All I want for Christmas, part 1.

Now, bare with me as you read this post. This is not some holier than thou post. This is me sharing with you how we've decided to start doing Christmas, and trying to do life, from now on. 

Kyra's birthday is the very end of October. Teagan's birthday is in January. Christmas is smack dab in the middle. Kyra's birthday is completely about her. Teagan's birthday is completely about her. In our family, Christmas is about Jesus. Josh and I have decided to make that our focus. We've both really been pondering how to better steward our money, our time, our children. We've been convicted to be Jesus' hands and feet.  

So, this year, our present to the girls is our adoption of a child from Compassion International. We're excited that we'll have the ability to correspond with our child over the years. We're excited to show the girls how small our world needs to be. We're excited to show them that just because we can't send these children a mattress or a bathtub, we can bathe them in prayers. 

We're also doing this for ourselves. I can't imagine needing anything right now. Sure, I'd love a Target or Starbucks gift card but I'll either buy practical, no fun stuff with it or items none of us need. So, this year, what I want for Christmas is to help an organization that has recently become dear to my heart.  The Exodus Road. They are running a "Season of Rescue" now through November 30th. The idea is to fund 365 days of investigations. 

Here are a few of the packages they've put together. Please prayerfully consider helping out this amazing organization.

Package 1: book, bumper sticker

Package 2: Shirt, book, bumper sticker

Package 3: Sweatshirt, book, bumper sticker 

Package 4: 12 mth subscription to "Search & Rescue" (newsletter), 2 books

Adjustment.

I don't know that hard is exactly the word I'm looking for. I'm not even sure that difficult would cover it either. I think just the word adjustment is enough. We've had a lot of adjusting this week. I started a new job (praise Jesus) and we've had to adjust.
We've had to adjust to the idea of Mommy getting off at 5 o'clock in a DIFFERENT city/county. We've had to adjust to Mommy, Teagan, and Kyra not getting home until almost 30-40 minutes later than usual. We've had to adjust to getting up just a little earlier because Mommy has to be at work in that same-different county by 8-8:30. It's figuring out how dinner is going to work. It's figuring out how our Community Group is going to work/or not work. It's rushing around as soon as we get home in the evenings to eat, bathe, and put the girls to bed so we can get up the next morning without a major meltdown.  There are a lot of things Josh and I are talking about, some hard decisions that are going to have to be decided upon in the next few weeks.
That being said, I am asking for some grace. Whether it's grace that I haven't posted in a week or two. Whether it's grace that I don't get you a text back right away like I normally would. Whether it's a phone call or a Facebook message that I don't return in my normal time frame. We are just in a phase of adjustment right now and life is a little hectic. I'm not giving excuses. I am just asking for a little time to figure out how all this is going to work out; a little time to smooth out some of the rougher edges.

 

The Exodus Road: book giveaway

"I read this book not once, but twice, in a matter of two-three hours. I read it once to myself and then I followed my mom around her house while she cleaned and read it out loud to her. The story is easy to follow but one that stirs your heart and makes it skip beats. ~Rici Reid"

That was my Amazon review for this book, y'all.  I have since read it at least two more times.  Each time I read something I somehow missed the first few times I read it.  Can you imagine for a minute with me, purposely sending your husband or wife into a brothel? A brothel full of sights and sounds and feelings that could never be undone?  A situation that some of the best of men or women you know would decline to go into because they weren't sure of how they would react to the temptation? Can you imagine being their lifeline on the other end of a Skype call and then watching the footage and sharing in their experience because you agreed on accountability? Can you imagining sitting for hours watching footage of under-aged girls and boys being shown like cattle at a farm sale? I couldn't either, until I read this book.  I knew sex-trafficking was happening.  I even knew it was happening closer and closer to home.  It wasn't until I went to Allume and heard Laura Parker speak both to our large crowd and then speaking to her directly that I realized how big this is.  It because one of my "things". I fight for a cure for SMA and now I fight to end human trafficking, with The Exodus Road organization.  A little way I get to do that is give away a free copy of the book "The Exodus Road".  Like I said in my review, it's an easy read but be prepared to sit on the edge of your seat, fists clinched, ready to take an airplane and knock down some doors.  On to the give away....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm not a marathoner...yet.

I was going to write about how embarrassed I am. How angry I am. How disappointed I am. How much I cried. How the fact that I only got to mile 16.5 because my IT band got so tight I couldn't move and had to be brought in by the medic and there were sirens.  How I got a strong scolding from the doctor that looked at my knee when I got to the medic tent.

I've decided not to do that. While I am still upset I'm over it- I will not allow it to bring me down. Instead, I'm going to focus on all the good. The fact that I trained my body well. The fact that even at 16.5 besides my IT band the rest of my body could have made it and made it in a better time than I thought. The fact that my arm kept buzzing with prayers from people who love me. The fact that we exceeded our goal of $1200 for the Getty Owl Foundation. The fact that my parents spent the night at our house so they could watch Teagan and Kyra the morning of the race so they could be comfortable and then meet me at the finish line. The fact that my family was waiting at our house when we got home with arms open wide and a dozen roses. The fact that Teagan and Kyra wanted to make my boo-boo better. They wanted kisses and hugs and for mommy to read them books. The fact that had I kept going I could have done a lot more damage and the doctor told me my other leg would have equal damage for trying to compensate (I'm definitely feeling that compensation this morning). The fact that my sweet husband found me at the 13.1 mile mark and then met me again at the 14 mile mark and walked with me. Holding tight to my hand. Allowing me to lean on him for 2.5 miles; crying but refusing to quit. Telling me that people were still behind us and that it was okay. Telling me we could keep going or stop.  That he would be with me. Talk about my hero for the day.

This whole experience has been a whirlwind. I am sure I will be thankful for it in a day or two. I am currently looking for my next marathon so I can get my 26.2 sticker. I am also planning to go back and punch the Thunder Road Marathon in the face. For now, rest-recover-get back to training is the mode I'm in.

    

Exodus Road Search and Rescue.

Search and Rescue Promo from The Exodus Road on Vimeo.

There are many ways you can help with the mission of the Exodus Road.  This is merely one of them.  Awareness is huge. Prayer is even bigger.  Not everybody can financially contribute and that is understood.  However, talk to your friends, facebook this information, tweet this information, have a designated stop time during your day that you pray for this mission.  Even if we reach "just one" more person with this information-that is one more with the power to do what they can and that is pretty great.  

Spaghetti wrapped in garlic bread.

It might not look pretty but it was "get in my belly" good!! 

One of my mom's best friends and a lady dear to my heart passed on this amazing recipe that I tried the day she sent it my way. It was so good. I've given the ingredients and instructions and then put what I did differently in bold beside. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of thawed dough (used 2 but I think you could easily use something like pillsbury pizza dough) • 6 oz cooked spaghetti (we used more-around 3/4 of a regular box) • 1 cup of any sauce for the spaghetti (we used 1 and a half jars and also added meat to ours. next time we're using sausage too!) • 8 oz of mozzarella cubes (we used shredded and as much as looked right) • parmesan cheese (forgot-it was still good) • 1 egg white, beaten (we used melted butter and garlic salt instead) • parsley or oregano flakes (didn't use) • garlic (used only in the actual spaghetti mixture)

Instructions:

1. Prepare flour onto a counter or use a baking sheet to roll the dough on. 2. Roll out the loaf into a large rectangle, about the thickness of less than an inch. 3. Set the dough at rest by covering it with a plastic wrap for about 12 minutes. 4. Boil spaghetti, drain and let cool. 5. Unwrap dough. 6. Drop the spaghetti in the center into a bundle from one end to the other, length-wise, leaving space on the sides for the folding. 7. Pour the sauce and mozzarella cubes onto the spaghetti. 8. Make even slits on both sides of the dough to create folds or flaps for folding. The flaps should be of the same width and wide enough to hold the filling together without tearing. 9. Fold the top and bottom part over the filling, in order to allow the first flaps to stick onto something. 10. Start folding flaps. Left over right, right over left. 11. Lastly, pull the last strip over and under the bread. 12. Carefully place bread on a large, greased, baking sheet. 13. Brush egg white and top with Parmesan cheese, gralic and parsley/oregano. 14. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 mins. 15. Let it cool before slicing and serving.

Honestly, mine was not pretty. There was no braiding. There was some random pretzel like folding though. Either way, it was a hit. My girls had two servings, my husband had two servings, and my parents ate their humungous sized portion. It was a little time consuming but I think it's something that could be made easier with familiarity and maybe using already made roll out pizza dough. I hope you enjoy! We sure did!

Dearest Kyra Mae.

Dearest Kyra Mae,
I can't wrap myself around the idea of you being 2 already.  You are truly a blessing and a challenge wrapped in a tornado of sweetness and independence.
As you grow up there is more of a bittersweetness then maybe Teagan growing up before you became an outside baby. You are our last, as far as we know or are concerned. I am cleaning out onesies for the last time. We will no longer have size 4 diapers in our house. We have passed the time of the infamous nose sucker. We are moving on to puzzles and babies and figuring out this paci thing.  You are talking and singing and telling me when you have a poopy. You are running after Teagan wanting to be so much like her but trying so hard to show us your own colors. You are getting tall, my little lady! You certainly have more of your daddy in you than me. You have bits of my personality though, so it's going to be interesting to see how that combination works out as you grow up. You have a strong personality which includes a strong will. When you don't like something or don't want to do something, you plop your cute booty down in stubborn protest...you've also been known to catfight a little at school and will not go down without at least a little fight (which we'll talk about a little more as you get older, just FYI).
You have been the last piece to our family puzzle and both your daddy and I feel a sense of completion.  So, little lady, know something- in those moments where I get flustered or your daddy snaps at you or Teagan refuses to share something- we LOVE you. Completely and forever. You have completed our family with gusto and pizazz and we are blessed and thankful for all that you are.

Forever and Always,
Mommy    

Exodus Road.

Tomorrow or Wednesday I'll have suggestions on how to become more involved.  In the meantime, you can check out the website.  Keep searching your hearts, Friends, this is tough stuff...good stuff but tough stuff.