Sometimes it feels like the world is spinning so fast and things crumble all around us. That seems to be the case in the Colter household lately. It is like we are all trying to find a new normal. I am not even sure why we need to but we have very clearly entered a new phase of life. This is challenging and chaotic, but in a good way, I think.
I can only imagine how the people in Haiti feel right now. I feel like my world is crumbling some days when their's actually is crumbling, literally, around them. Sitting on my nice cozy couch, checking up on the Internet, drinking my nice hot coffee after a good work out and Bible study I learn of another earthquake/aftershock and I am afraid. I can only imagine how afraid I would be if it were my home, my family, my body stuck in the rubble, killed, life as I once knew it...GONE. Without my faith I am sure I would be angry, bitter, and wish myself dead. With my faith would it truly be any different? Would I be able to handle it better? I would like to think my faith is genuine, strong, withstanding. Would I be blinded by the tragedy? What would comfort me? What would comfort you? God. God is the answer to all of those questions. God, I pray my faith is strong and can withstand any test. I believe, God, that you can bring beauty from ashes...That is what Jesus was sent for! THANK YOU!!!
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devestated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Isaiah 61:1-4
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Parenting?!
I love my boys. I love watching them grow and develop. I love how they are night and day different but still best friends (which I hope will never change)! Kal is very smart, very thoughtful, and has a HUGE heart. So sweet. I teared up yesterday when after church I had the boys up in the high school room and the teens had left a ton of trash. He was picking up all of the little papers and throwing them away telling me "I just don't like to see this mess." So sweet! Last night at church they made "rainbows". Kamden's was just green. He loves green. The entire rainbow was, well, green. Kal's was a perfect ROY G. BIV! It had to be just right. Kamden is so fun-loving, care-free (maybe a little too much so) and FUNNY!!! Kal is our perfectionist.
The challenge has hit us that now we can really see their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, how do we encourage them without inflating them? How do we correct them without making them feel ashamed of their gifts? Kal needs to lighten up sometimes. He is so serious and, dare I say, prideful. It can come across as mean sometimes especially to his friends and he needs to be corrected but I do not want to discourage him from taking pride in what he knows or does (in a healthy way). Kamden needs to take some things more seriously, he needs to shake off the stubbornness and eat his dinner. He needs to listen and learn instead of being the clown in the back of the class...or in front of the class but I do not want to discourage him, he truly has a gift! That kid can bring a smile to ANYONE's face! I thought parenting was hard before, but now the challenge is a little scary.
I suppose this is the phase of life when I can look back and see why my parents may have made the decisions they made or handled things the way they did. Were they just as clueless as I am? I hope so. We all turned out okay, that gives me hope!
The challenge has hit us that now we can really see their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, how do we encourage them without inflating them? How do we correct them without making them feel ashamed of their gifts? Kal needs to lighten up sometimes. He is so serious and, dare I say, prideful. It can come across as mean sometimes especially to his friends and he needs to be corrected but I do not want to discourage him from taking pride in what he knows or does (in a healthy way). Kamden needs to take some things more seriously, he needs to shake off the stubbornness and eat his dinner. He needs to listen and learn instead of being the clown in the back of the class...or in front of the class but I do not want to discourage him, he truly has a gift! That kid can bring a smile to ANYONE's face! I thought parenting was hard before, but now the challenge is a little scary.
I suppose this is the phase of life when I can look back and see why my parents may have made the decisions they made or handled things the way they did. Were they just as clueless as I am? I hope so. We all turned out okay, that gives me hope!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Life. It happens.
It seems like everyone now days is very busy. Everyone. Very rarely do I hear "I'm bored." Even my boys don't have time to get bored. If they have nothing to do, they cherish the down time.
I find if I have a few minutes uncluttered I try to figure out how to clutter it. Should I get on the computer? Watch me some HGTV? Read a book? Go work out? Call my mom? Why can't I just sit in silence?
"Life" has been going on all around us...the contractor, the plumber, meetings, losing parents, friends diagnosed with cancer, report cards, play dates, Bible studies, earthquakes, freezing temps, conferences, visits, engagements, announcements of first pregnancies and third...life, death, healing, hurting, happiness, and joy all wrapped up in this thing called life.
I have been overwhelmed with so much lately. Why? Because I tend to stress about things. I am so jealous of those who take it just one day at a time and not stress out. UGH. Listen to me... "Overwhelmed, jealous." YIKES.
"In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace." "In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace." "In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace."
Peace. Ahhhh. Thank GOD!
I find if I have a few minutes uncluttered I try to figure out how to clutter it. Should I get on the computer? Watch me some HGTV? Read a book? Go work out? Call my mom? Why can't I just sit in silence?
"Life" has been going on all around us...the contractor, the plumber, meetings, losing parents, friends diagnosed with cancer, report cards, play dates, Bible studies, earthquakes, freezing temps, conferences, visits, engagements, announcements of first pregnancies and third...life, death, healing, hurting, happiness, and joy all wrapped up in this thing called life.
I have been overwhelmed with so much lately. Why? Because I tend to stress about things. I am so jealous of those who take it just one day at a time and not stress out. UGH. Listen to me... "Overwhelmed, jealous." YIKES.
"In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace." "In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace." "In this world you will have troubles, but I bring you My peace."
Peace. Ahhhh. Thank GOD!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Over a year later...
Wow. December 6, 2008. Seriously? Where has the time gone? I must admit, it is kind-of fun going back and seeing old posts and pictures. It is amazing how time can pass but something as simple as a picture or a few words can just bring the memories rushing back.
For Christmas, the owner of Curves here in Newburgh gave the staff wives at the church a free 1-year membership. So, of course, I am taking full advantage of that...and loving it!!! But I have realized that I have very few T-shirts to work out in that are decent enough to be seen in public. Most of them are very oversized, stained, painted, and even a few with holes. So, I figured I would go to my local thrift shop to pick up some T-shirts for working out. I then remembered that my mother had saved a bunch of my old T-shirts from Jr. High and High School to make a quilt. Well, I had not seen or heard of any quilt yet so I figured they were just being stored somewhere in the basement. I gave her a call and sure enough she had an entire tub of them! She brought them down to me this past weekend and with every T-shirt and every sweatshirt memories, feelings, thoughts all came rushing back.
What is it that triggers your memories from the past? Certain scents? Pictures? T-shirts? Movies? Music? Sometimes it does not take much. Do we have certain triggers when it comes to our relationship with God? When we have strayed from the discipline of Bible study...is there a phrase, a verse, a song, a concept that just can send us rushing back, even for just a moment? What about when we are in the "habit" of church. When it just feels like you go because that is just what you do. Is there an old hymn that can take you back to when you first accepted Christ? To a time when you could see God active and working in your life.
It seems to me that we all go in cycles. We have different sets of memories at different times. Some good, some bad, some funny, and some sad. It is nice to be reminded of where we have come from, what has shaped us, BUT I am very thankful that they are just memories and that we do not have to hold on to them as though they are life right now. And, what is life right now will one day be a memory and we will have new experiences and create new memories. Life is fascinating. God is always active and working in us and through us. Though sometimes Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection seem to be just a memory, we must know that it is so much more! Let every time we stray, every time we sin, every step we take, be a trigger to that memory.
For Christmas, the owner of Curves here in Newburgh gave the staff wives at the church a free 1-year membership. So, of course, I am taking full advantage of that...and loving it!!! But I have realized that I have very few T-shirts to work out in that are decent enough to be seen in public. Most of them are very oversized, stained, painted, and even a few with holes. So, I figured I would go to my local thrift shop to pick up some T-shirts for working out. I then remembered that my mother had saved a bunch of my old T-shirts from Jr. High and High School to make a quilt. Well, I had not seen or heard of any quilt yet so I figured they were just being stored somewhere in the basement. I gave her a call and sure enough she had an entire tub of them! She brought them down to me this past weekend and with every T-shirt and every sweatshirt memories, feelings, thoughts all came rushing back.
What is it that triggers your memories from the past? Certain scents? Pictures? T-shirts? Movies? Music? Sometimes it does not take much. Do we have certain triggers when it comes to our relationship with God? When we have strayed from the discipline of Bible study...is there a phrase, a verse, a song, a concept that just can send us rushing back, even for just a moment? What about when we are in the "habit" of church. When it just feels like you go because that is just what you do. Is there an old hymn that can take you back to when you first accepted Christ? To a time when you could see God active and working in your life.
It seems to me that we all go in cycles. We have different sets of memories at different times. Some good, some bad, some funny, and some sad. It is nice to be reminded of where we have come from, what has shaped us, BUT I am very thankful that they are just memories and that we do not have to hold on to them as though they are life right now. And, what is life right now will one day be a memory and we will have new experiences and create new memories. Life is fascinating. God is always active and working in us and through us. Though sometimes Jesus, His death, burial, and resurrection seem to be just a memory, we must know that it is so much more! Let every time we stray, every time we sin, every step we take, be a trigger to that memory.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Well,it has been a while since I have posted...I don't know where to start.
After Christmas (26th and 27th) we traveled up to Brown County State Park and had a Christmas gahtering with the McKee family in the lodge. IT WAS SOOO COOL! There was a very comfy atmosphere and a super water park...inside! It was nice to spend time with the family too! I would post pictures but...
...that leads me to the new year. To begin, my hard drive crashed. Thanks to the Geek Squad we managed to get a new hard drive and boosted my computer a little...but I lost everything. Everything. So, I have no pictures to post. I'll try to get some from the fam and post them later.
Oh yeah, Adam's birthday was the 29th and I got to be a part of the biggest surprise of his life. One of our girls from F-ville flew down to surprise him for his birthday and we pulled it off! It was great!
Just last weekend we got to take our new group down to TCTC in Gatlinburg. It was a great conference! It was nice to spend time in the mountains too.
So, there is nothing exciting going on to update...maybe next time there will be something to talk about.
After Christmas (26th and 27th) we traveled up to Brown County State Park and had a Christmas gahtering with the McKee family in the lodge. IT WAS SOOO COOL! There was a very comfy atmosphere and a super water park...inside! It was nice to spend time with the family too! I would post pictures but...
...that leads me to the new year. To begin, my hard drive crashed. Thanks to the Geek Squad we managed to get a new hard drive and boosted my computer a little...but I lost everything. Everything. So, I have no pictures to post. I'll try to get some from the fam and post them later.
Oh yeah, Adam's birthday was the 29th and I got to be a part of the biggest surprise of his life. One of our girls from F-ville flew down to surprise him for his birthday and we pulled it off! It was great!
Just last weekend we got to take our new group down to TCTC in Gatlinburg. It was a great conference! It was nice to spend time in the mountains too.
So, there is nothing exciting going on to update...maybe next time there will be something to talk about.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
It's been busy...on Sunday, my "baby" turned 2! It was great fun! Grandma and Grandpa came down and enjoyed a weekend with us. We celebrated on Saturday with some Papa Murphy's Pizza, presents, and cupcakes. Kamden really liked his new stuff and especially liked being sung to!
Sunday brought McDonald's for lunch, seeing Grandma and Grandpa off, and getting more company in the evening. Chris, Nicole, and Morgan stopped in on their way to Virginia for a family Christmas. It was nice to visit. The boys really like Morgan and had a lot of fun with the visit! Below is a slideshow of the festivities!
Then brings us to Christmas. We really have had a nice time. For Christmas Eve we hung around the house and while Kamden napped Adam and Kal went to see The Tale of Despereaux. They enjoyed the afternoon out. We went to a very nice Christmas Eve service at church then came home, had some dinner, and we let the boys open one gift. It was tough to get them to bed as they were enjoying their new stuff. Kal got a super spy kit and Kamden got a race track. BOYS. They loved it! Then, off to bed. The boys got up around 7 and had some breakfast informing me that they wanted to play with the racetrack first thing. Adam and I smiled as they seemed to have forgotten that there would be more presents this morning.
We established a Christmas tradition when we got married to read the Christmas story (usually from Luke) before we open gifts. So, after breakfast Adam had the boys go to the couch to read the story...then they saw it...they remembered...and they did very good listening to the story before digging in!
So, tomorrow, we head up to Brown County State Park to stay in the Lodge with my family and do our gift exchange. It will be nice. Will update on that later!
Sunday brought McDonald's for lunch, seeing Grandma and Grandpa off, and getting more company in the evening. Chris, Nicole, and Morgan stopped in on their way to Virginia for a family Christmas. It was nice to visit. The boys really like Morgan and had a lot of fun with the visit! Below is a slideshow of the festivities!
Then brings us to Christmas. We really have had a nice time. For Christmas Eve we hung around the house and while Kamden napped Adam and Kal went to see The Tale of Despereaux. They enjoyed the afternoon out. We went to a very nice Christmas Eve service at church then came home, had some dinner, and we let the boys open one gift. It was tough to get them to bed as they were enjoying their new stuff. Kal got a super spy kit and Kamden got a race track. BOYS. They loved it! Then, off to bed. The boys got up around 7 and had some breakfast informing me that they wanted to play with the racetrack first thing. Adam and I smiled as they seemed to have forgotten that there would be more presents this morning.
We established a Christmas tradition when we got married to read the Christmas story (usually from Luke) before we open gifts. So, after breakfast Adam had the boys go to the couch to read the story...then they saw it...they remembered...and they did very good listening to the story before digging in!
So, tomorrow, we head up to Brown County State Park to stay in the Lodge with my family and do our gift exchange. It will be nice. Will update on that later!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thankful
Wow, what a day!
Kamden came down with a fever last night and today it spiked at 103.7! Poor thing. When that child it sick you can see it. He was pathetic! He woke up this morning only for a few minutes then fell back to sleep on the couch the rest of the morning! Adam was off today and for that I am very thankful!
You see, he layed with the sick "baby" all morning while I worked. He got Kal around for school. I finished making snowman ornaments with candy canes attached to them (which were quite cute by the way) for Kal's classmates' goodie bags. Adam got lunch for Kal and I took him off to school just in time for a small conference with his teacher and to pick up Adam's check. So, then it was off to the bank for me and to the new Pediatrician to get the paperwork filled out and records from Georgia released here. While I was there filling out paperwork and scheduling appointments for the boys, Adam called and informed me that Kamden needed to see the doctor, so, while I was there I tried to get Kamden in, but his doctor was off for the rest of the day and all doctors were at lunch...so, Kamden went back to bed with some Advil. Adam said at that point he sweat for 45 minutes! (Hooray!)
Meanwhile, I ran to the school for Kal's party (only 5 minutes late) and enjoy my time there. He did the cutest little dance to the "12 Days of Christmas". He is precious. During the party though, Adam called saying that another doctor could see him. He did a series of tests and it came up tonsilitis with a sinus infection. YUCK. So, a prescription for amoxicillin later they are out of there...
Meanwhile, Kal and I had gotten home from the party and I was starting to work. Then, I needed to go out to return a few things and do some more shopping so Adam got home with Kamden and I went out to fill the prescription and shop. I went to Kohl's and returned a bunch of stuff (maybe we should have gotten a babysitter so we could both shop together...) and headed to Target..arguably my favorite place to unwind. I finished some shopping and came home to a very happy Kamden playing ball with Kal in the playroom. Whew, that is a relief! While this was going on, Adam was making dinner! Woo-Hoo!
Finally, I sat down to finish my work and the day is finally come to an end. Maybe I will wrap some presents, I don't know.
Bottom line, I AM THANKFUL for my husband without whom I never would have made it. Thanks sweetheart!
Kamden came down with a fever last night and today it spiked at 103.7! Poor thing. When that child it sick you can see it. He was pathetic! He woke up this morning only for a few minutes then fell back to sleep on the couch the rest of the morning! Adam was off today and for that I am very thankful!
You see, he layed with the sick "baby" all morning while I worked. He got Kal around for school. I finished making snowman ornaments with candy canes attached to them (which were quite cute by the way) for Kal's classmates' goodie bags. Adam got lunch for Kal and I took him off to school just in time for a small conference with his teacher and to pick up Adam's check. So, then it was off to the bank for me and to the new Pediatrician to get the paperwork filled out and records from Georgia released here. While I was there filling out paperwork and scheduling appointments for the boys, Adam called and informed me that Kamden needed to see the doctor, so, while I was there I tried to get Kamden in, but his doctor was off for the rest of the day and all doctors were at lunch...so, Kamden went back to bed with some Advil. Adam said at that point he sweat for 45 minutes! (Hooray!)
Meanwhile, I ran to the school for Kal's party (only 5 minutes late) and enjoy my time there. He did the cutest little dance to the "12 Days of Christmas". He is precious. During the party though, Adam called saying that another doctor could see him. He did a series of tests and it came up tonsilitis with a sinus infection. YUCK. So, a prescription for amoxicillin later they are out of there...
Meanwhile, Kal and I had gotten home from the party and I was starting to work. Then, I needed to go out to return a few things and do some more shopping so Adam got home with Kamden and I went out to fill the prescription and shop. I went to Kohl's and returned a bunch of stuff (maybe we should have gotten a babysitter so we could both shop together...) and headed to Target..arguably my favorite place to unwind. I finished some shopping and came home to a very happy Kamden playing ball with Kal in the playroom. Whew, that is a relief! While this was going on, Adam was making dinner! Woo-Hoo!
Finally, I sat down to finish my work and the day is finally come to an end. Maybe I will wrap some presents, I don't know.
Bottom line, I AM THANKFUL for my husband without whom I never would have made it. Thanks sweetheart!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)