Bring on the Fireworks... Or Not

There are a ton of options in Chicagoland for viewing fireworks over Independence Day celebrations. To view them all, check out the list hubster put together here.

But there are also several suburbs cancelling or postponing their shows as a result of the dry weather & heat, and fears of fires {and rightly so}! So be sure to check your locations closer to the date to make sure it's still on.

We're still finalizing all of our plans, but it's a little weird this year. With July 4th landing on a Wednesday, it means my mom & stepdad's typical trip up here over the holiday will now occur just after the holiday, over the following weekend. Bummer. We're planning on fireworks, more house stuff, and probably BBQ'ing with friends. Good times, for sure, and we're trying to soak it up as we wrap up these final house projects before our guests arrive!

I was considering giving some treats a whirl, like these found on Pinterest...

...but then I realized I'm exhausted just looking at all of those. They're amazing - and maybe next year.

If you're planning a party or get-together, remember you don't have to do it perfectly. I highly recommend you check out my friend Mary's e-book Plan a Fabulous Party {without losing your mind}! I also recommend that you check out her more specific 4th of July tips over at (in)courage. Mary is amazing and a truly delightful, godly, witty, giving-up-on-perfect blogging friend!! She's a bit of an entertainment junkie like me, has terrific taste, and writes in the way I wish I could! Love her, seriously go check out her tips!!!

And to wrap things up, what would a true 4th of July post be like for me if I didn't post more personal pictures... I mean, really. It's like a requirement for me. So here are some pics from last year as we waited for the fireworks:

It won't quite be the same this year, but we will definitely do our best to make the most of it anyway! Hope you're able to find some good ways to enjoy your time!

And remember, plan a nice party, not a perfect one!!

Rest of First Wkd in May

It's been a long time, but I just have to share with you the rest of what happened the first weekend in May when we went to my hometown. It was in big part to celebrate with my family our nephew Joshua turning 1. But there were so many other things too!

The weather & drive down was perfect

Only picture of us together over the weekend, and mom neglected to let us know when she was pushing the button on my phone to take the pic.

After losing Uncle Bill in February and not getting a whole lot of time with my Aunt Robin, it was refreshing for my heart and spirit to get to spend some sweet time sitting next to my aunt for hours while watching the town's biggest parade of the year. It was like the energizer bunny of parades - it seriously kept going and going and going! And it finally ended just past 2 1/2 hours. But it was very nice time together despite the 90 degree heat!

Kicking things off...

I just love horses. I could stare at them all day.

Geniuses who passed out free water, Gatorade, and pop to refresh everyone in that nasty heat!

Love watching my mom and her sister laughing together!!

A dog in a car that had a "Prosperity for All" sign caused a ton of laughs

A house portraying the American dream, based on one of our favorite movies "Up"

And the main event for us:

Seeing my Grandpa {our last living grandparent} do his last role as King for the year at the nursing home where he resides. It was such a joy for him to receive this honor, and while I couldn't be there for the crowning, I loved being able to see him do his final role - to appear in this big parade. It was tough to get a good picture of him as the van was moving and the camera caught the glare, but look closely, he's just on the other side of that window waving at us.

This is just funny.

So was this - a mini car with a big guy riding inside. LOL!

Yep, that kind of place. ;) Farm equipment galore.

Watching the parade with family & friends.

Childhood best friend Tracie with kids Logan & Eve.

Couldn't help but get a kick out of Tracie & I wearing the same sandals - not something we bought together or even knew the other had. Just shows we have similar good taste! :)

Our little crew.

Gathering candy... and more candy!

Back at Tracie's house to cool off after lunch. Evie was eating some candy, and playing with G. I. Joe's. Love that kid!

Logan & Evie adore Tim, it's sooo cute!!

Their adorable, but yappy & annoying dog.

My sweet niece Olivia at lunch on Sunday at Ruby Tuesday.

Cayley - our fun, lovable Cayley.

Hilarious 1 year old Joshua :)

Sis-in-law Jeremi and kiddo Josh having giggles

It was seriously SUCH a great time! Thank you for letting me share more of it with you all!

"People Like Us" Movie Review

(image)

Here's the Synopsis from IMBD.com:
"While settling his recently deceased father's estate, a salesman discovers he has a sister whom he never knew about, leading both siblings to re-examine their perceptions about family and life choices."

The acting in this movie is incredible. The end.

Seriously, other than that, it was a waste of time. The general storyline is good, but executed very poorly. There's a decent amount of swearing and use of both God's name and Christ's name in vain, right from the beginning. The kid is adorable and does a great job, but even he drops the F word. It was occasionally slightly funny but otherwise just a tense drama. It pulls you into thinking there's romance, but then you remember - oh yeah, they're brother & sister. Ew.

It was disappointing, and despite that there were some good elements, the poor execution of the storyline ultimately kills this movie.

Prayers for Colorado - Updated

The fires in Colorado are on the minds of everyone {as are the storms doing a different kind of damage in Florida, but for now I want to focus on CO}.

(c) 2012, Tonia Meyer

It hits close to home for me because I have 4 cousins that live in various parts of the state.

My cousin Anais and her husband were evacuated from their home near Colorado Springs on Sunday night, but they were cleared to go back home today. Thankfully, they were safe, nothing of theirs was harmed, and their community is safe. But many others nearby haven't been so fortunate.

My cousin Russ and his fiance live near Denver and we have no idea how they are or how it has affected them. They are getting married in August, please pray that everything will be able to go along as planned.

My cousin Jesse lives near Fort Collins and is a firefighter. He's hanging in there and doing everything he can to help fight off those fires and keep people safe. He's amazing and I'm so proud of him!!

My cousin Mike and his fiance Dusty live near Longmont. They are getting married THIS SUNDAY!!! Unfortunately we won't be able to attend, and while it's hard not to be there, I admit I'd be totally freaking out right now if we were going! I am praying for the safety of everyone, that things will be able to still go through for the ceremony, and that Mike & Dusty will be able to just go with the flow and not let it get to them. It's stressful, but above all we want everyone to be safe!

Our friends Randy & Tonia live outside of Denver. The above picture was taken recently by Tonia on her cell phone a couple of suburbs away from where they are. For now, they appear to be safe.

Of course these are just a few that I can list that are personal to me. There are so many people affected - please pray for rain, for control of the fires, for safety and protection of life, and for there to be minimal damage! I've learned of so many people my cousins know personally who have had homes destroyed, pets lost or hurt, and just the evacuate/come home/maybe evacuate again/come home stuff is really emotionally draining. The fires are popping up seemingly everywhere and the weather has been unpredictable. Your prayers are really appreciated!!

~~

Shortly after posting this, we had a thunderstorm with rain & hail hit our area. Oh man, if this was coming down on Colorado, I'm sure it would be a different scene and would come as quite a relief!

I know God orchestrates the weather, and despite that it doesn't make sense to us, we trust that he has a plan.

Celebrating 12 Years of Marriage

We just celebrated 12 years of marriage on Sunday, and it was wonderful! We spent Thursday-Saturday on a special getaway in downtown Chicago, and I can't wait to tell you more about it soon!

It's been nice to also get a bit of a computer break - a total break from reality with work, life, and social networking. As much as I love it all, I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed out... actually more maxed out than I believe I've ever felt in my life. It was time to pull the plug.

Now we're back, and we are spending relaxing time around the house, working on remodeling, sorting, organizing, getting rid of stuff, and exploring our town a bit more. I'm loving this break! No stressful vacation - being in our home and our area for a week off is seriously a huge blessing!! It's surprisingly relaxing and refreshing.

This morning, as I was sorting through boxes of memorabilia in the basement that had been in storage, I ran across several old engagement announcements. I looked around the family room and saw other couples' pictures. Every single one of those couples is divorced or separated.

It's really disheartening. I grieve for a few minutes every time I stop and think about all of the couples we know who are now split. Don't get me wrong - I know marriage is incredibly hard. I know there are reasons for which you feel you have to end it or you want to, and occasionally there are times you really need to end it. But those times are very rare.

I can't tell you how many times one or both of us has wanted to walk out the door, but we didn't. We may disagree a lot of times, but we never walk out the door and leave. We have other rooms we can go to for space, allowing time for processing and praying, and giving distance so we don't say things that make the situation worse... until we can come back together and work toward a resolution.

You just don't give up or throw in the towel - you keep pressing on. Hold fast to your commitments that best that you can, in God's strength. Trust me, we could never do this without God guiding and leading our lives and our marriage! Most of the couples I know who split {save two} are as a result of the men walking out the door and deciding to throw in the towel. Giving up on their wives. Their families. Their faith. Believing the lies of Satan and the world.

I'm so incredibly thankful for a man who has resisted the temptations and lies of Satan, and is totally committed to me and the Lord. He's a man of honor, and I'm so grateful for that!!! I know there's no way to guarantee a long life together anymore when you walk down that aisle. Satan hates marriage and sure does do everything he can to break up Christian marriages. I sure am thankful we're still together, despite it all!

And I regularly pray for those couples who walk down the aisle, that the Lord will help them stay committed and true to each other & Him - and also for those who are no longer together, that God will change their hearts, that there will be reconciliation where possible and forgiveness, and that God will be honored in each life and family. He can redeem any situation and still turn things around no matter how far gone they may seem! What an awesome God he is!!

So, as I went through through those boxes this morning, I ran across a letter I'd written to Tim in a journal entry for him to read on our wedding night. I wanted to share it with you here:

10/9/98

It's nearly two a.m. and I can't sleep. There are so many things on my mind. We just watched [our friends] Ryan & Amy get engaged and now I am dreaming of the day it will be our turn [and it was almost exactly one year later]. But waiting on God's plan is the best thing.

As I lay here, thinking back to life before you, I can't believe I ever got to this point. I know we have our share of problems, but you have no idea just how much I love you. You are the man of my dreams - even better, or far more wonderful than I ever imagined. You know the things I have to hear, even if I don't want to hear them. A little over 5 months into our relationship, I know I've met the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with. You are the best friend I've ever had.

Thank you for being yourself, and accepting me as I am. I love you for your godliness, sincerity, humility, integrity, honesty, loyalty, commitment, passion, understanding, acceptance, love, compassion, giving heart, friendship, and your drive to be the best you can be.

I simply love you.

12 years into our marriage and nearly 14 years after that letter was written, it's still all true today. It's just a little different now - deeper, more mature, more committed, further growth, and richer from the challenges and celebrations we've shared.

So very, very blessed to call you my husband Tim - I'm a lucky, lucky girl!

Quick Update

A lot has been happening around here lately. Here are some quick insights into our lives:

- I've been working 10-12 hour days.

- Hubster got stuck in major traffic tonight as power lines went down and they closed the major road he always takes home.

- I haven't seen my dear friend Monica but for a brief moment in nearly 2 weeks, which also means I haven't seen Nolan at all and only hung with Parker and his Grandma for about half an hour one day.  So close, yet we've all had hard weeks and busyness that just haven't allowed get togethers. Pretty sure this is torture.

- Listening to Josh Garrels while off and on working on editing our work's promotional catalog from home. I just love him!

- Watching American Ninja Warrior on TV in the background {yes, I'm quite the multi-tasker!}. Such a cool show.

- Putting finishing touches on our basement exercise room. We hope to be about a week away from it being finished {woohoo!!!!}.

- Planning our 12 year anniversary vacation next week - we aren't going anywhere, but we are looking forward to a week off work!

- In my 'spare' time, reading A. W. Tozier's The Pursuit of God. Should have read this a long time ago.

- Just ended the busiest, most stressful season of my year, as it's currently planned. And I loved it!! But am thankful to have had a relaxing weekend to recover.

- Special times with friends, sharing, caring, praying together, and loving all the women I get to work with every day!!

- Spent a couple hours last Saturday morning at a Feed My Starving Children warehouse, boxing up food to send around the world to starving children. Wow, what an experience! We had my mom & stepdad here from Friday lunch through Monday morning and we enjoyed sharing this neat time with them.

- I turn 34 a week from tomorrow. Seriously trying not to think about it, but I can't believe we're getting this old.... *sigh* Wanting to learn better how to make every minute count even with something like Fibromyalgia.


I know... super exciting right?! Well, now you are in the know. :)

On this... another hard Father's Day

I'm incredibly thankful for my husband -

- for the role he plays as an incredible uncle not just to his own 25 or so nieces & nephews, but also to my 2 nieces & 1 nephew.

- for the role he plays as the leader of our home & hopefully future family

- for the role he plays as an influencer & fun buddy to kids of our friends

- for the role he plays in random interactions with kids he doesn't even know

And let's just face it, he's a ton of fun no matter where he goes!!!

He may not be a father yet, but he has more impact on the lives of the little ones he interacts with than he even realizes.

I'm pretty sensitive to the fact that us not having kids means Tim hasn't gotten to be a daddy. I cannot wait to watch that happen!!

~~~

On another note - Happy Father's Day to all the great dads out there {a little late in the day but it still counts!}... but especially to MY dad - he's incredible and I'm so thankful for him! Love him to pieces!!

Also to my amazing brother - he's SUCH a great dad to those 3 precious kids of his! Here he is with his youngest back in September 2011 at our Grandpa's funeral...

...and his oldest two back in October 2011 on our family vacation.

 Also to my wonderful stepdad, Jerry. Thankful for him!

Also to my great father-in-law Lyle. I don't have pictures of him on this computer and don't have the energy to hunt down the files, but he is dearly missed. It's been 6 years since the Lord took him home. And we still feel his absence often, but especially on this day. 

And finally, a very special prayer and hugs go out to those of you reading this who aren't parents, have parents who have passed on, or struggle with these types of days for any reason. I understand, it's hard.

What I Want to Do Vs. What I Have to Do

I want to clean my house, organize the piles, sift through the closets, finish our basement room, and prepare ourselves to hopefully move closer to work next year. / My body tells me I have to rest and do nothing today, because I pushed too hard this week.

I want to organize my photos and upload to Facebook, my blog, and Shutterfly. So many months of pictures still just sitting in iPhoto. / My body tells me that when I'm not doing the constant extra hours of work from the comfort of my home and laptop, that I have to put the laptop away, give my fingers and neck and back a rest.

I want to blog every day and keep up-to-date with my bloggy friends. / My body tells me it's just not as important as everything else I have to do because outside of work these days, I don't have a lot to go around and have to make sure my priorities are in the right place.

I want to cook, meal plan, and eat healthier. / My busy job, commute, and chaotic life trick me into making me think that I have to pick up quick food {not necessarily fast food like McDonald's, but sandwiches like Subway, Panera, or stuff like Boston Market, etc} instead of cooking because I just get so short on energy and strength - despite that I know I'd be saving more money with cooking and I'd feel better physically AND mentally by eating healthier foods, etc. It's a trick I fall for more times than I care to admit!

I want to be able to take the stairs every day at work. / My body, no matter what shape I'm in, tells me I have to take the stairs or I'll fall backward down them, collapse on them, scream in front of my coworkers, or not be able to fully get up them without having severe repercussions.

I want to be on the constant go - with friends, family, etc, and say yes to more things that I enjoy doing. / My body forces me to slow down any time I even remotely push hard. Still love the times that I do push too hard and do the things I enjoy, but I just have to be careful not to overdo it and cause a serious flare-up.

I want to be firing on all cylinders constantly. / My brain fog often causes my memory and cognitive function to be less than ideal. I have to concentrate harder and focus more intensely than the usual brain. And then I'm zapped of even more energy, which I was already lacking.

~~

It's all beyond frustrating.

But I'm learning more every day, growing in my ability to understand my symptoms, and am increasingly thankful for my Fibromyalgia which has taught me so much about human fraility; the strength, love, and mercy of God; and the might power of a Risen Savior who has redeemed all the bad stuff so that I might bring glory & honor to him in all of it.

 

Unexpected Friendships

Becoming friends with my coworker's spouses has been surprising and amazing. They are unexpected friends, so many of the wives of these men I work with. I cherish these women. Like family.

I love absolutely every second of my time with them - get togethers, texts, emails, lunches, work parties, etc.

This week I got to have lunch again with my friend Stacey, the wife of my coworker Dane. They live very close to our work, and Dane graciously hung out with the boys for the first part of lunch so that Stacey & I could have some focused time together. I'm so incredibly blessed to know her, share sweet godly time with her, and laugh together as I accidentally squirted juice from an orange into my eye.

Yup...totally did that.

Once Dane needed to get back {because I'd run late in getting over there} I relished in playing with her 3 boys, but I must say that their 5 month old boy Jeremiah has totally wrapped me around his finger. From the day she let me give him his first ever bottle, to this day when he smiled, cooed, and laughed at me - my heart totally melts when I'm around him.

When I leaned in to wipe his drool and very slight spit-up from his chin with my thumb, Stacey was amazed and said "Wow, now that's love!!"

And I thought, "oh... I didn't even think about it."

Perhaps it's the fact that I'm not around it constantly or have my own kids to do it to, but I just react anymore with my maternal instincts, no matter the child. It's become like second nature.

Or perhaps that's because the kids I am around the most - Parker & Nolan - have both had a history of being the biggest spitter-uppers and droolers known to mankind....

I can't fully explain how much I love kids that aren't even related to me. My heart just boils over with glee. It melts in total love and grace. But I'm not talking about strangers kids or just anyone I come into contact with.

I'm so thankful for these opportunities that allow me to spoil and love on the kids of friends. The kids of the people I work with every day and consider like family.

And I'm especially thankful for all of these unexpected friendships. I'm always amazed that these people even want to be my friends, and sometimes I probably drive them all bonkers with trying to arrange getting together for fear that they'll soon realize what a nutcase I am and decide to stay away from me forever.

Thankfully they haven't wised up. Yet.

For as long as they're all in my lives, I am eternally grateful.  

And will continue to wipe their kids' drool off their chins without even realizing it. 

It's Over - I Can Breathe Again

My biggest commitment of the year was over after yesterday morning. 

There's much to tell, but I'm too exhausted. It's been a long, draining, difficult month, but it all went very smoothly. God was glorified, we had over 450 runners & walkers, gorgeous weather, and an amazing time.

I'm back to normal breathing again ;) and will post more later. Thanks for all your support & encouragement over these past several months. We're just really glad it went over without a hitch!!