Happy 6 Years!!

As I have mentioned before, I'm a journaler. So in honor of my 6th wedding anniversary. I busted out the journal I was keeping around the time I met Matt.


It's so fun to go back and re-read my thought and feelings. I'll share some of those entries with you later, but it's just so neat to see God working in my life and I have written proof of it.

Let me tell you about my Matt.

We met in college. His youngest brother and I had a lot of classes together and were good friends. One night, Tim, the brother, and I went to Oklahoma State University, OSU, for their worship night. (I can't for the life of me remember the name of it. I'm sure it will hit me around 12:00am.)

I go to Tim's house to pick him up; he lives with Matt. Tim introduces me, and Matt had the worst attitude. I remember thinking, "He must have an angry girlfriend or something cuz jeez." He wasn't blatantly rude, he just wasn't very nice, let's just say he was short.

Fast forward to the fall of 2001, I'm working at the YMCA. Matt would ALWAYS show up to work out during the hours I was working. Tim, Matt and I would play friendly games of racquetball. Tim began spending more time with his now wife, but then girlfriend and he quit being the middle man for me at racquetball. I remember thinking, "Well, now what?! I don't want Matt getting the wrong idea." (See I had sworn off dating.)

So Matt's always at the Y. One evening I was running on the treadmill. He passes by, "Hey Megan."

"Hey Matt, how are ya?" I say.

I notice out of the corner of my eye a female approaching him. She might as well have had her leg hiked and peed on him to mark her territory because when she saw me, boy she wasn't happy. She grabbed him, "Matt!!! Lets go!!."

As he walked away, I laughed, "Boy is she cranky and for nothing... because he said hi?"

December of 2001. I'm invited to Tim's wedding. I don't go. I didn't want anybody getting the wrong ideas. I didn't like Matt.

Once the new year rolls around, Matt starts showing up at the Y more often.

January 21st, 2002. My 22nd birthday. I'm walking out of my apartment to my car, on my way to work. I notice something on my windshield, "Crap, who is leaving notes on my car and why."

I open the card and it's a birthday card from Matt. (uhu-o, he's working on me.)

I tell my friend Jessica, who LOVES the idea of Matt and I together, so she does the whole investigative thing for me and learns, "Yes, yes Matt likes you (me)."

He'll say today that he knew what he was doing by telling Jessica because he knew she was a spy seeking information for me. She basically talked me into giving him a chance.

See I never thought I'd be blessed enough to marry a man like Matt. I thought because of my family background that I'd never marry a son of a preacher. He would never want to take me home to meet his preacher wife mom and preacher husband dad; Baptist no-doubt.

After many long long walks around UCO's track, we both decided we liked each other. I can remember the conversations and it makes my little heart go 'pitter patter.'

By March, 2002, we were 'dating.' I met the family that same month. In April, his sister got married. I remember sitting in the sanctuary waiting on the ceremony to start. Matt was walking down the aisle taking something to the front for his sister. I could hear some family members behind me talking,

"Which boy is that? Is that Tim?"

"No, I think that's Matthew."

"That poor boy, he isn't married yet?"

"No, he's not."

I just wanted to yell, "I'm marrying him, we just haven't made it official yet!!!!"

See I knew I would marry Matt soon after the birthday card.

By October 12, 2002, we were husband and wife.

(I'll share my journal entries later. We are off to Matt's parents. His youngest brother, Tim, is preaching at his Dad's church. Today will be filled with football and fun.)

Splagchnizomai: continued

When we were at the lake for our family reunion. Some of the kids were running around with bare feet. The adults kept telling them, "Boys there are stickers all over the place. I'd wear shoes if I were you."

Did they listen? No. Did they step in the stickers? Yes and they were the purple ones. If you know anything about stickers, you know the purple ones are the worst.

Yesterday I talked about having splagchnizomai or compassion.

Lifechurch.tv is doing a LifePack event.

Now I will explain the premise of a LifePack.

LifePacks - Showing God's love by gathering and sending supplies to meet material needs

For example, at the beginning of the school year. People will pick up a LifePack, fill it with school supplies and return it to the church. The church, and volunteers, will go out into the community and distribute them; usually to a near by apartment complex. Another time, we filled the packs with toiletry (can't spell that word) items for a facility that helped women.

Right now, the LifePacks mission is gathering shoes.

(Click on the image to go to their website. Below is information from their website.)

Shoes for Orphan Souls, a ministry of Buckner International, provides new shoes and socks to orphans and at-risk children in the United States and throughout the world. From conducting shoe drives to humanitarian aid trips, Shoes for Orphan Souls offers hands-on opportunities to individuals, groups and organizations that want to transform lives through social ministry. Since 1999, 1.6 mission pairs of new shoes and socks have been distributed to children in 55 countries.

This year LifeChurch.tv is partnering with Shoes for Orphan Souls in order to equip 20,000 orphans around the world with a new pair of athletic shoes. It's hard for some to imagine, but, everyday children across the globe go without a pair of shoes. Without having their feet properly protected, children can get infections, parasites, or life-threatening bacteria from contaminated dirt, rusty nails and glass. What can be such a simple everyday accessory for so many of us can really be a life-changing gift for a child in need.

If you click on the picture above, it will take you to their site so you can scope it out. There is a link to buy shoes RIGHT ON THE WEBSITE!! Doesn't get much easier than that. Lifechurch.tv also registered for shoes through Target and Wal-Mart. (They made it brainless for you!!)

But, one thing about showing compassion; it interrupts, it costs AND it changes lives. (Quoted from Craig's sermon, I'm not that wise.)

I talked at the beginning of this post about my nephews stepping in the sticker patches b/c they weren't wearing shoes.

The sad part, is they could just walk inside, grab a pair, and continue on their day. Kids ALL over the world step in the stickers because they don't have the option of going inside, putting on shoes, and continuing on with their day; stickerless, germless and illness free.

YOU have the opportunity to prevent stickers.

To buy shoes from Target, click here. To buy shoes from Wal-Mart, click here.

I checked the registries. Wal-Mart has shoes as low as $6.00!!!! That is skipping one coffee at Starbucks to put shoes on a child's feet!!! That's not eating out for lunch one day!!!

$6.00 will keep feet stickerless.

If that mental picture doesn't break your heart and make you feel 'moved to action' then I need to make this a little more rough on the heart strings.

Another quote from Craig. (This should bring it home.)

To say you care but not act, is to not care at all.

Did that do it? Please buy a pair. Let me know if you do.

Splagchnizomai

(This graphic is for the first time Craig did this series. Click on it to watch last weeks message. I recommend.)

(splangkh-nid'-zom-ahee); to have the bowels yearn, feel deep sympathy, to be moved to action.

This is the true definition of the word compassion.

Have you ever really pondered this word.

I've thought about it, but not using the definitions from the Hebrew word, splagchnizomai.

Craig is doing the series, Kaleo. (kal-eh'-o); to "call", bid, call (forth)

The title this week, "Called To Care"

What are you truly passionate about? I often think about that. There are things I love giving to, you know, certain organizations, but my bowels don't yearn. I have been moved to action and felt deep sympathy, but never a reactive bowel. I say that slightly jokingly, but with some seriousness.

Craig told a story.

On his way home from work, driving down a country road, in the middle of no where. There was a woman standing on the side of the intersection he was approaching. He thought, "I should stop, but I'm late for dinner. I should stop, but Amy is going to want me home now. I should stop, but ..."

He didn't stop. He says, "To this day I am haunted by the fact that I didn't stop."

As Christians, we are called to care!!

Craig goes on to tell the story in Luke 10:30-32. You know the man who was robbed and the preacher passed him by.

On my way out of church, I was going to grab some LifePacks (I'll explain those tomorrow and show you an opportunity to act.) to fill for children needing shoes, but I decided to wait until Matt and I got the kids out of LifeKids.

Once I got back downstairs, all of the LifePacks were gone!! I teared up. I felt like I just passed the old lady in the intersection. I said, "Oh, there will be some when I get back. Oh, I don't want to wait in line." I walked out of the sermon and did the EXACT SAME THING!! Can you believe it!? Satan got me before the doors opened!!

I should have known a sermon on 'being called to care,' would spur every one's little caring hearts.

Question: Was there a time you know you should have acted to help someone, but didn't?

Our "Two" Lives

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way." -Charles Dickens

One of the things Matt and I loved at the ranch is being outdoors. Both of us are the outdoorsy type. This living in town thing is not really our first choice. We have often thought "when we make our next move closer to Tulsa, we'd love to buy a house in the country."

This would be perfect except, I'm guessing it would be a little tough with younger children. PLUS, I think we go to Wal-Mart 5 times a week. On second thought, we might save some money.

Anyways, I have been looking through old CD's that have my ranch pictures on them.

I put the quote from Tale of Two Cities because that quote sums up our experience.

One of the biggest things we miss about the country is fishing. We love love love to fish. The closest place from Bartlesville to fish is Pawhuska.

You have to look hard to see my little perch. "At least I'm catching something," is what I always thought.

I was fishing alone and had to use my foot to show how long this fish was so Matt would believe me.

I know that these bass aren't the biggest, but they were the biggest ones I caught. Matt has me beat in the 'big fish' category.There were a few apple trees around. In the evenings, I would pick the yucky apples up from the ground and take them out near the ponds we fished. I'd dumped tons of apples and in the mornings not a core, stem, or a peel would remain.

A small track.

A rare find. The praying mantis.

I found one on the front window of my house last week. It's rare to see them, but I have seen quite a few lately.

I had two hummingbird feeders. I think I fed all the hummingbirds in Lincoln county. I would have to refill two feeders once to twice a week. They were fun to watch.

Another rare find. Probably rarer than the mantis...

The elusive zipper spider.

The boys had planted some tomato plants and this little chica made her web between the T-posts. We would find bugs and toss them into her web and she would go to town on them. It was exciting. I'm slightly weird though. She'd 'run' after the bug and wrap it up like a wrangler.

Her victim.

Although leaving was the most painful and the most God-doubting moment I've ever had in my life; to date. It was the right thing. Even though it happened slightly different than I had imagined.

Cooper 6 Months

My little cuddle bug is 6 months old today. *tear, sniffle*

I was telling Matt last night that Chloe at 6 months was sitting up alone and holding her own bottle. (I'm not comparing their skills.)

(Chloe at 6 months)

It shows their personalities.

Chloe is and was Miss Independent. She didn't and doesn't like to be helped or told what to do. Hmmm, she didn't inherit that from me. *wink*

Cooper loves to be held and cuddled. He is the most easy going little boy, I am so blessed. He inherits the 'easy going' personality from his Daddy. Chloe was such an easy baby. She slept through the night at 6 weeks, she would go to work with me and sleep in her car seat for hours!! She wouldn't sleep being held, at least not very often.

Cooper's favorite thing to do is sleep while being held, but don't worry he sleeps through the night as well. I have two kiddos that love sleep as much as their Mommy! Praise God!!

Energizer the Bunny

While at the boys ranch, I rescued a baby cotton-tail from the jaws of evil-literally. Well, not evil, but from the jaws. The jaws of a white lab.

This lab roamed freely around the ranch.

In the back of our house was a pond.

On one side of the pond was overgrown weeds and such.

One evening, I was sitting out by the pond, on the benches to the left,while the boys fished, played and goofed around.

I began to hear crying and squealing; it was an odd sound. I look to my left (By the wooden fence in the photo. It's in the middle in the back.) and I see the lab with a rabbit hanging out of his mouth!!! I yell his name, it doesn't distract him. He throws it back like a depressed man would a shot of vodka in a bar! With out hesitation!!

I take off!!

I get to him just as he is about to 'throw back' the second one!! I grab his mouth and pry it open and retrieve this...

I took him inside and bundle him up in a towel. I put the towel in a shoe box and tried to resemble a bunny hole; what ever that's called.

I called the vet. the next day and she told me to feed it carrots and milk. NOT to give it lettuce as one might think. Lettuce, oddly enough, is bad for a baby rabbit. It makes them bloat and they can die b/c they can't digest it. She said they usually don't live after an event like that, it usually stresses them out too much.

(Disregard my husband belly.)

He loved being on our stomachs and as gross as it may sound, he'd eat out of your belly button. haaha

I had this squirt syringe from having my wisdom teeth removed. I would fill it up with milk and he would drink it. So cute. I got up a few times a night to feed him, but later learned that the mother only feeds them during the day.

At night I would put him in my closet and hide carrots for him to find. In the morning, they would be all gone!

He loved small places and spaces. You had to keep a hand on him or he'd take off. When we had our days off, he came with us. Just like a baby, I would bring milk and carrots.

He loved sitting in your pocket. He'd snuggle up and go to sleep.

I kept him for a few weeks, until I realized he didn't want to live in a house. He wanted to live in the wild. It broke my heart and it was a tough decision, but the right one. He was getting too hard to catch and would scratch us trying to get away.

So I took him to the property line and let him go. I put carrots down just in case he got hungry. I cried and cried when he scurried away, but Matt kept reassuring me it was the right decision.

I wonder how little Energizer is doing today?

Squirrels Are Evil

While in my kitchen...

I often stare out the window to my ever so small and under-construction, backyard and observe the little creatures go about their day.

(The view)

Oh, the little butter, as Chloe calls them, he flies around and around in circles looking for, I have no idea what. He should be on Highway 75 heading south to Mexico-not sure if 75 even goes to Mexico, but he's got an internal Garmin, he'll be ok.

Anyways, I watch the butters flutter.

I watch the hummers hum. Although this particular hummer has already gone on vacation, I do believe. This picture was the last I saw of him-sign of the season.

While looking out, I noticed my backyard was under attack. Things were dropping out of the sky into the yard; brownish-orange in color.

"What the.... who is in my tree or who is in the sky? And why do they hate my backyard so much? I'm working on making it pretty."

I walk outside..... it stops. "Hmmm?" I begin my little CSI search of the ground. And like it is on TV, I found the brownish-orange colored items with out trouble.

(The shrapnel.)

(The culprit's ammo.)

I realize the sky is not falling, against what some Wallstreeters, Senators, Representatives and a President believe.

I am under attack though...

And the culprit is one of the two squirrels that enjoy stealing from my pecan tree and littering my yard with the debris. This makes it really fun while trying to mow. Luckily, I do abide by the 'Safety First' motto and wear my protective eye wear while mowing.

Because of a sermon I heard at Lifechurch.tv, I no longer try to go near squirrels-they are evil. So if one is in your backyard throwing pecan shells at you, STAY AWAY! Just use your zoom lens, I would not suggest venturing very close.

DO NOT PET THE SQUIRREL!!!

You can watch that particular sermon here.

Jenn. I didn't tie the squirrel joke as much as I had planned. The sermon was "Going All the Way."