Sister Spa Day

Healing from a miscarriage takes time.

My heart is healing well.

My body is returning back to normal.

My life is moving forward.

My look, however, was going no where good. 

I had been neglecting all beauty routines for a while.  During pregnancy I was just too tired to deal with much.  It was more important to me to sleep and eat than it was to schedule pampering appointments.

After the miscarriage, I knew I would need a little make over to get back to life.  In fact, I had been thinking about how I could schedule several things.  (When you are a mom scheduling takes on a life of it's own.  You have to make sure your little blessings are well taken care of before you can run off for a little break).  I assumed it would take me all month long to get several things done.

Enter my fantastic Sisters...

Rock Star cleared my calendar on Monday.  She booked Grammy to watch the cowboys and told me what time to be at her place.  (Grammy, I am so grateful for you)

I was greeted with flowers from my sweet nephew.

And this card...

We went to our favorite Mexican restaraunt and met Pretty Princess there. 

Oh my stars...Lunch was so stinkin' good!

Next we headed to DW's house.

The house was so peaceful.

There was spa music playing and these beauties were on the table.

This verse was on the wall.  You can't help but have a happy heart when you read it.

Sweet Lou Lou had this picture and a necklace for me.

The sisters presented me with this card...

(in case you can't read it..."Sis, We've ordered this necklace for you!  It is engraved on the back with the words "remembered and loved".  We love you and celebrate the little ones that we will someday meet!  Love, Your Sisters")

I was determined not to cry during my fun spa day but I couldn't help but tear up when I read the card.

No time to be sappy.  We had to get to work. 

Rock Star started the party with some waxing.  I look peaceful here but believe me, waxing is not peaceful.  Good thing Rock Star is so good at it!  She made up for it though, by giving me a facial. 

Pretty Princess gave me a glorious manicure and pedicure.  My nails are amazing and my hands and feet are so soft!

DW colored, cut and styled my hair.  Good hair just makes a girl so happy!  Then Rock Star finished up my amazing spa experience by putting on my make up. 

Didn't they do a great job!  I felt like a whole new woman.  Being in their presence for a day was enough to lift my spirits.  Having them pamper me was such a blessing.  Good heavens I love these women!

As a perfect end to a perfect day, EJ met me for dinner with a dozen beautiful roses.   I love that man!

Sisters,

I regularly thank God for giving me each one of you.  When we were growing up, I took for granted just how incredible it was to be one of the four sisters.  I didn't realize the great gift we had been given.  Mom and Dad allows stressed how important our relationships were.  Turns out they were right.  Each of one you brings something so special into my life.  I have no words to tell you how much this day meant to me.  Each one of you gave up your time just to be with me, to love me, to serve me and to help me heal.  I will never forget it.  Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for being more than sisters to me.

You are each beautiful inside and out. 

I love you big time (or as Rock Star would say, "I love you like a fat kid loves cake!"),

Your Sis

Welcome Super Girl!

The scene depicted in the photo below does more for me than all the roses, candlelight, and romance in the world...
To see the man I love with the grandbabies we love makes my heart pitter-patter in a way that it never did before. There is a deep and abiding love in his heart for each of our precious grandbabies. I have always been a pretty emotional person but I have to tell you that I go into "super-grammy" mode when our daughters are in labor and delivery...it's Pop who cries when he first holds them - he can't help himself . I am so busy watching over the mommy, baby and everything going on around us that I don't have time to cry...until later...

Rock Star warned me about timing my reading of Farm Chick’s account of Super Girl’s birth so I could manage the emotion that would certainly come with it - she was right. I snuck my peek while Pop, Rock Star, PhoJo and the super heroes were in the living room...but Rock Star caught me at the computer with a big lump in my throat and eyes brimming with tears.

If God blesses us with a hundred grandchildren nothing could ever diminish the miracle of each birth nor the swelling of my heart with gratitude, praise, and grandmotherly pride. It’s been 20 months since Ladybug came along and the excitement of another granddaughter was certainly welcomed – not just by Pop and me but by our whole family…welcome Super Girl! Welcome into a big, loud, and loving family who could hardly wait for your arrival!

Nothing I have ever heard, done, said, or thought has prepared me for how incredibly blessed I feel by our children and grandchildren. To be allowed the privilege of being present and involved in the lives of each of our nine (can you believe it?) grandchildren is nothing that I take for granted.

To see our daughters as great friends of one another and allies in this journey we call life has significance way beyond anything I ever thought to ask God for. Nothing in my life has been as wonderful as sharing this time in life with Pop and with our family. All I can say is that I am so grateful to God for daughters and sons (in-laws – a term for clarification purposes only as I consider them my sons) who walk with the Lord and who are quick to give Him the glory and the praise for the gifts He has given us.

To share this journey with the man of my dreams is a bonus I don't deserve. I love you, Pop - here's to livin' the dream. Thanks for letting me live it with you.

I'm just praising God.

The "Arranged" Marriage: Doc and DW

Our love story began before the two of us even knew each other. While I was in high school, we moved back to this area. Grammy and Pop were determined to find a good church home for our family. One Sunday morning, we went to try out a new church and we were warmly greeted at the door by my future Father-In-Law. He has sparkly, happy eyes and a quick smile and he was one of the main reasons we came back and started attending that church.

A few years later, my parents and in-laws were part of the same small group, meeting at our house every week. I was in college, but still living at home and I didn't really even know a "Doc" existed. He had been in college the whole time I had been acquainted with his parents. I guess I found out about him when his Mom started telling me to "break up with that boyfriend and wait until Doc moved back." I just laughed. I wasn't about to break up with my boyfriend to wait for a guy I'd never met. Turns out, Doc was hearing the same message over the phone. His Dad would casually mention my existence and tell Doc he needed to meet me when he moved home to finish his last two years of med school in our home town. Doc wondered why his Dad was constantly telling him about me. He thought I was too young (he's 4 years older than me) and anyway, he'd kind of sworn off any serious relationships until he was in residency. Don't get me wrong...he was dating, just not women with spousal potential!

Doc moved home in the fall of 1998... the same fall that I packed my bags and went to France for four months to study abroad. Before I had left, I was volunteering as a youth group sponsor at church. When I returned and got back to volunteering, I discovered that Doc had moved back and was teaching the High School Sunday school class (Rock Star and Farm Chick were in his class). We began co-sponsoring a Bible study (on Revelations no less) together. I must point out here that when I say co-sponsoring, I mean Doc taught and I helped facilitate discussions...he's the brains of the outfit. One evening, after the kids had left, I was the last one out the door and Doc caught me. He asked if I was ok. He had noticed that I was a little down. I told him I was having guys problems. I was casually dating 3 guys (and yes, they all knew it wasn't exclusive) but none of them had real long term potential. I don't really remember exactly what Doc said, but I think it was something along the lines of, "you probably don't need to keep dating them if it isn't making you happy." All I remember was that he seemed genuine and caring and I was intrigued.

The following Sunday, I was at the back of the church video taping something from the service. Doc was sitting back there with his sister and her twin babies. I ended up sitting by Doc and playing with my future nephew the whole time. After the service, Doc suggested that we meet up and get something to eat the following Tuesday so that we could get to know each other better since we were doing the Bible study together. I agreed. We went out and I peppered him with questions about being a doctor, delivering babies and the like. I hung on his every word. He was so interesting. He dropped me off at my work (where my car was) and since we both had a great time, we agreed we should hang out again. The following Friday, we met up for a late movie and hung out at his apartment afterwards. By this time, it was apparent that we had sparks. Sparkly sparks.

We both had dates with other people the next night. The funny thing is, our other dates sealed the deal. We both ended up realizing that we had much more fun with each other than we did with our respective Saturday night dates. Sunday night, we got together and confessed our dissatisfaction with dating the others and decided we would date each other exclusively. Our first official date was the next Saturday. He took me to dinner and a jazz concert. We decided that we weren't huge jazz fans and left to hang out at his house. He had written me a letter telling me that he thought that this thing was the real deal. I told him that I agreed. About a week later, my mom and I went to dinner and I told her I was going to marry Doc. She said, " I know." Our parents knew, way before we did, that we would be good together...hence the on going joke that we had an "arranged marriage."

Our first date was in April. We got engaged (at church) the following August and were married the following May 29th. We have been joined at the hip and in the spirit ever since. We are best friends, partners, co-parents and the love of each other's life. We will celebrate our 10th anniversary this year and I can honestly say that we love each other more and more everyday. He complains about the grey in his beard making him look older but I relish it! I know it means that we are on our way to spending our lives together and growing old together. And grey hair or no hair, that man will always be my sweetheart and I will be his!

The Man with the Dream

My husband of more than 32 years is "The Man with the Dream." He told me about an actual dream he had that was the first revelation of Four Sisters Farm as we now call it. Maybe he will blog the story for us sometime.

I feel fortunate to be his wife, helper and partner in this adventure we call life. God has gone before us in ways we could not have imagined. We have watched, hoped and waited as He has revealed the dream bit by bit.

He orchestrated finding the farm (EJ+internet=Pop spending a lot of money). He saved the farm for us, as others who looked at it didn't see what we saw. He worked out sale of one house before the purchase of another (the contingency part of an offer on a place) and gave Farm Chick and EJ willing hearts to take their two little guys and make their home at Four Sisters Farm and to work hard at maintaining and fixing things there while Pop and I are living and working so far away. God even graciously put the dream into the hearts of all the family...even prissy, citified, sophisticated females!

The grandchildren feel what children are meant to feel - free, safe, and loved. When Pop is asked what we are going to raise on our farm he replies, "We are raising grandchildren on our farm." I cannot think of a more noble crop to grow and the thought of being surrounded by children at Four Sisters Farm is so wonderful that it almost makes this Grammy's heart explode!

Now, the house isn't much, the grounds and out building will need a lot of tending and fixing over some years to come - but that doesn't faze any of us. Four Sisters Farm represents something beyond any one or two or four of us or more. It represents home, roots, a safe haven, a place where love abides and God reigns. It represents a place where we can come together to share in each other's lives - a place to be known and accepted.

As we have lived far, far away from our family for several years now, Four Sisters Farm represents the hope in my heart for our family to be together. I can hardly wait to see what all God does with the place - I know it will be good and I plan to be there when it all comes about - hand in hand with my man with a dream - helping to make it a reality. I feel really confident about it all - especially now that I've seen Pop's "mad tractor skills!"

That reminds me...I need a really cute pair of muck boots...I mean just because I'm becoming a farmer's wife doesn't mean I can't have attractive apparel!

Thank You, God for Four Sisters Farm and for the blessing of family and friends.