Beautiful Baptism video

It is so hard to beleive that it will have been 3 years ago that Amber came home with 3 little babies in tow. She was so depressed, angry and felt like she wasn't worth anything. She had been married to a man who abused her for their entire relationship. Then she came home in August of 2005. Then her Grandma died (Rocke's mom) in November. I lost my job in June, then in July Rocke was diagnosed with leukemia. Amber hated the world. She was angry with her ex-husband but more than that she was angry with God for allowing all of this to happen. Her Dad had never been sick. He was strong & tough and was now flat on his back in the hospital. The winter of 2007, she attended ALPHA (a program through church that taught about Jesus in a safe enviroment, where no question was a bad one). I started to go with her, but it was getting to be too late for the grandkids to get up for school, so I volunteered to watch the girls so she could go. She met Nate & Patti Yoder. They helped her through her anger with God. She was baptized in the summer of 2007. That was one of the best day. Rocke & I were so blessed that she has blossomed. I continue to pray for her as she continues to struggle with anger & low self esteem. I want her to know what a beautiful person she is and that I am so proud of her. Some of the choices she continues to make are not the best ones in my opinion, but she is stronger and happier than 3 years ago. This is a tribute to her! I love you Bambi girl!!

Time flies when your'e busy

It really has been a while since I have even wrote in here. Rocke had to go to Fon du Lac on the pipeline. He will be gone until November. Kitty is getting married in July. Cody got a cycle. Amber is making plans to move out.God surrounds me with such great people in my life. And some just flit in when I need them and then flit out again. Yesterday I was just walking around the corner at Wal-Mart and there was Pastor Loretta. She know exactly how I feel, her hubby is gone off working too. Then today, Pastor Heath came by today shopping and I had a nice visit with him. God love us. It reminds of how God shows us little things that can bring a smile to our faces. He is in the friend who stops to say hi while you are at work. It is the e-mail that someone sends you. It is a phone call from your sis just needing someone to talk to and she calls you. Life is Good.

Some normal days can be rough

I have been feeling really out of sorts the last few weeks. We have had a lot of drama in our family. Kitty lost her baby. It was so sad. She was so excited and so was I. So I have been feeling just out of sorts. I can't describe it, except I felt the world was out of control. My feelings were out of control. I was greiving, I see that now but when a person is going through it they don't see it that way. So the week went by with me having a bad attitude, and feeling lonely, unworthy and sinful. So the week went by and many friends stopped or call to let me know that they cared. That didn't even seem to make a difference. Then to top the whole work week off, I stopped at the Holiday station to put gas in the jeep. And as I was getting out of the car and attempting to shut the car door my sleeve hooked on the lock switch and I locked my car keys, my wallet and my phone all in the vehicle. I couldn't get mad. I couldn't even cry. I just laughed and called Rocke to come and rescue me as I sat in the Holiday and got my thoughts together. It took him over 1/2 hour to get there. It was the ending to the terrible week I had just experienced. I learned that God was there all the time and I should have reached out to him rather than try to deal with all those icky feelings all by myself.

Barneberkie

Today I went to the Barnebirkie to watch Destiny race. For those that don't know what a birkie race is, it is a cross country ski race held in Hayward every year. It was quite a feat for me to go. I hate the cold, but the warmth in my heart to see little Destiny and all the other skiers working and trying so hard kept me warm. Past0r Mark said that he thought there was a lesson there somewhere. What I came away with was this:

We are all running a race. All of us are at different stages in life. Some are little ones just learning to ski, some are in elementary school, some are middle schoolers, some are veterans cheering us on, and yet some are the leaders teaching others the way. Just like all those little skiers today, we will all win a prize at the end of the race. We will win the ultimate prize of seeing Christ face to face. We only have to learn from those ahead of us and give it all we've got.

Maybe I might just take the Barnebirkie off so that I can see the whole thing. Great day!!

Brrrrrr it's cold outside

Today it was 15 below zero. It will be even colder tomorrow, I guess. That is why we live in northern Wisconsin. A lot has happened around her since my last blog. Amber got a new vehicle. I am a little worried that she will not be able to afford it. She did need a more reliable vehicle. Rocke continues to look for work. He would like to get a job around here that requires him to have normal hours, with weekends off. That way we can go to church together on Sundays and have Saturdays for riding cycle.

Weekend in Duluth

We left Saturday morning at about 6:15 am. Destiny and Jasmin went to friends' houses. Amber dropped Hailie off at Dotty's for a day of fun. Amber was going to look for a new vehicle. She was using the car she bought from us as her trade-in. She came home with a mini-van (Dodge Caravan). She went to Cody's work and found it. It was nice to see Cody in his element. The people there really liked Cody. We would have liked to have more time shopping, seeing Cody's place and visiting. But Amber got a car so I am happy for her. We met Kari in Duluth for breakfast. It was fun to see her. She is such a great kid. I miss her. We may have to make another trip up in March.

I am so blessed by wonderful kids and great friends. My friends range from young (my kids' age) and older than me. My friend June has the personality that I wish I had sometimes. She is so out going and can talk to anyone. She is totally open and honest. I envy her sometimes. She has bought herself a motorcycle and is going to join the CMA.

Great weekend.

Life is good.

Life is Good. There is so much good in my life right now. It is times like this that really make us appreciate it when the bad ones come along. Here is a snippet of the events that have me so happy.

* Rocke got great news from the doctor. His last blood test showed no leukemia cells. He appears to be in complete remission. They will test again in April to make sure.

* I have read the book "Boundaries" by Cloud/Townsend. I have learned so much about not allowing others to steal my joy. About not letting others make me feel guilty and not taking on their problems.

* Amber found an apartment. Her and the girls will be moving out in the spring or early summer. The house will seem so quiet, but it is great to see all the progress Amber has made since when she moved away from the years of abuse.

* Kitty is going to have a baby in October. It will be my 4th grandkid. I am excited. I wish she was married first. But her boyfriend is a red head and I have always wanted a red head kid. Maybe I will get my wish from her.

* My spiritual life is growing by leaps and bounds!! The Lord is not only my confidant, but also my best friend.

* I am going to go to Duluth this weekend to see my boy. I am so excited. I miss him so much some times.