Just an update of my life…
This week, as with all 2nd weeks of June, we celebrate 5 things in 5 days:
June 10: Ricky’s b-day (38)
June 12: Mom’s b-day (61)
Last Day of School (for Angel)
June 14: Our Anniversary (17 yrs)
June 15: Father’s Day
So it’s been a whirlwind! But pretty great. I had to back out of worship practice Wednesday (which means Sunday as well) but did keep my standing Monday night commitment w/my Mending the Soul class. Three weeks left and I’ll have completed the class and be better equipped to help those affected by abuse, neglect or trauma. I’m praying that even though I don’t know what’s around the bend or who God has in store for me to meet and help through healing, He will use this training. He will take what I’m learning and I’ll be able to understand someone – maybe even lots of people – and take their hand as they journey toward mental, emotional and spiritual healing and health. If not one-on-one, then maybe I’ll use the wisdom to become a facilitator of a related class, myself some day.
Braylon and I have been getting in the Word in the mornings this week too. It’s been pretty cool. 10-15 minutes, we each read. He reads from Proverbs (the chapter of the day) and Ephesians – his book of choice written by Paul. I loved that he chose such an encouraging book. We’re talking about reading until something jumps out at you, writing that thing down, and then we’ll talk about why it seems significant – and today I talked to him about why it’s important to go deeper than just reading to cross it off your list – but read to really understand what God’s saying to you in that moment. Instead of reading and writing it down and moving on, we’re praying a quick request to God beforehand that He’s speak to us and help us understand and apply what we read, we’re then reading, writing and talking about how it might apply…with one example we can think of. I think this will really pay off. Heck, I know it will! Isaiah 55:11-13 promises! It’s always a battle to start getting in the Word more intentionally and consistently. But once you’re there, you’re like – this is sweet! Why did I ever stop?! God is speaking right to me! or – that would be perfect for me to send to so-&-so right now! It’s cause it really is ALIVE and active – full of power and life.
Angel is still so sweet. Every year I keep waiting for her to turn bratty and sour. But NOPE. Not yet. 🙂 She told me yesterday that she wants to be a singer when she gets older and my heart stopped and did a happy dance in my chest for 2 seconds. She’s good at it, too.
I had to re-wash and re-rinse her hair tonight. I thought she, at 7 1/2, would be old enough to wash her hair by herself. But alas, she hopped out without yelling at me to check it first…and she had weird dry scalp flakes (or hair gel pieces) and soapiness still in there! So here we go again. She loves to play outside with her bro who she still at times calls “bwud-ger” and their favorite outdoor activities lately involve the “over the creek” swing their dad made, hanging with the 5 “Buck Boys” down the street jumping on their trampoline or shooting hoops, riding bikes or rip-sticking.
Sometimes Bray goes exploring in the big backyard, takes his knife and cuts or whittles whatever wooden thing he can get his hands on. When I look for him from the back porch, I usually find him just in time to see his arm flailing as he chucks a rock or a stick as far as he can. Which is SO Braylon. He’s been doing that since he was like 3! He’s really worked on drawing this year and has gotten so dang good at it! I love his determination. His perfectionism is an unfortunate genetic obstacle to artistic greatness. It’s ok though. It’ll hopefully equally help him achieve his artistic goals! He is just like his daddy who used to draw and doodle in high school and then way after that, he realized – wait a minute! I think I GOT somethin’ here! And next thing you know he’s like Creative Director Web Designer and Marketing Consultant for a major corporation. But whatevs ~ Braylon will be fantastic at whatever he does with the Lord’s help and guidance. His openness, compassion & humor light me up…and his dad loves how sensitive, creative and confident he can be.
It’s now after midnight on 6/14 – which means it’s Ricky’s and my 17th anniversary! We’ve been hanging out lookin at our wedding photos and he was kind enough to oblige me and pick out his favorite one of just me, just him and both of us. Today we played ping pong (I beat him again! All three games this time. Hee hee). We listened to the Lionel Richie Pandora Station during dinner (I made us raspberry salad and grilled bacon sandwiches) and afterward when we found ourselves alone by the ping pong table he made, right after I beat him, we kissed and slow danced for a minute to Journey’s “Open Arms”…despite my garlic bread breath.
I can’t wait to see what later today has in store for us.
Or the rest of our lives.
nights just like this, but it seemed appropriate to just gather her in my arms and my criss-cross applesauce lap, right there on the floor.
(which was cheaper than tickets to Portland, even with a rental); drove south (Oregon bound) but only made it Olympia before the snow started comin’ down heavy – too heavy
& sticky for our lil Ford Focus with lil bare tires. With the help of some of God’s angels, we made it to a Red Lion Hotel and only paid $89. for a great room with two queen sized oh-so-comfy beds. We had quite the view of a the swimming pool-ice-rink and at breakfast,
we sat at a table with huge windows overlooking a half-frozen lake and snow-blanketed trees all around, which made up for the suckie food. It was still snowing lightly when we looked at the freeway.
and my family’s street, SW Houston. The Stewarts came down to the Bebb’s and we got to love on each other, have chicken divan & Christmas cookies (wiener-dog shaped w/icing & sprinkles). Narnia and It’s a Wonderful Life played as the kiddos (Gabby 5, Jamae 7, Angel 2, and Braylon 6) ran around the house. Finally, we gathered in the living room where I read a few paragraphs from 
Luke 2 about Jesus’ birth before
Bray interrupted with, “can we open a present now?!” The kids got one gift to open. We set out three cookies and a small glass of milk on the piano. It was going to be two cookies, but Bray said that Santa (from the mall) whispered to him that he likes to have three.
At 9am, we headed over to the Stewart’s place through the icy snow for a huge, yummy breakfast (including the traditional Santa-pancakes) and then back to Mom and Dad’s for presents. After Stew and Rick helped my Dad get our rental out of a snow rut, we were packed up and were off again…another 280 miles south, to see the rest of the family this Christmas day!
family. A sense of warmth and safety loomed. Braylon had a gift that he was just enamoured with ~ a small laser pointer. Someone asked him if he could give us a laser light show, to which he and his cousins all replied, “what’s a laser light show?” (What? You mean you don’t remember Pink Floyd at the OmniMax Theater?!) Well, after explaining it, we all took turns with our own unique designs on the ceiling. At one point, we all stopped to notice snow flurries lit by a parking lot lamp, out their 2nd story window.
Chelan 