My Newest Addiction
I just thought I'd introduce you all to my newest addiction: digital scrapbooking.
This has become my absolute favorite past-time, because 1. It combines my computer skills and my creativity. 2. It's CHEAP! Lots of stuff you can get for free, but even when you BUY stuff, it's inexpensive PLUS you can use it again and again! 3. Most importantly, THERE'S NO MESS!!!! Except maybe your desktop...mine's pretty full at the moment.
I'll show you first the Christmas cards that I made. I like these best, because I can never find a photo card that I like when I go to Snapfish or any of those other places. The third one down is the one I made for my parents' Christmas cards and the last one is the one you'll be getting from us as soon as Ben's paycheck clears the bank and we have money for stamps!
I've also made a lot of other things like pocket calendar covers (you know, for those little calendars with the plastic covers), desktop and wall calendars and this bookmark.
My next display is my actual scrapbook pages. They're my first, so I still have a lot to learn, but I'm pretty proud of them.
Ben's graduation from CTU
This is a page about our house church in Colorado Springs. I'm particularly proud of this one, because I "hand" made the "H" on "house church." I thought that was pretty ingenious of me. *grin*
Another one of my favorites.
Rosie's Page. I cut her out of one of the pictures and used it as part of the background.
This was a layout of pictures I took during our time at the B&B in Buena Vista for Thanksgiving. We got all the cousins in the tub and I started snapping. I printed this one out on photo paper and framed it in an 8x8 frame from the dollar store and gave it to my in-laws. they loved it!I have a few more pages, but Ben and Adri are BEGGING me to go to bed. Tomorrow we start pictures of baking day with Gummy (my Mom) and Em (Emily) and Izzy (Lizzy).
Perspectve
I'm sure all of you have heard about the shootings here in Colorado both at the YWAM campus and at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. We had just gotten home from church when my Dad hollered down the stairs to tell me that New Life was just on a special news bulletin. My mind immediately flew back to April 20, 1999. I was driving home from my job at Focus on the Family when they broke through on the radio with news of the shootings at Columbine High School. My heart broke. I didn't go to school there, but Littleton was my home, and my community was hurting, and I was so very far away. Everything was over by the time I heard, but I prayed that everyone I knew there was safe. It wasn't until two days later that I learned that someone I knew had been killed. Steven Curnow—one of the kids I had in daycare during the summer.
I felt the same way this past Sunday. Colorado Springs is my home, and my community—my friends, my relatives, my brothers and sisters in Christ are hurting, and once again I am so very far away. We was relieved to know that the one person we was most concerned about, Ben's Aunt Mary, had left the parking lot a mere 10 minutes before everything started.
Below is from an email my friend Sarah sent me. It's from a friend of hers who was at New Life on Sunday. I hope her account changes your perspective as it did mine.
I wanted to share with you what God has done in my heart and mind because of being so close to loosing my life this Sunday.
I was fortunate to have come alone this Sunday to church. My girls stayed home to rest from the Wonderland performance. My husband slept in for some much needed extra sleep. I almost stayed home but felt the Holy Spirit get me up even before my alarm was to go off. I parked my vehicle at the very corner of the building
where the shooter had entered. After service I made a call on the courtesy phone to my husband since I left my cell at home. My kids and I were going sledding that afternoon and I wanted to find out if they needed anything from Walmart before I came home. After the call I spotted a friend I hadn't seen for a while, Laura Caine. She and I have been friends for 11 years and here daughter is going with us to Florida on our vacation this Christmas to help with the kids.
We talked in the hall for several minutes and finally walked to the corner of the tag chapel hall and the main hall. We heard three shots and I had thought it may have been something that had fallen on the new tile floor flat that had made such a loud clap. Laura immediately knew the sound and she along with hospitality pushed me and two others into the chapel. When I heard screams and men shouting to get out of the building I knew it was a gunman.
All of us ran out of the back door of the tag chapel and out the hall door to the out side. I ran behind a car and most of everyone left in their cars...mine was too close to the door where the man was.
A friend was getting in his suv in panic and disoriention. He couldn't think. I asked him for a ride to my car, he was focused on his wife and kids who were still in the building. Laura and I scrambled into his car and Laura loaned him her cell to try to get a call to his wife. She was the last person I saw come out of the campus....with the two kids under each arm. He shouted for us to get out and they drove out of site. Laura and I hid as well as possible as shots rang out. Laura was wearing a red jacket and Pete yelled to her from a row over to take it off. I called my husband on Laura's cell. He thought I was joking. The panic in my voice told him I was not joking.
Ross Parsely was further back away from the church and ran over to us to make sure we were ok. The concern on his face was unmistakable. Ten minutes into the event, the swat team began to arrive. They told everyone to get into our cars and leave, I told him my car was directly in front of the door where the gunman was so he told everyone who coulldn't leave to go to the World Prayer Center. High heels and ice, I didn't care I ran! Laura close behind me. Everyone was directed to the basement to a little room that looked like a secluded teleconference room. Teens, elderly, Children everyone left in the building that could get out were stuffed in this little room. Fear was overwhelming for me and the others. I was so glad Laura was there. Then I saw a little boy come down the steps and into the room in tears and fear all over his face. I didn't know what he had been through but I knew it was intense for his little heart and mind. As a mother, I forgot myself and
focused on him. I grabbed him and held him while he cried. After a few minutes, he slowed his tears and we got more acquainted. He had seen the whole thing unravel. He was one of two surviving witnesses.
No one knew anything, A couple of guys had laptops and tried to get information of the internet but everything was so vague. No one knew the truth and most of it was media bunk. Everyone shared cells and called family to find out who got shot and who was ok. We finally started praying and singing praise to God and a couple of girls were warring in the Spirit. An hour or two passed and we were finally able to go upstairs to the WPC living room(chapel). Mel Waters boys were still hiding under his desk in the upstairs offices. He was concerned but his confidence of God's protection over his boys was encouraging. I admire his faith.
It took alot of patience and trust during that time. I realized that had I not stopped to chat with Laura or even not as long, I would have walked down that main hall to where the activity center was and exited out the last hall door. I would not be here today.
I have been working so hard to help my husband raise money for Christmas and putting so many hours into work that I haven't taken time to enjoy the season. The stress of marriage, finances and kids and an upcoming vacation has really taken the peace out of our home.
Four hours later, I went home feeling numb, but with one raw realization. It doesn't matter what you do for Christmas, how much money you have, your family is the most important thing you have and you cannot take that for granted. You or one of your family members could be snatched away forever. Every moment is precious. Suddenly, my business wasn't so important. Money is least important. I could care less if there is enough money for our trip.....Enjoying the season and the gift of life given is the most important thing for us to focus on. We are gifts to each other, if we don't appreciate the gifts we have, one day it won't be there anymore. "Things" don't matter. Being with my family matters.
Because of this tragedy, I am talking with family members that I have not spoken to for years. There is no "I" in Christmas. Time is short and we must love much with the little time that is left.
Don't forget to make cookies with your kids this Christmas....
Shalom~
Susan Adams
Tell your friends and family what they mean to you and worship the Lord as you never have before. Don't let the enemy win in your heart when LORD
Sabaoth has already utterly defeated him.
Wow...Has it REALLY Been Eight Years?!?!
It's hard to believe that we've been married 8 years! We've been through quite a bit in those years. Four apartments, five jobs, three contracts, and several
work-studies (between the two of us), a four year degree completed in three, four deaths, two surgeries, infertility, times of spiritual growth as well as some pretty heavy warfare,a pregnancy, birth and subsequent sleepless nights thereafter, three lay-offs, six months of postpartum depression and another 18 months with untreated symptoms of bi-polar disorder, swallowing our pride and moving in with family, a bankruptcy and a miscarriage.
We've been through a lot together, and (now that I'm on meds and can THINK clearly) I can honestly say that I love Ben even more today than I did the day we got married. As much as I hate to admit it, I've given him a lot of crap over the years—especially in the last two. And rather than leave me because it was too hard, or check out on me mentally or emotionally, he stayed just as steady as ever. I can never thank him enough for that.
Ben, I'm so sorry we have to live through all this crap right now. But you are an amazing man for the way you handle it. You always help me take the high road when all I want to do it wrestle in the mud with the pigs. Thank you for going on this great adventure with me. I just wouldn't be the same with anyone else. I love you!
