44!
I am now old! I celebrated my 44th birthday yesterday. Every one asks, "do you feel older?" I have decided that one only feels as old as one acts! Age is a state of the mind. I kow some really young 60 year olds and some really old 25 year olds.

I believe that you become the people that you hang around and the books you read. I am currently spending alot of time with my nine year old and reading Dr. SUess! Just kidding...

Birthdays are another day to be reminded of the great gift of life that we have in Jesus. He was born in order to die for us. What were you born for? To complain and whine? OR .. to create and rejoice? Surround yourself with people and books that will enable you to be a creator and rejoicer. Celebrate you God has made you and what He created you for!

For Women Only!

Okay so I read this quote the other day and it was so great that I wanted to share it with you! Of course I will have to comment also!

" I find it amazing that a woman would marry a man and then complain because he continues to act like one"! - Created to be His Help Meet, Debi Pearl

I love this statement! Because it is so true! We begin at a young age dreaming of the man we are going to marry. What will he look like? What will he do? What will his name be? What will our kids look like? What will I wear on my wedding day?! Then we begin the search for the perfect man. We may search long and hard or it may be a short and sweet search. When we find the perfect man, we are overjoyed! Life will begin now!

A short time into the marriage, reality hits! ( the time will be different for everyone!) He is not what I expected! I thought he was the perfect man and now I found out he is just a man?

EXACTLY!!!! He is a man. The man you dreamed of your entire life so quit your complaining! I do get tired of wives who want their husbands to be more like a woman, sharing emotions, being touchy feely, domestic, able to multi-task, care about colors and decorating. OR WHATEVER! You married a man and that is what he is.

Celebrate today the man God created and gave to you!

Things kids say!

The other evening we had sat down to a family dinner, Torrey and Grace were keeping us in stitches with their recounts of the day. Torrey began to impart his knowledge of probabilties that he is learning in school. He was sharing with us that there is a 4.5% chance that he will meet his future wife on the Celebrate Cruise in November. To which Grace replied, without missing a step, " yeah and there is a 4.5% chance that I will marry a prince."!

Today as I was chauffering both kids to school, Grace to a friend's after school, Torrey to a job ( can't wait unti he is driving!), and then back again...I realised that I would not change the privilege God has granted me in having these two hilariously funny and amazingly intellligent human beings in my life. Don't get me wrong, there are many moments I would let someone else have them! But only for a season!

Family is a both a gift and a privilege that God has granted each of us. Whether you are a parent, an aunt, an uncle, a grandma, a grandpa....we have been blessed with family.

Celebrate your famiy with us at Celebrate's newest conference just for families of all shapes and sizes! Celebrate Your Family in November at Boyne Mountain in MIchigan! Check out www.celebratenet.com for more details!

Hormones! In our house, when hormones are kicking in...Laura's alter ego appears! Her name is MONE - A ( pronounced "mona") Jay figured he could not very well take the beginning of this word and name her alter ego! Plus moaning is what I do! Actually moaning and much groaning. I have always been a low key person in comparison to the other people in my household. Lately, thought MONE-A is a frequent visitor. I must be honest and say she is not a very welcome one either.

In my younger days, I used to hear older women talk about the changes they experienced with hormones and I laughed! I always said I was not going to be that way. I was sure one could conquer this very ugly hormone battle that wages within! I WAS WRONG!

The other evening, MONE-A appeared out of nowhere and viciously attacked( verbally) my dazed and confused husband! It was like an out of body experience. On the one hand I was cheering MONE-A on and on the other hand I was ready to slap her! When it was over, Jay and I went to sleep overwhelmed with the reality of this visitor who seemed to have taken over my body! The next morning, it was comical yet scary!

This morning, two days after our night time visitor, Jay decided to offer me words of manly wisdom. He looked at me directly in the eyes and said, " Honey, you got to get control of MONE-A"!!!! I laughed so loudly, that I offended him. He was serious, and so was I ! Like I can control her!

Life is not always funny. Love is not always ooey-gooey. Yet, in spite of circumstances, we know that the Lord is in control! He can give us the grace and mercy to live with the MONE-A in our life. ( or whatever alter ego may exist within your or your spouse!)

Here I am all alone!

Well, it is Tuesday evening and I am in the house alone! Peace and quiet! I can hear the trees blowing in the wind outside and there is no added yelling, "MOM, make Torrey leave me alone" Heaven on Earth? Maybe?! It is kind of lonely....

I have realized that even in the chaos of everyday; the arguing and the whining, children are a blessing! I find myself somedays wishing for the day they leave for college and then days like today finding myself holding that day off as long as possible!

School starts next week, and usually I am ready for that wonderful day! Yet, tonight in the quiet, I am actually looking forward to the morning noise that will accompany the early wake up call...." Give me just 10 more minutes!" Grace's classic line is, " Mom, Torrey is looking at me." Okay, so maybe I am not ready school to start!

Rejoice in the noise, in the chaos, in the arguing, and the whining!