Thursday, June 28, 2012

Fighting away a case of the fears.

Fear is real. {As if I probably needed to tell any of you that} However, there have been so many lingering traces of this in me lately, that I felt compelled to share -- just in case some of you are in the same boat.

If you are a parent, you constantly have fears that surround you about your children and you do the best to block them with your heart- trusting that you are making the right decisions and that it is okay for mistakes to happen.

If you are not a parent, you still have fears about your future- what will come next? is there going to be a job? Did you make the right choice? etc...

And then, for some of you, you may rarely operate in this fashion and you have complete and utter faith or you are just amazingly strong and/or a carefree risk taker.




We have currently fell into another season of waiting. With the decision for me to stay at home came the decision to sell our home to move closer to Adam's job. For any person that has ever tried to sell a home, you know that it means more upkeep of the daily chores and a constant need to be reliant on others' opinions in order to make your next dream a reality.



It has been almost 2 months and after an attempt to sell our home ourselves and some navigating of the ways of the MLS and realtor system- we are still waiting. There have been no personal showings and after an Open House with some traffic- there has yet to be anymore. I keep trying to battle the fears that we won't sell our home, that we won't be able to buy a new one, etc... and trying to find peace in the fact that I know that God has the perfect buyer out there and the perfect place for us. It is just a matter of when. And, that is the hard part- when you have a schedule and there seems to be another one trying to take over.

I battle the fears of the unknown, things changing, relationships operating in different ways, and the other usual suspects that might creep up when you have to move to somewhere new.

Now, we aren't moving states. We aren't even moving to the other side of our state. However, it is just far enough from where we are now for things to be harder than they once were.

But, about a week or so ago, I decided to fight this case of the fears head on--and not alone. At a recent church celebration- two women approached me with words that they felt the Lord had given them to share with me. I know they were from him because these are two women that I am only acquaintances with and rarely see. They are women whom I see in passing and have had only a handful of conversations. They snapped me out of it and later I was led to this gem:

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children...For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. - Romans 8:15-17


I do not want to be a slave to fear anymore. I want to trust his timing in this season. I want to grab hold to the truth and the place that he has put us in at this moment. All things work together for good- and we  have seen the evidence of it. Provision is real. Fear is real. But, I want to choose to operate in the reality that freedom and provision are our inheritance. I want that for my family. 


And, it is out there for you too- out there for the taking.


And on a side note...so is our house ;) so if you are looking or have a friend that is looking for a place where the University of Oklahoma resides-- let me know, I can hook you up. 
Here's a peek:


















Monday, June 25, 2012

Birthday Blessings

My husband does many things right. {As evidenced in my previous post} However, when it comes to my birthday, he truly knows how to do it up and boy, does he ever bless me!  I'm still not quite sure how I got to be so deserving in his eyes.

The morning started off with some baby snuggles and after her morning feeding he asked me if I was ready for my present...Of course! He had been asking me if I had wanted it for nearly two weeks, so I was definitely ready.

He reached into his night stand and pulled out a slip of paper...it was a clue, and the hunt began.




After several spots to places around our home, it lead me to a Wheel of Fortune clue on his iPad. {Side note: We don't have cable anymore, so one of our evening obsessions is Wheel of Fortune} I quickly figured out the clue that lead me to open an app. Inside the app was a little confirmation for this ticket....




Coldplay. Tickets. For. Me! What??!

We love Coldplay. In fact, "Green Eyes" was the first song we danced to on our wedding day. We saw them a few years ago on their Viva La Vida tour when they came to OKC, and it was amazing. It was one of the best concerts, if not the best- that I had ever seen. So, when Mylo Xyloto came out a while back, I started searching for when their touring dates in the states would be. After my search,  I  hinted to Adam that their nearest destination would be Dallas {and it just so happened to be the weekend after my birthday}. Knowing that we are saving up $$ for other things at the moment, I did not think that it would become a reality {even though we do have a trip budget}.

I guess I was wrong.

He arranged for a place for the bug to stay {what grandparents are going to say no, right?} and said that we would be heading out the next day with a hotel booked for the night.  Along with a few must-stop places on our journey....

In-N-Out Burger. Best fastfood burgers...hands down. He likes 'em.



We ate at a pizza place called Sfuzzi's in Downtown Dallas before the show. Talk about yum! And yes, that is an egg on our pizza and yes, it was good.



Then, it was time for the show.



They didn't disappoint. Plus, one of the opening bands, Wolf Gang, was pretty good too- you should try and check them out here if you haven't heard of them. You'll thank me later.


One thing that was unique about the whole concert was that they had these wrist bands that activated at different points during the show. They were synced to the music and it was overall pretty awesome. Here's a snip-it:




This was the first time I had left the little bug overnight with someone other than Adam, and only the second time overnight. There were a few tears, but  we made it. I think it was good for us to get away for a bit- to transform from mommy and daddy to just husband and wife for 24 hours. Plus, she had a great time with Ouma and Oupa, and didn't seem to miss a beat.

Plus, the reunion was pretty sweet once we got home.

Thanks for the birthday blessings, hubs-- from the breakfast with my two loves to the birthday road trip, my cup runneth over. Hello, 28!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Da Da: Love

I once saw a post on a friend's Facebook page that said something to the effect that loving your partner takes on a whole new meaning when you see your child in their arms. This was pre-MC days and I can remember thinking about how sweet and wonderful a sentiment that was. However, knowing something is sweet and actually experiencing it are two entirely different things. Now that I am a mama, let me say, I have experienced it and it is more sweet and wonderful than the words can ever imply. 

You enter in a marriage because you love everything {or, almost ;) everything} about them. You imagine what your life will look like- the adventures you will take, the hardships and joys you will endure, and everything in between. You may even go as far as to dream about what your kids will look like and what family will really mean with that person. And then you add another person to it all...and reality kicks in. Big time.






























My reality turned into a pretty sweet one the day that I married the future "Dada" of my little one. 
He went from being my fun-loving husband and best friend, to my other pair of hands, the interceder for when I reach my limit, and the fun-loving dad of my daughter. My friend was right. I love him more now and in a way I didn't even know existed until a little over a year ago. I'm so glad we got to celebrate him this weekend. I know that our dads here and those that we miss are SO proud of you. They are happy that you have joined their ranks-- and we are too.





Friday, June 15, 2012

One door closes as another one opens...

School has been over for a couple of weeks now, {In case you hadn't noticed the increase of school-aged children out and about} and it is slowly starting to sink in that the door to that part of my life has closed for the time being.

The end of school with my third graders was all around pretty wonderful. Once the testing in April was over-- I felt like I finally had free reign to do whatever my heart desired {within instructional reason, of course} and to soak up every last bit of them. I wanted to live it up and make them remember their last bit of third grade every bit as much as I will. We dug down deep into the roots of Oklahoma and why our state is so special, we visited the pyramids of Ancient Egypt - exploring mummies and other treasures, we read books outside and had an extra recess or two...topping it all off with a pajama palooza at the end complete with memory pillowcases and books. I wish I had paused to take a pic or two of our fun, but the truth is--I was right there in the thick of it with them. I do, however, have this little gem to keep, along with all of the other memories in my heart. 

My love language is words of affirmation, so this made my cup runneth over. Big time.




After the last kiddo left and I wiped away the bittersweet tears, it was time to pack up 5 years worth of classroom memories. Files, books, games, mementos, and other things that will carry me through shall I return to teaching one day,  got placed carefully in boxes. The process was easier than I thought in some ways and harder in others. At first, I was unsure of what to leave behind {since we are moving houses too, I don't want to lug around things that will be not too hard to replace}, but then the process picked up the pace as I reflected and worked with a focus on what wonderful things are to come from this closed door...

Behind the Door
Here are some more bits and pieces from around my room and the school, treasures and snapshots of a place that was my second home. 
A canvas that I made, what a wonderful sentiment to remember.

A class flag from one of my 5 groups. This particular group was called the "Porter Hound Steaks"...they were with me the year I got married and my name changed from Porter to Basset. The name fit. 


These pictures of my office were how clean I wish it would have ALWAYS been!! Needless to say, it wasn't always a priority.










My school's mascot is the Jefferson Dragons. This is a wood carved version of our Jeffy.




My sweet school. What a wonderful community you are- within your walls great things have happened and what great things there are to come!

And as I once again reflect on that closed door-- I think yet again of the wonderful door that has just opened. And, take a look at what is on the other side of it, waiting and counting on me.









As a friend once told me, I can't freeze time while I figure everything out to be able to stay at home. The bug won't be a baby forever and I won't be able to get back these years. For this, I am truly grateful for closed doors, but know that I couldn't have gotten to this next one without what was behind the first.