Call Day

We are staying in Iowa! In fact it’s Central Iowa, much closer to Grandma and Grandma and our sweet nephews and nieces. This makes us very happy! We are also thrilled to have a (insert our denomination) school. Luke’s class will be combined with another grade to make about 20 students, so it is small. We feel this will be great for him and perhaps will be more focused if less bored by being able to listen to the 6th graders’ instruction. Either way he will receive the Word on a daily basis and we are thrilled. Leah is so excited to enter Kindergarten this fall, but will be happy it’s a smaller classroom and also hear of Jesus’ love!

Hopefully, I can change my profile to read …. Back in Hospice. The hospice house is smaller… but I will try to work PRN or at least volunteer to get my foot in the door and hopefully a job will come in God’s timing. I will be working full time (in 1 or 2 jobs) as the student loans come due… but since my baby will be leaving me for the big exciting world of Kindergarten, my role as Mommy will change and a paycheck will mean more!
Ed is so excited about his possibilities, however still wants’ to keep his focus on Shepherding our vicarage church as they are just starting their call process for a experienced Pastor who could also supervise a vicar to meet their needs.
There are so MANY BLESSINGS in our new call, that we (and Grandma) are GRATEFUL! One challenge is to find a home as there is not a parsonage. We plan to find a small house to rent, until we can find the perfect house to buy. Actually owning our own home will be a blessing once the process is complete.
GOD IS GOOD! He has also blessed us tremendously with wonderful friends and family to support and encourage us along the way. THANK YOU!!

Camera trouble

Sorry no pictures for the last posts. Long sad story... and I don't want to get
even more irritated :-) Just think of 2 little gremlins taking a video to summit to America*s Funnei*st Home V*ideos. Yeah..... gotta love them. Pictures are still taken, but have to be edited due to a black shadow across the top. I'll add them to the posts later. Breathe Mom, Breathe.

Seminary City

We have been so excited to visit Seminary City for Call day. I find this so surprising because in 2005, I never thought we’d call Seminary city home. We lived in an old damp “townhouse”, that was more like a small apartment with the bedrooms up a flight of stairs. I am embarrassed to admit I have been so spoiled that I was so unhappy in an apartment. Many of God’s people can serve him while living in a tent, but I need a house. That is the reality, as ugly as it is. We were so MUCH happier in a house with a basement for storage and a backyard to play. I also made it to hospice and left hospital nursing for the hospice house and wonderful Christian and supportive co-workers. Somehow Seminary City became home and we still have twinges of homesickness. Vicarage town has so many blessings and I’m sure I will be saying the same until our new home fits around us.

Seminary city has so many luxuries… like Targets and Walgreens and multiple free family activities and milder weather and dear friends that “get” what being a seminarian it and “get” how thrilling and scary is to put our faith in God’s plans for us. We have a list of people we want to see and places we want to visit “one last time”.

As we are driving in to Seminary City… even just the county suburbs… Luke says he feels choked up and could cry “happy tears”. Of course he is too grown up to cry, but not to grown up to feel he should be allowed to stay here forever! He plans an afternoon visit to his former school and a playdate and finish the week with a Boy Scout rally. Hopefully a visit will be healing and fun…. But not too fun to make him want to stay forever! Leah wants to see her friend “HSM girl” and play, play, and then play some more. She wants to see the elephant named after her, play at some favorite parks and check out a kid’s museum. Mom wants to her former coworkers and a special patient who “graduated” from hospice and generally see her family have a relaxing and enjoyable vacation that “heals homesickness”. Dad has some shopping to do at the bookstore and graduation details to work out. He has a bunch of friends to reconnect with a wants a taste of his favorite coffee.
On the trip here we stopped for a wonderful lunch with friends who have graduated from the sem and have started a great life. They are such an inspiration and still give us great support. When we were leaving, Ed said “did you get your Kate fix”. Nope… I could have had twice as long! Hopefully, our new call will be closer and I can get my “fix” more often!

Stay tuned…. our next post will be Call day!

I love being close to these 3!!!

My sister, S, aunt J and the 3 C musketeers came for a weekend visit. I was all set to take some night time feedings, but after the one o’clock, her “baby meowing” over the monitor was waking Ed (who had to preach at 8 AM.) So I moved the monitor to her Mommy’s room and didn’t her the nighttime party my sister and her daughter had until it was shared with me in the morning!

If you remember, the crib leaving left a serious case of baby desire. Miss Princess and Little guy have fixed that. I can love them, spoil them, and give them back at bedtime! I am too old and too set in my middle aged, mother of school aged children routine. My sister makes beautiful babies, I’ll just fix my baby cravings through her!
We had a wonderful visit, with some highlights….

We all went to my Mom’s grave and did spring cleanup. The 5 year old’s had lots of questions about the Grandma their Mommies keep speaking so lovingly about. They really didn’t get that Grandma is in heaven with Jesus, but her body is in the ground under the pretty red gravestone. We talked about the special part that made Grandma, the Grandma who would love them. I shared with that I believe… S and I had to wait so long for our babies, because Grandma J just didn’t want to share them with us! She was holding and playing with them in Heaven. Leah listens attentively and then announces to Lightening McQueen (also 5), "SHE LOVED ME BEST!". Oh my, I told her Grandma loved all her grandchildren equally. I could have pointed out that since Princess was the last to come to earth... Grandma held her longest. (I can't wait until my husband reads my take on this.... I'm sure theology is much different!

After the cemetery, we went to revisit the small town Aunt J grew up. S and I also have great memories of our Dad's childhood home until it was sold when I was 10. I was across the street, taking pictures of the fantastic job the latest owners did. And the owner came out to ask me why.... I explained who I was and that my aunt was so interested in what he had did (it really was awesome) and he invited her in!!! The new family was so interested in the history and stories of the house, that they benefited also. I stayed with the babies (all 5) and we went to the park I played at 30 plus years ago! Many good memories.

Then we took the kids to a cousin's farm to see the cattle. The kids loved the cows. It made S and me realize exactly what city slickers we were raising.
**Luke was swinging a dried corn stalk.... and commented what weak Bamboo it was!
**Lightening McQueen and Leah were holding their noses... despite us telling them it "smelled like money."
Princess slept through it all...... But Little Man... all 2 years of him.... wanted a big cow. All the way home.... "Cow, Cow... peaz cow". Maybe Grandpa will get a little farmer yet.

Blog block

This is a severely neglected blog. Poor thing, you could call blog welfare and it still would be neglected. My head and heart just don’t have the energy to find the words to describe the call process. I am really trying to put my faith and trust in God. I feel like I’m doing it and then I break out in zits (won’t they be lovely for Call Day!) I love Chris Rice… and this song gives me comfort and makes sense to me.

The Chorus.....

Why does the past always seem safer?
Maybe because at least we know me made it
And why do we worry about the future?
When every day will come just the way the Lord ordained it
You can believe it, yeah, just like the 8th grade

You may have noticed the change from KLove to Luke 12 last month. I truly know God is in control. Thanks to GOD!, if I was in control... what mistakes could be made. Praise to God for his faithfulness and prayers for help to keep trust in HIM! I a prayer that Call Day comes quickly!

Easter Highlights

What a wonderful (yet busy) Easter

Highlights (since this is obviously backdated)

Ed is exhausted after his first time ever preparing and preaching 4 sermons in 8 days. He did a wonderful job and was so enthusiastic with sharing HE IS RISEN!

The church is beautiful! We had a great breakfast that the youth prepared (just like our former home church)

AND GRANDMA is here (she brought Grandpa and Jessi too). It is so wonderful to be close enough for visits like this. We had a nice dinner with my Aunt C and Cousin J also. I only burned the top of the potato casserole a little and the rest of the food was good. Thanks Grandma and Aunt C for the help!

I need to add one story that Jessi would kill me about... but here goes, because she just might think you'd convince me she was right.

At bedtime, the night before sunrise service, Grandma asks to see the outfit Jessi plans to wear. Nice broom textured skirt. Nice black tube top.... with a red bra underneath. Ahem... Jessi that's not appropriate for our country church, especially on Easter. She was suppose to be getting her clothes back on the go to Wally World, but I go into Leah's room to find her texting someone rapidly about how mean and weird Grandma and Aunt Patty is. Next to her is my Leah, chin in hands, just as dejected posture as Jessi has. She agrees with Jessi!! We are so in trouble when Leah is 15 (if not before). I'm hoping the princess dresses stay around a long time... anyway. Off to Wallyworld they go, and bring back a nice black cover up jacket. At church, Ed comments "You look so nice", Jessi mutters under her breath.... Yeah, I look Amish! We are so glad she came to visit, even if she had to dress like a young Amish women to fit it!

Today, I went for my post op visit.... all is well. Boy, do I recommend a robotic surgery! Still planning for Call Day. We are excited!~

Good times! I went shopping for an Easter/Call Day/Graduation Dress. A little history: I hate shopping. I didn't really like even when I was a size 6 and had a little discretionary spending in our budget. I didn't know how good I had it!

To make a long depressing story short and to the point. I had a coupon for Jc Penny, and I needed a conservative dress. I took every black and white dress in my size into the dressing room and locked myself in until I had two dresses that I could live with. Then my Mother in law and my daughter could tell me which one was the best.

My mother in law liked this one.




My daughter liked this one.



I liked how this one's belt draws the eye away from my ample bust.... so it won out and good thing as Leah's favorite was being worn by a much older women on Easter Morning in the choir! WHEW! I HATE shopping!

Cousins

Meet the whole family!!! I am PRAYING to be even closer to them. Since we have returned to Iowa, we see them every 6 weeks or so and we miss them even more. My sister is having a ball with pink in her laundry now and Princess has grown so much in the past 2 weeks. I feel like I'm missing out.


Lightening McQueen is starting soccer, finishing preschool, wanting sleep overs at Aunt Patty's and is over all a great guy!! He just turned 5, 4 months younger than Leah. He is a huge fan of his big cousin, Luke.

"Snuggle Bug" is now "Little Man", but I was strongly leaning towards the AKA of Tazmanian Devil (somedays I may still call him TAZ) He just turned 2. We were worried he wouldn't like giving up his baby role to Princess, but is handling the adjustment pretty well!

Now for some Pink from the Princess!

Watch Out for the ICE

Well the storm did hit. But it did not leave 6-12 inches of wet snow. The warmer roads melted most all and the mushy dusting on the grass melted by mid day. Ed was able to complete confirmation. Now the children are just being pelted with little torpedoes of ice falling off the trees and roof. Weird!! Hopefully spring is just right around the corner. Spring for Easter would be great!!!!

Weather Warning

I believe a weather front is moving in. Nurses always know when it's a full moon without following a calender or even checking out the window. Nurses just KNOW!

Teachers know too.

*It takes multiple whistles to call the children to line up at recess, when usually just raising a hand will do.
*In some of the special ed rooms - hitting and screaming makes all of the teachers walk just out of child arm range.
* I overheard another teacher announce in the hallway outside of our room - "We do not throw chairs in Kindergarten". I will never be as wise as a teacher.... but Yep I don't think we'll dodge this bullet... a huge storm is coming!