Away From Home

Here are some Halloween pics of the kids. I'm still trying to figure out the layout thing, but at least I have something up there. They were so cute. We went to Frisco (where Josh's parents live) for their church's trunk or treat. The kids had so much fun getting lots of candy and seeing their grandparents too. Fun stuff.

This past weekend I went to Tyler, Texas to Pine Cove Camp for a women's retreat. It was INCREDIBLE!!! I always have so much fun around those girls. I don't know if everyone has friends like mine, but everyone should. I grew up sheltered much of my life, always churched, going to a Christian university, and even working at a school where the employees where predominantly Christian. Ironically, I never found girlfriends who modeled their lives after Christ in such a bold way until I was in my early twenties. I remember when we first moved to Dallas, Josh and I earnestly prayed that I would find some godly girlfriends. Within that year, I met these precious girls. God knew that I needed these friends in my life. Their actions and total reliance on God is so encouraging to me. They have such a passion for Jesus that really makes them "shine like stars in the universe". It was by His grace that I met these girls and we've been good friends ever since.

While I was in Tyler having so much fun with my friends, Josh and the kids headed the other direction to Lubbock to see my sweet nephew's one year old birthday party. When Josh got home last night, we were sitting around the dinner table talking about our weekend experiences. He was telling me about the trip down to Lubbock. Josh, Mary Alice, and Major were riding up to Lubbock with my Dad. Josh was driving my parent's car (a Toyota Camry) with Dad in the passenger seat and the kids in the back. They had decided to take an alternate route to Lubbock because of heavy traffic delays on the main road. So... they took some sort of alternate route that was a two lane road. Josh said that he was driving 75 miles an hour and went around a curve. All of a sudden he saw a pickup truck driving straight toward him in his lane. In a split second, Josh thought through what he should do: 1. swerve left (risking the possiblity that the truck would swerve back into his own lane and they would have a major collision), 2. swerve right and head off into a ditch (remember, they were going 75 mph), or
3. hit his brakes (which Josh presumed to be anti-lock) and swerve to the right. Josh decided to do number 3. As he hit the brakes, he realized that their brakes were NOT anti-lock and sent the car skidding and leaving him unable to control the direction of the car. Josh said at the last moment the pickup truck driver must have woken up or something, because he quickly swerved back into his own lane, narrowly missing their car. Josh said that they left "rubber on the road". He said that the skidding actually ruined the front tires of the car, causing them to make a very loud sound all of the rest of the way to Lubbock. He told me that if that driver hadn't woken up, they would have most certainly been hit and not survived. When he told me that, I started crying, realizing how my whole life could have been changed in that instant and so very thankful that God was watching over my sweet family. God is so good.

Sometimes we forget how very precious and temporary life is. This whole day I have been saying prayers of thanksgiving to God for my life and the lives of my family. Give your husband a kiss. Tell your kiddoes you love them. Remember to be thankful for the little blessings that God gives us every day. Every good and perfect gift comes from above.