a little message from my boys

"WE'RE GONNA BE BIG BROTHERS!!"

yes, it's true....2 big brothers in the house!! I'm about 11 weeks pregnant, I haven't been to the midwife yet, so I'll know more details next week! We're calling this one our little "breakthrough baby", (you can use your imagination regarding that one)!! I've been feeling pretty yucky with this pregnancy, which is new to me. I felt amazing, even better then normal, when I was pregnant with both Tyler and Luke. It's worth it all though, this I know!!!! From what I've been reading, I think I'm due in the beginning of May. I'll keep you updated that's for sure. Tyler wants to name the baby "Emily" if it's a girl, (after his favorite girl train) and Thomas if it's a boy....go figure!! We're not going to find out what we're having this time. We found out with Luke and didn't tell, one word: torture! I'm just not good at keeping things like that to myself. I was trying to be all tricky and put pink blankets out and stuff like that....none of that this time around. I love surprises and so does Jake and I can't think of a greater surprise!

Off to nap, 1:00-3:00 is sacred around here....

*thank you to Tina for the GREAT picture of my boys!!*
"sweet baby" by macy gray

Heavy heart

Today is a cozy day in my book, the rain is falling at a steady pace, the boys are peacefully sleeping and I'm able to relax in the comforts of our lovely home. And despite all these beautiful things, my heart is a heavy one. There are two couples whom I do not know, but have "met" via their blogs and have followed their journeys. Darren and Misty LeBlanc shared a love that many will never know. She died on Wednesday from brain cancer and leaves her young daughter, Olivia in the hands of her husband. Her memorial service took place in New Jersey this afternoon.


Clear on the other side of America are Cody and Amy Spahr. Cody was diagnosed with cancer less then 2 months after the were married. He, as his wife so beautifully said, " caught the first flight out to Heaven to meet his maker" early last Sunday morning. Amy went to the same missions school, (Youth With a Mission) I went to, in Monroe, NC. So there are a few connections to her that we share. And I am sure that if my heart is heavy for her, those that love her & Cody must be so full of mixed emotions. Earlier today she celebrated Cody's grand life and brave, fearless, fight.
Again my mind and heart are called to attention. We have no guarantees in this life, no one promising us a pain free existence. Right now my life is pretty good....very good actually. I know this can change in an instant, as it does for so many and I just want to know that I would be okay, that I would trust through it all. I don't know that right now.


As I followed the journeys these couples have made thus far, and will continue to follow as they forge this new path, I am in awe at two things: the lack of regret and the seeming absence of worry. I wish that for myself as well. Looking back and wishing things would have been, could have been or should have been a different way must be a terrible place to live in. On the other hand, looking ahead and wondering about what will be, could be or should be seems just as bad.


It occurs to me that living in the NOW is the most peaceful place to be. And I've heard many people say, as they trudge through the dark valley of death, "I just have to take this one day at a time." I'm encouraging myself that even in the dailiness of life, the "mountaintops", this way of living works just as well.


I don't know what I would do if/when hardships come knocking, but my desire is to prepare my heart even now. To be soft and pliable, to bend with life.


Please, take time to read a bit about the lives that Misty and Cody led. They were gifts to this earth and their life was lived to the fullest...no regrets. May it be said of us as well.

"Life is not the way it's supposed to be.
It's the way it is.
The way you deal with it is what makes the difference." ~Virginia Satir~

"give me jesus" by fernando ortega

Theater Thursday

This is hilarious! This little boy is the grandson of the preacher and was up on stage. Grandpa decided to give him the mic to see what he would do! Cracks me up! I guess our kids are watching us more then we realize! (Thanks to my dear Southern Lady Lynda for sending this my way)!

Gotta love free stuff!

I just found this link via another blog friend and have FALLEN IN LOVE with this ladies voice, her lyrics, the simplicity of her music is moving. This album just sounds like Fall. Please take the time to download her album for FREE!! She's a smart one, it's a great way to get her music out there.

ENJOY the freeness!!!

6th Anniversary

What an absolute delicious time we had in Florida!! I can hardly believe we've been home almost 3 weeks already! Time seemed to crawl down there, but when it's back to reality, there are barely enough hours in each day...or so it seems! The place we stayed at was so beautiful. It felt just like home, it was very clean, organized, elegant and cozy. The bathroom walls had this great finish, it gave it a very Tuscan feel.
This was my favorite piece of art in the house,
"It'll cost nothing to dream, & everything not to."
The view from my morning cup of coffee....bliss.

On our Anniversary we went to our favorite French restaurant down there, we've visited this area before and really liked this place.
I found a rose, a lovely card and some chocolates on my pillow!
He's so thoughtful! I love him more then ever... I decided to open the card he gave me while we watched the sun setting. We sat out there reading, writing, talking & napping until we couldn't see anymore.
A few days we would hop in our great car,
put the top down and turn up Frank Sinatra
and just drive.... Our neighboring town was called "Seaside," and it was just the cutest town around.
We spent several days there, just wondering around, shopping, relaxing at the bookstore,
eating ice cream and just being together. If you've ever seen "The Truman Show", it's this
town that it was filmed in.

Great outdoor shops. The cutest grocery store ever.

This was another little town we drove through, these houses just whispered, "peace."

This house on the other hand, shouted, "too much!" This is supposedly
Paris Hilton's new home, built to be an exact replica of her yacht!

Here's another outdoor shopping area where we spent 1/2 our day.
We found some cute little gifts for Tyler & Luke here.

Loved this.

On our final day Hurricane Ike came to our doorstep, literally!
This is what we woke up to! We were fascinated and yet thankful to be leaving
at the same time.

We were so grateful for our time away. A week did get long though, being away from the boys. I missed them a lot by Wednesday night! I even asked Jake if we could change our plane tickets, but he would have none of that!!! The boys adjusted quite well to our return, it was Mama who had the trouble adjusting to reality!! All I wanted to do was nap and eat, basically a continuation of our vacation!

This was an especially delightful trip because it's easy to forget
what it feels like to be alone for long periods of time with the love of your life.

"Sail away with my honey,
I put my heart in your hands,
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me, what will be will be,
I wanna hold you now..."
~David Gray~

"sail away" by david gray

Theater Thursday

still here...

Hello to all! I'm still here! I'm having issues with my camera so I don't have the pictures from our delightful time in Florida just yet!

It's been a busy week of readjusting to reality....harder then I realized it would be. The boys are doing just great, it's ME who is pulling my butt out of bed each morning! It was worth it though, our time together was so beautiful, so needed, so peaceful!

This weekend will be busy one for me. A friend is producing/Directing a film nearby called "Broken." I'm so honored to be asked to have a role in it. So, I'm memorizing lines and getting ready to cry on cue!! It will be a new adventure for me, I've only been use to acting on stage and I hear that film is so different. I hope I'm up for the task ahead!

I'll be back later next week with tons o' pics! Until then, if you live in the northeast, enjoy the feelings, the smells and the tastes that Autumn brings with her! I can hardly wait to eat a freshly made caramel apple at the local country fair while being bundled in my favorite sweater! Oh, I can feel it already....

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower".
~Albert Camus~

a lovely time

hello friends and family! jake and i are having an incredible time here in florida. so far, hurricane ike hasn't shown his face. only an hour ago did we have our first rain shower, it was beautiful....watching the rain come in off the ocean. only minutes before, jake and i were out catching waves on the boogie board....man, that was funny to watch!! if you've never seen a 6'2 man on a tiny boogie board, your missing out!! we feel like teenagers again, just cruisin' down the highway in our convertible blasting the radio! it's GREAT! i am just so grateful for this time to be refreshed in so many ways. we really miss our boys though. yesterday we called home and tyler wanted to talk with us, "what you doing mom?" he said. "well, we're driving in our car right now." "oh, you coming home?" ooooh, i wish we could have just gone home right then, i miss their little bodies! they are going to seem so big when we get home on friday night, i'm sure.

i've eaten more food in the past 5 days then i have in weeks combined. every meal is just that....a meal, not like at home where i eat the last few bites of pb & j that no one else wanted! it's glorious!

we've been attending a conference the past few days, there are sessions in the morning from 9-1 and then in the evening from 6-9. we are being refueled deep inside! it's absolutely glorious!

i should be on my way. jake is working out at the local fitness center while i'm at the library for a bit. be home on friday. until then, i hope you find a little bit of peace in your day, wherever you are.

j.

"lucky" by jason mraz

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my Mom's 70th birthday! It's really hard to try and "sum her up" in this little post. She is almost beyond words. Let's just say, when life has given her lemons, she has made lemonade! She is a gentle woman, FILLED with compassion toward others. She has a servant heart that runs deep and wide. I can hardly remember times when she hasn't been serving others, either her family, her friends, her church, her neighbors, or even complete strangers. She is loved so very much. Tonight will be a party held for her, Jake and I are sad to miss it because of our time in Florida. We are having her favorite food catered to the party, Mexican! I have no doubt that she will enjoy her evening with her family.

I love you Mom. You are my hero in many ways. May the best be yours in the years to come...and you know, becoming like you isn't as bad as I once thought it would be! I remember those times when I said, "I'll never be like my Mom." Well, the older I get, the more often I hear myself say, "I should be more like my Mom."

"4 YEARS OF AGE: My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE: My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE: My Mother doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE: Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either!

16 YEARS OF AGE: Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE: That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE: Well, she might know a little bit about it.

35 YEARS OF AGE: Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE: Wonder what Mom will/would think about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE: Wish I could talk it over with Mom. . ."
~unknown author~

6 years ago today

I married the kindest, most sincere man I know. It was a beautiful September day at my parents home, not far from here. The wedding was in a gazebo, (which now sits in our backyard) and the reception was across the creek, under a tent in the middle of the meadow. It was a dream. He has made my life more beautiful then I could have ever imagined. I am blessed, deeply blessed.

"For you see, each day I love you more.
Today more than yesterday
and less than tomorrow."
~Rosemonde Gerard

Bye bye

we're out of here to celebrate our anniversary together on the Gulf Coast of Florida!

Let's hope we don't have a lenghtly visit from some unwanted guests named Ike and Jospehine! I've scheduled a few posts this week, so check back when you can.
Be safe and love the ones your with.

Gotta love this!

Theater Thursday

Please pray for my friend

Last night we had our monthly girls book club discussion. It was a great night, as it usually is when I'm with these great ladies. Unfortunately, as our time was coming to a close our friend Mindi received a call from her husband that his Dad had died, her Father-in-law. In the craziness that came with those few moment some of us offered to drive her home. The face of grief is so raw. I was thankful that we were there in those first few minutes just to BE there. Please pray for their family as this is especially a difficult time to lose their Dad. His only daughter is to be married next weekend. He leaves behind an incredible family with many grandchildren and a legacy that is unmatched. Here is the article from this morning's paper. I'm just almost sick over how it happened:

A motorcycle and a pickup truck collided Tuesday night at a Penn Township intersection, killing the cyclist, investigators said. John Robert Bruckhart of Manheim was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred about 7:15 p.m. at Route 72 and Mount Hope Road, police said. Bruckhart, of the 400 block of Doe Run Road, tried to avoid the collision as the pickup truck pulled into his path, investigators said. Bruckhart, 55, flew off the cycle and into the driver's-side door of the Ford pickup truck, Penn Township police Cpl. Rodney King said.

Medics tried to revive Bruckhart, but he died at the scene, police said. Lancaster County deputy coroner Patrick Glen pronounced the cyclist dead. Police were still at the scene late Tuesday night reconstructing the events that led to the crash. Bruckhart's Kawasaki was still pinned under the red pickup truck as investigators took photos of the intersection and the wreckage.
Bruckhart was traveling north on Route 72 when he approached Mount Hope Road, King said. Anthony Loser, 40, of Manheim, was stopped in his Ford F-150 pickup truck on Mount Hope Road, police said. Loser started to turn left onto Route 72, and Bruckhart was in a slight left curve leading to the intersection.

Bruckhart laid the bike on its side but couldn't avoid the impact with the pickup truck.
Loser wasn't hurt, police said. A stretch of Route 72 near the crash scene was closed for more than three hours. Penryn firefighters and a Manheim Ambulance crew assisted police. A med-evac helicopter was dispatched to the scene, but Bruckhart died while the helicopter was en route, officials said.