68/365 RIP PUMPKIN TROUBLE QUINN

This is one of my favorite pictures.  I found it funny.  Pumpkin lost in deep thought on my exercise bike. 

He loved our soft blankets.  He would cuddle, purr, and knead his paws in the blanket.  We buried him in one of his favorite blankets. 

He loved our green blanket.  I loved this picture he was hugging gabrielle's feet.  She loved to have him sleep with her. 

This is after a bath.  We locked him in the bathroom because the time before he peed our bed in anger at the bath.  When he got out of the bathroom he wanted Mike's attention so badly.  He was made at me because I bathed him. 

This was taken last month.  He was not a fan of tight hugs.  Sometimes to drive him crazy I would pick him up and hug and kiss him.  He never attacked but he always looked mad. 

He was not a fan of taking a bath but he loved to lay in the bath.  He always loved to play with water.  He was constantly making messes with his water dish.  He would play with mine or gabrielle's bubbles in our baths. 

He was a wonderful cat.  He loved to climb in search of food or ribbons.

Pumpkin Trouble Quinn died suddenly this morning around 6am.  No one knows what happen.  God chose to take our Pumpkin.  He was only 3 years old.  He was a sweet, plump, happy cat.  Our household is filled with sadness.  Dallas keeps looking for him.  Gabrielle has lost her first pet which is a very painful time.  Mike is crushed.  I'm sadden because all in all he was my cat.  He liked me most and let me do stuff that he would never let the others do (ie bathing, ear cleaning, hugs)  He lived a short but full life.  He made a big impact on our family.  We buried him in one of his favorite blankets under my favorite lilac bush.  He will forever be missed. 

67/365 prayer and butterflies

"Butterflies are huge with me. I think it all started at church camp when someone told me that every time you see a butterfly it means someone is praying for you.  That touched me. So when I had gabrielle, I did her room in butterflies. That way she would be surrounded in prayers. She got to pick out the bedding for her soon to come big girl bed and she picked purple butterflies....that's my girl. When we were in Mexico we went on our tour and saw a very old cemetery. Our tour guide told us that there is a legend about Monarch Butterflies. It is believed that they are the souls of the warriors who are bringing messages back to the gods. I thought that was amazing. I saw so many butterflies in Mexico. I knew it was God's way of letting me know that gabrielle was alright" This is actually a blog I posted on myspace (remember the days of myspace?) on 9/25/07 right after our honeymoon in Mexico.  

Butterflies are still important to me.  The pictures in this blog are from different things in gabrielle's room.  She still loves butterflies, but she's added monkeys to the mix.  Her room is butterfly/monkey covered.  I still like to believe when you see a butterfly, it means someone is praying for you.  I am so blessed to have to so many people praying for me and what is going on in my life right now.  It amazes me how much people care.  I know God answers prayers in His time.  Sometimes the answer isn't what we want it to be.  Often it is not as quick as we want it to be, but it is all part of His plan.  For now I just keep praying.  And if I ever need to see butterflies to be reassured that others are praying too I can just go to gabrielle's room.  

65/365 Putting my trust in God

Tonight our family devotional was about trusting God.  The Bible story was about Moses parting the Red Sea.  It was about how all the Israelite people gave up on God because Pharaoh's army had them trapped by the Red Sea.  Then God used Moses to part the Red Sea.  The Bible verse was "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." Psalm 20:7  At church Pastor Mike said that some of us are not great at praying all the time.  We become great at praying during the really rough times.  I have been guilty of both, not putting all my trust in God and not praying as hard/often in the good times.  I'm learning.  This last year I have felt like Job, where every time I think things can't get worse they do.  You name it. I've been through it.  I have been attacked on every front physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  It started last March with Mike's emergency surgery.  Then the Mother's Day from heck occurred.  Everything spiraled out of control from there.  Sometimes we just don't listen to God.  Mike Baker talked about praying hard enough and long enough God will answer.  Baker said he will either answer by slamming doors shut or opening them.  I have seen God slam doors in my face this past year.  It made me feel abandoned.  Today I realized He slammed those doors because He was steering me in another direction.  I believe He is slamming the doors because I wasn't listen to Him.  I wasn't following His whisperings, so He yelled at me.  I'm learning God. I'm listening to your doors slamming and watching the new doors opening.  I'm going to trust you.  My family is going to trust and lean on you.

My picture of the day is a wonderful present I got from a high school friend for graduation.  This has been in every dorm room, apartment, and house I have lived in.  It sits in my kitchen.  It is the Lord's Prayer.  When I'm lost for words, I cry out the Lord's Prayer over and over.  It is comforting.  I know that God is listening to my heart even when I can't form the words. 

63/365 wearing blue

Today is National Colon Cancer Awareness Day.  You are suppose to wear blue to raise awareness.  I lost my grandfather and several other family members to this cancer.  I have a friend whose mother is battling it now.  So we are wearing blue today to raise awareness.  I have several friends taking part in walks/runs to raise money for colon cancer research.  If you are interested in donating let me know.  I can get you some information. 

62/365 prayer bottle

In our family devotional today the activity was a prayer bottle, kind of like a message in a bottle.  I think this is great.  Small children and even us grown ups have a hard time with linking prayers and their answers.  This does it!  We wrote 2 prayer requests.  Gabrielle came up with one. Mike and I came up with one together.  Then we wrote them down and put them in the bottle.  Every time we see the bottle we will be reminded to pray about the needs.  It also encouraged us to write possible solutions to the problems and put them on the bottle.  We came up the solutions but it won't stick to the bottle.  So we placed it under the bottle.  When that problem is solved, we can see how God answers our prayers.  Then we put another one in it.  I thought this was a great idea. 
PS The bottle is from a caffeine free crush soda:) I'm still caffeine free. YEA! Over a month caffeine free!

61/365 prayer

This is my beat up Bible, my go to Bible.  I was given this for Christmas 1994 from my mom.  I no longer take it out of the house because it is falling apart but it is my reference Bible.  The Bible that I study.  I feel right now that I'm going through spiritual war fare.  I feel under attack.  I feel Satan tempting me.  I'm trying to do the right thing.  I'm trying to sink myself and my family into the Bible and into prayer.  Today I focused on my prayer books and Matthew.  I felt that was where God was leading me.  My Beth Moore prayer book hit the nail on the head today.  Here's her pray entry for today: "You're teaching me that pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those that take advice (Proverbs 13:10). Help me to discern the pride that is involved when I am quarrelsome.  Father, You've said that to fear the Lord is to hate evil.  You hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior, and perverse speech (Proverbs 8:13).  Help me to have a healthy fear of You that abolishes pride and arrogance."  That is my prayer today.  That I set aside any pride or arrogance that I have.  I also pray that I can continue to "But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) and "If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. "(Matthew 5:39) I pray today for the strength to rid myself of any pride and arrogance.  I pray that I turn my other cheek.  I pray that I can learn to not only pray for my enemies but also love them, because God loves them too. 

60/365 family devotions

I bought this family devotional about 2 years ago.  We have done most of them.  Gabrielle decided she wanted to start it again.  So we are doing one devotional a night as a family.  I love this devotional because it draws everybody in by the questions it asks and the fun activities that goes with each one.  Plus who doesn't love the Veggie Tales?  I read the devotional and get everything ready while Mike is at work and gabrielle is at school.  Then after dinner, we do one.  I can just feel us growing closer to God and to each other. 

On a side note, I'm really struggling with people who aren't Christians but are judging me.  People who think Christians are suppose to be a perfect example of what Jesus was like when he was here on earth.  I'm human.  I have made mistakes.  I'm working on becoming a better me and a stronger Christian.  It's hard when there are people out there that bring out all the worse parts of me.  I have to pray harder to not let those people effect me like that.  I need to keep practicing "pray for your enemy" and "turn your other cheek".  It's hard forgiving someone who keeps doing the same mean things to you over and over.  I just try to remember the passage in the Bible where a person asks God how many times are you suppose to forgive someone who sins against you.  And Jesus said the law says 7 times but I say 7times7 times.  I have to keep forgiving.  It's hard but I'm working on it.  And I have to pray that God uses me to show his love to that person.  I also have to pray that I will not sink to the level of being mean back to that person.  I will turn my other cheek.