Making the Best of a Bad Situation

Two Years Ago Today...

I was trying to track down my husband. I needed to speak with him about a baby boy that was born in Newport, Oregon just a few days prior that needed to go home that day with his forever family. I was having a little trouble finding Jim through the phone or email so about 10.25am, I jumped in my car and drove to his office. I left a desk covered with papers and computer still logged in.

Jim and I finally connected and after a few more hours, we drove home with our son that very evening. What a day! I will never forget.

I will also never forget the kind and loving friends that were there in Salem waiting for us with baby items and even some frozen dinners. It was about 10pm mind you. I think Abby got her boys out of bed to be there!!! What a blessing.

Now Daniel is two years old and I can hardly imagine our lives without him. What a difference a day makes!

With God, all things are possible. I REALLY BELIEVE THAT!

Requests

My day begins with a request. "Sin', sin'." Translation - "sing." Further translation - "Please turn on the music."

More requests - "Poo poo! Poo poo!" Translation - "Let's go to the backyard and look for any dog poop and then pick it up right away!"

Another request - "Foffee" Translation - "Can I have a sip of your coffee?" (By the way, we thought by giving him a sip of black coffee we would stop future requests - it didn't work.)

Jim comes home from work every day to the same request - "Mayo. Mayo." Translation - "Can we go and get the mail from the mailbox?"

I think what Daniel is really requesting is that we love him and spend time with him. Our answer, “OK, we will!”

March 2008

Catching up some more!

Check out Phillipians 4:8

Shout out to my husband's blog! Yes, he is blogging now. He has been a long-time reader of a few blogs that explore "end times" issues and theological questions. He's been only a "commenter" up to this point and decided to take the plunge. His motivations for blogging are different than mine but I enjoy reading about topics we have discussed together and seeing a broader explanation of his views and opinions. It may not be your cup of tea - OR - it may spark in you a side of yourself that has been laying dormant. Give it a peek. (You must know that I think he's brilliant but he can't be right about everything - comment away but keep in mind, this is the man I love.)

I say it again - Thank you Lord

I have cried so many times this week. I have seen only a glimpse of His love for me through the gift of Daniel. His grace has set me free - what more could I need? He is so More Than Enough!

YET - He keeps on giving. Everyday I see His kind intensions toward me. And still He chose to allow me the privelege of being Daniel's mother. I am so not deserving but I receive my new post with gladness.

My son has called out to me, yelling "Mommy! Gu dat ree su mo u la." I think he was trying to tell me it was time to come in from playing outside. I have received so many kisses - pecks, tongue kisses, slobbery kisses and even a kiss blown across the yard with perfect precision. He reaches out and touches me just to be sure I am still there. He lays his head on my shoulder as I sing him to sleep. He walks over and pats my leg once in a while just to let me know that he knows I'm there and he doesn't want me to get lonely. I get cheesy smiles just for fun. Oh how I love Daniel and how I love the way he loves me.

Happy Mother's Day to me. Happy Mother's Day to you! And for those who are still waiting, I remember that ache and I know His intensions toward you are kind.

Grazie Signore

Here is an exerpt from the book I'm reading, Ragamuffin Gospel. The author, Brennan Manning uses a song written by the court composer to the Austrian emperor as an example of what "lies at the heart of our response to the graciousness of God and the gospel of grace."

Grazie Signore, for Your lips twisted in love to accommodate my sinful self; for judging me not by my shabby good deeds but by Your love that is Your gift to me; for You unbearable forgiveness and infinite patience with me; for other people who have greater gifts than mine; and for the honesty to acknowledge that I am a ragamuffin. When the final curtain falls and You summon me home, may my last whispered word on earth be the wholehearted cry, "Grazie, Signore."

~Antonio Salieri

No Special Reason

Just posting something new to show off my new layout! I got a little carried away this evening hunting down a new look. I liked the old new look except for the transparency of the post area. It made the pictures look funny.

Had a great dinner and movie time with a dear friend last night. She's on the edge of adulthood as she is graduating from college in just a few weeks. To be so young again and with the whole world at your feet.

We watched Dan In Real Life. I just love that movie. Anything that can make me laugh out loud and also cause me to tear up a bit - that's a movie worth watching. I felt like I was allowed to join a family for a weekend and catch up on all the siblings' lives and their children's lives. Great movie - I highly recommend it.

I'm reading a book right now called The Ragamuffin Gospel. It's about the grace of God and just how far it extends. So far, I'm OK with it. It's rubbing a little the wrong way at times - confronting some of my deep rooted ideas about just how grace is given and to whom and how easily. I didn't know I had any deep rooted ideas about this until they were confronted. It's a good thing to have your ideas challenged. Sometimes we have them and we don't even know how we got them or why they are what they are. I'll let you know how it all turns out in the end!

I have files all over the dining room table right now! We are trying to get a handle on our system and streamline things. Jim is good about saving things we need - I'm better at putting it somewhere where we can actually find it when needed. We are team! Like any good husband-wife project, it can be a challenge to always see eye-to-eye on how it should be done. We have had much bigger arguments over files and filing in past years. This time around - not so much. I guess that means our marriage is getting better?!?

Speaking of marriage - we are headed to our 19th anniversary. I know! Nineteen years!!! I can honestly say, I can't imagine a better husband for me. With all that life has thrown at us over the years, Jim has been the best friend, prayer partner, sympathizer, confidant, and counselor. I really love that guy!

Daniel - well honestly - he got on my nerves today. I can truthfully say that rarely happens. I am mostly enamored by everything he does and says. Today - not so much. He is really going to have to start using some words to make his requests known. Grunting, screaching and pointing are getting old. He's right at that point where he is going to just start talking but I would like to rush things a bit. He's still my little sweet pie and I love him.

He's crying! ? ! Not sure why - better go check.

I Wish I Was...

More Composed than Nervous;

More Light-Hearted than Depressive;

More Quiet than Active-Social;

More Inhibited than Expressive-Responsive;

More Sympathetic than Indifferent;

More Objective than Subjective;

More Submissive than Dominant;

More Tolerant than Hostile;

More Self Disciplined than Impulsive

The "Taylor-Johnson Temperment Analysis" covers these personality traits and the opposites. I think I took this before Jim and I got married. I wanted to be everything I wasn't. I am not so sure it was a positive experience for me.

I found out I am not all that merciful and Jim was full of mercy. I found out we were both very dominant and we should "look out for trouble" in this area. Ahh, duh! I used to think that Active-Social was great until I sensed that many wished that I would just stop talking. I used to think that being vulnerable and sharing was a good thing until I sensed that awkward moment when the listener was squirming over the rawness of my life story. I thought being impulsive was "fun" until I discovered I had no clean socks to wear when I wanted to race off and catch a movie.

Oh how we want to be everything we are not! If our hair is straight, we want curly. If we are short (petite is so cute in my opinion) we want to be tall. The list goes on in regard to our physical appearance, but the tricky thing is, we are never satisfied with just exactly who God made us to be. Somehow we think that life would be so much easier if we could just respond this way or that way to a situation - instead of how we do respond! Our very nature - our personality - our temperment seems to betray us. It makes life difficult!

It's sounding a little like that whole Romans thing where Paul describes how he can't do the things he knows he should and is always doing the very thing he wishes he wouldn't. We will always battle the flesh.

I don't have any profound answers for myself or anyone out there that is relating to this post, but I do know that I'm OK. (And not just because I was forced to read "I'm OK, You're OK" my sophomore year) Deep down, I have always known that God loves me - the "me" that I am right now - not the one I hope to be or I'm working toward being, but the "me" that is me RIGHT NOW. Warts, flaws, stretch marks, smart comments, indifference, lack of discipline, contempt, self-righteousness, etc, etc, etc. NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.

Me and My Shadow

Daniel is 18 Months old. Here are the latest stats.

Height: 33 inches - 76th percentile

Weight: 25 pounds 13 ounces - 52nd percentile

December 2007

November 2007

Hugs and Smiles

All Day Long! Daniel has been free and generous with hugs and smiles today. What a blessing. It's so easy to remember and share about the trials of motherhood. Today - I share with you that my day was filled with hugs and smiles.

Catching Up

It has been so long since my last post and so much has happened!

December was spent preparing for Christmas. Jim's brother Rodney and his wife Kenwa came from Sacramento with four of their five children and sister Julienne came as well. She has three grown kids so we missed having them this year.

Before all the family arrived, my nephew in Bend, Nick and his wife Kate welcomed their first baby into this world on Dec. 22. His name is Cooper and he is perfect. My Mom became a Great Grandmother for the second time and my sister became a Grandma for the first time! I never realized just how emotional that would be for me. Such joy!

We spent Sunday before Christmas with family at church and then had a fabulous dinner with Mom and Dad in Keizer.

Monday was nice to just finish preparations around the house while some of the CA family went shopping - finishing last minute purchases with no sales tax was a huge novelty for them! We had enchiladas and the adults stayed up late sipping red wine. Now some of you are thinking - drinking??? The wine had our name! Yes, there is wine available at Costco with the name Giordano. We had to try it! It was good (I guess, I'm no expert but I liked it just fine.)

Christmas day, we woke up around 8am and snacked on quiche and scones and coffee while all of us just dug into the gifts. Rod's kids finished their family Christmas before arriving so the "zing" was a little worn off for them. Everyone enjoyed watching Daniel begin to understand gifts and opening gifts and getting new toys! My Mom was there - coming over from West Salem and she just loved watching Daniel.

His big gift was a keyboard. Yes - a keyboard. Jim was adament about that. He wants Daniel to explore instruments and would LOVE for him to end up being musical. It has been a blast watching him play and dance. He loves it.

We had a nice dinner with all the family that afternoon. Jim's parents came over from Keizer, my Mom, and all the rest - 13 in all. Very nice.

Jim's brother and sister stayed a few days after Christmas and we enjoyed so much just hanging out and talking till late at night and just being with family that we don't get to see all the time.

Honestly, it was nice to be just the three of us again once the house was empty. We enjoyed a very quite New Year's Eve. I think Jim woke me to give me the annual kiss.

Jim, Daniel, my Mom and I raced over to Bend last weekend to see Cooper. Well worth the trip over the snowy pass. He is absolutely perfect. Sweetness in an almost 8 pound package. Dressed to perfection. My Mom was thrilled. My sister is over the moon - not to mention Nick and Kate (they have struggled to build their family in their young married life so Cooper is long awaited.)

This coming weekend - I have a WONDERFUL surprise planned. It's for my brother in CA. His name is Tracy and he has had a few troubled years (well, lots of trouble years) and recently has made a decision to follow Christ. He is very determined and will be baptized this Sunday at the church that Jim and I met married. My sister in Hollister knows we're coming but Tracy does not. Daniel and I will fly down (so pray for us) and stay just a few days. It's gonna be a blast to surprise him. God has been so faithful with my family. Another story for another time.

I think that's enough catching up. I'll try not to wait too long for the next time. Hope all my blogging friends feel blessed and rested as we head into a new year.