What you are about to read is (as far as I know) a historical account. Please correct me if you know any of the details to be false.
Travel with me down a little country road in northern Idaho. After about a half a mile, sits a little country church and a Bible camp near a lake. Across the road are the homes of the son of the folks who donated the land for the church & camp, two of his sons homes, and the home of his daughter-in-law's mother. This is where our story begins.
It was August 1999. As I recall the day was warm & sunny. I had spent the night at the home of the daughter-in-law's mother who just so happens to be my grandmother. It was mid-morning and I sat in the family room wearing plaid pajama pants, a navy blue t-shirt, and dripping wet hair. I don't remember exactly what I was doing but I do know I had showered shortly before, was sitting in her big comfy chair by the window, and was likely reading one of Grandma's People magazines that were stashed in the end of the coffee table. Grandma was in the other room.
I was not quite 17 years old and Grandma had asked me to stay the night. I think she was feeling a bit sorry for me as I had been having a hard time of it that summer. My heart had been broken for the first time a couple months before and I was feeling pretty lonely.
As I sat curled up in the chair, I heard footsteps on the porch outside the window & as I looked over my shoulder there came a knock at the door. I saw a young guy, unremarkable to me at the time, all I remember is that he wore a ball cap. Feeling suddenly embarrassed about my appearance, I called to Grandma.
"Hey, Grandma. Some guy is at the door. I didn't want to answer it in my pajamas."
"Oh. Okay. I'll get it."
She answered the door and the young man asked her if she had something. They only spoke a couple of minutes and I hid around the corner in the family room. I watched him retreat down the porch steps and then Grandma came into the family room.
"That was one of those boys from back at Ed & Jan's," she told me.
"Oh. One of those people that live in the bus?" I asked. Ed & Jan were the people whose parents gave the land and they were the other grandparents of my cousin who lived right next door to Grandma. My cousin had told me about the family that lived in a big bus and were parked at her grandparent's house. We referred to them as, the weird people that live in the bus.
"Yeah. Oh they are such nice boys. And can they ever sing."
"Oh really?"
"Oh yes. They travel around and sing and play old cowboy music and they are so good. Grandpa & I went to one of their shows. They are really good. And can their sister ever sing."
"Hm."
And that was it. That was the first time I ever saw him. I don't have any idea what we did the rest of that day. And I never gave that boy another thought. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if i had gone to the door that day, but my vanity and pride got the better of me. Unbeknownst to me, God would bring that same boy back into my life but He would wait a year and a half to do it.
Time went on and I dated another boy and got my heart wrenched out a second time. This time was worse than the first. It was almost exactly a year later and it was at that point that I decided the boy/girl relationships weren't all they were cracked up to be. So began my vendetta against the opposite gender.
It was sometime in July of 2000 when two new guys started coming to church. It was also about this time that the church started a college-age Bible study. My sister & her fiance' were attending and so were the two new guys. Terah told me that they were really nice & that I should meet them. As I recall, my response was something along the lines of,
*snort* "I don't.think.so."
"Why? They're really nice."
"I'm not interested in meeting guys."
"I don't mean you have to date one of them. Just meet them."
"I'm not interested."
"Why?"
"Because they're hicks!"
And that was my honest-to-God opinion. And the subject was dropped.
A month or so later we were at Lyle's parents' house preparing for Lyle & Terah's wedding. Lyle & Ryan were doing some yard work & Terah & I were sanding the barn so it could be repainted. A truck pulled in the driveway and out of it came one of the new guys. I remember looking to see who it was and he was talking to Ryan. Lyle's mom came over and was talking to Terah and me.
"Heidi, don't you have to go talk to Ryan about something?" she hinted.
"Um, no."
"You should go meet that boy. He's cute."
"Uh. No thanks."
"And he's blonde. Kind of."
At that point I rolled my eyes and turned the sander back on. Not happening.
As luck would have it, minutes later Lyle, Terah, & I ended up near Ryan and his "cute, kind of blonde" friend and I sort of hovered in the background trying not to be blatantly rude. Lyle introduced us.
"Oh, hey Matt. This is Terah's sister Heidi."
"Well, it's good to meet you," he said.
"Hi. Nice to meet you."
We stood there, the guys talking, girls listening, for a few more minutes. Lyle invited him to the wedding and he left. I endured a few more comments from people and life carried on.
A couple weeks later Lyle & Terah were married & life changed drastically. I had never spent much time away from my sister in my 18 years and it was a hard adjustment for me.
The months passed, I continued to ignore the opposite gender as much as possible, and December rolled around. I remember feeling particularly sorry for myself that day. I have no friends, I'm going to be alone forever, why are guys such jerks. That sort of thing. It was that day that Lyle's twin invited us to a birthday party for a friend at a house he was house sitting. I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay home and finish my pity-party. But for some reason, I decided to go at the last minute. I did not realize that that one decision was about to alter the course of my life forever.
The house was really nice. It was one of those houses where there were carpet protectors all over the floor. Terah, Shelby, and I got a wild hair to flip them all poky side up and sit and watch people step on them. Matt walked in, walked on one of them, looked down, stepped off, and hardly altered his course. For some reason, it gave us the giggles. We ended up talking to him for a couple minutes and then everybody played games and we did a white elephant gift exchange.
At some point during the evening I was introduced to Matt's brother, Jason. I don't remember who, or when, or how we were introduced, just that we were and he was surprised Terah and I were sisters.
During our games, someone(you know who you are) told a nasty joke and as I looked around horrified at everybody laughing I noticed Matt & Jason covering their faces and blushing. I was in awe that two guys were embarrassed at the joke. I didn't know guys like that. And a tiny piece of my icy heart started to melt.
It came time to go home. I was at the doorway, tieing my shoes when Jason came over to bid us adu.
"Well, it was nice meeting you Heidi."
"It was nice meeting you, too."
"Now I know your name so I can say hi instead of ,'hey you.'"
"Uh. Yeah." I'm known for my witty, intelligent responses.
"Okay. See you guys next Sunday."
"Bye."
And with that, we went out, got in the blazer, and left.
To be continued...................
Monday, January 28, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Tuesday
1) Life seems to be getting back to a somewhat normal pattern now that the holidays & birthdays are behind us. We have started school again & I find that I am craving simplicity, organization, & routine. It's something that's been seriously lacking the last 3 or 4 years around here.
2) I also find that in order to get to the simplicity part, I must first get the organization & routine part into action. So begins the great organization project of 2013. I have already started on my kitchen. I have pretty much moved & purged everything. However, it probably won't be complete until the end of the week or the middle of next. I have a few purchases to make and I have to wait for paychecks, bills to be paid, clothes to be bought, yada, yada, yada.
I am finding much of my inspiration via Pinterest. Among my favorites are www.abowlfulloflemons.net , good ole Martha, and this lady for the printable part of being organized. It's quite the project and my house looks worse than ever but it's a means to an end.
3) I have birthday posts of the boys just waiting to be completed and published. And Christmas cards to be mailed. I got sick right before Christmas and one or another of us has been coming down with it ever since! I think we are finally all well today!
4) Rhett is 8 months old today! I will be taking pictures of him and posting them as well. He has grown! There is so much he can do now.
5) Avril is way into helping with everything these days. I am trying to nurture it as much as possible. I haven't done well with the boys on that. And it's starting to show. A lot. Which brings me to number 6.
6) I bought this book. And I am really loving it. This is so happening at our house.
7) Our poor couches are coming to the end of their life. It's a little sad since we bought them right after returning from our honeymoon. They were one of the few things we bought brand new. They are still usable but looking pretty shabby. I predict we will be purchasing others within the year.
8) I climbed Mt. Everest! In my living room. I believe that this is the biggest pile of laundry I've ever had in my living room and I finally got it folded. Now I just have to put it away!
9) Womens Ministry meeting tonight. Woo-hoo! I think it's been about three months since I last went to one and I've been missing church due to illnesses so I've missed those church ladies. It's always refreshing and great fellowship. Plus it's nice to hear what's on the agenda for the year at our little church.
10) Saturday is a youth fellowship concert at a church in town. It's a fundraiser for the basketball teams. And it's featuring the worship team from our church. That means Jay will be singing. I'm already thinking about copping out. I know I'm terrible but standing and singing for an hour is not entertaining to four young children and Jay won't be able to help me contain them. I don't know if any of you all know my kids very well, but my kids + boredom = very naughty, loud, & downright evil. And all of that + loud music + me = very crabby & unsociable.
2) I also find that in order to get to the simplicity part, I must first get the organization & routine part into action. So begins the great organization project of 2013. I have already started on my kitchen. I have pretty much moved & purged everything. However, it probably won't be complete until the end of the week or the middle of next. I have a few purchases to make and I have to wait for paychecks, bills to be paid, clothes to be bought, yada, yada, yada.
I am finding much of my inspiration via Pinterest. Among my favorites are www.abowlfulloflemons.net , good ole Martha, and this lady for the printable part of being organized. It's quite the project and my house looks worse than ever but it's a means to an end.
3) I have birthday posts of the boys just waiting to be completed and published. And Christmas cards to be mailed. I got sick right before Christmas and one or another of us has been coming down with it ever since! I think we are finally all well today!
4) Rhett is 8 months old today! I will be taking pictures of him and posting them as well. He has grown! There is so much he can do now.
5) Avril is way into helping with everything these days. I am trying to nurture it as much as possible. I haven't done well with the boys on that. And it's starting to show. A lot. Which brings me to number 6.
6) I bought this book. And I am really loving it. This is so happening at our house.
7) Our poor couches are coming to the end of their life. It's a little sad since we bought them right after returning from our honeymoon. They were one of the few things we bought brand new. They are still usable but looking pretty shabby. I predict we will be purchasing others within the year.
8) I climbed Mt. Everest! In my living room. I believe that this is the biggest pile of laundry I've ever had in my living room and I finally got it folded. Now I just have to put it away!
9) Womens Ministry meeting tonight. Woo-hoo! I think it's been about three months since I last went to one and I've been missing church due to illnesses so I've missed those church ladies. It's always refreshing and great fellowship. Plus it's nice to hear what's on the agenda for the year at our little church.
10) Saturday is a youth fellowship concert at a church in town. It's a fundraiser for the basketball teams. And it's featuring the worship team from our church. That means Jay will be singing. I'm already thinking about copping out. I know I'm terrible but standing and singing for an hour is not entertaining to four young children and Jay won't be able to help me contain them. I don't know if any of you all know my kids very well, but my kids + boredom = very naughty, loud, & downright evil. And all of that + loud music + me = very crabby & unsociable.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
10
1) Christmas is one week away. I am excited, as usual. It is my favorite time of year. Sadly, there is so much I wanted to do with & for the kids & even other people that I am not going to get done. For some reason it is hard for me to get going on the Christmas stuff early. Maybe I should do all of my decorations & such right after Christmas and that way they'll be done for the following year. I may just do that this time around.
2) Part of the reason I haven't gotten on the ball is that for the last month I have been sick with this and that. Thanksgiving weekend I was not feeling well. Then a week later I started having excruciating pain in my right ear and jaw. It was so bad that I couldn't even touch my face without it bringing me to my knees. After about 4 days of that, I realized that my far back tooth was really hurting. So off to the dentist. Yep. I had an abscessed tooth. So he put me on an antibiotic and five days later I got the thing pulled. It felt much better but I still was not able to eat much as I then had a gaping hole in my mouth. Then I really started to feel good until Saturday. It was that day that I just was overcome with unexplainable crabbiness. It lasted through the weekend and then yesterday afternoon I got sever aches and shakiness along with a terrible headache. I was so pathetic that I could barely carry Rhett across the room as I was so shaky and my headache would make me very dizzy. Today my aches have subsided for the most part but my head still feels terrible.
3) Rhett has his first tooth! I noticed it this morning. It may explain why he has been sleeping so much. I think the other one is about to pop through as well. It is his bottom right that came in first.
4) Rhett is also crawling. He is two months ahead of the other three in that department. He is still slow & awkward at it but he gets around. It is pretty stinkin cute I might add.
5) Rowan turns 6 on Thursday. It is so amazing how time flies and how quickly they change. I will post more about my favorite-almost-six-year-old on his birthday.
6) Avril has started expanding her vocabulary. She now uses words like "impossible" or "stupid". Ah, such positive thoughts from that one. She typically uses them when we are trying to get her to eat her food. Example: "Mommy! It is impossible for me to eat this food with this stupid fork!"
7) Is anyone else delighted with the falling snow? I am really holding out hope for a pretty, white Christmas this year. Plus it gives my kiddos fun stuff to do outside.
8) If I feel better, I plan on going stocking stuffer shopping for Jay tomorrow. The kids should have fun helping. Hopefully they don't blab! Not that stocking stuffers are a big deal but for me they are one of the highlights of the gifting part of Christmas. It's just fun to unload a big sock full of little goodies. They're my favorite kind.
9) I received my new Taste of Home Magazine today. It is one of my Christmas gifts from my grandma every year and I love it. So many yummy recipes and most of them can be adapted to be healthier. There's a couple I really want to try before the holidays are over.
10) One of the Christmas presents I wanted to do for Jay were the 12 Daytz of Christmas. It is 12 pre-planned dates for you & your husband, one occurring each month of the year. Everything is planned & paid for in advance and on the first of the month he opens the envelope & finds out when & what you are doing for your date. I love the concept but I am struggling with finding ideas that can be planned out in advance. I would love to hear your ideas. I still want to try & do it if I can but I'm running out of time! So hit me with your best ideas!
BONUS: I just can't post without reminding everyone to remember the families in Newton in your prayers. I cried & cried after my mom told me about it. Not only for the children & their families but also for this young guy who felt so desperate that he acted in such a way. We must remember that he, too, was loved by someone and was once someones baby boy. And let us not forget that his family must be deeply saddened by this event. And please pray that all of these families may come to know their Savior through this awful time. Pray it is not in vain but that God uses it for good as only He can.
2) Part of the reason I haven't gotten on the ball is that for the last month I have been sick with this and that. Thanksgiving weekend I was not feeling well. Then a week later I started having excruciating pain in my right ear and jaw. It was so bad that I couldn't even touch my face without it bringing me to my knees. After about 4 days of that, I realized that my far back tooth was really hurting. So off to the dentist. Yep. I had an abscessed tooth. So he put me on an antibiotic and five days later I got the thing pulled. It felt much better but I still was not able to eat much as I then had a gaping hole in my mouth. Then I really started to feel good until Saturday. It was that day that I just was overcome with unexplainable crabbiness. It lasted through the weekend and then yesterday afternoon I got sever aches and shakiness along with a terrible headache. I was so pathetic that I could barely carry Rhett across the room as I was so shaky and my headache would make me very dizzy. Today my aches have subsided for the most part but my head still feels terrible.
3) Rhett has his first tooth! I noticed it this morning. It may explain why he has been sleeping so much. I think the other one is about to pop through as well. It is his bottom right that came in first.
4) Rhett is also crawling. He is two months ahead of the other three in that department. He is still slow & awkward at it but he gets around. It is pretty stinkin cute I might add.
5) Rowan turns 6 on Thursday. It is so amazing how time flies and how quickly they change. I will post more about my favorite-almost-six-year-old on his birthday.
6) Avril has started expanding her vocabulary. She now uses words like "impossible" or "stupid". Ah, such positive thoughts from that one. She typically uses them when we are trying to get her to eat her food. Example: "Mommy! It is impossible for me to eat this food with this stupid fork!"
7) Is anyone else delighted with the falling snow? I am really holding out hope for a pretty, white Christmas this year. Plus it gives my kiddos fun stuff to do outside.
8) If I feel better, I plan on going stocking stuffer shopping for Jay tomorrow. The kids should have fun helping. Hopefully they don't blab! Not that stocking stuffers are a big deal but for me they are one of the highlights of the gifting part of Christmas. It's just fun to unload a big sock full of little goodies. They're my favorite kind.
9) I received my new Taste of Home Magazine today. It is one of my Christmas gifts from my grandma every year and I love it. So many yummy recipes and most of them can be adapted to be healthier. There's a couple I really want to try before the holidays are over.
10) One of the Christmas presents I wanted to do for Jay were the 12 Daytz of Christmas. It is 12 pre-planned dates for you & your husband, one occurring each month of the year. Everything is planned & paid for in advance and on the first of the month he opens the envelope & finds out when & what you are doing for your date. I love the concept but I am struggling with finding ideas that can be planned out in advance. I would love to hear your ideas. I still want to try & do it if I can but I'm running out of time! So hit me with your best ideas!
BONUS: I just can't post without reminding everyone to remember the families in Newton in your prayers. I cried & cried after my mom told me about it. Not only for the children & their families but also for this young guy who felt so desperate that he acted in such a way. We must remember that he, too, was loved by someone and was once someones baby boy. And let us not forget that his family must be deeply saddened by this event. And please pray that all of these families may come to know their Savior through this awful time. Pray it is not in vain but that God uses it for good as only He can.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Men
So little boys may be easy for me. And little girls a cinch.
But what in the world do I put in my man's stocking?
So far I have carpenter pencils & flashlights.
And we are not a family who consumes a lot of candy.Well, we try not to anyhow.
So I'm officially stumped.
Stocking stuffers for men: 1........2.......3......Go!
Updating...
Have some more ideas now.
* earplugs
* gum
* nail clippers(Jay is always asking if I have some so I think I'll get him a set for each vehicle.)
* fancy-schmancy socks
* homemade hand warmers
* super glue
* flavored toothpicks
Just to name a few.
Since I asked for stocking ideas yesterday and the only one he gave me was carpenter pencils I am tempted to completely stuff that thing chock-full of that one item. But I won't. Because then I won't have anything to put in there next year!
But what in the world do I put in my man's stocking?
So far I have carpenter pencils & flashlights.
And we are not a family who consumes a lot of candy.Well, we try not to anyhow.
So I'm officially stumped.
Stocking stuffers for men: 1........2.......3......Go!
Updating...
Have some more ideas now.
* earplugs
* gum
* nail clippers(Jay is always asking if I have some so I think I'll get him a set for each vehicle.)
* fancy-schmancy socks
* homemade hand warmers
* super glue
* flavored toothpicks
Just to name a few.
Since I asked for stocking ideas yesterday and the only one he gave me was carpenter pencils I am tempted to completely stuff that thing chock-full of that one item. But I won't. Because then I won't have anything to put in there next year!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
For Mom
Well, I admit, I have lost a lot of my ambition to blog since Facebook became the latest craze. Nobody reads or comments anymore. And I like to read people's comments and hear their reactions to the things I post. It's fun and uplifting. It makes you feel connected and people get to see an aspect of your life that they don't usually see. The life, the house, the kids that are yours every day and not just the polite & tidy version they get to see at church.(Although, my kids are pretty consistent.) It makes me feel *gasp*, social.
Yesterday I went to my grandparents' house to make Christmas candy with my girl, my sister & her girls, my brother's girls, and my grandma. My sweet mama watched the boys and when I came to pick them up she made a remark that she has nothing to read anymore because we have forsaken blogging. It made me feel sad because I knew what she meant. I feel the same way. It just ain't no fun to be one of the only ones left over here on blogger. Everybody uses Facebook now and my husband has a strong dislike for the whole idea so I remain unconnected and will probably continue to remain that way. I mean he is a Palmer. I have never known one to back down or change their mind easily, if ever. They were born stubborn and they will die that way, I'm pretty sure.
Anyway, my mom's remark got me to thinking. First, that there are still some out there that lurk around here hoping for something new to read or look at. One of them being my own mother who is very dear to me. And that while the comments and other people's posts make it more fun, they are not the reason I started this blog four-and-a-half years ago.
I started this blog to document our life with our young family. To etch the endearing little things that my children do and say into my heart and mind. To have them written down and printed into books so that they might read them one day and so that in the twilight of my earthly life I, too, might look back and remember. To simply remember.
And that is why I will continue to post as long as I am able. I will post the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to remember our real life. Not the cleaned up, tidy version, but the real, nitty-gritty, horrible, imperfect life that is ours here. I want to remember the bad & hard times because it is those times that we are most real and in those times that God works so greatly. I will punch out the horrid comments my children make on this keyboard and upload the pictures of food covered fingers up their noses. You will hear about digging for change in their feces and how much labor sucks. I will complain about pregnancy and weight gain and crabby children. I will then later post how sorry I am for griping and that I am truly thankful for these little hellions. There is sure to be no shortage of posts about the dreadful task of homeschooling or cleaning the ever-filthy house. And don't be surprised if every now and then you read about my frustrations with marriage or my doubts about salvation. Because that is all part of this life. And without it I wouldn't get to post about how God strengthened me & my husband in the most awful time of our lives last spring. How He upheld us and pulled us through the muck & the mire to a place of security. How He renewed my relationship with my daughter to a point it's never been before. I wouldn't get to post about the fact that even though I tremble in fear quite often and struggle with pride, arrogance, self-control, bitterness, forgiveness, and faith, God never forsakes me. You wouldn't hear about how even though this life is so tainted by sin, we are redeemed and whole and clean. In spite of the crusty food and boogers on our hands and faces.
My prayer is not that I will get to look back and remember only the good, warm fuzzy times. But that I will look back and see how far God has brought us.
So expect to see a lot more of us around here. And feel free to skip the posts about bodily waste if you wish but do it knowing that as ugly as it may seem, our Savior has made it beautiful. And remember that the mission field isn't often a pretty place.
That being said, I am also changing the the name of this blog as there are now more than 3 P's around here. And since this place is buzzing with activity at any given moment I have chosen to call it The Hive. We are a busy bunch and we even bring out our stingers quite frequently, so it's fitting. Please come back and read and laugh and cry and gag. And know that even if you don't, we'll be here.
Yesterday I went to my grandparents' house to make Christmas candy with my girl, my sister & her girls, my brother's girls, and my grandma. My sweet mama watched the boys and when I came to pick them up she made a remark that she has nothing to read anymore because we have forsaken blogging. It made me feel sad because I knew what she meant. I feel the same way. It just ain't no fun to be one of the only ones left over here on blogger. Everybody uses Facebook now and my husband has a strong dislike for the whole idea so I remain unconnected and will probably continue to remain that way. I mean he is a Palmer. I have never known one to back down or change their mind easily, if ever. They were born stubborn and they will die that way, I'm pretty sure.
Anyway, my mom's remark got me to thinking. First, that there are still some out there that lurk around here hoping for something new to read or look at. One of them being my own mother who is very dear to me. And that while the comments and other people's posts make it more fun, they are not the reason I started this blog four-and-a-half years ago.
I started this blog to document our life with our young family. To etch the endearing little things that my children do and say into my heart and mind. To have them written down and printed into books so that they might read them one day and so that in the twilight of my earthly life I, too, might look back and remember. To simply remember.
And that is why I will continue to post as long as I am able. I will post the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to remember our real life. Not the cleaned up, tidy version, but the real, nitty-gritty, horrible, imperfect life that is ours here. I want to remember the bad & hard times because it is those times that we are most real and in those times that God works so greatly. I will punch out the horrid comments my children make on this keyboard and upload the pictures of food covered fingers up their noses. You will hear about digging for change in their feces and how much labor sucks. I will complain about pregnancy and weight gain and crabby children. I will then later post how sorry I am for griping and that I am truly thankful for these little hellions. There is sure to be no shortage of posts about the dreadful task of homeschooling or cleaning the ever-filthy house. And don't be surprised if every now and then you read about my frustrations with marriage or my doubts about salvation. Because that is all part of this life. And without it I wouldn't get to post about how God strengthened me & my husband in the most awful time of our lives last spring. How He upheld us and pulled us through the muck & the mire to a place of security. How He renewed my relationship with my daughter to a point it's never been before. I wouldn't get to post about the fact that even though I tremble in fear quite often and struggle with pride, arrogance, self-control, bitterness, forgiveness, and faith, God never forsakes me. You wouldn't hear about how even though this life is so tainted by sin, we are redeemed and whole and clean. In spite of the crusty food and boogers on our hands and faces.
My prayer is not that I will get to look back and remember only the good, warm fuzzy times. But that I will look back and see how far God has brought us.
So expect to see a lot more of us around here. And feel free to skip the posts about bodily waste if you wish but do it knowing that as ugly as it may seem, our Savior has made it beautiful. And remember that the mission field isn't often a pretty place.
That being said, I am also changing the the name of this blog as there are now more than 3 P's around here. And since this place is buzzing with activity at any given moment I have chosen to call it The Hive. We are a busy bunch and we even bring out our stingers quite frequently, so it's fitting. Please come back and read and laugh and cry and gag. And know that even if you don't, we'll be here.
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