A Good Read and Quote

This summer I read a really, really good book called
Scouting the Divine
My Search for God in wine, wool, and wild honey
by Margaret Feinberg
It was a very easy read yet so engaging and Margaret is such a gifted storyteller. After spending some time in the bible this morning and reading, I thought of this book. It reminded me that the creator of the universe, of all things, God the Father is interested in having a relationship with me. Enjoy the quote that I read in my bible. I think you too will say..how Great is his love for us!
Happy Monday!

"I am amazed and humbled to realize that an awesome, omnipotent, sovereign God would want to communicate with me. But that's one of the reasons he created us: he wants us to have fellowship with him. People have tried to explain how to hear the voice of God. In my opinion, nobody has been able to describe it fully. I believe God's sheep know the Shepherd's voice by faith."
~Thelma Wells

Celebrating a Life

Today we celebrated a little girl that I could claim as my own, sweet Madi girl! Madilyn is my neighbor and friend's little girl. I had the honor to help serve that family by watching Madilyn for the whole spring semester so her mom could work as a teacher and finish off the school year. Today was Madilyn's birthday party and my girl's were all over her. In fact, they pretty much think she hangs the moon! ;) We love her dearly and she just makes my heart melt when I walk in a room and she is excited to see me and wants me to hold her. She knows this momma took good care of her and loved every minute!
Happy Birthday Madilyn Jane Hooks! We love you. :)

My Friend

You see, God has a reason for everything and this past year, he surprised me greatly with a new friendship. It came in the most unique way and I am deeply thankful for God crossing our paths. She's funny, she's beautiful, she makes me laugh..a lot, she has a beautiful smile, and she truly has the sweetest ways about her! Please meet, Mrs Cassie Munoz! :) My new friend, Cassie!



My middle girl started kindergarten last year and we received the best gift ever which was Cassie as Avery's teacher. That's where the journey began and at first I was drawn to her humor ( i love people who make me laugh...look who i married..enough said)!!! ;) She was fun and then I was drawn to her for many reasons but one being her love and nurturing spirit that poured into my little Avery girl. I then began to reach out and just really get to know Cassie the woman, not just the teacher. She was special just like I knew within my heart. After a school year, many texts, emails, and conversations, and an obsessed night to see the Twilight Saga together, I developed a friendship with Cassie that is truly dear to my heart.
Now, another school year is upon us and I knew that Avery would not be in kinder again and have Cassie but I did know that she would be right there to drop by and say hi, go see and chat with her, and even be with her at school functions. This was going to be GOOD to spend another school year with this gal until I got the dreaded email/phone call... Cassie would not be back at our school due to low numbers in the kindergarten! I was sick to my stomach, in fact to be honest, that night I found out I ate WAY to many french fries due to depression!!! :( I was so sad for many reasons but I was really sad for Cassie because that meant moving schools & a possible move in grade level. Never fun if you been a teacher!!
So some time passed, and the day before I went to see the posted list of the teachers my girls had gotten, I was so sad. It really hit me that this was not good for our new found friendship and this was not going to be easy trying to get together with me having 3 girls & working part time and Cassie working full time, with 2 boys. Ugggg.....The next day I went up to school and saw her room empty which only reminded me of my emptiness feeling of her not being among us this school year.
Tonight I'm blogging about my new friend, Cassie! I miss her, I miss her smile, her laugh, her humor, her presence! This is one time that texting and emailing just can't take the place of that personal hug or face to face conversation.
I am thankful for many things tonight though. :)
I am thankful she has a job and its still in kindergarten. I am thankful she'll bless another team of teachers with her sweet spirit. I am thankful for this past year and her life. I am thankful for her friendship. I am thankful for football games & vampire movies that will bring us together face to face! :)
Love ya Cassie...I miss ya dearly!

First Day of School 2010!!

This parenting thing goes by way to fast! My Addie and Avery are growing up, yet they are getting more and more fun! :) Each year, it gets a little easier but it will always amaze me how quick they are becoming young ladies.
As my girls step foot in 3rd and 1st grade, I am praying for an amazing school year!

We love you Addie and Avery!! Good Luck! :)

I Need to Brag...

I need to brag on my husband because he truly is amazing for many reasons but this past week I was gone for 4 days and he "held down the fort"!!! :)
I was asked to go on a getaway with some girls who love the Lord, their husbands, children, yet like to have some fun and it was the most therapeutic weekend I've had in awhile! It was an uplifting time as we shared a lot and I treasure those memories deeply! When I was asked to go on this girly trip, my husband so graciously encouraged me to go that he would take the girls and the home front. I was thrilled and so thankful for not only his eagerness to encourage me to go but how he gave unselfishly to keep the girls that long. Don't get me wrong, I've taken over night trips or even a couple of days but I do believe this was the longest that I have left all 3 in his care. He truly was superman! :) When I came home, my house was actually in decent condition, the girls had a least washed their hair, and he even had grilled them a dinner one night! I love that about Ryan....He loves being with our girls! This is so good and I know it will and is making a difference in their little souls as well as their hearts. :) Sweet daddy is bonding with them in the simple things and without mommy!
I love him for telling me, it' OK to go away and share Kara with 3 women I love to be around.
I love him for being happy that I now have a "yearly" girl's weekend!
I love that he takes on the home front without complaining and loves spending time with the girls alone.
I love that he is being a good daddy and sharing his love that ultimately leads to Christs love!

Thank you Ryan! You are truly a man who gives to the moon and back in our marriage!


(Valentines 2010)

My Toothless Angel

My Avery girl has lost yet another tooth and now both top teeth are missing! LOVELY!!! Wow, this is just in time to start first grade and have that famous "no front teeth" school picture! LOL :)
But boy is she proud...she pulled both of her front teeth all by herself! :)

Yesterday Had Me in Tears

I was a little emotional and my first thought was well its not that time of the month but really I finally figured out that something I had seen on the news before church had gotten to me more than I thought!
I had my warm cup of coffee in hand, Today Show on for some news and they told a headline story that had my stomach in knots. Some of you might have heard or even saw on the internet that 10 Humanitarian aids had been killed in Afghanistan (6 of which were Americans). The main leader was passionate about the Afghan people because he had lived there 30 years and had all 3 of his kids there. He was an optometrist now in upstate New York and he loved the Afghan people so he wanted to take a trip to bring medical aid. They had been over there a month trekked across rugged, dangerous terrain to help Afghan people in remote areas receive proper medical aid. On the way back, they were ambushed by Taliban who lined them up and shot them 1 by 1 execution style. They only saved one Afghan aid worker because he could site the Koran.
I was in shock for many reasons but this really, really bothered me...deeply. Here were Americans, Britains, and even local Afghan people who used their gifts and talents to go, go into Afghanistan and help people, love on them, and give them medical attention. These humanitarian workers had high regards to human life but they were killed by the Taliban who are people with NO regard to human life! I sat there thinking...this is someones dad,husband, she has a family, etc etc. I was weepy ALL morning! I couldn't help but think of so many of our military families, military men and women that go into these rough, rugged, very dangerous terrain for MY freedom, for their own families freedom, for our country! So, I pull myself together to go to church and wouldn't you know...the message was on injustice and instead of suffering through it, how we can endure through it! I was teary eyed in the message being constantly reminded of what I had heard and seen.
Today, I can't stop thinking of them and it has my mind thinking of so many things!
(especially friends who leave tonight to start a new journey 3-5 yrs in Saudi Arabia)
I don't have a house full of boys, God gave me 3 girls. I do know plenty of people in the church, family, and even friends that have boys and that someday one might choose to serve our country in whatever capacity. Some of them might be firefighters, police officers, business executives, deep sea drillers, missionaries etc. So whatever line these boys choose, one day my girls will be married to a boy (i will talk to some of my friends about arranged marriages ;) lol) and I couldn't help but think of the song by Mark Shultz Letters of War. One of the main lines says,
"Your Good & Your Brave,
What a father that you will be someday,
Make it home & Make it safe,
And she wrote every night as she prayed.."

So, I truly believe that no matter what God sets our own feet to do, our kids, their future spouses, my family, my friends.. Be brave and Be safe, and pray, pray, pray for one another.
Love to You my friends! :)

Wacky Week!!

This past week was really weird, in fact kinda wacky with some funky stuff going on with my sweet Avery girl. Ryan was out of town until Thursday so I really wanted to take advantage of these days to get some school things knocked off the list! Well, Monday was our only great shopping day, Tuesday we got some swimming in, and then I realized these fever blisters that Avery had (2 big ones for over a week) were not getting better. I noticed on Tuesday that her face broke out in a rash that was a little alarming to me but after our swim, it seemed to help dry in up or make it less noticeable, actually a little better. Then, on Wednesday it spiked back up and was starting to get all over her face instead of one centralized area! Yikes...I started to think, this can't be good, in fact this thing is getting worse. So about the time, I make a decision that yes we do need to see the dr, its already 5 and the dr offices are closed. I make a run to CVS to at least let the pharmacist look at her blisters and now the rapid rash, it was confirmed that this rash was not good and we should see the dr in the morning.
Therefore, at 10 am on Thursday morning, I finally get in to see Dr. Quillin and her rash had turned into a STAFF INFECTION! :( Yes, I couldn't believe it and poor Avery girl hardly complained at all besides the itching part. CRAZY!!! So, after a anti-viral cream and a very strong 5 day antibiotic, Avery is healing well! Yea, I knew the antibiotic would help her greatly as the first day we were only to give her 1 tsp and the next 4 days a 1/2 tsp. Yikes, that's some strong stuff!
Needless to say, my week was consumed with this and i felt like i got really nothing accomplished besides a clean bathroom. O well, the week ended awesome as Ryan got home on Thursday and we topped it off with a (yes, the best $1 invention movie rental) The Book of Eli! :) It was such a good movie, I actually wished I would of saw it sooner. Its a must see. :)
So, I have 2 weeks to wrap up some school shopping and get myself ready to work part time starting the 17th! Yea for a schedule and some extra money, but boo for summer already coming to an end! Hope you all had an awesome week!

The Best $1 Invention Ever!!!

And that would be Redbox or Blockbuster Express! :) Can I just tell you how much I LOVE those little convenient boxes that sit outside Walgreen's, Kroger, McDonald's, or Randall's!? Those $1 movie rentals have got to be the best invention ever!!!
I have caught up on some movies that I've been wanting to see and now that we are down to 3 weeks until school, I gotta get to renting some more before the crazy school year starts back up.
Here are a few that I've cuddled up to either by myself or with the love of my life. :)

Extraordinary Measures
Invictus
Blind Side
Shudder Island (ryan's choice..enough said)
Remember Me
No Country for Old Men (again, ryan's choice, I should've been reading Breaking Dawn)
Love Happens

Yep, some good movies right there! I loved Blind Side and Love Happens, so sweet!

Well, I just wanted to share my other joy of this summer besides reading this crazy, loving, vampire 750+ book that has captivated me! :)
(thank you Mrs Cassie Munoz ) ;)

I love me some Redbox & Blockbuster Express!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today, Its my dad's birthday! Wishing him a very blessed day and year!
He is a WONDERFUL dad and grandpa. :)
He loves his wife of 37 years.
He loves his family dearly. (maybe his black lab more, Ginley) ;)
He loves God.
He loves to travel.
Most of all, he's a fun-loving, sweet, sensitive dad/grandpa who means the world to me! And I am thankful he is my dad! We love you tons!! :)