1000 gifts: a VERY late summer edition

The 1000 gifts is a list of all the gifts God has given me that I'm thankful for, to live out the command "give thanks in all things" (1 Thess. 5:18) in my daily walk.

76. No snow in September
Up until just this week it still felt like summer, which is very unusual for high-altitude Wyoming. In fact, September and the first week of October were sunnier and warmer than June! For the first time in 15 years, we didn't get any snow in September. Usually we get a little hissy-fit of snow, not enough to frost anything to death, just enough to remind us all that Wyoming weather is fickle.

Here's a re-cap of some of my blessings from this summer:

77. Fireworks and French silk ice cream
I'm so lucky, I always get fireworks on my anniversary! (July 4th, 11 years) And oh, Dreyers must have had ME in mind when they came up with French Silk ice cream. Heavenly! (and it's light too)

78. Backyard pets
My youngest, Serious, told the ladies at daycare that she has lots of animals at home. Horses, ducks, Blazes and Dreamers (e.g. older sisters).

79. "These aren't the droids you're looking for"
Going to see the Sorcerer's Apprentice with my stepdaughter. Still laughing over "these aren't the droids you're looking for" - any movie that references Star Wars and choreographs lightning is way cool. We both love the song “Secrets” by One Republic. My stepdaughter also rode with us on one of our mountain trail-rides that I love so much, and she said she really enjoyed it, too. She's not a big fan of Wyoming (because of our fickle weather) but she was very impressed by our mountains.

80. My best friend dating my husband's best friend.
One of my best-friends has been dating one of my husband's best friends (and we totally didn't try to set this up). Once I got over the initial "wow, that's really weird, I just don't see them together", I was really pleased by this development, and sincerely hope it works out...

81. Finding lost items you've been searching a long time for.
Found my glasses that were missing for 3 weeks. Even better, found a videotape of the twins first year that had been missing for nearly two years! (I cried over that one a few times). You know how it got found? The twins got into the pile of videos and dvds behind the TV and made a huge mess. And in the process, unearthed the missing tape. So sometimes huge messes are blessing!

82. Debating lordship salvation vs. Free Grace
I got into a rather deep and potentially explosive theological discussion with another dear friend of mine (maid of honor at my wedding). If you are familiar with opposing Free Grace and Lordship Salvation points of view, you'll know that this was a very heart-felt and emotional debate, but I'm happy to say our friendship survived and I feel like I learned some good things out of it. At some point I may try to blog about it, but it's not an easy subject. In fact, I'm not even going to state which side of the debate that I'm on. I'm not extremist about anything; I'm always open to other people's points of view.

83. Avatar in 3-D
My daughters Blaze (9) and Dreamer (6) wanted to see the Avatar Special Edition so bad that they paid for their own movie tickets out their allowances. Blaze loves this movie so much she asked for a bow and arrow set for her birthday. Some people might read this and gasp "she's listing this as a blessing??" Should I be worried that my kids love a violent science fiction movie with strong pantheistic themes? I would be, except the movie has been a source of great discussion with my daughters. A great teaching tool, actually. They actually know the C.S. Lewis arguments that show the strengths of Christianity versus pantheism.

84. My "Give it to God" list from 2006/2007
I found my journal from the months before and after the twins were born. I had started a list called "Give it to God List" and there were some major things on that list: first, my fear - would I be able to love these originally unwanted twins, esp. when I found out they were girls and we were hoping for at least one boy; then when they were so premature and Gracie had some issues and worrying for her health and development; then the insurance not paying for my ambulance flight and the twins' ambulance back to Laramie... and others. All answered. All taken care of. God is so good.

85. Tofu = Toad Food
As I'm teasing my husband about how he should try tofu, he comes up with a great alternative name: toad food. I loved the look on his face as he exclaims, "my roping buddies would never respect me again if I ate that stuff."

86. Queen of Quickbooks
The Lord knows I hate doing the books for my husband's business and He mercifully gave me five years off from doing them. This summer I finally came to terms with His calling back into this part of being a helpmeet to my husband. And, surprise - surprise! Once I got started, I found I actually enjoyed being the Queen of Quickbooks again. Sort of.

87. Horny toad lizards
Blaze went with me on one of my early morning walks and we discovered a baby horny toad (which is actually a lizard). Blaze was so excited and I have always thought lizards were cute, even before the Geico Gecko became popular. We put it in a tank with some grass and water and kept it for a couple days before letting it go again.

88. Building a rock garden
My husband helped me re-landscape our front yard, collect rocks for a rock-garden, and lay sod. It was fun to watch his expertise with his backhoe, and to hear his compliments after I finished setting the rocks and planting the flowers. The picture above is of our four beautiful little women in front of my new rock garden.

89. Hoping for healing in relationships
We had a couple very touch-and-go situations develop this summer - situations that could have turned into real family disasters. But we took them to prayer, and God took care of the situations. We are still praying for healing in relationships between certain extended family members, but there have been little drops of hope along the way.

90. "Love Like Crazy" by Lee Brice
My husband asked me if I could look up this song on YouTube This is one of his favorite songs and he wanted me to hear it. I really can't go into the details of our relationship as to explain why I list this as a blessing, but I will say that I have seen some remarkable developments in my husband this summer that I am still amazed by.