Moving on...
In my last blog post I was talking about what a rough week it had been... dealing with loss. Little did I know what our family was about to go through. God is faithful and His gracious is sufficient for our tests and trials.
On December 15th, Dad was severely injured in an auto accident while on a mission trip to Honduras. His neck was broken... quite honestly, it's a miracle he survived. He's doing wonderfully now, recovering so well, in spite of partial paralysis. The entire story can be read HERE or HERE. It's still difficult for me (emotionally) to go back and tell his story or re-read the posts. Still, I see God's hand in every step. He was, and still is, in complete control. Dad's outlook on this accident and his injuries is absolutely stunning. He tells all that he is just a piece of God's puzzle.
Also on the 15th of December, we bought a new-to-us 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. I love it... but Chris, not so much. We both prayed about it and felt this was the vehicle God picked out for us, but goodness, it has been a test of faith. When we had new tires put on, we were told there was a bad bearing and we shouldn't be driving it. My husband and his brother changed out the bad bearing... only to find out there were two more bad bearings. In addition, my husband discovered the harmonic balancer (whatever that is!) was bad. So after $500 in repairs, we thought we were on our way! When I went to get the title work completed, we found out there was a problem with the title... from two owners back. Thankfully, it turned out to be something the license bureau fixed. Next, we found out something in the heating/cooling system isn't working right... We have heat and A/C but there is a part that needs replaced. All these problems combined has Chris about ready to pull out his hair! Oh... and did I mention that we've already hit a deer in it? Currently, it's in the shop getting the body work repairs. I'm very grateful for the extra space, but Chris is right, all these issues makes me wonder if we made the right move. Something more to pray about!
The weekend of the 22nd, we made a trip out to Ohio for a dear friends wedding. It was a lot of fun, but a very quick trip. The weekend of the 29th, we were in Amarillo, TX to visit family. We nearly canceled that trip but hated to do so. We'd made plans three other times, earlier in the year, and canceled them. Needless to say, December flew by, was extremely stressful, and at times I ask myself: did Christmas really happen? We've all been sick at some point and time... We made a trip to see Dad... plus the stress of it all had Gabe's sleeping habits in complete chaos. Somehow, we've made it through. I feel like I'm seeing the end of the tunnel.
God has been so faithful and provided our every need. I've not been working nearly seven months now. I am babysitting one little girl, but other than that, we've made it on Chris' income. (**Gasp!!**) God promised to meet our needs, and He's kept that promise. However, after a recent review of our budget, we've found we need to make even more changes. That's what's got me back on the PC (instead of my iPhone). Looking for frugal ideas. Mostly grocery shopping ideas. I think I'm finished with coupons. Really, menu planning seems to be the best answer for us. That and making as much as I can from scratch. Speaking of which: I. Love. Pinterest. I'm really thankful God gave us such tools as the Internet and Pinterest... maybe that sounds silly, but I rely on the recipes and money saving tools!
I'm loving seeing the bond being created between my two boys... Gabe adores his big brother. And now that he's getting a little older, and a little more fun, Elijah is really starting to enjoy being a big brother. I pray they grow up to be best buds!
I need to get off here... if I'd just blog a little more often, I wouldn't feel obliged to write a book every time!
On December 15th, Dad was severely injured in an auto accident while on a mission trip to Honduras. His neck was broken... quite honestly, it's a miracle he survived. He's doing wonderfully now, recovering so well, in spite of partial paralysis. The entire story can be read HERE or HERE. It's still difficult for me (emotionally) to go back and tell his story or re-read the posts. Still, I see God's hand in every step. He was, and still is, in complete control. Dad's outlook on this accident and his injuries is absolutely stunning. He tells all that he is just a piece of God's puzzle.
Also on the 15th of December, we bought a new-to-us 2004 Mercury Mountaineer. I love it... but Chris, not so much. We both prayed about it and felt this was the vehicle God picked out for us, but goodness, it has been a test of faith. When we had new tires put on, we were told there was a bad bearing and we shouldn't be driving it. My husband and his brother changed out the bad bearing... only to find out there were two more bad bearings. In addition, my husband discovered the harmonic balancer (whatever that is!) was bad. So after $500 in repairs, we thought we were on our way! When I went to get the title work completed, we found out there was a problem with the title... from two owners back. Thankfully, it turned out to be something the license bureau fixed. Next, we found out something in the heating/cooling system isn't working right... We have heat and A/C but there is a part that needs replaced. All these problems combined has Chris about ready to pull out his hair! Oh... and did I mention that we've already hit a deer in it? Currently, it's in the shop getting the body work repairs. I'm very grateful for the extra space, but Chris is right, all these issues makes me wonder if we made the right move. Something more to pray about!
The weekend of the 22nd, we made a trip out to Ohio for a dear friends wedding. It was a lot of fun, but a very quick trip. The weekend of the 29th, we were in Amarillo, TX to visit family. We nearly canceled that trip but hated to do so. We'd made plans three other times, earlier in the year, and canceled them. Needless to say, December flew by, was extremely stressful, and at times I ask myself: did Christmas really happen? We've all been sick at some point and time... We made a trip to see Dad... plus the stress of it all had Gabe's sleeping habits in complete chaos. Somehow, we've made it through. I feel like I'm seeing the end of the tunnel.
God has been so faithful and provided our every need. I've not been working nearly seven months now. I am babysitting one little girl, but other than that, we've made it on Chris' income. (**Gasp!!**) God promised to meet our needs, and He's kept that promise. However, after a recent review of our budget, we've found we need to make even more changes. That's what's got me back on the PC (instead of my iPhone). Looking for frugal ideas. Mostly grocery shopping ideas. I think I'm finished with coupons. Really, menu planning seems to be the best answer for us. That and making as much as I can from scratch. Speaking of which: I. Love. Pinterest. I'm really thankful God gave us such tools as the Internet and Pinterest... maybe that sounds silly, but I rely on the recipes and money saving tools!
I'm loving seeing the bond being created between my two boys... Gabe adores his big brother. And now that he's getting a little older, and a little more fun, Elijah is really starting to enjoy being a big brother. I pray they grow up to be best buds!
I need to get off here... if I'd just blog a little more often, I wouldn't feel obliged to write a book every time!
Comments
So good to see the Holy Spirit at work in your life and your heart - that you're able to give Him praise amidst all the struggle. It really shows a heart totally transformed by the Gospel. We're still praying for your dad.
I'm sorry about your car. :( We bought our van from Josh's parents last April and it has been a nightmare! It's sickening how much we've had to invest in it to make it safe to drive. (His parents had no idea and feel awful about it. Someone had put something in front of the lightbulb that comes on for the check engine light, so the lightbulb had been on for a long time, but they didn't know.)
Have you tried price matching? That's how I am able to save the most money.
Hope you have a good day! God bless you!