Sharing With Others

Tonight was one of the coolest experiences of my entire life! Since Thanksgiving, our community has been gathering gifts and accepting donations for a family that we "adopted". These folks, a Mom, Dad and 10 month old baby, are recent graduates from the Family Promise Program. This program helps homeless families get back on their feet. If you recall, that is the organization that we slept outside in cardboard boxes for earlier in the Fall.

There story is pretty amazing too. They are here all the way from Kentucky. They arrived in May, with a guy that promised them lots of work and money. Of course it was too good to be true, and after working for the guy for a few weeks, he left them in a motel room with only $32 in their pocket. No car, no income, not a single person they knew here in Montana, literally nothing but a few clothes and their then 3 month old baby. Without Family Promise, who knows what would have happened to them.

The just recently were able to rent a little trailer house outside of Belgrade, and are doing a great job of picking up the pieces. She has a full time job in Bozeman, and he is a construction worker, trying to get as money jobs as he can. Tonight we spent about 30 minutes with them, hearing their story and talking about Montana. Rick and one of our guys even have plans to go on a fishing trip now! I feel like we really made a connection, and that God wants us to continue to be in their lives, we will see where it leads us!

We were able to give them a nice spiral ham, 10 pounds of oranges $100 to both Walmart and Town Pump plus goodies and treats, along with several gifts for each of the parents and the baby. Dad was telling us how he has to work outside with no winter clothes, and he just wasn't use to the weather. It was so hard not to tell him that he had insulated coat, bibs, work boots and work clothes waiting for him under the tree! I am extremely proud of what our little group was able to gather, we did great... well we didn't God did!! I hope this a lesson that our kids will remember for years to come. They may not have had a fancy program of sorts, but they did great in helping with our efforts!

When we left, we invited them to join us at our Christmas Party on 12/23. They seemed interested, but who knows if they were just being polite. It would be great to see them again though. They are very humble, gracious people.

It makes me feel so good that we were able to do a little something nice for a family in true need, that is really trying hard to get an edge up in life. They really deserve to have a Merry Christmas after all that they have been through. I hope they have it.

It has been busy in Our Montana Life!

The Countdown Continues!

Well, here we are, 10 days from Christmas Eve! This week will be a busy one, well I guess they all are around here this time of year!

Gracie and Sam both have Christmas programs this week. Sam's is his preschool program, and I am really excited to see how he does! He is much different than his shy big sister, so I am hoping to be able to actually watch one of my kids participate in a program, rather than just stand there like they are facing the firing squad! He is excited too. I am going to the store tonight to find him a new shirt for the occasion, so he will be a handsome little man I am sure. I will let you know how it goes.

Gracie actually has 2 programs this year. She is in school all day, everyday, so she has music more often too. They don't have one big program at her school, but rather each class has their own during their music time. I am not sure how I feel about that or not. There are pros and cons to both I guess, so I will let you know afterwards. So, we have one on Wednesday and one again on Thursday afternoon. I will be there for both of them, crossing my fingers the whole time that she doesn't have a meltdown. I think she will do OK though. I am letting my big boys come to the program too, even though they will miss a couple classes at school. They both want to go, and you just can't miss these things.

It is really strange to not have the kids participating in a "church" Christmas Program, and even more strange that I am not pulling my hair out trying to coordinate the thing. I was looking forward to a break from all that, but it seems like Imagine is keeping me just as busy, if not more so. It is just a different kind of business I guess. Plus, it will be nice next Sunday morning to just be able to sit back and relax and watch it all unfold as a spectator. Our friend's little girl, who is Gracie's really good friend, will be in the program, so we thought it would be fun to go and just watch her. She was over to the house on Saturdeay to play, and invited us to come. It is great not to have a commitment. If we decide not to go on Sunday morning, or the weather is awful, we will just stay home! I am not sure if our nephew is in it or not. Waiting to hear back on that one. I had thought, he was, but then heard from the sunday school person that he might not be, so who knows. Hard to keep track sometimes (most times).

Isaac and is working on a video project with some other kids from our church community. That is their version of a Christmas program. They are interviewing folks around town about Christmas, and I think it should be great. The best part is that one of the college girls is going to put it all together and help them with the editing so I don't have to! Even better. I just finished another video project for that same service, so I certainly do not need to do another one. I will share that one later too.

So, we remain busy but I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Shopping is done, just need to do the wrapping, going to do the baking this weekend, the house is decorated... inside and out now! Just need to finish a couple more projects, get through our Celebration Service on 12/23, clean the house and do the cards (maybe), oh and get some stocking stuffers, then I should be home free! Well, I guess there is the shopping and prep work for our Christmas Day feast, but that is all fun stuff! We are so excited to be able to stay home this year, and have many special plans for the day!

The best part is that I am done with work on 12/22, so that should help a ton! Once I can take work out of the equation, things will be much better! This is probably the hardest time of the year to have such a demanding full-time job. Thank goodness my hubby is here to help me keep it all together!

Tis the Season...

of Craziness!

Today was one of those days when I think I was more tired when I woke up than when I went to bed! The kind of tired where your whole entire body aches and feels like lead, not because of illness, but from shear exhaustion! I couldn't even think straight, and had no desire to talk to anyone, not my kids, my hubby or even my doggie! It was all that I could do to put one foot in front of the other. Of course, it is just as busy at work, and had to be there bright and early to host a web conference. No choice to stay home and cuddle up. Time to get on that hamster wheel.

The Christmas Craziness is starting to get to me. I have been running non stop for well over a week, and I don't really see much of an end in sight. It sure didn't help that I had to be in Lewistown for 3 days at meetings early in the week either, where the weather was bitterly cold and the days went long into the night.

Last night we were out in the cold at the Christmas Stroll with Imagine, standing in 5 degree weather for 4 hours, walking around and attempting to be nice to everyone, while entertaining my 4 and 5 year olds. We connected with lots more folks, but it was so darn cold that I was literally shaking uncontrollably for 2 hours after I got home. Not to mention all the prep work it took to get everything setup and taken down. No wonder this morning was so hard!

I know that I am near my wits end when I hear certain Christmas songs on the radio and just burst out crying... that is exactly what happened on the way home tonight. I think I have "hit the wall" so to speak. Right before the end of the day, we heard some terrible, tragic news about one of our coworkers. Her 4 kids were in an accident this morning. 1 was killed, 2 in critical condition and the other in the local hospital. Obviously that didn't help my mental state!

So onward and forward towards Christmas I go, wondering why I am even bothering with any of it! If I did none of it, didn't work full time, didn't try so hard to make sure my kids got to go and do special Christmas things, and didn't even bother with church, and let someone else take my kids there too... no decorating, no shopping, no cards, no cookies, none of it!

But I could never not do it, for my kids, my husband and my Jesus!

O Christmas Tree!

Our house looks like Christmas now! We spent the day cleaning house and getting all the decorations out of storage, so that we could put our tree up with the kids tonight. Before we put the tree up, we had to actually go get it though! We bought one from the MSU Range Club. It is their fundraiser for the year, so it is for a good cause. We got to the lot, Isaac and I and the littles, and it was a little bare, although they just showed up with a new load from the mountains. We waited a bit for a tree with the pink ribbon on it, the ribbon that meant that it was an 8 ft tree. To be honest, not very many were the ones we had ordered, and we could pick form a bad tree or those even worse. We chose the bad one.

I think it was just so darn cold for those kids out getting the trees that they just grabbed the first ones that they could find. Can't say that I blame them though... it is darn cold out there. We were freezing by this time and I could have cared less if we even left with a tree or not! Gracie was crying because she was cold, and Sam just wanted to go pet the horses next to where the trees were. Isaac and I had to figure out how to get the thing tied down to the top of the tree in the wind with numb fingers. We couldn't wear our gloves, because then we wouldn't be able to tie the knots we needed to. I am sure we were a site to see! We did it though, and the tree made it home without falling off on the road, so I guess we did OK after all.

The whole time we were out there freezing, I couldn't help but think... do we really need a tree anyway?!?! This is all just SO much work right now, and I am tired and freezing! I was quickly snapped back into reality though when my daughter looked up at me and said "Mommy, I think our tree is the best!" OK.. so maybe it was worth it! We are creating memories that will last a lifetime.

So Jim brought the tree in the house, and I just burst out laughing! We had watched Christmas Vacation the night before, and our tree reminded us of the one the Griswold family brought home! It looked much smaller at the lot.... in our little living room it was huge! Jim cut off the bottom, which we knew we would have to do... and of course my dear husband just did it right there in the middle of the living room. I asked him why he didn't do it outside, and he just said he wasn't going to stay out there any longer than he had to... it was cold! Gee thanks honey, thanks for letting me stand out in the cold for 3o minutes or more getting the darn thing, you go ahead and get sawdust all over the floor I just cleaned today... guys! Isaac thought the top was too thin, and it was, so he took some green wire and wired in some extra branches,

Our tree has about three curves in the main trunk, so if you look at it from a certain angle, you think it is ready to fall over... it isn't, it just looks like it!

We got it all decorated and had a great time strolling down memory lane with all the decorations. I am going to brag for a minute here, but I really feel like this is one of our most special memories as a family. I hope all families take the time to do this with their kids. It is amazing what the kids remember year to year.

Doing God's Work..... Is Really Fun!

Last night we did our first "Caroling for Family Promise" event. The first of two this year. The evening turned out better than we could have ever dreamed of, and every minute we spent on the preparations was totally worth it!

We met at 6 at the parking lot near Albertson's in Belgrade. People slowly gathered, there were about15, and we got the truck and trailer decorated for our night on the town. Our friends Ron and Terri graciously let us use their snowmobile trailer, and had bolted their patio stove down on it so it was safe and would not move while we were going down the road. We had hay bales all around for seating. We had our Imagine flags that we usually display at the events that we participate in, so folks know who we are. We had santa hats, jingle bells and lots of candy canes and cookies to hand out. After a quick trip home for an extension cord, we hooked up the inverter to run the Christmas lights and our ipod stereo system for our trip... we were off!

I have to tell you that at first it felt a little strange to have everyone in town looking at us, normally I am not that kind of person at all, but after a few minutes, we relaxed and sang and laughed all the way to the first stroll venue.. the bank.

It took us a couple of tries to find a good spot, but once we did it was great. Isaac and Jason handed out candy canes and invitations to our Christmas Celebration service. We broke out our hot dogs for roasting on the fire, as we had not had dinner yet, and that was great fun too! Soon we had new friends join us on the trailer to warm up and a few even roasted hot dogs with us, and enjoyed some cookies. We really connected with lots of folks, in a relaxed way that we would never have done by sitting in a church building waiting for them to come to us. It was so fun too.

Honestly, we really did not do that much caroling. Terri and I had worked really hard to pick out our music, type out lyrics to match each one exactly for song sheets and put the songs in order on the ipod to match our song books..... and we didn't really use them! I think one or two were used, but we had 50! It was easy enough to just sing along with the ipod music, and we were having so much fun laughing and interacting with our guests that it really didn't seem important. We were just open and let God use us how he wanted to!

After a time at the bank, we headed down to the hardware store, which was a bit of a ways away, across the interstate. Needless to say, we learned a couple of things. First, the fire really gets going with all that wind, and second, sitting on the back downwind of the fire is not very fun! It was so cool to hear all the folks honking and shouting and waving at us. I know they were wondering what we were doing, but it got our name out there in a unique way for sure! We even had a big round of applause for a solider in uniform who was getting gas... that was awesome!
At the hardware store, we met even more people. One family with a little boy about 2 and another lady in her 20's that seemed a bit lonely. I really feel like we connected with both of these groups, and they are excited to join us at our celebration and ice skating party! God is so good! We did raise about $20 for our adopted family too. Not a huge amount by any stretch, but it is some gas for their car, a meal for dinner, or some clothes or toys for the baby. We are certain that God will bless that money and multiply it.

I guess in some ways it is hard for me to explain all that I felt last night. I just really felt like this was a confirmation that yes, I can do this and it is what God wants me to do. It was also a wonderful way to spend an evening with my family. These are moments that we will treasure forever I am sure, and I hope our kids remember this crazy fun night! It makes me sad to think about kids out there whose parents are just too busy to bother to do things like this with their kids... I guess that is what Imagine is about too.. connecting with those families and showing them that family and community are the most important thing.

So, we all had so much fun that we are planning on doing it again on December 10 in Manhattan. We know it will be a little different, because the community is different, but we are excited to give it a try!! To see all of our pictures Click Here

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

Today we woke to a cold snowy morning, just perfect for this time of the year. I love snow at Christmas time, just not after January! We are slowly but surely getting in the "mood" for Christmas! If you are reading this, and live near Bozeman, I would LOVE to invite you to join us caroling THIS Friday evening. It will be a relaxed evening of fun, sharing Christmas music at the Belgrade Festival of Lights!

Now here is the crazy part... we really wanted to get out in the community, and were not sure how to do that. It seemed like sitting in one location waiting for folks to come to us, just wasn't what we were trying to do..... SO we are hooking up a trailer to a friends truck, decorating the truck and trailer, putting some straw bales on the trailer, along with.. get this.... a warming fire! Yep, you read that right. A friend of ours has a small patio like stove that they have bolted to their trailer. We are going to light the fire to keep us warm, and go around to the different festival venues and sing songs along the way, all piled in the back of the truck and trailer! Should be crazy fun! At each location, like the bank, shopping center etc. we are going to stop to let folks join us, warm up by the fire and visit with us for awhile.

We are doing it for several reasons, first, we want to get Imagine's name out in the community, and have folks see us as "real" people, not too "churchy" Also, we want to see if we can get some donations to help us with the family from Family Promise that we have adopted for Christmas. We want to buy a meal and gifts for them to have a nice holiday, but we need some funds for that. Finally, it will just be a fun night to goof around with friends.

SO... if you are not busy on Friday night, meet us @ 6 in the NE corner of the Albertson's parking lot. If you can't be there at 6..... just look around and flag us down around town. We would LOVE to have you... the more the merrier... plus we will sound alot better too. Actually, we are going to have the ipod loaded with songs to sing along with, so we don't have to torture folks too badly :0)



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A Good Lesson Learned Today

Well, sometimes lessons need to be learned the hard way. My dear husband hates dentists with a passion, and avoids them whenever possible... to the point that he has been avoiding them for years. Our local town dentist, who we all saw as kids, retired many years ago, and with that retirement went my husbands dental visits. He did see a couple of different ones early on, but they all gave him such a hard time about not going, that he just stopped going all together.

We knew several years ago that he had some periodontal and gingivitis issues when he was referred to a specialist. Of course, at that time, we could not afford such a specialist, and our insurance would not cover it either, so we decided to wait and see, because he really had no pain etc from that. So that, along with the lack of regular checkups all contributed to today. I guess it is time to "face the music" so to speak.

On Thanksgiving Day, I noticed that my hubby was sort of chewing differently, and acting a little "off". When I asked him what was up, he said, "oh, I am Ok, my tooth just hurts a little", well over the course of the weekend, the tooth hurt more and more, to the point where he couldn't sleep anymore. He developed a fever, chills and looked like a pocket gopher on his left side. Of course, things like that always happen on a holiday weekend. My husband is very stubborn, and wouldn't let me take him to the ER for some sort of relief, so we used clove oil, ice packs, ibuprofen and warm salt water rinses. He also confessed that the tooth had been a little loose for a while now, and that one of his top ones had actually fallen out a couple of weeks ago... what the heck?!?! I could go on and on.... what the heck am I paying for dental insurance for him for???

This morning when I woke up, he was sitting on the couch, groaning in agony! He hadn't slept at all since getting home fro work. The ibuprofen was not doing a thing for him. I didn't even ask, I just called my dentist to see if they could get him in today. After I explained the situation, they told him to come right in. I really wanted to go with him, but he wanted to suck it up and go by himself, and assured me he would actually go. I worried the whole time he was there!

They ended up pulling the tooth out and cleaning it out with antibiotics and such. The dr said he was lucky he didn't end up in the hospital. He was really numb for several hours, but now all of that has worn off. He still hurts now, but it's a different kind of pain now that the tooth is gone. It will heal in time. but he will be suffering for a while longer I am afraid. He has to go back for xrays and fillings and then probably to the periodontal specialist for surgery. Holy cow.... I do not want to go down that road! I am sure it will cost much more than our dental insurance will pay... darn it! Last year it was $5000+ for my son's knocked out tooth and braces... now this!! But, we don't really have much of a choice.

I just wish he would have said something.... we have insurance, my dentist is fantastic! He said he just hates dentists SO bad that he didn't say anything because he knew I would make him go ..... he was right! He just thought it would go away, or that he could deal with it later.

So the moral of the story.... even if you hate the dentist, you need to go until you find one you like! I am sure Jim would agree that it is not worth the pain! He actually likes the new dentist, and says he will go back and take care of business from here on out.. and what do you know... our insurance covered the whole thing, and he didn't have to give them a penny! I am sure lots of folks would like to have the insurance we have... he just needs to use it!

It is a darn good thing he brushes, flosses etc twice a day religiously, or he probably wouldn't have a tooth in his head! So, if you have not gone to visit the dentist for awhile, turn the computer off and make that darn appointment!