the other side of my apartment building to find, amidst the well cared for landscaping, a crop of flowers I had not seen anywhere else in Omaha as of yet. My flowers. Wandering Jews. Right there, at my apartment. Growing their hearts out. God's reminder to me that wherever I wander, He is always watching over me and guiding my steps. 

Walking With Hillary

Running is fun, but every once in a while it is good to walk with your sister instead. 

Down to the little church covered in ivy... 

And always stopping to smell the flowers. Thanks for the awesome walk, Hillary. And for forgiving me for dancing on a stump attempting to embarrass/encourage you... You are the best! <3

Moments

 Yesterday my little sister Leah graduated from high school. High school graduation is no small feat ordinarily, but in Leah’s case where her senior year project included teaching 4 of her younger siblings, it is nothing short of incredible. I have never been so proud of someone I had a hand in educating. Of course there was a party, food, people I had not seen in a while, games, and recognition of this major event in Leah’s life. 

As I was driving home I started thinking about how life is made up of so many such major events: getting your drivers’ license, high school graduation, college graduation, engagement, marriage, a baby, buying your first house, etc… Then I started thinking about a few beautiful things I had witnessed in the past week. One of my Compass kid’s reaction when he saw his mom had come to his sixth grade graduation. Walking into my office to find flowers and a note from my man.  My boss gleefully building a tower out of packing material which had encased the new computer lab we both prayed many months for. I realized all these things which caught my attention had something in common. They were not major life events, they were just moments. Looks. Grins. Laughter. And I was reminded life is not really measured by the major events and accomplishments you achieve, but rather by the moments you have. The moments you are honored to observe in others’ lives. The moments you are able to be a part of. The look in my sixth graders’ eyes when he saw his mom was proud of him at his graduation. I swear he grew six inches. It wasn’t my moment, but I was there. I got to see it. And it filled my heart for the rest of the day. The way the little note my man left for me sits on my dresser and still melts me. When he told me he brought the flowers on Wednesday for me because he knew it was my long day at work, the grin on my face became all that much more permanent. It wasn’t the flowers as much as it was that he remembered Wednesday was my long day, and wanted me to know he was cheering for me to make it to the end.  The laughter that rang throughout the Compass building as my boss built a giant tower from the Styrofoam packing material. We all felt like it was Christmas morning, opening and setting up our new computer lab. It wasn’t the Styrofoam tower that was so special; it was knowing that we had asked our Father to provide new computers for our kids and He had, above and beyond what we hoped. It was that moment of knowing He not only hears our requests, but answers them. And blesses just because He loves us. Being wrapped up in His love. 

It is shopping in Walmart and seeing a father laugh with his small child. A couple holding hands walking down the street. A girl with the windows down, singing her heart out to the song on the radio. There are little moments all around us. Little glimpses of what we were made to be. Loved, loving, and enjoying the life God has made for us. Someday we will live in eternity where there is nothing but that life, but for now we are given moments to remind us we were made for more than this. And to help us see the beauty God has placed here for us to find while we are waiting to get there. 

Smile!

I have been smiling a lot lately. And I have had many good reasons for doing so. See below...

I got to go home the other day. Work in the garden, get some sun, drink chocolate shakes, and hang out with this little boy who still can melt my heart with just one look... 

We are wrapping up the last week of the school year here at Compass. Which is cause for celebration. And water balloons. 

This also means the end of Bible study for the summer. Which was cause for grill out at Mr. Jeremiah's. I am going to miss my 6th graders so much! 

In case you hadn't noticed, I have been trying out some different things with my hair lately. The jury is still out on this one. It is hard to see around... 

Kids Church attendance has been through the roof this past month. I am so excited to be able to impact even more kids with the truth that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their lives. 

Sometimes even my toenails make me smile. 

This morning I came to my office and found this waiting for me on my desk. Needless to say, I have been grinning about it all day. So that is me; what has made you smile lately? 

Road Trip Fever

If you know me at all, you know that I love adventure and one of my favorite types of adventure is going on a road trip. You might also know that I am pretty fearless when it comes to last minute driving countless hours so long as there is either a. a good destination, b. good company going with me, or c. something waiting to be brought home at the other end. In this case, it was all three. 

It started with this. Well, actually it started on a Friday afternoon while I was on my way home from a run and got a phone call, counting down the seconds to the above shown Ebay auction. That phone call ended with me dancing around on Cuming Street, shouting, "Yippee!! We won!!" 

A little over a day later found us like this. Me doing this... 

And Josh doing this... Just kidding. This was actually the only time in the 10 hour drive to Lone Grove, Oklahoma that this happened at all. We arrived right about 7 pm. When the man selling the bike found out we intended to take it all the way home that night (since we both had to work in the morning) he said we were crazy. Little did he know... 

Before the sun went down I saw a lot of this view right here. 

We had to stop every hundred miles or so to get gas, and of course, take some pictures of the gorgeous bike.  

Since I had the GPS, I got more of this view... 

Or this view... 

It turned out to be the coldest night we have had since like February. Josh had every piece of gear on and still froze. Let's just say, it was a very long night, especially for him trying not to freeze to death and stay awake. But, as he is kind of a beast, he not only survived but kept grinning the whole time. At this point (pictured above) we were almost 24 hours of being awake.  

And just when it seemed like we were never going to get home and the sun was never going to come up, we  found a little gas station outside of Saint Joseph to take a hour rest in. And wouldn't you know it, there was an IHOP right there. And, IHOP had coffee. Funny, after we downed that whole pot I suddenly felt like I could drive for another 10 hours no problem. :) 

I didn't have to though, we were home before lunch time. And here they are, ready for hundreds of thousands of miles of more adventure... 

Last Day of School

Today was the last day of school for the kids, so of course Miss Honey had to come home for the festivities. Miss Peanut Butter and Miss Honey collaborated to write a photo scavenger hunt. We split into teams and raced to the finish. Leah's team beat us by about a minute, but we were quite creative... 

 

#10. A picture of yourself drenched. 

#9. Upside down. 

#8. On a fence post. 

#7. In a tree, at least 5 feet off the ground. 

#6. Holding an animal. (The chicken was quite compliant, for the record) 

#5. Crawling under the fence. 

#4. Surrounded by a single color. We gave it our best shot... 

#3. With the windmill fan. 

#2. With a birds nest. 

#1. Lying on the county line. 

#1. was just so good we needed two... :) 

Me and my team. Thanks, Timo, for being the one to get drenched! And way to go guys working so hard on school this year! 

Six Wheels

A few months ago my beloved Alejandro began having issues and it was clear I would need to consider something else for long term reliable transportation. I love Alejandro, but started praying for a new car. As always, God provided above and beyond my needs. 


Meet Sam (named for Sam Worthington, who has proven his low key beastliness on "Clash of the Titans"), an amazing and unexpected gift from Mom and Richard. Richard hand delivered Sam to my doorstep, as clean as I have ever seen a car, with so many extras! The ash tray was even full of laundry tokens...:)



One of the most exciting things about Sam is this right here. I have wanted a car that is a standard for years! Sam and I have already had some really awesome bonding time and taken a few short road trips. We look forward to many, many more adventures together in the days to come!

As always though, God doesn't just provide a little bit. I acquired six new wheels in the space of about 2 weeks. The other two wheels are pink, and are attached to my very sweet urban machine, aka my single speed bicycle. Let's just say riding to work is not only amazing for my cheerfulness when I get there (got to love those endorphins), but also is amazing for my fuel budget and my leg muscles...



This is my super sweet urban machine. And its matching green buddy. And the awesome guy who custom built both of them. Oh, and me. :D My transportation for the rest of the summer just got to be not only reliable and good for me, but also incredibly fun.