a kiss is just a kiss....

unless you are four and like open mouth kisses... oops! i meant to get a shot of a hug! thankfully, we have good friends. while the daddies are away, the mommies will play (one daddy away for a trip, one working late). the mommies contemplated BIG margaritas for dinner, but opted out. the kids were behaved. (hers were better...) but we got to sit and kinda chat and the kids had fun. a nice ending to a wild day!

started by dropping nora at school. tried (in vain) to register our car here (and YES, we do leave in a month...). took my sweet boy to the children's museum. just us. it was SO. MUCH. FUN. stopped at joanns, cause i was up there! and then to panera to get him lunch. he was such a good boy! while i was waiting in line at joanns, i got a phone call from children's hospital about a referral to the gi clinic for nora.

we had blood drawn for her last week, and it turns out that she has celiac disease. (my sister has this also, and had noticed nora complaining of similar symptoms she had as a child and nagged me to get her tested... thank you Lord.) we have an appointment with the specialist next week, so no major changes in case they want to do more testing, but it was so nice to know why her stomach was hurting last night, and that she wasn't just trying to procrastinate bedtime.

it does mean a lifestyle change for us, and my sister warned us that we have to "start over" with some things... clearing out (or realizing) what nora can't have in our house. fortuitous timing, since we are moving and clearing out our cabinets anyway (i have a fear of cockroaches and don't feel the need to ship food to hawaii in any way shape or form... no need to have them breeding in our stuff before we get it!). and, we have enough time to get all the visits done here before we are in limbo again!

backing up, last week, i was watching a show and the main character was lamenting about "fate" or "the universe" and why it's so random. why it all mattered. i just wanted to cry for them, and scream at the screen and say "it's not fate!". it is so comforting to know it's not random. God is in control. that at the best of times, and the worst of times, there is a plan. i don't always get to know it or understand or even LIKE it, but there is a plan.

then, i started thinking about my kids... they have taught me a lot about God... when they are younger, especially, it's hard to understand why i might tell them not to touch the stove, or not play with this or that. sometimes it's because i know it will hurt them. or i see the big picture and see what's more beneficial for them. or i want to give them something better later. they don't get that. how much more is that me with God. i want something, thinking it's best for ME. but, how much more does He want to give me or do through me later. or in a different way than i could imagine.

it's sad for me that some might not believe this. that there are people who live life depressed and with a feeling of no hope. or that "fate" is out to get them (if this is you, email me!). and how wonderful to know it's not.

changing subjects, i am in purge mode... getting rid of things we don't use/want/need. i traded a snowboard for beach gear this morning... it was a little sad getting rid of my snowboard, but i had only used it twice in seven years. i had rented one more than that in that time. so, it was time to part with it. and, i am very excited about the beach!!