Confessions:
1. I'm addicted to Chick-fil-A fries. I'm serious. Like, today I woke up and the first thing I thought about was fries (not my sweet husband laying next to me or my daughter in the other room... fries). They are waffle style, with just enough salt to make your mouth water. It doesn't help that they are gluten-free (because of this, we find ourselves getting them on the road often).
2. I'm also addicted to corn tortilla chips. This is a long addiction that has been hard to break. I break it, then a month later it's back. The chains are strong my friends. Heaven help me if there's queso in the room. Yikes.
3. I wore pajama's all day the other day (and into the next day). Yes, glamorous I know. If they had like a stay-at-home mom Vogue, you would not find me in it! The outfits that I wear around my house are atrocious. Just think 14 year old boy.
4. I watch the Kardashian's. I know, slap my hand. Please.
5. I reheat my coffee 5 times a day. I make a huge pot and as the goes on, my cups sit there and get cold as I chase my daughter around the house. It's just easier than making more.
6. I spy on my neighbors. I have names for them and I'm creepy.
7. I watch golf on TV. I love it! Blame it on my father. Then blame it on my husband.
8. I make excuses to go to Target. All sorts of them. The biggest excuse is, well.... Target probably carries it....I usually leave with everything but the thing I needed.
9. I don't get offended easily. I'm sorry, please try. It's really hard to offend me. I'm sure many of you try and have failed. The only way to offend me is to hurt someone I love. That is a whole different story.
10. My husband and I like taking drives. Like 80 year olds. Don't mock it until you try it people.
11. I LOVE the Naked Gun movies. I laugh way to hard.
12. I cried when the Crocodile Hunter died. So tragic. If I had to go, it would not be by a sting ray ... I want to die in an epic moment. Like falling off a cliff trying to save something-- of course succeeding;)
13. My daughter entertains me. She makes me laugh and cry and feel more love than I ever imagined.
14. I hate school but I love learning.
15. Sometimes I want to find my old cats that I gave away on Craigslist. Just to catch up and see if they feel bitterness towards me. Cats don't feel... but, I think mine did.
I'm sure you learned more about me here than you wanted and are now wondering why you even read this. You are bored, or curious or just in the mood for a little Earls fix. It's understandable. We are irresistible us Earls;) Next post will be all Bella therapy related so this one was for fun!
After a while Crocodile. Oh, ok... that just made me think of Steve Irwin. Dang sting rays.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Here am I...
God keeps laying this story on my heart and I felt like it was important to share. The story of Abraham (the father) and Isaac (the son) always struck me as absurd when I read it in the Bible. After all, Isaac was the much anticipated, cherished, adored...ONLY son of Sarah and Abraham. As a parent the story makes me cringe inside. It makes my skin crawl with discomfort thinking that God would request something of Abraham that was so unbelievably hard. To sacrifice his one and only love. To lay down the life of someone who is your flesh and blood....your joy.... your wellspring of life. I cannot imagine the pain Abraham felt in his soul, yet he was so faithful. He realized that Isaac belonged to God, not him. He was on loan. God created Isaac and with His swift justice could take him away. Or worse, have Abraham do it.
The Sacrifice of Isaac
22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy [1] will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; [2] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” [3]
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his [4] enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
I love how Abraham says "Here am I" to the Lord. He woke after a sleepless night ... a night of daggars to the heart. Saddled his donkey and set off. Holding his pain inside from others. Lovingly ushering his son toward certain death - by his own hands. Just as Abraham is about to fulfill God's command something amazing happens... "But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” .... I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD. That was the lesson here. God had already known the future of Abraham and Isaac. He knew that day would not include the death of Abraham's son. He wanted Abraham to experience the "fear" of God.
This story girds me with strength and fear equally. Strength in understanding that God owns my daughter. Not just owns, he breathed her into existence. Perfectly knowing every facet of her. Perfectly knowing every ability I possess to take care of her. Fear because I am so weak. Every little bump in life seems like a giant mountain and I easily slip. It feels hard sometimes to constantly be climbing to attain something I cannot ever really reach. The peak. The top. The place wear it's "easy"-- the "grass is greener". The fact is, God is glorified in our weakness. He is more clearly seen and experienced when we are falling down the mountain, getting cuts and bruises.
So, by no means do I desire to walk in Abraham's shoes. I do however appreciate the way God reminds us that we do not "own" those we love. He does. And I am thankful.
The Sacrifice of Isaac
22:1 After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” 3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy [1] will go over there and worship and come again to you.” 6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. 7 And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here am I, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
9 When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; [2] as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” [3]
15 And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his [4] enemies, 18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
I love how Abraham says "Here am I" to the Lord. He woke after a sleepless night ... a night of daggars to the heart. Saddled his donkey and set off. Holding his pain inside from others. Lovingly ushering his son toward certain death - by his own hands. Just as Abraham is about to fulfill God's command something amazing happens... "But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” .... I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD. That was the lesson here. God had already known the future of Abraham and Isaac. He knew that day would not include the death of Abraham's son. He wanted Abraham to experience the "fear" of God.
This story girds me with strength and fear equally. Strength in understanding that God owns my daughter. Not just owns, he breathed her into existence. Perfectly knowing every facet of her. Perfectly knowing every ability I possess to take care of her. Fear because I am so weak. Every little bump in life seems like a giant mountain and I easily slip. It feels hard sometimes to constantly be climbing to attain something I cannot ever really reach. The peak. The top. The place wear it's "easy"-- the "grass is greener". The fact is, God is glorified in our weakness. He is more clearly seen and experienced when we are falling down the mountain, getting cuts and bruises.
So, by no means do I desire to walk in Abraham's shoes. I do however appreciate the way God reminds us that we do not "own" those we love. He does. And I am thankful.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Lately...
Wow, life has gotten so busy.
Josh is back to work visiting his ships, counseling crisis situations, and being a daddy & husband full time. I am on my way in my next master's course in my program learning all about "inclusion classrooms" (where special education students are mainstreamed with general education kiddos). This topic is super interesting to me (in comparison to my last class that was so boring-- it was all statistics and snoooze... look I fell asleep just trying to describe it). :)
Bella is getting ABA 3-4 times a week and starts Early Learning this week Tuesday. I am coming to realize that when they say "Bella" has intervention, they really mean "Annie" has intervention. Basically, they are training me (and Josh through me) to teach Bella. Because she's so young, she is getting in home services which is wonderful. I can be in my PJ's and drink my coffee while working with them and her. These therapists probably think I don't own clothes other than sweats and old boy shirts. Oh, well:) At least I brush my teeth... well, then drink coffee which cancels that out...
We found out that we will be here 18 more months for sure. We have decided that we are going to move from Norfolk to Virginia Beach. Mostly because our church is out there, her therapists are from there, and well... it's just got more to offer for our little girl! I've loved "some" things about Norfolk... especially how close to the ocean we are. I will not miss the men trying to sell me "tazer guns" at the local supermarket though... or maybe I will? We are on the house hunt right now for an awesome rental. We want to get a place with a HUGE play room where we can do all of Bella's therapies. So, we shall see. Feb. 28th is going to come fast!
Oh, Josh and I are going to........ wait for it........DISNEY WORLD! Yep, bought our tickets. Done deal! After all, it is the "happiest place on earth". Josh's wonderful mother Carol is coming to watch Bella for 5 days. I'm not sure how I will leave my girl for that long but I know one thing, Josh and I need a little "break" or a "rendezvous" if you will. It's pretty much been crazy since Josh returned and all of our emotions have been geared toward Bells. We had planned on going to Italy this spring but have decided the distance and cost with Bella's prognosis and treatment is not feasible. So, Disney it is.... and I am totally pumped. My back should be on the mend by then so i don't have to roll around in a hover round the entire time:) Hover rounds are pretty sexy if you didn't know... you can take them to the grand canyon (or so the commercial shows). Still, I'd like to walk.
Please keep the Earls in your prayers. The adjustment of having a child with autism has proven to be a bit harder than we thought. It's weird because as soon as she was diagnosed it just hit us from all sides. I feel like we've picked up most of the pieces and have some sort of normalcy but we will have days where we just hurt a little inside still. We've decided to remind ourselves that Bella's future was always meant to include this diagnosis. It helps to not think of a future that was never there to begin with. I'm not saying her future is not bright, it is ... it's just a different shade than I had originally planned. I'm sure it's like hot pink still:) She's a sassy thing! God is good all of the time.
God bless!
Josh is back to work visiting his ships, counseling crisis situations, and being a daddy & husband full time. I am on my way in my next master's course in my program learning all about "inclusion classrooms" (where special education students are mainstreamed with general education kiddos). This topic is super interesting to me (in comparison to my last class that was so boring-- it was all statistics and snoooze... look I fell asleep just trying to describe it). :)
Bella is getting ABA 3-4 times a week and starts Early Learning this week Tuesday. I am coming to realize that when they say "Bella" has intervention, they really mean "Annie" has intervention. Basically, they are training me (and Josh through me) to teach Bella. Because she's so young, she is getting in home services which is wonderful. I can be in my PJ's and drink my coffee while working with them and her. These therapists probably think I don't own clothes other than sweats and old boy shirts. Oh, well:) At least I brush my teeth... well, then drink coffee which cancels that out...
We found out that we will be here 18 more months for sure. We have decided that we are going to move from Norfolk to Virginia Beach. Mostly because our church is out there, her therapists are from there, and well... it's just got more to offer for our little girl! I've loved "some" things about Norfolk... especially how close to the ocean we are. I will not miss the men trying to sell me "tazer guns" at the local supermarket though... or maybe I will? We are on the house hunt right now for an awesome rental. We want to get a place with a HUGE play room where we can do all of Bella's therapies. So, we shall see. Feb. 28th is going to come fast!
Oh, Josh and I are going to........ wait for it........DISNEY WORLD! Yep, bought our tickets. Done deal! After all, it is the "happiest place on earth". Josh's wonderful mother Carol is coming to watch Bella for 5 days. I'm not sure how I will leave my girl for that long but I know one thing, Josh and I need a little "break" or a "rendezvous" if you will. It's pretty much been crazy since Josh returned and all of our emotions have been geared toward Bells. We had planned on going to Italy this spring but have decided the distance and cost with Bella's prognosis and treatment is not feasible. So, Disney it is.... and I am totally pumped. My back should be on the mend by then so i don't have to roll around in a hover round the entire time:) Hover rounds are pretty sexy if you didn't know... you can take them to the grand canyon (or so the commercial shows). Still, I'd like to walk.
Please keep the Earls in your prayers. The adjustment of having a child with autism has proven to be a bit harder than we thought. It's weird because as soon as she was diagnosed it just hit us from all sides. I feel like we've picked up most of the pieces and have some sort of normalcy but we will have days where we just hurt a little inside still. We've decided to remind ourselves that Bella's future was always meant to include this diagnosis. It helps to not think of a future that was never there to begin with. I'm not saying her future is not bright, it is ... it's just a different shade than I had originally planned. I'm sure it's like hot pink still:) She's a sassy thing! God is good all of the time.
God bless!
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