Well, it’s wabbit season and I was hopin’ to hunt me down a wabbit, but I’m oughta buwwets, so I’ll just have to use me a pumpkin. Alwighty now, if only I could find me a good widdle pumpkin. No, wait. That one's not a good thwowin size...I need a small one...one that I can thwow real faw at 'em and bwow him ta smithewines. Now, this one’s a good widdle guy... Come heaya you waskily widdle pumpkin, you. Starts singing... I've been working on the wailwoad, all the wive, wong day... Yep...this is the one.Now, whewe’s that pesky wabbit? I’m gonna put 'em out of his misewy.

When I was a little girl, and long before I understood about all the responsibilities of life, I wanted to live on a farm.I always wanted some cows, some baby ones, and some chickens, well, baby chicks, and some donkeys, I mean the miniature ones and some goats...some baby goats.But then one day I grew up. Well, not completely, but enough to find out that farms are a lot of work, and I like sleeping in. And I like taking naps. And I like sittin' around lookin at the animals. I just don't believe in getting up at the crack of dawn to give them food and clean up their poop.Oh, wait...I guess I already do that now...but that's different. My own kids are a little cuter. A little.So, I decided that maybe bein' a farmer's wife wasn't for me. But bein' married to a farmer's son is a pretty nice t[...]

I don't know about you, but I'm a feeler. Emotionally, I walk around in life feeling just about everything. It's easy for me to enter in to people's joy or pain. I don't really know any other way. Now, this works out great when I'm experiencing the happy moments with others, but when it comes to grief...ouch...I just start hurting, and hurting, and hurting.A strange thing happens inside me. I feel this tension within and my mind gets a little blurry and I become confused.Because on the one hand, I see so much beauty all around. There's all this light falling on unassuming places. These radiant beams that make ordinary things glorified. And this thrills me. Gives me hope. I breathe in deeply and feel comforted.But on the other hand, I see decay. Beauty marred. The once glorified now w[...]

Before too much time goes by, I'd like to tell you the story of Hope. As some of you know, we actually thought she was Jonan. Are you confused yet? You see, the technician doing our ultra sound about five months ago, told us she was a boy. And I was really excited. Because I really like boys. If she had told us that we were having a girl, I probably would have cried...disappointed tears. Let me tell you why--here's a glimpse of the questions that have gone through my head:What would I ever do with a girl? What if I have a girl and she ends up being the kind of little girl I was? Girls are just too complicated, right? Oh, and what if she doesn't like me? What if she doesn't want to be my friend?Well, it happened. I will always remember the moment the doctor handed me this litt[...]

The are a various sundry of things that I would like to write to you about on this fine Autumn-ish evening, but one thing surpasses all the other things on my heart. I have to tell you that Jesus helps me. Every day. In all my moments.Just last night, Brent and I weren't getting along very well. And this morning when we woke up, it seemed like we still didn't like each other. But we've started this new thing. With God's help, we've been trying to read the Bible and pray together in the mornings.Now, I must say, it's awfully hard to pray with someone when you're cross toward them. And it's just as hard to read God's Word when you know that it says in there to forgive others just like He forgave you...and you're sitting there in your pride, holding a grudge.But somehow, we mumbled a few feeb[...]

So the other day, when we were at the fair, we visited this building. (Because besides eating funnel cakes, the other most important thing about fairs is seeing the baby animals.)As I was walking around, admiring the miniature pony and the little llama and the widdle chicks--oblivious for just a moment about my big-o belly--this random lady walks up to me and says, "You probably think you should be in one of these exhibits."Now, I'm not the brightest crayon in the box. I admit, I didn't get it at first. I just gave her a confused courtesy laugh and continued on my way. Until...until Brent came up to me and exclaimed, "Wow...I can't believe she said that to you." And then it hit me. Me...I should be in one of these exhibits. Like right beside the big fat mama pig.How dare she? Who did she t[...]

She sat directly across from me and as my check-up came to a close, I thanked her for being a doctor."It's very fulfilling," she replied, "when I get to deliver a baby for couples like you. I can say, congratulations, and actually mean it. It's hard to mean it when young teenage girls come in and they don't even know who the dad is. Or when the mom is on drugs...you feel like the baby is just doomed, you know?"I shook my head in agreement. Doomed. It echoed in the back of my mind. And then I said to myself what I wish I would have spoken out loud to her, "Doomed...except for the fact that there is a rescuing God. I came from one of those mothers....I guess I should have been doomed."And it's true. My birth parents were drug and alcohol addicts...I remember loving the taste of beer at a ver[...]

Snotty.Stressed.Ashamed.Thirsty.Dreamy.Cozy.A little too cozy.Deceased?Freaky.In need of a few more snacks.In need of a few less snacks.Sweet.What I want for my birthday.What Gideon wants for his birthday.Okay, not really.What Gideon really wants for his birthday.What I wish Brent wanted for his birthday so I could get one for him. (me.)Just not right. A little misunderstood.Well, folks. That's all I have from the fair.Ya'll come back now, ya heeyah?

Sometimes in life, you just really need to be weird. And by weird, I mean cool. Because weird is the new cool. (Just in case you didn't know.) Take it from a weird-o. Your forehead might actually be a little too long. And your hair in the front may or may not be way too wispily-wild. Listen, don't get down on yourself. Just go with it. Smile. Be free. Be crazy free!Of course, it helps to encourage others to be weird with you. And by weird, I mean cool. And this guy is obviously cool.Never mind that behind those shades he's thinking to himself, "I hate every minute of this...why, oh why do I let her talk me into this?"I confess--it can be a bit startling to others. (Oh, and that part is so much fun.)Did you know there are some people who just aren't used to being weird? There are actually [...]