What is new

I thought I’d just check in with you and say hi, and let you know what I’m up to. There’s a lot that’s been going on lately:

• Our youngest daughter Leah just completed her EMT class and is working another clinical shift at the hospital with Ray;
• Our middle daughter Eden just moved to Antler, Oklahoma with her husband Craig and their baby Piper;
• Our oldest daughter Heather just officially got a new job;
• Ray and I just went to a marriage retreat;
• I’m taking an online book study and working on a new book!

Ray wanted Leah to take the EMT class he teaches at his work at the hospital. She doesn’t want to be an EMT, but we thought the practical skills she’d learn (as well as the social skills interacting with other adults) would be good for her. And it was!

Leah didn’t think she could do it (grade-wise), but was the salutatorian (student with second highest grade ranking in a graduating class)! She studied so hard for this class. She made a 99 on her final exam, with an overall 97.0 grade average…only .5 points away from being the valedictorian! So close!

We are SO proud of her! Below is a picture of Ray giving her the certificate. I attended and was so excited and happy for her!

Here is Leah looking at the certificates after Ray gave them to her.

Below is a picture of the graduating EMT class. She’s the third student on the front row on bended knee. Leah is working a clinical shift today at the hospital with Ray. She has one more shift to work and then she is finished.

Here’s her EMT certificate and salutatorian certificates, signed by Ray the instructor.

Life is fluid and always changing. Our middle daughter Eden, her husband, and their baby moved this week to Antler, Oklahoma. Here she is at their apartment waiting on her husband Craig to bring the moving truck to load their stuff.

We hung around the apartment waiting, too. Here’s Leah with Eden’s friend Madi, who came to say goodbye.

Here’s Eden talking With Ray, showing him something on her phone.

Here’s me with their baby Piper before she moves to Oklahoma. I will miss her beautiful, smiling face. She’s 5 months old now. I’m thankful I was able to babysit her overnight a week before they left, and feed her a bottle the day she moved. 

Here’s Piper playing with her new toy as we’re waiting on the moving truck. She really likes it, lol.

Piper also likes her new seat. She’s a big girl now! She has started on Gerber’s baby food (sweet potatoes) and loves it. Num num!

They were able to get all their belongings in a 10 foot UHaul, which saved money and gas. Craig’s dad Kent and brother-in-law Joey drove from Oklahoma to help them load the furniture with us. Joey and Craig drove the Uhaul, Kent drove his Traverse van with boxes, and Eden and Piper drove in their car with boxes. Everything fit!

They left about 5:30 p.m. to drive at night, and got to Oklahoma very late. Eden said it was a long trip, but thank You, Jesus, they made it there safely!

Here’s Heather in their apartment kitchen holding Piper and Eden talking to her son, Jacob. This is one of the hardest parts of the move for Eden, as she’s moving away from her son (about 5 1/2 hours drive). Jacob is in his dad Logan’s custody, but he visits Eden on weekends.

He’s young so he doesn’t completely understand what’s going on. Please pray for Eden and him both. Of course, she will come back to Missouri to visit and Jacob may spend part of the summer in OKlahoma with Eden.

Jacob is so adorable and cute. Here he is at our house when he visited Ray, me and Leah.

Now the tears really came, when Eden was telling her daddy Ray “see you later”–her hero. Heather started crying, too, as she and Eden–who used to fight like cats and dogs growing up–have become much closer in friendship.

Eden then hugged me a second time, crying, and thanked me for stepping up to the plate to be her “real mom.” She said she knew it seemed at times we had hated each other (by this time I was crying, too, and said, “We did hate each other!” You can read about this story in my memoir, Promises In The Dark: One Woman’s Search for Authentic Love. God has been doing a healing, restoring work in our relationship. We will probably always butt heads, but I’m thankful for what God has done and was deeply touched by her saying these things to me when she left.) Eden said she appreciated everything that I had done for her and she loved me and I said, “I love you, too.”

While we didn’t want them to move away to another state, I truly believe this fresh new start is going to be a good change for Craig, Eden, and Piper. Maybe it’s time for a fresh start for you, too. 

Eden posted on Facebook that the people in Oklahoma are really nice. They are staying busy. Here’s a beautiful picture of her. I love it!

 Meanwhile, our oldest beautiful Heather now is officially employed at a new job in the town where she lives as a Customer Development Representative. 

Thank God for this new job, because she doesn’t have to fight snow and ice to get to work, it’s close to her home where she can just go home for lunch to save money, and she’s close to her girls’ school if they need her. She also loves it. It’s huge answered prayer! I’m so proud of her!

I’m currently doing an online book study by Dana Arcuri on her new book, Reinventing You: Simple Steps To Transform Your Body, Mind, & Spirit.

Dana records videos each day for 5 days in the private Facebook group. I love it. Dana is an excellent speaker and author.

I’m now writing a new book that relates marriage to the art of stained glass. Here’s the tentative image I got at Istock for the book/eBook’s cover.

What do you think? What are you up to lately? Leave your comments below. 

 

 

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