A friend of mine

Please forgive the “novelesque” nature of this blog, but I have to brag on God and I’ve never been very good at short stories. August is usually a very difficult financial month for us. The last two years, we’ve over-drafted and paid bills late but somehow God got us through to the magical date the student loans came through. We anticipated a similar August. But God wowed me.

My co-worker, Lisa (amazing day baker!!), is a single mom. She came in on a Monday morning and explained that the funding for her son’s daycare had been cut-three weeks before school started. She had scraped together some money over the weekend, but still had more than half to go for the week. I watched as she called around on her break, trying to come up with either money for daycare or someone to watch her son. I felt God telling me I needed to make up the difference for this week. So I did. But the balance for the next two weeks was $150-way more than we could manage on our own.

On the drive home, a voice that was almost audible said “Who says you have to do this alone?” And the idea came to me to e-mail some of our Christian friends. I tried to push it aside but God kept bringing it back to mind. It took me over 30 minutes to write a short e-mail.

Tuesday morning, one of my co-workers gave me some money for Lisa. I wasn’t sure how to tell Lisa what I had done or how she would take it. Wednesday morning, I was doing dishes at work and had this overwhelming sense that I needed to tell Lisa about the e-mail. So I did. By the end of my story, we were both in tears and she said she needed to tell me about a dream she’d had.

Monday evening (at about the exact time I was writing the e-mail), Lisa said she had gotten down on her knees and poured her heart out to God. While she slept, she said she heard a voice telling her to go about her day and know that everything would be OK.
Wow. It still gives me chills.

Lisa is touched and overwhelmed at the thought that people she didn’t know would be so generous. She received all that she needed for her son’s daycare. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who participated through prayer and giving.

I just received an e-mail from one of the friends who contributed detailing how God in turn blessed them. And I know that it is no accident that none of our bills were late and we haven’t over-drafted. God is continuing to teach me valuable lessons about looking to Him for provision and the power of His family working together. How awesome our God is!

Lisa’s dad had suggested that the devil was trying to bring her down. But God took this victory! And best of all, Lisa and her son have started coming to church with us. Please pray that God will continue to soften her heart and that she and her son will truly join our Christian family.

Anniversary and Talents

Sunday was our 6th wedding anniversary. The weather was much milder than it was 6 years ago. Justin and I spent Friday morning at the St. Louis Art Museum and then headed into Alton, Illinois for burgers at Fast Eddy's and a slice of pie at Pietown (both featured on Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt). Sunday, Julia got to hang out with one of my coworkers and her son while we went to the City Diner for dinner and checked out Tower Grove park. The evening ended very romantically with folding laundry and watching the Olympics. It was a really great weekend. Oh, I also made a little two-tier cake (the bottom layer is 6" in diameter). The basket weave is what we had on our wedding cake.

Julia's latest talent is the subject of the following video. It took us a few days to realize that she could whistle. We would just hear these random whistles and try to figure out who was doing it. It never occurred to me that the 3-year-old was behind it!

She has also figured out her left from her right. We had an amusing conversation about it the other day. I asked which hand she wrote with and she said "Left!" I thought I would be tricky and asked which hand I wrote with. Her response was, "Right, but I still love you!" I love how she makes me laugh! Hope you all are doing well!

Heroes and Friends

Julia is in love with the Food Network-especially Rachel Ray and Paula Deen. (Whose shows thankfully come on when mommy is trying to cook dinner!) Her favorite thing to do when their shows come on is to host her own cooking show. Enjoy!

Following are some fun pictures. I can't believe how big my little girl is! In the first one, we picked her up from one of my coworkers' house looking like a little movie star. Julia is very excited about going back this evening while we celebrate our anniversary. The next one is Julia showing off her "alphabet" (outfit). The last one is with one of her favorite little buddies-the sweet son of two of our friends. (Don't worry, though she still plans to marry Zane.) The adults were playing Farkel and the kids needed dice of their own. We had so much fun!