Second Chances

Last night I attended a "Girls' Night Out" with my mother-in-law, Aunt Linda, and some other Bunco friends. The functions are once a month and have a new theme each night. Last night was a tea party and we learned proper etiquette when you attend tea.
The second speaker talked about second chances. She asked us to list 5 things we're thankful for. Then, she gave her life story, which included having a baby girl at the age of 16 and being sent to a home for unwed mothers (this was in 1965) where she was forced to attend "services" and hear all about what an awful sinner she was and how God could never love such a bad person. She was also forced to give up her daughter for adoption (they let her hold the baby for 3 minutes). Years later, in her late 30s, she and her husband started attending church and ended up adopting 2 boys (one whose mother dropped him off at the train station in Seattle at the age of 7 and told him she didn't want him anymore). She said how happy she was to figure out that she wasn't the only sinner in the world! What I took away from it was how she struggled to forgive herself for her past sin. She had this incredible guilt, and even though she knew she was a new, clean person in Christ, she just couldn't let go of that time in her life. I can relate. Some things are hard to let go of. But when you finally do let go and let the Lord heal you, it is the most freeing feeling. You will always remember that mistake, but the hurt has disappeared. I'm so thankful that I have second chances in life!

I've been promoted! & 2 more months in the trailer

I am now an official "regular" player in my bunko group as opposed to a "sub" that plays just about every month. The lady I've been subbing for just couldn't commit to another year, so they asked me to take her place!

Some house news....our expected move in date has been pushed back to sometime in mid January. Boo....At least we have an actual goal that seems realistic. They will start the dry-wall on Monday and need 13 working days to complete, so with Thanksgiving in there, we're looking at them being done the first week of December, then a week to paint, and then all the fun stuff arrives on Dec. 13, all our carpeting, cabinets, fixtures, etc. They said they need about 3-4 weeks to complete all that and have us do the walk through so they can fix any problems and then we can move in! Guess it'll be Christmas in the trailer....I wonder if we can fit a tree in there?

It's Snowing

I thought Curtis was just trying to get a reaction out of me when he looked out the window and excalimed "IT'S SNOWING!" For some reason I didn't believe him, until I looked outside and saw these pretty, white, fluffy flakes falling from the sky. All I could think was, "great, it's snowing and we haven't put my snow tires on the car yet and the stupid road maintence guys won't get the highway de-iced until AFTER I get to work and I'm going to get in a wreck on the way to work in the morning..." I know what you're thinking - wow, someone forgot to take her happy pills. I do like snow, but what I don't like is driving a 4-door car in the snow when EVERYONE else in Central Oregon is driving a 100-ton jacked up diesel truck thing that's wheels are bigger than my car. It's scary, especially because they drive fast and have no regard for us little cars on the road!

Anyhoo, the road guys did get the highway cleared before I left for work and I had a very uneventful drive. I think it' supposed to snow off and on for the next 5 days or so, but I see blue sky out my window!

PS - Mom and Dad, hope you're ready for a white Thanksgiving :)

I LOVE apple cider!

Our office served apple cider on Halloween to the cold little trick-or-treaters. We had some left over, so I've been drinking it EVERY DAY! Although, today I think I may have had one too many mug fulls today, because I'm feeling a bit of a sugar high. (Ok, a big sugar high.) The weather here has been perfect for cider drinking, too; it's been raining since yesterday. Apparently someone up above heard my cries for some west-of-the-Cascades type weather. It's been warm enough to keep the rain in rain form, rather than snow form. Thank you! Now if I could only find some time to get to my friend Amy's house, maybe she would share her cider with me. I'm not sure she has enough to go around, though. :)

House update: We have a garage floor! They poured the cement on Tuesday! The electrician is hooking us up to power and water is being connected to the house! We are on the schedule for insulation next week! Slowly but surely our house will get done. I should have stopped praying for patience... Wow, that was a lot of exclamation points, I must be excited for our house to be done or something...