Happy Father's Day Jeff & George!

Regardless of where Karin is, Jeff is still a great father to Salina and Noah. One time when Morgan and Cole were over at the Carters, Jeff taught them how to slide down the stairs in a sleeping bag! If that isn't a fun Dad I don't know what is! Kinda freaked me out but my kids thought it was great. :)

Jeff is in Redding at a golf tournament that he goes to every year. I am glad he went. He needs time to do nothing. Salina and Noah are split up at the grandparent's houses.

Thursday is PINK day!

The kids are out of school. They have lots of fun things planned for the summer. Noah will be going to tutoring so he does not get "summer brain". Salina is going to Hume Lake, Noah to VBS. They are going on the houseboat, which Karin LOVED! But the best part for me is Noah is coming here. Yippee! And, no, since I know you are wondering, he is not flying alone anywhere. The kids brought home good report cards, especially considering all that they have gone through in the past year.

I know I have posted this verse before but I heard it from the Message version the other day and it spoke to me.

Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)

I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out -plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

God always meets us where we are at. I love how is says, "I will show up." We don't have to drive somewhere to see him, say some specific prayer, be with a certain person. He just shows up. We just have to have a willing heart. I know that God did not show up in the way I thought He would. I wanted to be sitting with Karin on her 80th birthday comparing tattoos and sipping Lemon Drops in the Bahamas. But I still have to trust Him that He knows what is best for me and Salina, Noah and Jeff. Continue to just show up, God, we continue to need YOU!

I can't remember if I Blogged this or not. Of the now 35 people that emailed me to tell me that they made dermatology appts, 7 of them had something removed. That is 20%!!! That is a lot. That is so high it scares me. I know I posted about taking Cole in for a suspicious mole on his toe. I know he has had this mole since he was at least 2. It may have been there before but I am not sure. Anyway, it has to be removed. Because of its location on his toe we have to see a Plastic Surgeon. Cole is looking forward to it. Crazy boy. Once they removed it they will send it in for testing. All this will be July 1st. Please just pray that nothing would come of this.

I still have bracelets. If you contacted me, I did not receive your email. Kinda surprised at you guys that no one has emailed me about bracelets. Also, I am going to have to take my email off the previous post as I am getting a ton of emails wanting to know if I want to meet singles, buy Viagra, or go to psychology school. As soon as I fix that I will post about it and then you can resend your emails about the bracelets.

I have received in the mail the Venti Miracle bracelets that were passed out at the Run over a year ago. My daughter said, "Mom! These are collector's items!" ;) No, for all that know me well, I will not be listing them on EBay. ;) But, they are available for cost. Jamie will have some at Celebration and I have some here if you are not local to the Brentwood area. I have larges and mediums. They are $1.50 per bracelet and if you buy one from me you will need to include a self addressed stamped (2 stamps) envelope for me to mail back to you. Again, this just covers the cost of the bracelet and Jeff is not making money on this.

Both Salina and Noah went today to have their moles checked. This was their first time. Salina has a few that just need to be watched. This is kinda a fine line to walk here. While they need to know the seriousness of this situation we don't want them to be frightened either. Just pray for wisdom for Jeff for when these things come up. Pray that these sweet children would not be fearful of going to the doctor.

Tomorrow, I will be taking my son, Cole ( 9 ), to the dermatologist. He has a mole that I believe has recently changed. When I took him to the pediatrician yesterday he believed it would need to be removed. So, pray for peace for me ('cause I am the big worrier) and that it would be nothing. If it does need to be removed, pray for no pain. I will update on that tomorrow. Cole is thinking this is a pretty cool thing to have a part of your toe removed and is hoping for some blue thread for the stitches.

TTFN

No, I have not fallen off the face of the Earth . . . we just returned from a long vacation in Florida. We went to Disney World. There are so many reminders of Karin there. That girl loved Disney Land. In the hall in their loft is a collection of portraits taken at Disneyland. Same scene on every picture but different years. The kids range from toddler with chunky baby fat (Noah ;) ) and Salina's long ringlets to recent. When they went there (in a fog) just days after Karin went to Heaven Jeff had the same picture taken. Ouch. These are my thoughts, and as my daughter would say, "That was random, Mom." But these are my thoughts.

Jeff and the kids are hanging in there. School is winding down. What a long and hard year that we will be glad is over. Summer brings a different "problem" with what to do with the kids all day not to mention, Jeff has a job. Pray that that all works out.

We are up to 30 who have gone to the dermatologist. I know Jeff has one story that he wants to tell me about a friend that had something removed and another friend of mine had something "precancerous" removed. And remember me blogging about my husband having something removed? That is 3 that I know of. That is 10% of the 30 people that went. That is a pretty high percentage of people walking around with something that could be life threatening. If nothing else we are smarter than we were before. Are my kids the only ones that practically fully clothed in UPF clothing when they go to the beach? What we do for our kids right now determines if they will have skin cancer when they are older.

More later.

A year ago today . . .

What a fabulous day this was! Not too many people get to have their lives celebrated while they are alive. This is exactly what this day was. Jeff & Karin have planted seeds for years. Seeds of generosity, seeds of kindness, seeds of friendship. Karin would have done anything for me, as I would her.

I remember one time when I was pregnant with Jackson and about to pop. She called me early one morning and told me she was picking up my kids to take them to school for me. It was out of her way - 15 minutes in the wrong direction. I argued with her and told her no until she hung up on me (that's her, huh?). Five minutes later she was at my door.

I think of the Run as Jeff and Karin reaping the benefits of what they have sown over the years.

These are a few of my fav. pics from that day. That is a day none of us that were there will ever forget.

I am a little under the weather but hopefully you remembered it is PINK Day!

Her children will rise up and call her blessed . . .

You don't have to read this Blog to know what a great Mom Karin was. I remember when our girls were in Kindergarten and she used to lay with them and "scratch their backs and pat their butts" until they fell asleep. I always used to think of the amount of time that took everyday to do that. I remember asking her one day why she did that everyday and she told me, "Some day they won't let me." That some day never came but she sure did know something that I didn't.

I don't know if you have ever noticed but Mother's Day is EVERYWHERE! I was talking to Jeff Friday night and he noticed it as well. It is on TV, in every store (except maybe Midas), it is in school, church, on the radio and on the Internet. It really is everywhere. It will forever be hard day for Salina and Noah. No one can ever fill the void in their hearts that their mother has left. It grieves me deeply that no Mother's Day will ever be like it was before. Jeff and I talked a lot about somethings that he could do to make the day easier. But it will never be easy. I speak from experience, unfortunately.

Proverbs 31 10 - 31
10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.
11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.
13She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.
14She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.
15She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.
16She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.
18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.
19She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
20She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.
24She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.
26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
29"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Karin may not be walking this Earth anymore, but her children can still say she is blessed. No, her life was not as long as we thought it should be, but she is still blessed. How much more blessed can you be than to be in Heaven? It doesn't get much better than that. Yes, her absence on Earth has created voids in our lives. But to be "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord". If you were at her grave site today, she was not there. She is with the Lord! I can only hope that she enjoyed her first Mother's Day with her grandmothers and my mother.

We are up to 25 on our dermatology count. I have enjoyed all the emails! Keep them coming.

I know this is not a very good picture but it is the only one around. A collector's item, of sorts, and I am not parting with it. ;) It is a long story how I got this (and I can't reveal my sources, to protect their identities :) ) but this is Karin's "Fall" Starbucks order. Enjoy her writing and the good laugh you can have visualizing her ordering.

I have to report that we are up to 22 on the dermatology count! Almost halfway there.