When it Rain's it definitely pours!

We have had quite an eventful week at the Walker household. Beginning with Monday, if you did not know, our sweet friends Pete and Vikki are staying with us, home on furlough and to have their first baby. Well her due date was Monday, and who actually has there baby on their due dates? Vikki. Yep. she woke up Monday morning, cool as a cucumber, walked into the kitchen, husband following close behind and announced that she would be having Olivia that day. And she did. That evening, she delivered a perfect baby girl. They are both such champs and we are so glad that Olivia is here. On to the more trying times of our week. Tuesday I woke up not feeling well and as the day progressed felt worse. By nightfall(always wanted to say that), I was running a high fever and feeling maybe the worse that I can remember ever feeling. Went to the doc on Weds, and found out that I had strep throat. OOOh... all I wanted to do was go home and take a dip in my tub....oh but the hot water heater broke. I am not a cussing woman, except when we lived in Sudan it was a real temptation, well I felt the temptation again. So we didn't want Vikki and Pete to bring there brand new offspring home to our strep infested house, so they packed up and moved over to my mom's. Well yesterday, Dad calls and says he thinks he got the strep and Keller is breaking out with all these weird sores all over his bod. So I pack him in the car, Pete and Viki are on their way back to my house to get away from Daddy who has strep, and the Baby Doc says that Keller has a very contagious "disease" called hand,foot and mouth disease- a virus where you get blisters all over these parts of your body. So we decided to keep all the sick people away from baby Olivia and WE moved over to my parents.PHEW! BUT I will say that James and I have both really kept our cool. He didn't loose it yesterday after almost 5 hours of installing a new hot water heater, $340 later and I didn't loose it with all the sicknesses, house moving etc.So once again assured there is grace to endure what you are going through-sometimes there is not really much extra though. So hopefully the flood has passed and we will be back to "normal" life soon..although, what is normal besides a setting on the dryer anyways?

The Secret of Life

I was listening to the radio on my drive home from the gym this morning and heard a Faith Hill song about the secret of life. So I started thinking about that thought and there are some very obvious things about my life that make it so rich-
1.communion with the Living God- truly, what would I do without his adoration of me, his friendship,rescuing,redeeming,sanctifying,beautifying in my life?
2. a fulfilling marriage- I told someone the other day that being a mother is my calling and my passion and marriage is my gift. That I get to live side by side with such an extraordinary person who is my rock,friend and love and even when the kids are grown and gone will be that-is there a greater gift?
3.a beautiful son- my heart melts every morning when I go into his room to get him up for the day and there he is smiling and laughing with his hair disheveled and talking his own little language, never dulls, that melt in my heart.
But I do think there are little things that are secrets to a happy life too that I will now make a tag- If you read this you have to write the 10 little things in your life that are making you happy right now...
1. Duncan Donuts coffee- the yummiest, smoothest coffee can now be bought at Target. Seriously-has made my coffee drinking in the mornings better.
2.Having one of my bestest friends in the whole world move in next door to me.
3. Having another life long friend living in my house with her husband and baby in utero(hopefully not for much longer)
4. TCBY.
5.Kickboxing-thank you Nicki.
6. Gilmore Girls-tried and true.
7. My mom,dad,brother,mother in law, father in law and brother and sisters in law- that we have great relationship with all of them.
8. My life group.
9. Three pairs of shoes that I absolutely love.
10. fat free refried beans.

birthday/new years weekend

I used to really not like that my birthday is three days after Christmas but this year I had a epiphany that it just makes the holiday festivities that much longer and fun to celebrate and I get just about everything I want:) James and I went to the Hill Country by ourselves for a few days and it was so relaxing. We laid around and read, worked on a puzzle and went to Fredericksburg for an evening. Then my parents joined us with Keller to celebrate my Dad's birthday(12/30) and the New Year. It was such a great way to celebrate 2007.

Blessed and Hopeful

I love the New Year. It feels so fresh....obviously. I feel a fresh wind in my sails to be ME to the fullest and faith to know God in new ways. We had a wonderful holiday traveling all over Texas visiting family,celebrating my 28th birthday and getting good down time. Over the course of the past two weeks James and I have recounted all the blessings of our 2007 and at times were speechless when thinking of all the beautiful ways God has proven Himself faithful and good yet once again in our lives. And as we look to 2008, there are dreams in our hearts both very practical and spiritual that we hope to see come to pass. But truly even if all of our "dreams do not come true", we always have hope in our hearts because of the bold and courageous life that Jesus lived and what his life and death accomplished for us. So for all of us I am hopeful.
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all, " Emily Dickinson