2016 August 1 of 3 ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

Three Gifts A Day: AUGUST 2016
Based on the book, One Thousand Gifts, (by Ann Voskamp) #1000Gifts #JoyDare
I took the 1,000 Gifts Dare for the year of 2012... continued in 2013... and 2014... and 2015. Going to hit 5,000 in 2016!!! GOD IS FULL OF BLESSINGS...

Mon 8-1
4906 playing house - aka - making the new apt seem more like home

4907 meeting new people at UPike

4908 deer sightings at the new apartment

Tues 8-2
4909 getting familiar with new places

4910 buying myself a happy ("glam gloves") for the new apartment

4911 liking my spouse - you know a lot of people don't :O

Wed 8-3

4912 shopping in jammies - well, covered up with a long sundress

4913 reminders of the Little

PBS kids on TV

4914 sneaking up onto the apartment roof for a quick the view

Thurs 8-4
4915 early morning deer outside the window
4916 lunch with new girlfriends

4917 cool color blends for the apartment

Fri 8-5

4918 mountain air in the morning
4919 historical registry places

 

4920 pretty scenery along the road of life

Sat 8-6
4921 a happy helper for the household chores

4922 picking up the slack

4923 feeding green tomato-plant-eating demon-caterpillars to the hens

Sun 8-7
4924 the color of blue - sky, pool, etc.
4925 pool time with the Little

4926 summer free-style dinners

Mon 8-8 - school day off for the Little
4927 running errands with the Little
4928 visiting Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

4929 visiting a Great Uncle and Great Aunt

Tues 8-9

4930 a few hours of quietness
4931 some things never change (cat on the fireplace mantle!)

4932 evening cuddles

Wed 8-10

4933 a new vacuum cleaner that doesn't weigh 2 tons
(there's something to be said for inexpensive K-Mart appliances - ha ha!)
4934 gorgeous sunsets played out on the eastern sky at our stuckinindiana home

4935 the blessing of having a view and a cement pond here in stuckinindiana

2016 AUGUST 1of3 ONE THOUSAND GIFTS

There are more blessings to come! GOD IS FULL OF THEM! Search for other daily blessings from us by searching for the blog labels of: #1000Gifts #JoyDare #1KGiftsJoyDare

Just One of Those Days

Yesterday was... one of those days! It was a day I'd love to forget. It was a day that I never want to forget. And hence... this post.

The day began with a wonderful wiggly wake-up from the Little around 6am. That is one of the best ways to start out any day. The joy of young children is contagious! We had a bit of fun when we got the day mixed up & sent her to school in her jammies for Pajama Day -- which is actually today!! Thankfully the school provided her with a long top to go over her tights and the pajamas were sent home. The Little's Mommy made it to work safely - which is always a blessing. My loved ones driving in snowy, cold conditions isn't my favorite scenario.

The sky was clear & blue as the sun rose over the barren field adjacent to our yard. It was a beautiful sunrise. But, the temps were horrendous. At 8am the air temp was 3 degrees and the windchill was -15! Our seven chickens refused to leave their coop area in the corner of the barn. It was a toasty 14 degrees in there.

The chickens gobbled up the warm oatmeal mix I served them and then made a big chicken pile - cooing, fluffing their feathers and grooming one another. Three warm eggs were waiting for me in the laying boxes. Our new girls are less than a year old & laying every day so far. The older 4 each take about every other day off. 

When I returned inside from the barn, the madness began... as I rushed around getting things in order to head out for the 5+ hour drive to our Kentucky home for the LOML's Christmas party with the Prez and First Lady of the university. One of the projects that had to be completed before leaving turned into a huge challenge - involving a technology glitch and me possibly telling the LOML that I hated him. (Note to self: Even if there's a fine line between love and hate, some things should just STAY in your head!!!) I made it out the door over an hour behind schedule.

The first 4 hours of the drive went well with me singing along to SiriusXM The Message and the Carpenter's Christmas Album. The temps were low but, the roads were clear and dry. On a side note... people heading east from Lexington on the Mountain Parkway drive REALLY fast!!

An hour down the road, the car traveling in front of me hit a pothole that I wasn't able to avoid. I hit hard - jarring my teeth. And, Mini Coopers with racing, run-flat tires don't handle potholes and bumps well. Immediately the alarms went off that the front right tire needed to be checked. I rounded a corner and pulled into a crowded gas station. Gas stations are few and far between on the Parkway. (Thanks God for the placement of that pothole.) I maneuvered my little car between all the trucks pulling giant horse trailers and was greeted by a sea of men in uniforms -- Carhartts for some & police uniforms for others. They checked my tire & put air in it & I was on my way. Their posse was transporting elk from Kentucky to West Virginia to introduce them to a new habitat. AND, the caravan of trucks, trailers & cars were about ready to head out. They said they would look out for me as they traveled east -- in case I had any issues with the flat run-flat tire.

I was grateful to get back on the road until about 15 miles down the road when a semi decided to disregard his red light causing me to careen over to the opposite side of the 4-lane road toward oncoming traffic. I swerved back to my side of the road right in time to just miss colliding with a concrete barrier just beyond the intersection that separated the 4 lanes. 

I arrived to the holiday party well over an hour late and visibly shaken. The home was decorated beautifully & the conversation and laughter were genuine and healing. My mind & mood were quickly won over by the love & friendship of my new Kentucky family. What a blessing to have great people to share the journey of life. 

I've been thinking about how close I came to not being there that night or possibly ever again. But, I am so grateful that God protected me and provided for me from the moment I awoke until the moment I rested my head on the pillow. Some days are just too full to believe. And, this was a day that gave me a run for my money (as my mom says). 

My day was FULL of reminders to cherish the moments we have here on earth. And I thought a lot about how glad I am that I know where I'm going when this life is over! Because in the blink of an eye... everything can change!