Year 2, Day 7: Peace

With Jared back last night for good, I finally felt at peace.  It was a hard 10 or so days on him, too.  Really, it's been a hard year for him to basically work from a backpack.  He likes having a brick and mortar office away from home and to keep work and home separate.  So, it was good to have him back today, and we could just hang out, Abishai could show him his new tricks, the kids could ask him questions, and Jared could cook lunch! Wahoo!  I enjoyed checking out his new computer that turns into a tablet (wow!).

And of course, it being Saturday, we went to church.  I'm glad I had a little nap because I was wide awake for the sermon and I needed to be.  It was a very powerful sermon on FEASTing, but I'll let you go check out once it's on the website.  Gary did include their traveling story from yesterday, and since I hadn't heard the full story in chronological order, it took me by surprise.  I literally squirmed in my seat thinking about what could have been.  I'm not one to say, "God, please don't let Jared or my in laws die in an accident or from cancer," because God's plan is God's plan, but I do ask Him if it's His will, to please don't take them from me/us.  I started to think, as I usually do, about what could have been if they hadn't come home.  Scary.

So, here it is, and since they read this blog, they can correct me if I'm wrong.

Gary and Leah got to the Ft. Lauderdale airport super early because they already knew they would probably be rerouted because there were ice storms in the south, and the Atlanta airport was probably going to shut down, and it did.  So, they sat in terminal 1 baggage claim, doing their devotions and having breakfast, praying, and so forth.  The shooting happened in terminal 2 baggage claim.  I don't know the airport's layout, so I don't know if these are separate buildings or different wings in the same building.  Gary got the text that said that their Atlanta flight was cancelled and they would need to go to the ticket counter to get a new flight.  So, he did that, and they were able to get a flight to Washington/Ronald Reagan airport and then take another flight to Indianapolis.  They fly Southwest, so by the time they got their new tickets, they were in group D, meaning they were the last to board the flight.  They were literally the last ones on, and had to sit apart from one another.  Just as they were sitting down, the stewardess said to buckle up quickly because they were told they need to get in the air asap as there was a gunman in the airport!  And as Gary and Leah's plane was taxiing, they saw people pouring out of the terminals onto the tarmac.  They literally got out of their in the nick of time!  I've heard other article state that some passengers were stranded on their planes on the tarmac for 7 hrs while the airport was on lockdown.  God had provided all the right steps to get them out of there and home.  You could see HIS hand on it all.  And I don't dismiss the poor people who are injured or who were killed, including the gunman himself.  It sounds like he's had a rough time of it coming back from being in the National Guard, and I praise him for cooperating with the authorities.  I pray for his soul and that he repents and turns to Jesus.  I pray for the families whose loved ones didn't come home.  I pray for those stranded without ID's and shoes and their luggage.  I praise God that Gary and Leah are safe and obviously, God has more work for them to do here.  Right now, I can't imagine life without them.  They've been so critical in the last year or so especially.  Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord.

The sermon was actually about dieting on the Word of God, gorging ourselves with it, and I plan to slowly get myself back into reading the Bible.  I even got a new Bible for Christmas to "turn over a new leaf" and start anew.  It's going to be hope filled year and even when I'm sad that we are here and not on PEI, I do count the blessings of what Indiana has to offer our family right now.

After all those pictures over the holidays, I think my trigger finger was tired, so I haven't taken as many pictures lately, but here's a few.

Look at those big feet!  Abishai insisted everyone get under his blankie with him.

Abishai found a new place to hide and carry around his candy corn treats!  He knows they are stored in the laundry room and will ask for them as well as "MM's" which he says MM for.

Aw, Abishai missed reading with Daddy and showing him different things throughout the day.

It was wicked cold this morning and I guess there was a lot of moisture in Keturah's room because she woke up to frost on the INSIDE of her room.  We close her door, so it does get cooler in there now that we close her vent (she complained it was too hot at night).  Wow!

Very pretty!

Daddy's home and can build us a fire again!

Pre teen dork.  78 lb scrawny guy.  Tinsy-saurus Rex.  Just a few names for this lanky guy.  He's a full blown hormonal pre teen too, with mood swings, forgetfulness, and don't let him near the microwave!

We usually try to sneak things around Abishai because he begs for whatever we have.  Well, Keturah didn't do a great job at hiding her ice cream, so she had to share.  She didn't mind though and even stuck out her tongue to show Abishai how to eat it.  She's a good little mommy most days.

Yup, it's PEI weather in Indiana tonight!  I'm so thankful I kept my fuzzy thermal tights that I can put under my jeans.  My knees thanked me for the extra warmth tonight.  Yes, THERMAL tights!  I LOVE them!  I found them actually at Value Village last year in Charlottetown.  I had on my hat and gloves too, but could have used a scarf as well.  Abishai had his hat on.  But Keturah and Justin just had their hoods and barely took the time to zip their coats.  I guess we acclimated to the winter weather too well up north.  It's going to warm up to 50 degrees F by Wednesday though.  Which means all the snow and ice will be gone, which is a good/bad thing.  I don't want to see the grass, but there is ice on the roads under the snow and it does make traveling more difficult.  If it was just snow, that would be much easier than dealing with the ice.  But that's Indiana for you.  It snows, then it melts, it snows, then it melts.  Sigh.