A few more postcard shots!

Here's more pictures...me, of course, being silly. The leaves were just too fun and beautiful to not play in them...few interesting looks from passer-bys...they must be boring people, I'm sure of it!!

Carrie lives in the North Shore area (is that capitalized?? not sure), but the lake is awesome!! Little chilly.

I know...someone should hire me...imagine what I could do with a "real" camera!! Hee Hee!!

Oh yes, and one of my favorites of Maddie! Lovin' it girl!!

back to life, back to reality

I'm home!

Made it back in one piece.

I love spending time with my sister, she's very funny. Sometimes its weird to realize how very much alike but yet different sisters can be!! And her boyfriend, Mark...thanks for teaching me the "art" of canning!!

Thanks for the yummy dinners too!!

(He's very talented with "kitchen things"!!)

Anyways, I had a great time just chillin'...or actually "chilling"...it was upper 30's and low 40's with a wind chill that made me wear 3-4 layers most the entire time!! I loved my time there, but was thrilled to be back in my normal sunny weather! Maybe my skin won't crack after all!!

I did get in one run...4+ miles...yes, wearing 3 layers, feeling like a Eskimo in tennis shoes!! We got some great pictures too...the leaves were incredible!

We had planned to run once more, but it was wet, even colder than the day before and just entirely too windy for my taste!! (even with all the layers on!!) We celebrated and ate "chocolate dreams" instead!! YAY!!

I'll download more pictures later...kids are destroying my office at the moment!! Back to reality!!

Packed, ready to go!!

**update**...ugh...
1:44pm-supposed to be pulling into the airport, I'm not. Delta called. Flight canceled. WHHAATTTT?? Rescheduled for 5pm. *sigh*
1:45pm-kids in bed, sitting on my couch looking at my luggage...bored stiff!! I said...I wanted to be at the AIRPORT with nothing to do, not here in my living room!!
1:47pm-thinking about the "patience is required" comment I made the other day...on the blog previous to this one. Hate it when I have to practice what I preach!!
1:49pm-should I repack my bags, reconsider those brown shoes? Underwear. check. Toothbrush. check. Socks. not sure on the brown ones...better go "check". Speaking of checks...used my last one...maybe I should go order more!!
1:54pm-brown socks. check. ordered checks. "check" on the checks!
bored again...

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Original post:
Signing off for several days...Chicago here I come!! No kids, no responsibilities...just my running shoes, a good book and some cold weather!! Yahoo!! 1pm...I'm outta here!!

I got my camera...If I do anything really exciting...I'll show ya'll when I get back!!

Oh, to just sit at the airport...with NOTHING to do!! I almost can't stand the excitement....

Road Work...consider it pure joy

Do you ever get this feeling in life??

When you realize you are going no where fast, that moment of "I'm gunna be here awhile"!! Construction is occurring...things are being torn down, reworked and rebuilt!! Oh how that "road work ahead" screams "PATIENCE IS REQUIRED" to me!!

And since PATIENCE is my middle name and all...I'm thrilled to death *ahem*!!

So, on my run this morning...by the way...were you wondering how my training is going?? Let me side track myself for a moment...its going fine! Some knee issues (my sister will look at, assess and give me a verdict on the severity this weekend) and a few hip pains...but nothing that has side lined me yet!! 1 1/2 weeks ago, I ran 12.7 miles...did great!! I have another long one (like 14 miles, I think) on Halloween weekend!! Short miles til then...all seems to moving along fairly smoothly, but slowly!! Thanks for asking!! :)

OK, now back to the regular scheduled program (which is much more important!!)...as I was saying...wait, what was I saying...oh, ok there it is...on my run this morning, I was having a mental flash of the "caution, road work ahead" sign...as it pertains to my life at the present!

After fussing with that patience thing for a few minutes...I remembered that the Bible says in James 1:2 "consider it pure joy..." (NIV) and then I looked up the King James Version... it says "count it all joy"!

Joy for me is fun times with the kids...when Dakota wants to snuggle (I know this is going to be NOT COOL very soon), when Ramiro sings "I will make you fishers of men, if you follow me" song, when Andre tells me how much he missed me when I was only gone to CVS for 10 minutes, and when Maddie pulls my chin over towards hers in the middle of the night for a kiss!! This is my idea of joy!! But construction...road work...?? Mostly I don't want to be "reworked"...I don't want my road to be torn down. Consider it JOY??

Our pastor had made this comment that I thought was perfect: God is more interested in the building of your faith than He is in being in a hurry to get you from point A to point B. Read it again. Point A. Point B. He's not in a hurry!! Unfortunate...but perfectly true!

These "trials of many kinds"...yes they will serve a purpose...they are part of the road that's under construction.

His plan, not mine. His timing, not mine. His praise, not mine.

Joy...yes, pure joy.

Count it ALL...pure joy!!

I know God is the master of "building roads"...therefore, I will wait patiently and consider it ALL joy!!

A few more

I just can't help myself...my house is being overtaken by TASSELS!! Like 70 something of these things are needing to find a new home...hopefully the craft fair proves to be helpful in that!!
So...since I am getting several emails about these precious things (pricing, colors, etc), let me add a few more, just to make it harder and more difficult to make a decision, right??
Here's for these:
October pumpkin $15


starfish $15

big ole' fat momma bird $15

my favorite horse $25

cute little girl $15

another adorable horse $25

double hanging acorns $8

Silly santa $13

pear $13

The craft fair is Saturday and Sunday 8am-6pm.

PS...I can custom make these for ya'll too if needed!

My email is: t_jill@bellsouth.net

Today

October 14, 2002

Went to the OB to find out that things were not going well with the baby that I had been carrying for 4 1/2-5 months. Matter of fact, it was very wrong...the heart had stopped...dead silence. An ultrasound I can still see in my mind a this moment. No movement, a heart with no rhythm. However, a placenta that appeared to still be growing.



October 15, 2002

I had surgery, which officially ended the pregnancy. I remember waking up from the anesthesia (slightly confused)...asking the nurse if the baby was ok. Baby Jaydan had already gone to be with our Lord and while we were grieving...I knew that "all things work out for good, for those who love the Lord"...and even today, while the tears seem to creep over me...I still know this to be true! I have yet to fully understand HIS ways, I trust HIS plan.



For God... this was no mistake, no accident, no surprise. For us, it rocked our world. Shook us up. Broke our hearts.



I thought I would share this picture of Baby Jaydan (when all seemed to be going along well...you can't see it clearly here, but there are little arms and legs...even a face too! ).

It sits next to my bed...I see it most every night, after I have kissed my 4 children in their beds...I know that I still have one more, that is safely wrapped in the arms of God.


Sweet Baby Jaydan...you are precious and you are loved!

You MUST come...

My newest "obsession" is about to make its debut...if you will be around OP this weekend...you MUST come see me!! The craft fair is all day Saturday and Sunday...if you want more info please email me at t_jill@bellsouth.net and I will give you the directions!! I'm super excited...in case you don't know what these are (my husband had no idea)...they are tassels!! They are adorable on a door knob, wall hook, dresser pull, lamp or I even have smaller ones for ceiling fans!! They are too cute and make great gifts too!! Some of these are BIG...like longer than my palm and fingers...I have a variety of styles (some very girly ones too), colors, and sizes!! I have been a tassel making maniac...hope they sell...if not, guess what your getting for Christmas!!?? Hee Hee!! See you there!! ***Oh ya...and I have several different decorated travel wipes cases too!! Too cute!!