Robert Crashes

Robert had a bike crash today, thank God it didn't include a motorized vehicle!!!!!!!!!! Just in case you want to see the gross close-ups of his "boo-boos," well knock yourself out!

OUCH!!!!!!!!! That has to burn!

More road burn

Yeah, he banged up both legs too and has a knot on his shoulder where his shoulder blade took a hit to the curb!

So, our evening ends with Robert's version of "Thinking Man." He is thinking about how much this hurts & how "proud" he is of his first bike crash injuries (??? weird, I know, but the boy thinks Lance Armstrong and all those Tour guys are awesome!), and besides he has ADD! :)

Seriously, thanks God for keeping my boy safe and not letting this involve a car or letting him get run over while he was crashing/getting up & off the road. Please continue to keep my son safe while he's cycling out & about.

Happy 4th of July

First of all, I'm so happy to have taken my first fireworks photos successfully! They may not be the best, but I'm just thrilled to have gotten some at all!

Second, and most importantly, thank you God for freedom! Freedom to worship You and live for You without the fear of imprisonment, death, or any other punishments. Please help me to not take that for granted. Thank you for a country, though not without many faults, that allows its citizens freedom. Please help me to remember my brothers and sisters in other nations who do not have these same freedoms.

Third, thank You Father for the men and women who have served my country to give us these freedoms, who have served faithfully when their country called them, and who have given their lives either through death or through life-changing injuries for our nation and citizens.

I always think of my daddy on the 4th. Tonight I also thought of my cousin's husband, Phillip, who was severely injured in Afghanistan two years ago. Of his injuries and the pain he has been in. Of how his life must have been completely and totally changed as a result of his faithful service, and not just his life, but the lives of his wife and children and family. How many other soldiers' stories are like that, and how much are they appreciated? I know what I must do tonight before I go to sleep, thank that soldier and his family.

Thank you God!

Rob is too good to me

So this weekend was not the best I've ever had. I'll spare myself and anyone who might read this the details, but I was just not a happy camper. It did not help that I woke up on Sunday and shortly after that, while trying to get ready for church I got pretty sick and felt really LOUSY all day. Lousy, like "somebody just shoot me now" and "I thought this machine was supposed to be making me better and now I feel horrible again" kind of sick. Then to add injury to insult, my face is completely a mess from the mask I am wearing at night! I just felt sick, hideously ugly, exhausted and just plain awful!

I told Rob I wanted to go live in the mountains, seriously. If I could be a hermit I wouldn't have to deal with stress, people, anything I didn't want to. I know that's fairy-tale land and not reality, but I really do wish we could afford to live up there, find a nice, simple home with a beautiful view of the mountains or a lake or stream on the land. I know that wouldn't solve all my problems, but if I could escape to a beautiful, peaceful place I could just gaze at God's workmanship and feel more at peace.

Anyway, I'm rambling on. Rob had to work on Sunday, and he beat us home from church by a little bit. When I came home I was greeted by these photos:

This sign was hanging in the doorway to our living room.

Some very pretty roses- I have never seen an orange rose so pretty as these!

This was the sweetest thing. Rob had run to the store and bought brown craft paper to make "mountains" (he was even going to do some drawing to make it look more real) and put in the window, but somewhere along the way, in his hurry to get it done before I got home, he misplaced the roll of paper between Walmart, the van, and the house. So he ran downstairs and found this snowflake wrapping paper, and he made these "snowy mountains" and taped in both our windows.

I know it might seem simple, and even a bit goofy, but this simple act of his was truly one of the sweetest things Rob has ever done for me. It meant more to me than a card or anything else he could have done! I will cherish this memory forever! And, though it didn't make me feel physically or emotionally better or solve all my problems, it did lighten my load a great deal! He is way too good to me, and I truly don't deserve this. But, God, I'm so thankful for a loving husband!