"Not Me!" Monday

Welcome back my friends! It is that time again to admit all those mishaps that happened this week.

I would never be so stinkin' proud of Claire and Sarah over their one minute of performance time in the Nutcracker. I am definitely not amazed that they...

1. Got on stage

2. Stayed quiet back stage

3. Performed like two little perfect ballerinas

4. Did not cry even once;)

...And I certainly would not actually think that they really were "perfect"!

They could not have possibly gotten away with just about everything this week because we were all so tired from their late night performances and practices.

My house is not the filthiest it has been in weeks. And I would not admit that the kitchen floor is in desperate need of mopping because of the variety of foods that are caked on it.

Not Me!!!

***Thanks to all those who took time away during this holiday season to see our little cherubs perform! We love you all!***

Growing Up with Big Sisters

When this is all you know and see...

...this is who you want to be!

Daddy wasn't too impressed with our new "accessories". But if you look inside the purse you would find Jack's truck, a traffic cone, and pieces from the doctors kit.

"Don't worry dad, mommy calls it a "man bag" not a purse!".

Good News!!!

We are thrilled to announce that we will not be leaving this great state after all!!!

The Lord saw fit for us to stay right here in Texas, specifically to send us "home" to Houston!



David and I both can not express how happy and grateful we are to be staying near family and at the same time provide our children with more opportunities. Do you ever wonder if God was just checking to see what you would do if he called you somewhere you weren't so inclined to go? I know that is how I feel at this very moment:) We really felt God's hand when David accepted the position with this company in Pittsburgh. It wasn't our first choice but we felt like it was His. We always had planned on returning to Houston but it didn't seem like His plan at the time. I believe sometimes God shows up how you expect him to and sometimes he shows up differently. When David accepted his job I know God knew where we were going from the start. It is funny because I never really got worked up about moving. I starting planning and preparing for it but it never really set in. Now I know why.



Does this mean we are never going to live elsewhere? No, but it bought us another few years and I am so grateful for that. David is going to be traveling a lot, but he is really looking forward to this opportunity.



We feel so fortunate and blessed that He is providing for our family every step of the way!



Have a great week all!

"Peanuts"

I had another funny moment with Ms. Sarah last night that I want to share!

After a VERY adventurous night at Nutcracker rehearsal I finally got the girls home and put them in the bath. My Mom was sweet enough to watch Jack so I didn't have to drag him around with us and he was happily snoring by the time we arrived home. We washed hair and I instructed them to scrub their whole body. We do this every night. We use the proper body part names and name them off while we go. Sarah with her ever thoughtful self asked if Jack got a bath. Which I replied yes that Nana had given him one. Then with much concern she asks..

"Mom?"

"Uhmmm."

"Do you think Nana washed Jack's peanuts?"

Well, Mommy had to stifle her laughter by biting down hard on her lip. After about ten seconds I looked her straight in the eyes and replied, "Sarah, I am sure that Nana washed Jack's penis. Don't worry."

Oh My! She is something else. Never have either of the girls repeated to me the name of Jack's boy parts. They just accepted it as what it was. Evidently there was a little miscommunication! We will have to work on that!

Hope you got a good laugh for the day!

"Not Me!" Monday

Monday already??? This last week flew by and I have lots of updating to do! But first lets start with my "Not Me's!" of this week.

First I would never be a complete slacker and not update my blog for a whole week! And I certainly did not have the most adorable pictures of Jack that I have been holding on to, trying to find a minute to post them so you can all revel in his cuteness!

I would never take the girls to school at least fifteen minutes late four out of five days this week because I just couldn't wake them when they actually slept in for a change. Never!!! And I certainly did not roll over and get some extra sleep instead of getting up and accomplishing a few things before they were up.

I would definitely not ever have chocolate cake for breakfast "just because". Especially since I would never allow my children to have that! Though Jack might have had a bite or two since he was eyeing it with such excitement. Surely Not!

I would never admit to another mother that I do indeed lock the twins door from the outside at night so that I know where they are at all times. And the reason for that is certainly not because I once found Sarah on the kitchen counter in the middle of the night by the knives when she was just a toddler. That certainly did not scare me to death and cause me to have David turn the knob so we could lock them in when we go to bed.

I would not have become a "blog stalker" of a few choice blogs that I absolutely love. And I certainly never think ugly thoughts of those who I feel like are holding out by not posting more frequently, especially when I myself should be updating my blog instead of stalking yours;)

Nope not me!

Happy Monday!

Not Me Mondays!

Well it is that time again my friends! Time to fess up to all the things you "did not" do this week;)

I for one did not allow my children to gorge themselves in sweets so I could have a pleasant time at Thanksgiving without listening to them whine. I would certainly never allow them to eat pie, three cookies, and candy without really eating anything before that that constituted a "real" meal. Nope not me!

I did not feed Jack three packages of welches fruit snacks at the movies while we were seeing Madagascar 2 to keep him quiet. And I certainly would never let him have his big blue (paci) back after he dropped it on the movie floor multiple times. Ewwww...

And lastly, I did not get a secret thrill out of getting into some jeans I haven't worn since before Jack and think "Hey maybe that stomach virus was good for something."

Nope not me!

Have a happy Monday!

Funny Kid Moments...

We had a rather funny kid moment tonight at the dinner table that I have to share.

The last few days I have been digging out all the Christmas decorations and putting them in their usual place. Yesterday I dug out the kid's Nativity scene and they have barely put it down since. It is such a sweet set of soft little dolls that are super child friendly, meaning of course that they are washable and not breakable. I bought it the year the girls were 21 months old and it has always been a favorite at our house. I can still see Claire toddling around carrying baby Jesus, holding him up to us saying "Jesus" in her sweet little voice. That year Jesus was a constant. We slept with him, ate with him, and carried him around all day long. We loved Jesus so much his arms had to be stitched back on more than once.

Today he may be a little dirty and worn but we still love him just as much.

So fast forward to dinner tonight. I am getting a drink and hear David yell "Put Jesus down! Put Jesus down Claire and go eat!", of course I nearly spit out my drink laughing. It was just not what anyone would have expected to hear my husband raise his voice about. Claire begrudgingly put baby Jesus back in the manger for dinnertime. Poor Claire. Who would have thought she could have gotten chastised for loving Jesus so much!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful as usual this year:) We had a fabulous visit with about 30 members of David's family over at the Krueger house. The food was great but the company was by far the best! It was so much fun to watch the girls run and play with their cousins and enjoy lots of the family being in one place. After the Krueger feast we headed over to my parents for another great meal and play time with Nana, Papa and Aunt Juli. Needless to say by the time it was all over we had three very tired kiddos on our hands.

We always have so much to be thankful for and sometimes I feel like I forget to "feel" thankful for all God has blessed us with. Indulge me for a minute while I list just a few.

This year I feel especially thankful for our home and David's job. So many are struggling in this economic crunch and we feel so very blessed to for God's provisions. I am thankful for our extended family and all the love and support they provide. I am thankful for our health and for the time that our family is able to spend together.

As many of you know our nephew has struggled this year with his health. In August he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia and ITP. Since then there have been many ups and downs but we are so thankful that he is responding to treatment and able to be at home with his family for this holiday. We pray for him, his parents, and siblings every day for peace, comfort, and the Lord's guiding hand. We are so grateful that he is doing well and that God has provided so much for their family during this very difficult time.

God Bless you all on this Thanksgiving and have a wonderful holiday!

"Not me!" Mondays...

I have been reading a wonderful blog the last few weeks and want to share it with you all. This woman is incredible. Her simple faith and love for her adorable kiddos is apparent through her eloquent and honest words. Please take a look! http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

It has become tradition in her blog to do a "Not me!" Monday post and I am going to join in this growing tradition. So here goes...

This week when our household had the most terrible stomach virus ever I certainly did not wait until morning to officially mop the floor after Claire puked for the third time on it and I was just to tired to mop it again. And I couldn't have instead just thrown towels down on it until morning and figured I would wash them in the morning if she threw up again. Nope, not me.

And I would never ever wake up on a Monday morning like today and tell the girls to hurry and get ready because we need to get Target and when asked about breakfast bribe them with the idea of having a popcorn deal at Target for breakfast to get them to move a little faster. I would never do that! And I certainly wouldn't justify it by deciding that it would be OK as long as I didn't give them the usual soda or lemonade, instead opting for water. Nope. Not me!

Happy Monday All!

Sick and Tired of being Sick

For a little over a week now at least one person in our family has been ill with a horrid stomach virus. I am all antibacterial and lysoled out. I have mopped more floors, changed more bedding, and cleaned the toliets more times then I think I normally do in 3 months. I know there are so many out there that can sympathize with me. I will never understand how my kids can manage to get sick for a few hours and I am sick for days.

At about 4am Tuesday morning I finally had to make a trip to the ER. I was incredibly dehydrated and unable to drag myself off the floor, bed, or wherever I found myself laying after being sick for the millionth time. I knew in that shape I would never be able to take care of the kids.

Thank God for my mom watching the kiddos.

Thank God for Tammy running over and getting a completely sleepless night to take care of me in to the ER.

Thank God for Deneen agreeing to come get me from the ER and drive me home.

To be honest I don't remember all that much. It is all vague but I know the ER nurse told me I looked terrible and took me straight back and hooked me up to an IV before she even had the doctors order too. I don't remember her name but I remember thinking she seemed like one of those no nonsense people who just did what she needed to do without much fanfare.

Thank God for her too.

So after a few hours, several bags of fluids, lots of zofran and a few pain killers I finally stopped puking for the first time in 4+ hours. Hallelujah! And I pulled myself together enough to start the day. Today I am much better although eating is still not on my agenda and I don't think it will be for a while.

Maybe I will lose that last 5 pounds I have been working on? And yes, I would thank God for that too!

Wishing you all a much healthier week than we are having;)

Rules? What Rules?

My mom and I had one of the funniest moments I can remember in a while with Sarah today. It was definitely one of those out of the mouths of babes moments.

We really only have two rules in our house and I actually borrowed the idea from their preschool. At preschool they have two bible verses that govern their classroom behavior and I thought they were quite clever.

1. Obey them that have rule over you. Hebrews 13:17
2. Be kind to one another. Ephesians 4:32


I loved this "simple" plan to good behavior. In two bible verses you have covered just about any problem that is bound to arise in raising children in general. These are efficiency at its best. They not only apply to everything but also are easily recited, even by three year olds, several times a day.

So today the girls, Jack , and I all went shopping with Nana to give her some ideas for Christmas. We started in Target and then proceeded to the mall with the twins in rare form. Well by the time we hit the mall they were everywhere. I would get one under control just for the other to start. I had finally had enough and in a "come to Jesus moment" got very stern with Ms. Sarah and took away a privilege, no Noggin tonight. She got that "What just happened?" look on her face and I asked her what rule she broke. Her answer in a sing songy voice, "Forgive your Mommy and Daddy." At this point my Mom bursts out laughing and so did I. I mean really can you believe she just said that? She is just so full of herself sometimes. And no, I don't know where she gets it from. Must be her father.

Thoughtlessness

Sigh...

I have had one of those days today that makes you wonder why you ever chose to leave the house. With David home this weekend I decided to make good use of my time and run some errands that would have been difficult dragging the kids on. So I left with my list, plenty of energy and a ton of determination to get it all done in a short amount of time. As you have guessed what I ended up with was long lines, items I couldn't locate and a bruised spirit.

Let me preface the rest of the story by saying I have really been trying to have a positive outlook on everything that is changing in our life. Things in our family life are changing rapidly and while some of the changes are exciting, some are really hard. I am not blind to the fact that this move is going to be difficult on my family. I am also not ignoring the fact that it will affect more than just my immediate family. There are some out there though who must think I am oblivious to this all as they constantly insist on making ugly or thoughtless comments about our decision to make this move. This is most disappointing to me because they seem to imply that we have not thoroughly thought this through and weighed all the positives and negatives.

I am hurt and my spirit is wounded by their thoughtlessness. I am certainly capable of understanding the sadness as we will also be very sad when the day to comes to leave good friends and loving family. At the same time we are not planning on dropping off the face of the Earth. Most of the time I believe they are hurt and simply lash out at me without thinking first. So I try to contain myself and just smile, brush it off, and move on.

So today as I was running errands I seemed to be unfortunate enough to continue running in to those who instead of saying "Congrats! What a wonderful thing for you all. We will be praying for you." were more inclined to be thoughtless and in one case down right ugly.

So why did I decide to post this as my nightly blog?

The answer is as simple as asking you all to pray for us. This was not an easy decision. It was prayed about and thought through immensely. We asked for guidance and counsel from God. However, we still need love, support, and encouragement.

So...

Pray for God's guidance in our families life.
Pray for faithfulness from David and I to Him as we take on this new journey.
Pray for our children that we can comfort them and answer their questions in way they can understand.

State of Our Country

First let me ask you all to hear me out on this one. I am not really making a political statement with this particular entry. God laid this on my heart tonight and I thought I would share. Honestly I asked him if it could wait until tomorrow about a millions times. I reminded him that Sarah kept me up all last night and that I had already taken a sleeping pill tonight but obviously he thought it would be more important that I post this since I can't sleep. So here we go...

I was watching Obama's victory speech tonight and listening to his charismatic rhetoric and ideas when I felt the need to just turn it off. I felt God just telling me I didn't need to see it. It took a second but I did finally turn FoxNews off. I flipped the light back on and grabbed my bible and just sat there. I felt God nudging me. I was thinking of all the people who have idolized one candidate or another. And yes, specifically I was thinking of Obama's campaign. All the tears and man hours. All the volunteers and money that was given and spent. And I just couldn't help but wonder what our country would be like if we invested in Jesus/God like it did in this political election? What if we served Him with our time? What if we invested our money in Him? What if we idolized and worshipped Him instead of a particular candidate, party, or ourselves? What would life be like?

I realized I didn't need to continue watching and trying to convince myself of my security. In all reality my security lies in my Lord.

I opened my bible and I landed in Psalms chapter 146 verse 3:

Don't put your confidence in powerful people,
there is no help for you there.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth,
and all their plans die with them.
But joyful are those who have the God of
Israel as their helper,
whose hope is in their Lord their God.
He made heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them.
He keeps every promise forever.
He gives justice to the oppressed
and food to the hungry.
The Lord frees the prisoners.
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down.
The Lord loves the Godly.
The Lord protects the foreigners around among us.
He cares for the orphans and widows,
but he frustrates the plans of the wicked.
The Lord will reign forever.
He will be your God, O Jerusalem
throughout the generations.

It is so easy to get caught up in everyday life and forget who we really serve. Am I saying the political process is not important? No. It is our right and duty to vote and we should seek God's guidance in those choices. The point is win or lose, good or bad, who do you really serve? Can you imagine where we would be if America served the Lord with the excitement, devotion, and dedication they have served these presidential candidates? Food for thought:)

This Week...

Hi all! Lots of changes are taking place this week around our house. First our house officially went on the market on Monday. We are praying for God's timing and will but I will tell you that we are a little nervous. Second, David left on Sunday night for Lufkin. I really felt like I had taken a proactive role in explaining it to the girls. I kept it simple by telling them Daddy would be at work burt he will be home Friday night. I reminded and reminded and answered all their questions simply but truthfully. Everything went well until Monday night when Sarah had an absolute meltdown. Bless her heart I have never seen her so upset. I thought Claire would be the one to meltdown on me but I couldn't have been more wrong. Poor Sarah. We are even stuggling at school drop off, which has never been a problem before. I know we will get past it and everything will become more normal but pray for us.

David is doing well. He misses us but it busy so that is good.

Presidential Race

Obviously the race is looking like it is pretty much over and Obama will be the winner. I wish him the best, but to say I am not nervous about the state of our country would be a lie. At this point I will watch wait and pray that he can become a leader that I can respect.

Pray for our family.
Pray for our country.

Anxiety

Almost midnight here yet I am awake and a bundle of nerves. I haven't been sleeping well lately just so many thoughts, questions, fears, and excitement building up that I can't seem to funnel in to something positive. You all know me and how anxious I can become. It is no secret that the last several years I struggled at times even with the help of medication. I guess that is just a personality trait that I have that seems to have become more of a problem in recent years. Makes sense if you think about it. Childhood,at least mine, was pretty easy so even though I think the trait has always been there it has become more pervasive in recent years. I fought the idea of medication for a long time. I think there is just a stigma there that I was afraid of but I have come to accept that it helps me function as a real person and more importantly a mother. Not to mention it is nice to have all you who accept me just the way I am. Crazy or not:)

So lets see what is om my mind tonight that is ridiculous and causing me to stay up this late. Maybe if I blog it out I can get some sleep. Here is a short list. Please laugh with me because when I have these panic attacks sometimes it is the only way to keep from crying;)

How much damage can Obama do to this country in 4 years??? I am guessing quite a bit with most of it being to my pocket book.

Why in the world is my heart burn back? Maybe I have a heart issue? Maybe a valve prolapse? Or maybe I watch way too much Grey's Anatomy??? You think?

Am I damaging my children by moving them? Oh come on I know what you are all thinking. I have probably damaged already letting them watch so much Noggin. Hey, somedays I praise God for Noggin!

Is the inspector going to pass our roof? Yeah I know we would have to get a contract before worrying about that. You know what on second thought we might need to list the house first? Hmmm...

Those spiders on the history channel were creepy. Maybe they live in the basements in PA just like all those ghosts you have been watching Tammy? LOL

Do you see how ridiculous and ludicrous these thoughts get?

In one of my previous blogs I wrote about how I always have a plan for everything. Well let me tell you it is really easy to have a plan for everything when you stay up half the night exploring every possible turn a situation can take. It also means you will be exhausted in the morning and probably make your children late for school.

Pray for me.

By Your Side

I heard this song for the first time a few weeks ago and quickly hunted down the group who recorded it on You Tube. This has got to be the song that has spoken to me more than any other in the last month and I have downloaded it on to my ipod, computer, and it is currently the ring on my cell. Thank you to Tenth Avenue North for a wonderful song that speaks in the depth of my soul.

My favorite verses are the following:

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Isn't that just like so many of us?

The other day I just stood for a moment in the middle of Target with this song playing in my head and watched all the people around me. Most of them never noticed me and I thought about how much time, just like them, I spend a day striving towards goals that are unrealistic and pointless. How much time do I spend trying to earn love and grace that is so easily attained and has already been given to me by our Heavenly Father? Why do I do this when I should just embrace Him and receive that love? I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to be anything. I just have to embrace the love He gives so freely. You know my friends, no one else in this world can do that for you. No one else can love you so deeply, purely and unconditionally and so many of us refuse it and fight it. Christians and non-Christians alike. We struggle and try to find it in our spouse, children, parents, etc and it simply isn't there because all those people, no matter how much we love them and they love us, are imperfect beings. Jesus is perfect and so is his love! So join me and just try to embrace it. Thank God that He is always right there beside you, loving you just the way you are.

Changes

It has been 15 months now since David started looking for a new job and on Monday he accepted an offer. The weird thing is the interviews, offer, etc from start to finish only took about 2 weeks. There are other positions that it has taken weeks, even months for it all to come together only for us to turn it down in the end but when we started praying consistently and fervently about this one name kept coming to my mind repeatedly. I told David of my thought and sure enough here we are.

David is giving his two weeks this coming Monday and from there he has 4-6 months of training before we will make the move to the Pittsburgh, PA area. I am excited, anxious, and sad all at the same time. It is going to be really tough leaving our family and friends but I have peace of mind that this is where God wants us to be for now.

I have pleaded and prayed that God would show us the way and help us choose the right place and in the end this just felt right.

So much seriousness that I have to tell you there were some humorous moments. My favorite was...

"I talked to Don and he had two places in mind". David

"Uhmmm".(distracted) Amy

"PA or Cairo." David

"Cairo???". (extremely confused) Amy

"Yeah." (excitedly)David

"...as in Egypt???". Amy

Insert lots of silence and then me saying something about needing that idea to sink in for a while as I ran out the door.

And yes for those who read this and wondered we did seriously research it and entertain the idea. In the end we thought moving out of the state first might be a good trial run before ever committing to living that far away. And it in all honesty buys me lots of time to help David convince Don that he could work 4 week on 2 weeks off or something of that nature because lets face it folks I would love to keep my feet on American soil.

Lord I pray tonight that you give David and me peace within ourselves that you are leading us and will be with us wherever we go. Please watch over us C, S, and J and help us help them make this an easy transition. Please help our families as they struggle to find peace also. In your name, Amen.

Please pray for us. Specifically that...

Our house sells quickly and easily.
That I help the girls transition as smoothly as possible.
That David travels safely.
That God will continue to guide us.

Be still...

I often find myself only finding time to blog in the middle of the night. The house is finally quiet except for the rhythmic breathing of the kids and David's annoying, yet somehow comforting snore. It is in these moments I find myself most reflective of the day and finally taking in every little moment that we all had together.

Tonight I was laying in bed watching my favorite Sunday night show "Brothers and Sisters". After it ended I wondered what's next? God spoke to me unexpectedly, as he often does, "Be still and know that I am here". I thought ok this had got be good, God is speaking to me clearly, this is what I have been waiting for! So I waited and...nothing. To say I was dissappointed doesn't even begin to explain how I felt. So I rolled out of bed and started talking to God, dissappointed that he hadn't revealed an answer to my recent questions that I have been hounding him about lately. I am nothing if not persistent when I want something. It wasn't until much later that I felt him speak to my heart again asking "Isn't it enough to know I am with you?". OK. He got me. I have been struggling with God lately. I have been looking for and asking questions and He has been very quiet. As you may have guessed silence wasn't in my plan and I have been frustrated with this silence. In that moment I realized it is enough that He is beside me if I just let it be.

I have been reading an interesting blog the last few days and would suggest it to anyone. It is written by Angie Smith and it is titled "Bring the Rain". I will probably blog about it more in detail at a later time but for now let me just say that she has an amazing walk to share.

The thing that most intrigued me was when she talked about her plan versus God's plan. Uh-oh this can't bee good? Yes all my friends I know what you are thinking "Don't mess with Amy's plan." I have a plan for everything the hour, the day, the year, etc. And if the first one doesn't work out I probably have at least 3 other back ups and if those don't work just give me five minutes. I am type A and I like things my way. I want my expectations always met and unfortunately God doesn't work that way. He has a plan all of His own and it is always plan A.

The Journey

The last few months David and I have struggled and asked God's guidance in our life as we tried to understand where he wanted us to be. This past year has brought several job inquiries into our life and has left me asking the question "What is God's plan for us?".

I never thought that I would end up back in Victoria and would be lying if I said I was full and ready to come back to this town. Never the less, God had the perfect plan for us and placed us here just at the perfect time! I have been fortunate because of His plan to be able to stay at home with my babies and be the full time mom I desired.

I remember this because even though everything right now seems so chaotic and uncertain I am sure that He has a plan in store for our family. The hardest part of the plan is being patient and letting Him lead us while it unfolds.

I am sad at the thought of leaving good friends and nervous at the prospect of being tossed into a new place where it is necessary for me to try and establish me and the kiddos. The great thing is that He will walk beside me every step of the way. Life is a journey and it is fun, scary, exciting, and sad all at the same time. Right now please encourage me as I set my eyes on him and let him lead our family in his perfect plan.

Nothing is certain...

... in life except for our Creator and His love for us.


I received word today that seems to tell me that David's job is in jeopardy of fading away relatively soon. My first instinct of course is to be scared to death and worried for the financial security of our family. My next instinct is to run to God. I know, not exactly the order in which He would prefer me to think but I am seriously flawed in this area of my life.

You see I like to be in charge of, well everything. I have prided myself all my life in making in things happen. Just tell me one thing you think I can't do and I am out to prove you wrong in a heartbeat. Can't become a serious drill team member when I never danced before? Watch me. Can't pull a 4.0 off after a 1.7 semester? Did it. Can't graduate in this day and time in three in a half years from college? The head of the business department at Southwest Texas wished he had never challenged me. I was a force to be reckoned with when I wanted something, but over the years that has somewhat changed. Don't get me wrong I am still strong willed and "difficult", yeah substitute a word "here" for your personal description. I am learning however that I am not in control and in all reality don't want to be. I know God's plan is much better than mine even though my stubbornness still sometimes gets in the way.

So today as we receive unsettling news on the job front my initial reaction was to tell David to start looking and my second was to pray to Jesus to help guide us and present the opportunity that is in his plan. I continue to work on my anxiety and incessant need to worry and pray that Jesus will lead us to the place He has planned for us and provide for our family both physically and spiritually, as only He can.