OPPORTUNITY

                Oh it feels so good to be back! We had an amazing vacation. Although, I think when you're a mommy you don't really get vacations, because your work just happens to follow you no matter where you go! We had a great time none-the-less. I did have a vacation on cooking and doing dishes which is more than I could have hoped for. In the ten days we were gone we spent a week at family camp in Forest Home. A place that is dear to my husbands heart, and now mine as well. It's a Christian camp that he grew up going to every summer with his family. I loved it the minute we got there two years ago and I would love, God willing, to go every summer. I think it allows me to chill out for a whole week and listen to what God's been trying to tell me all year long. Don't get me wrong, this place as much as I would like it, is not magical. It's not as if this is the only place you can go to hear God. I just know that it is a place where you leave all of the worldly distractions behind and therefore God can really speak to you. I think that you can find the same thing if you were to give yourself that time of solitude any place you are, but for most of us folks, the world just gets in the way. Here is one of the messages that I received this marvelous week

              When we got to forest home on a Sunday evening, I was waiting to all of the sudden feel all warm inside and have all these wonderful, magical feelings surge through my body. I thought it was going to be a week full of no conflict and no mean spirits. What I got instead was a nice fight with Doug about the organization of our teeny-tinny little room that we had to call home for the next six days. I wanted to put everything in its place before doing anything so I wouldn't go crazy and Doug wanted to go to the pool (both very valid points). So I took longer in my organization than Doug would have wanted and we started quarreling. Then Madelyn got diarrhea and we had to change her diaper like ten times in a matter of two hours, OK a bit of exaggeration never hurt anyone! AND THEN, Maddy got a mad rash and she was just miserable. What happened to my perfect week!? I was beginning to think that God wasn't going to make as big as an impact this week as he had two years ago when Doug and I visited Forest Home with out a baby. Well let me tell you what else went wrong, Doug got supper supper sick, he had violent throw up and we had to miss out on a whole day of fun activities (including the night zip-lining. I know, I know!) Then my asthma was making me miserable. Then I went on a run while Maddy and Doug were napping and when I came back two hours latter (in my defense I didn't have a watch) I was totally busted for being out for so long. And then, and then, and then, and then, and then! So many "crummy" things were happening to us, how in the world were we supposed to enjoy our vacation!? Well, here is when I heard God's message loud and clear. (This is God talking in my head, imagine it being said with a voice so deep and so powerful) "Libier, get outside of yourself and look at all the blessings you DO have, adjust your attitude and take all these "crummy" situations as opportunities to get closer to ME, and to allow me to do some work in you, because I know you need it." Shazzam! Ok, I guess I have been pretty petty in thinking that the world needs to slow down completely and that I can't go through any turbulations in order to be in love with God and to find blessings even in the crap things of life. What I realized is that, there will never be a moment of our lives where something wrong can't happen. But there could always be a greater submission of ourselves to God and letting  him lead us through the terrible things in life. He doesn't create these bad circumstances but He always filters them, and promises us that if we choose to let Him, he will always find blessings in any "bad" situations. All of the sudden, I kept thinking of all our hiccups as little opportunities to give up my control and let God lead. I noticed that it is more exhausting trying to do things on my own and trying to fix my life myself, than to allow an Almighty God  to.

                After realizing the great opportunity, I had an amazing time, in-spite all that happened through out the week. I can't say that I just willed it to be done and I was able to maintain this grateful attitude every time something would go wrong. I was always challenged, but coming to God every single time and being conscious of the choice I was making helped me get through the crappy things that I was experiencing. I hope you allow God to help you with what you need the most. The world is so full of things that can rob our time and efforts and sometimes it feels as though we are being fulfilled by our subscription to Netflix, or our super expensive car we just bought, alcohol/drugs, yummy food, sex, or our "hobby" we spend thousands of dollars on, or what ever other possessions you can think of. But for me, realizing that the only thing that could ever fulfill my heart in such a way that I am not OF the world is God, has been one of the most amazing things that has brought complete peace in my heart. Nothing else can satisfy me, that is why when I try to feel full from any worldly THINGS, I just feel so let down. Only God can satisfy my yearning, and only He can help me through the crap of life. I will take bad situations as opportunities to show me that I can do all things in He who strengthens me.

IF you liked this post, please do me a favor and pass it on to someone you love. Thank you! Stay blessed and stay saucy!

For Better Or For Poop In Your Shorts!

                I'm pretty sure I don't want to be writing this blog right now. And I'm pretty sure this has been a very very embarrassing day. Doug and I went on our long run today and since we didn't wake up early we did it at 3PM and it felt as if it were 139 degrees out side! I was having a really really hard time with my breathing and I  felt nauseous, but I wanted to continue running because I didn't want to make Doug not finish his run, so I pressed on. DISCLAIMER: If you get grossed out easily please stop reading and come back to the next blog, you really don't want to read this if you're easily repulsed. OK for those of you who stuck around, congratulations, you and I will be much closer next time we see each other. Moving on!

               The heat was intense and I had to stop running for a second to catch my breath and for a split second I thought, "Oh I think I have to fart, I'll do it now that no one but my baby and husband are around." I pushed with all my might and I definitely felt poop in my shorts! I could not believe I had just pooped my shorts. What the what!? So many thoughts went through my head! Oh Lord do I just hide this from  Doug and get home as fast as possible to get cleaned up? Well, we had about a mile and a half left on our run, I was NOT going to run with poop on myself, and I wasn't going to not say anything and then have Doug smell something rather unpleasant OR for that matter SEE something on my shorts. Eeeeeewwwwwwww!!!!! I know, I KNOW. How disgusting am I?! So I just told him, with nervous giggles, "Honey I just pooped my self,  I feel really humiliated so please don't laugh just ye...." before I could even finish those words, Doug lost it and laughed so hard it got me laughing as well. After seeing that I was really embarrassed he looked at me as we were walking and he said to me, "Honey, I love you no matter what" That was probably the sweetest moment of our whole life together. We hurried home (walking not running) But we had to stop at a neighbor/really good friend's house and I couldn't wait any longer, I asked T if I could use her bathroom and dashed to see the damage. ANNNNNDDDDD guess what!? I DIDN'T poop my shorts! Oh what relieve came over me! It must have been a really lousy fart nonetheless but not poo, NOT poo! So I rushed outside and when Doug and I left for our house I said it had been a false alarm. He was pretty upset that he no longer had the funniest story to tell the world for many many years to come.I was just so relieved that  I didn't,and that got me thinking. In the petrifying 18 and a half minutes I thought I had, I just thought of how love can conquer all. True love that comes from giving ones self to another human being without reservation and not expecting anything back, not the "fancy love" you see in the many romantic comedies on a big screen (notice they never have a "Uhh-Ohh, I just pooped myself"  moment) I felt Doug's love more than I have ever felt it. Yes, it was funny because come on it's a funny subject, but if we can laugh and look past things such as that, I know that we have a pretty amazing relationship. I feel so blessed that I can be all of myself with Doug. He loves me for so much more than I can ever comprehend. Yes, I was embarrassed and yes it was funny, but I do know that if I HAD pooped my shorts my husband would still support and love me and that means the world to me.
                  Every person gets embarrassed about certain things and every person has "an image" that they want the world to see them as, I know I do. But in that very vulnerable moment I thought how humbling it was to experience the most embarrassing situation. Had this happened with someone I didn't completely trust like my husband, I think I would have cried and felt ridiculous. But why? It's an accident that could happen to anyone. I guess the moral of this story for me is, that marriage is wonderful because you have a partner that is going to share with you the most wonderful things and the most devastating things. How cool is it that you have a "locked in friend" that should never leave you just because you pooped your shorts. Thank you Doug for being with me through thick and thin! I love you. P.S. I really didn't want to write about The incident, but something called me to, so I hope it blesses at least one person!  :)

Stay blessed and stay saucy and don't poop your shorts, or do, what ever you want!