These last few days have felt a little strange...going about mundane tasks like watering the flowers or going to the park with the wildfire raging just a few miles from our house. I haven't driven around the small mountain that blocks our view of the burned area yet, and I kind of have been avoiding it. Yesterday, the western edge of the fire that we can see from downtown got menacing and huge again and I think made the hearts of everyone sink to their stomachs. We later found out that it was a burnout operation to secure that side of the fire to prepare for heavy winds today. I still haven't heard if one of our town's most beloved spots, Lockett Meadow, made it--oh, I just got word as I wrote this that it was spared! It is going to be quite a different drive to get to Lockett Meadow, but maybe it will make the beauty more spectacular...reminding people of how quickly such beauty can be gone. As I learned years ago while reading Elisabeth Elliot's book, These Strange Ashes, God often burns up the things we think are most important--even GOOD things--to help us turn to him. It is difficult to think that the burning of his beautiful creation could be included in that wisdom, but he knows our propensity to unfaithfulness. So many people here in Flagstaff love and appreciate the forest and are grieving about it. I pray that people will find the proper balance between loving God's creation instead of worshiping it--I've asked myself this week if it is an idol in my life. Living in and enjoying beautiful surroundings is not a God-given right or does not give intrinsic quality to our lives. God is still good in Garbage City in Cairo, Egypt, and he is still good in the charred forest of Flagstaff. This morning, the birds were chirping loudly and the smell of rain was in the air...even a few drops are falling now. I choose to thank God, who controls the floods and fires and rains, not Mother Nature--who, if she existed, would be a strict and severe teacher, despite her beauty.
I heard a few people this week say, "It would be beautiful if it wa sn't so sad." It IS sad...but just like I told Samuel when his new toy broke this morning (and I'll admit that I almost cried with him, because that's how God made me), it isn't everything, and it isn't what's most important. In the case of this fire, no lives were lost, no structures were damaged and firefighters, policemen, and everyday citizens worked sacrificially to love their neighbors as themselves. That's pretty important.
(Here's pictures of Garbage City, Cairo...and the amazing cave church that serves the people there--I was reminded of this as an old co-worker visited there last week and posted pictures on Facebook)
Update #1: You might remember me mentioning that Evan's affection for Annie is displayed by him calling her "it" or "her". Today, he said sweetly, "Mommy! Samuel's little sister Annie is standing up!"
Update #2: Annie is standing up on her own, laughs, coughs, growls, says mama and "doggie" (makes a panting sound).
Update #3: You may remember that our patio table was broken under the weight of the Epic! Snowstorm! of 2010. This weekend, I saw some garage sale ads that included outdoor furniture, so I set out with my money jar (that should have been for groceries) to look at new tables. It was 6:45 and I happened to swing by one in our neighborhood where they offered to sell me one for $25. Having been shopping the used patio table market in Flagstaff, I knew this was a good deal and couldn't pass it up, even though the chairs were bistro height and didn't look very kid-friendly. As soon as I drove away with 2 of the chairs, I had Impulsive Garage Sale Purchase Regret. "I will sell them on craigslist before Jeremy wakes up," I thought. But, I needed to get on to the garage sales in the nicer neighborhood to see what I could have purchased if I hadn't been so hasty. At the next sale, I saw a cute, rustic picnic table with matching wood chairs and a little side table. The lady of the house who had to be fetched by the overwhelmed husband said $60 for all and I talked her down to $50 (see, I include all these details to let you see the psychological and sociological reasons that I set out on a Saturday morning with no money to spend and ended up with 3 tables and 6 chairs. And it's in my nature to include a lot of details). I got home after multiple trips of collecting the pieces from the first patio set and met Jeremy on the driveway. He was a good sport and offered to go pick up the second set while I promised to sell the first set for a profit. I put it on craigslist for $50 and had 3 offers within the first hour (remember, class, I bought the first one for $25). I was feeling pretty proud of myself for being so business savy, and then Jeremy came home with the second set and sat in the chairs of the first set and declared that he wanted to keep it (because "I can put my feet up on the little bar under the table." Whatever.) So then I had to call back 3 people and tell them that I had sold the set...to my husband. Now we have all the pieces incorporated into the yard and I can't bring myself to part with any of them.
Update #4: There is a large fire in Flagstaff. Homes are still threatened. I'm sure you have heard about it on the news. We're praying for friends who live in it's path and all the firefighters. It is windy today. It is kind of exciting to see the tankers and helicopters flying over our house all day. We were supposed to go to the woods and have a campfire yesterday for Father's Day, but that seemed a little weird in the face of all the wildfires that are threatening homes, so we decided to hang out at our house. It was a fun evening despite the pack of wild banshees that were running around causing trouble and howling at the moon. Only one screen door was destroyed in the process.
Update #5: After spending the evening with fellow banshees Zoe and Joseph, Evan declared that he wants to marry Zoe and Joseph.
Update #6 (and also an Updated Update #1): When told he couldn't marry Zoe and Joseph, Evan changed his mind and says he wants to marry Annie. He'll have to fight Sam for her. The following video shows this conversation and also includes proof of Updates #2 & 5.
Update #7: Jeremy has declared himself "officially an old man." He went to a bone and joint doctor and found out he has arthritis (among other problems) in his knee.
Update #8: At my Diet Coke Provider (Shell Station on the corner), my Diet Coke is now 76 cents instead of 75 cents because Arizona voters voted in favor of more sales tax. Thanks, Arizona voters.
Update #9: We've outlawed knock-knock jokes at the breakfast/lunch/dinner table. I never thought I would have to make such a specific rule, but believe me, it was necessary.
Update #10: I am becoming a fan of The Pioneer Woman. Her recipes are GOOD. Her comments in her recipe posts are FUNNY.
Update #11: (Not really an update, just random information) Jeremy is not a fan of Dr. Laura. It doesn't surprise me, but I was surprised he was so decided on the matter.
Update #12: (Why am I writing this post like this? It's weird...oh well): I got a new saxophone student. I want more. I'm greedy for saxophone students.
Update #13: The kids and I (okay, just me, after I yelled at the kids to "Get into the car so we can get to CHURCH!" and then worried about what the neighbors would think) decided to say only kind words or no words. Evan then said in a sickly sweet voice, "Kind words." Then he made a horrible face and shouted angrily, "NO WORDS!!!"
Update #14: I don't want to brag, but I guess something important that you may or may not want to know is that I have lost 30 pounds and can now run 6 miles pushing a stroller (and that is even at 7000 feet elevation and includes hills!). I only mention it (ha) because I want to just do a little shout out to my system, because hey, it has worked 3 times now--for a total of 110 pounds (or more) lost! I use The Change One Breakthrough Eating Plan (it's a diet, they just don't want to call it that). I just use the book that I got for 87 cents on Amazon. And I exercise with Debbie Siebers using her Slim in Six DVDs (by Beach Body), also purchased at a discount for Mother's Day a few years ago (don't worry, I wasn't offended). Anyway, it works, and I did really bad this time and it still worked. It helped that I had a baby waking up at 4:30 am to get me exercising early. And then Diet Coke gets me through the afternoon, which isn't great, but I'll deal with that later. So there, I said it--consider it a shameless plug.
Update #15: Annie, on the other hand, is getting chunkier legs.
She also likes to climb into things.
And, it appears she has grown a Siamese twin from her head.
