In defense of myself - I took a picture of my shopping outing to ABQ Uptown and I came home fully anticipating on uploading it - BUT can you believe - I can't find the cord that plugs my card reader into my computer to upload the STUPID picture! And since I was so defeated by this turn of events - I boycotted the whole picture taking process TODAY!

My daddy is back in Houston on his 2nd round of "24/hours a day for 5 days chemo drip". Pray for his strength and that God would have mercy on him and keep the side effects minimal. WHOAAAA - what am I saying? Pray that God is so gracious that He keeps the side effects completely AWAY! Thanks

So, it has crossed my mind that I am totally neglecting my blog - anyone else feel that way about my blog? Well, I noticed that some of my bloggy friends are doing this challenge. Maybe I just need a challenge to revive my blog. So - tomorrow starts day 1! Check in on me and see if I can keep up!

Thank you, Chad!

Check out Chad's super sweet post about Brent!

Please join me in prayer for Grant's little brother Ryan, who died this morning. He was 17 years old and so full of life just like his older brothers, Grant and John. Ryan is united with Christ now and hopefully will find his way to get to hang out with Brent, too!

It seems like God is taking our group through some really deep trials - such a season of suffering for my group of friends. I think He is deepening each of our faiths in such huge ways. It makes me think so much of my own homecoming!

My Dad found out this week that his cancer is back and so he is heading back to Houston to get going on some major treatments (PLEASE KEEP HIM IN PRAYER!) He is doing very well and is heading into this fight with God on his side! I am so super proud of my dad and his walk with God.

Our lives are journeys and it is what is on the road of our journey that counts - not just the final destination! It matters what we do with our journey. It matters that we TRUST our God to show us the way and let Him protect and guide us. In order to do this - we must completely empty ourselves of ourselves and let God work IN us. I am so glad that I am not alone - because this journey isn't EASY and sometimes it is a bit scary and a bit painful! BUT it is worth every STEP! I know I am rambling a bit and maybe not making much sense - but my heart is a bit heavy today!

AMAZING GRACE

I woke up in the middle of the night with that hymn "Grace, grace, God's grace . . ." in my head and it made me contemplate grace. I can't even begin to imagine where I would be today without God's grace. It is by God's grace that He gave me His strength, His courage, His patient endurance, and His joy these last 12 months. I am eternally grateful for God's sweet provision in my life and I never want to be the person I was before - God has "grown" me in such an amazingly perfect way for ME. I want my life (ALL of my life) to be a testimony of who God is and the tender mercy He shows His children.

Our day was perfect (except that A's phone broke!) We played in the pool, floated down the lazy river numerous times, sat by the pool and napped by the pool. The resort is beautiful with tall palm trees and the sky was an amazing shade of blue today! The kids made a music video - but I can't upload any pictures until I get home tomorrow - so make sure you check back for pictures. I can't thank each of you enough for your faithfulness in lifting us up in prayer. We can really feel your prayers.

NOTE THAT I KEEP ADDING NEW BLOG POSTS BELOW!!!
Check out Megans post , Kelly's post , Haley's post, LivPurple post, and my sister-in-law's post regarding this one year mark!

We are leaving in the morning for Pheonix where we will be met with WARM weather and a really really FUN water park! If you think of us - please pray for a sweet, fun, memorable day - I have no doubt that God will fill us each of us with His peace as He has done over and over this last YEAR! I treasure each and every one of your prayers and precious support over these last 12 months. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Edie Needs. . .

Megan, Jasmine and Kelly have done this and maybe some of you that I haven't checked in on a while - but I thought that some of these were super funny so . . .

You just type in your name "needs" in the google search box and see what comes up. here are some of the ones that came up with my name

Edie needs. . .
a green frog outfit by Friday!
a friendly voice
someone to boss around!
a loving and permanent home
more friends
legs (seriously this was one!)
to get a life!

SO by far my 2 favorites are the green frog outfit and the legs! which are yours!

I thought it might be about time (if anyone is still reading my blog!) to let you know how I am doing in the midst of this month that I thought might take my breath away! Anyone interested?

God has been absolutely AMAZING? Are you surprised? I am seeing a pattern here! I wish I had a nickel for everytime I have said "God has been absolutely AMAZING!" during this last year! He continues to be gracious to me. I was so totally dreading this last month and would you believe that is has been a beautiful month?! I was just thinking about how FAITHFUL God is - I can tell you, I am so not faithful to Him. BUT He continues to be to me! I am NOT dreading October 7th at all! I am actually looking forward to it! I am not sure I can explain it - except to say GOD IS AMAZING! (although, don't stop praying - your prayers are lifting me up - keep 'em coming!)

My goal today is to keep my eyes open for blogworthiness! I am taking my camera with me and I intend of capturing something blogworthy! So check back to see if I actually did!!!

WELL - so nothing really blogworthy about the day BUT here is a picture from last weekend of my 3 sports animalS!!

NEW BLOG LOOK!

Yay for the easy button! My girlfriend Erika changed her blog and posted about it and so I checked it out and the hardest part about it was deciding on the background! There are sooooo many to choose from and they are all FREE! Did you hear that? FREE!!!

The website is Cutest Blog on the Block and they are! They have very easy and simple instructions! So, let's see who gets a new blog look in the next few days!

Here we are - already September. A mere 37 days left until we hit the 1 year mark. Can it already be so? My soul is heavy and I am on the edge of tears these days. I think that a year seems so long and at the same time seems so short. So much has happened within this year - I am learning how to be a person apart from my husband. I am having experiences and meeting new people that have never met my dearly beloved. IT is WEIRD and when I think about it in these terms it makes me want to SCREAM! Then God gently reminds me that this is ALL for His glory! Please lift us up - I am in desperate need of your prayers!

Could you please keep my sweet friend in suffering in your prayers! Her husband died one year ago on August 20. She has been so faithful to God and through her blog she has shared some of her soul with the blogging world! I know this is a super hard time for her. Here is her link if you want to check in on her and come away feeling as if SHE has ministered to YOU!

10 Things I have Learned Walking with God on the Path of Grief

A good friend of mine asked me to speak to some women in her town last Thursday. I was so excited to get to share some of what I have gleaned over the last 10 months about my God who has been so faithful, tender, compassionate and loving! It was soooo neat meeting some of the people who have been praying for me and my family and don't even KNOW us! I thank each and every one of you have that has been praying - we FEEL and KNOW your prayers.

The main focus of the talk was 10 things that I have learned this last year. There are obviously many more than just 10 BUT I am sure people wouldn't want to sit there and listen to me for so long - so, I kept it to just 10! I am just listing them without any explanation - maybe one day they will be chapters in a book!

1. God grants us the grace, the strength and energy needed for our circumstances.
2. God wants us to follow Him – trust Him – no matter our circumstances.
3. God showed me that I can soar on wings like eagles, that He would RENEW my strength, that I could run and not grow weary, that I could walk and not be faint EVEN and ESPECIALLY in circumstances such as these.
4. God makes us BOLD when we depend on Him.
5. That Brent's death is God’s PERFECT and Holy plan for my life and for my children’s life.
6. That trusting God does not equate to ease! But in the long run it does! It is easier to trust God NOW then to trust Him after the fact! The blessings are fuller and richer by trusting Him amid the storm.
7. I have learned that this year has been beautiful and fruitful and I am sad it is coming to an end! I have learned so much of God's grace, mercy, compassion and love through these hard months!
8. To look at life through His glasses and not my own! That it is out of His unfailing love and mercy that He does anything for us. He wants to shape me and mold me into the person He wants me to be – a daughter who reflects the glory of her Father!
9. That God grants peace and joy even amongst so much pain.
10. That I belong wholly to my God and that I am not my own.

New Contest!

Guess how long the new addition to our family will live! Her name is Peanut!

thought about applying for this one!!!!

(saw this hand painted sign hanging from a tree on the drive home from Rockport! anyone happen to know what "muy catalica" might mean? Jill? anyone?

Texas sized FUN

Here are some pics from the last couple of days - I added a sweet girl who isn't a cousin BUT still had great cousin fun with us! Thanks, Megan for hanging out with us! Sure hope you get to come see us one day!




We are off to the Texas coast in the morning where Hurricane Dolly was so polite to hit shore BEFORE we got there! We are sure to have some great TEXAS fun on the coast!

TEXAS!

Here we are in Texas! We just got here yesterday - we have big plans of hanging out with cousins, sailing with cousins, swimming with cousins, movie watching with cousins, playing tennis and volleyball with cousins, and more hanging out with cousins! This is our last fling before school starts. We get back the Friday before school starts - I will try to post during our trip -BUT I have made those promises before and they turned out to be empty promises. Who knows! I just might surprise you!

(please NOTE my HEALTHY dad!)

Also - check out what my friend, Denise, commented on the last post! It must've been something she read somewhere - CAUTION, it might - just might - move you to tears!

PSYCH!

Turns out - Brent isn't really dead after all! He has been in San Jose vacationing! I recieved a PARKING TICKET that he got on June 16, 2008 for letting his parking meter run out!

Jan - at least it isn't a warrant for his arrest!

edited to say - ok! so he is still dead in body BUT quite alive with CHRIST!

ONE MORE EDIT: I called the ticet office in San Jose and the lady told me that it was a simple mistake of the ticket officer writing down the wrong liscense plate. That he must have messed up on one of the numbers. YEAH! Because even though I thought it was funny - I wasn't looking forward to the mess of dealing with it! Thank you, God for a little humor in my life!

What happened to RINGO?

I am super slow these days - as evidenced by my blog! I just now noticed that I don't have a header anymore. Anyone else noticed?! I have seen that before but just thought my computer must be acting up or something like that - it turns out that my header photo was hosted on ringo and now they have decided to END the ringo website altogether! It doesn't really affected me too much - just my header BUT I think of all those people who had put their photos online at Ringo! WHat happened to their photos?! They simply vanished into thin air. BACKUP - I think is the word for the day! Remember to back up your photos. Have I backed up my photos you ask?!! NO! But this makes me think -

I will get around to making a new header BUT til then enjoy the grayish blueish plainish header thing going on!

6 weeks!

Can you believe it has already been 6 weeks since my dad got his wonderful news that his cancer was ... well not growing and not cancer?! Remember how the drs told him to come back in 6 weeks because they were so flabbergasted and not sure what to make of this man who came in needing a bone marrow transplant and within 2 weeks of testing had made a remarkable turnaround! Well, today is the day that he goes in a finds out the results of the test he had done last Wednesday. Obviously, we are praying for complete restoration - maybe you could too?! I am so thankful for the network of prayer warriors God has graced me with. Prayer DOES make a difference. He is with the dr right now as I am typing this - I will update when I hear something!

(updated . . . )

****GOOD NEWS ****
I heard from my dad tonight and he said that the cancerish thing is still shrinking and that they want to see him back in Houston in 4 MONTHS! Thank you, God for your sweet mercy to my dad!