Girlfriend Time

A few weeks ago, my high school girlfriends and I got together. Last year we met at Tassel Ridge Winery which is closer to Allyson and I, so this year we met at Fireside Winery, which is a little closer to Nicky and Sarah. As an added bonus, it is just up the road from the Williamsburg Outlet mall (so I left early and shopped a bit, of course!!).

It’s a nice winery, with a lovely view of the vineyards. I didn’t take any pictures of those, but I did take a picture of Nicky and Sarah attempting to start our fire pit fire. Unfortunately, they were both unsuccessful, even with Nicky’s fire safety background and Sarah’s vast camping experience. I happen to think that there wasn’t any kindling to start small with so it really wasn’t a failure on their part, but what do I know? I just sat back with Allyson and took pictures.

As we talked and caught up, we were entertained by the band, Pro Musica. They played a nice mix of songs and were all around great.

Our favorite wine of the day was Brianna, a semi-sweet white. It was slightly more dry than sweet.

Again, we closed up the place. A few people even thought we were sister pairs: Allyson and Sarah and Nicky and I. After we explained, they encouraged us to continue to get-together, which we plan to do!

I Drove a Tractor

No kidding! I really did drive a tractor. I’ve got pictures to prove it!

Bill and I were up working on my uncle’s farm. At the end of the day, Bill called me over and gave me my first tractor driving lesson.

First off, there is no key to start it. You pull two button things to start it. Then you press the clutch with your left foot, the two brake pedals with your right, maneuver it into gear with whatever hand you choose, then slowly push the throttle lever forward with your right hand. That’s it. Off you go. Easy Peasy.

Well, eventually. After a few hundred times, I suppose. Bill showed me how, rode with me a turn, then hopped off to man the camera while I sat there pressing with all my might to get the clutch fully in, both brake pedals pushed in with my other foot, throttle, gear-shifting, all while trying not to fall off the seat. These tractors are not made for 5’4” lightweights. He could have taken a month’s worth of pictures while waiting for me!

But once I got it going- see my goofy grin? You’d think I’d just discovered diesel power for all mankind!

Finally came my backwards driving test! Look at my concentration. Apparently I was bound and determined to make up for years of no backwards driving in one single effort! LOL! And, I was just backing up into an empty space, not hitching up to anything.

Don’t get your hopes up, folks. I’m not going to be leading any parades, apple orchard jaunts, or hayrack rides anytime soon. In fact, probably never!!

Oh- I do know how to stop. Throttle back, brakes, clutch in, neutral, buttons in. I’m pretty sure, at least.  

Atalissa Harescramble

That’s right, folks, another race. This one was near Atalissa, IA, which is just east of Iowa City. Since it was close enough, we got up early, 5:00 early to get there. *yawn*

Let me show you a little of what prepping for a race looks like.

Pack the coolers as much as possible: lot’s of water, Gatorade, pop, chips, granola/protein bars, chips, cookies

The rest goes in the fridge: breakfast burritos(to be heated up in the morn), sandwiches, cheese sticks, yogurt, veggies, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, cold Mt. Dew (Bill’s “coffee”)

Load the trailer: two motorcycles, tools to fix bikes, gas, riding clothes, change of clothes, folding chairs, folding canopy, bicycles for the boys to ride afterwards. Yep- it’s dark out. Our neighbors are used to being lulled to sleep by the sound of Brrraaaapppppppp on Saturday nights now as Bill tweaks the bikes just before race day.

The kids lay out clothes to quick change in the morning. Everything else is lined up by the door reading to grab and go. Man, leaving at 6 a.m. is early! You don’t want to be hunting down something as you’re half awake when you’re trying to leave!

Once at the race, everything comes out of the trailer and set up. Audrey is my canopy wing-man. She and I set it up and make everything settled.

The laundry baskets are our solution to riding gear and change of clothes for Bill and Ben. My laundry gets dumped out every Saturday before a race. Bill is sneaky about it. I never see him do it until I look in the closet and see the pile of clothes. I’m all “What?!” and then I remember where the baskets have gone to. (No, I’m not buying another set because then we would just have to store those until the next race and have you seen my garage? I’ve got 6 motorcycles 6 bicycles, a tool bench, a weight bench, a treadmill, various other sports gear, a wagon, scooters, motorcycle paraphernalia galore and more! Where would I store them?)

Notice also, that it is light out. When we loaded up the night before, it was not. When we left, it was not. When we got there, it was. Can you hear it ? “La da da dee da da, La da da dee da da”  Brrrraaaaapppppppp!!!!! *sigh* It was lovely while it lasted.

If you forget food, extra clothes, the camera, chairs, etc. you’ll be fine. You’ll survive. They usually have a concessions type place there, hosted by the race sponsors. But the one bag, the two things you must never, ever forget is this!

What is in it? Look up at the unloading trailer picture again. Where are the races held? In a field! There is no running water in a field (besides a creek). There are no facilities. Well, I guess there are plenty of trees but that’s only going to serve guys to a limited extent. So this bag besides containing sunscreen, bug spray, paper towels, and other stuff, has toilet paper and hand sanitizing wipes. Three “portable toilets”, as Luke calls them, with two rolls of T.P. each is not going to last long for full day of racing. It’s always BYOTP! Now, do I need to explain the hand wipes? I didn’t think so.

Okay, Okay. On to the actual races!! Ben is definitely gunning for finishing well and he and his two buds duke it out on the course. He was second into the hole shot (which was his best start yet!), got passed, but then passed him back with some smart, aggressive riding and was closing in on the leader when time ended, so he finished 2nd!

Bill’s race was going to be dusty because it has been so dry and truthfully, I was a little worried. It gets dangerous when you can’t see. But, it turned out ok. Bill had his best start but got caught by a branch and then sandwiched later on which then put him behind where he wanted to be. He didn’t let that stop him, though and decided to just go after it, and fought his way back to 3rd!

Proud of my boys!

 

For Those With Enemies

This is going to be a long one. I’m writing out of the overflow of my life, my heart, what God is teaching me.  I write in no way boasting of myself but only by the power of the Spirit. I hope you will be encouraged, moved and brought to repentance and then to thankfulness and praise.

My Psalm reading for the day brought me to Psalm 37. For me it compared and contrasted righteousness and wickedness. (This is gonna get ugly. If I had Audrey here to help, she could make me one of those Wordle things because I think that would fit Psalm 37 perfectly. Alas, she’s not here. Bear with me.)

Of the Righteous

• Do not fret
• Do not be envious
• Trust in the Lord
• Do good
• Dwell in the land
• Enjoy safe pastures
• Delight in the Lord
• Commit your way
• Trust in Him
• Be still
• Wait patiently
• Do no fret
• Refrain from anger
• Turn from wrath
• Do no fret
• Hope in the Lord
• will inherit the land
• enjoy great peace
• better to have little
• days are known
• inheritance will endure forever
• will not wither
• will enjoy plenty
• Give generously
• will inherit the Lord
• will not fall
• never forsaken
• are generous
• lend freely
• children will be blessed
• Turn from evil
• Do good
• Dwell in the land forever
• protected forever
• will inherit the land
• will Dwell in the land forever
• utters wisdom
• speaks what is just
• law of God in his heart
• feet do not slip
• will not be condemned
• Wait for the Lord
• Keep his ways
• inherit the land
• see the wicked cut off
• Consider the blameless
• Observe the upright
• a future for the man of peace
• Take refuge in Him

Of the Lord

• give you the desires of your heart
• makes righteousness shine
• upholds the justice of your cause
• laughs at the wicked
• upholds the righteous
• blesses
• curses
• makes his steps firm
• loves the just
• will not forsake faithful ones
• will not leave evil in power
• salvation of righteous
• stronghold in time of trouble
• helps them
• delivers them
• saves them

Of the Wicked

• will soon wither
• will soon die
• will be cut off
• will be no more
• their day is coming
• swords will pierce own heart
• bows will be broken
• power will be broken
• will perish
• beauty will vanish
• will be cut off
• offspring will be cut off
• soon pass away
• could not be found
• will be destroyed
• future will be cut off

The list for the wicked extends back into Psalm 36

There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong. 36: 1-4

Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. Philippians 3: 18-19

Now turn back to Psalm 36 again. It’s a jolt. It comes right on the heels of the description of the wicked.

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heaven, your faithfulness to skies. Your righteousness is like the might mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love. 36: 5-6

Whoa! Unexpected. Why would David switch gears so suddenly? Because the Lord loves. He does not love the wickedness in man- that He detests, hates. And when the fullness of time has come, those who have chosen wickedness, themselves over and over instead of repenting and turning to the Lord, will be “thrown down”. But until then, He does not want any to perish. (2 Peter 3:9) He loves them.

To those who know him, he continues his love, he lifts up, pours blessings, overflowing their life now, certainly, but also forever more.

But for the wicked, the unrepentant, his hand is heavy. It takes the very life out of their bones. Read Psalm 38.

So what to do? For the wicked, for the sinner caught, troubled by their sin- confess your iniquity. (Iniquity means wickedness, sin- dictionary.com)

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I will confess my transgressions to the Lord- and you FORGAVE THE GUILT OF MY SINS.” Psalm 32:5-6

“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7

For the righteous, for me, struggling with the “Eerrgh!”, the apparent flourish of the wicked, the pain that comes with it all-

Repent, for remember, you too, were once enemies

“For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

Love

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Matthew 6:26, 27

Hope

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.” Psalm 33:20-22

I write all these things because I NEED THEM!! I MUST BE REMINDED!! I’ve longed prayed, cried out, been desperate. I wanted an answer that brought me the truth. Not fluffy stuff. It’s meaty. It’s hard. It hurts- deep down. But I want God’s glory reflected in me and I will give up my pain because I want to be mature, complete, not lacking anything. (James 1) I will count my pain as loss for the sake of knowing Him. (Philippians 3) I will slip. I will mess up. I will still cry with tears in eyes because until He returns this will be our struggle,  our flesh. My soul cries out, but my flesh fails.

He has answered me. And someday, when His word is complete, when it has accomplished what He has desired, and achieved it’s purpose, I will

GO OUT IN JOY AND BE LED FORTH IN PEACE; THE MOUNTAINS AND HILLS WILL BURST INTO SONG BEFORE YOU AND ALL THE TREES OF THE FIELD WILL CLAP THEIR HANDS. Isaiah 55: 11, 12 

 

Sports Kids

I’ve actually been mulling over a few post ideas- but they haven’t come to fruition because they take time to develop, write out, edit, etc. and I’m a bit busy these days. Yes, busy with a myriad of things that take me away from composing thorough ideas, but also busy with these sweet three. We’ve been traveling all over central Iowa watching their sports endeavors and here are some favorite pics of mine.

My girl is hanging in there for her cross country meets. She only lets me cheer for her when she away from me, not close up.

Ben is just as intense in soccer as his motorcycle races. His body moves strongly and athletically across the fields. I love to watch him.

Luke’s first year of soccer is going well. Our little social bug loves hanging out with his team…

and cheering when the “Tomatoes” score!

He’s very entertaining to watch. We’re not sure where he got this idea…

but it obviously helps him run fast!

FAFINMB Fundraiser Update

That’s short for: For A Friend I’ve Never Met Before

So, I popped in at Tamara’s blog to see how things are going with her fundraisers. Apparently awesome!! Some dear, generous person bought a lot o’puzzle pieces! Wow!

As I poked around, I realized I couldn’t figure out how to donate besides buying the t-shirts and necklaces. What if we wanted to give cash? So I asked Tamara and here’s what she said: 1) to donate directly to her travel expenses write a check to FOVC and mail it to her at 5998 Harding Rd. Elgin, IA 52141 or 2) continue to buy puzzle pieces, 3 at a time for $21 where $14 goes to the Feed Hope famine relief project and $7 goes to her travel expenses.

So let’s keep it up and super thanks for helping Tamara out.

 

Craft Day, September Edition

A look at our most recent craft day…

It always starts with about an hour’s worth of conversation. It just has to.

Then to get started, we peruse the crafting selections. Thanks to Pinterest, besides the options being endless, everyone can read up on directions beforehand.

Usually the first thing to happen is the painting. Chalkboard paint is at the top of the list. We’ll chalkboard paint anything! Last month it was tiles. This month metal trays. Next month- our family. Just kidding.

In Angie’s basement is where the rest of the crafting takes place. And don’t forget the talking.

Here is Nicole working on a button bracelet. She’s doing it the true, genuine way- sewing each individual button on. She’s a do it right kind of gal- but after the umpteenth button she was ready for some hot glue. Girl stuck it out though and finished a super cute bracelet. She got the base ribbon at Hobby Lobby. It’s elastic!! Read her post on craft day here.

Lindsay came and brought her own craft. She was MAKING HER OWN FABRIC!! She cut out the stencil and painted on the duck cloth (I think) to make the fabric. I can’t remember what she said she was going to do with it- either hang it up somewhere or make a pillow. Girl’s got talent, for sure!

Marci helped Angie cut strips of fabric, sew them together and then wrap it around itself until this posy popped up.

Jenn, my neighbor came. I don’t have a picture of Jenn. I don’t have a picture of what she crafted. Why? I don’t know why. It was great! Lucky for us, though, she blogged about it and you can see it. She was pretty happy with how it turned out but still wanted to fuss with it to get it just right. But she had to go home and get her little one down for a nap.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do. Part of the problem is that sometimes you have too many options. On top of that, I’m never quite sure how I’m going to use what I’ve crafted. I’m not really a craft just because I can kind of person. I’m more of craft because I have a need and crafting will fulfill that need kind of person. So I hemmed around a bit but then chose the chalkboard metal tray. I then remembered that I had a garage sale find Scrabble game back home. I ran home, literally and grabbed the game. (I also brought out the garbage for the garbage man, which is why I literally ran home.) When I got back to Angie’s, I placed a magnet on the back of each Scrabble letter and stuck them to my chalkboard tray. Craft done!

For lunch Angie made taco soup which was yummy, however, it was Nicole’s Pumpkin Pie Dip that stole the meal. She served it with fresh apples.

Yay for craft day, friends, food and, of course, fellowship!