My Salvation Story!

I don't know why I've been putting this off . . . because it is extremely important for me. I guess I've been worried that my words / experience won't be compelling enough. God is good! His grace and mercy cover my weakness. He is more than enough!

Before I experienced a personal relationship with Jesus, I  was lost in selfishness, self-pity, and self-indulgence. I was trying to BE someone worthwhile on my own strength and not succeeding. I never felt good about myself or content with my life.

In high school, a lot of my friends talked about life as a question of biology and chemistry - you live, you die, you rot. I remember thinking, "That can't be all there is. There has to be more. Why do we dream, imagine, seek? There has to be more."

Coming to know Jesus as my savior has satisfied that desire for more. I experienced good preaching, praise and worship, Christ-centered fellowship, and the presence of God.

I finally let go of my own control and unforgiveness and accepted the gift of salvation.

It was not a single sudden moment as much as a process of questioning, seeking, and learning. I did go to a retreat where I realized that even though I don't and can't deserve God's love and forgiveness, God Loves Me! The God who created the universe loves me. Amazing!

With Jesus, I'm now saved and filled. I still struggle with life's challenges, but I am confident that God is with me always.

When I think about life after death, I am so glad to anticipate living for eternity instead of just for this short time on earth.

The more time I spend with the Lord in prayer and reading the Bible, the more my calm and peace grow. Even though I don't always show the fruits of the Spirit in my life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), I know that God is still working on me and I am glad that He is!

I welcome comments, questions, or observations. I am striving to obey God's direction for my life. I want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. You can have life and have it abundantly!

Vacation 1997 - South Dakota

More decluttering. I can't believe I saved these! We had such an amazing trip, but I have photographs and my journal. This was the first time Louie and I took a TWO week vacation. We had all three boys plus Jude Hines. Nick brought his "white kitty" Beanie Baby. We joked that by the end of the trip, it was a grey kitty. Good times, good memories. These are just a few of the places we went to - not sure why I don't have brochures for Mount Rushmore, the weird "magnetic" house on a slant, the hydropower plant, etc.

We especially enjoyed the cave tours - very cool! And seeing Devil's Tower. We watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind at night in a nearby campground. What a good time!

(Added 7.17.2020)
I put the brochures in the bathroom to read before recycling. It's been fun! The science geek in me loves reading about the caves, the trees, etc. On the map of Wind Cave National Park I had written "north of Custer-Needles Hwy (87) - Sylvan Lake!" So of course I had to look up Sylvan Lake online. I really should check my journal - I probably wrote about why I enjoyed it so much. Here's the link to the lake which upon reading, perhaps I was excited that it is part of the National Treasure 2 movie . . . I really liked those movies.  

Awards I Used to Care About

I don't mean the blog post title in a depressive manner. Not at all! When a box of random stuff came out of our garage rafters and I saw that it was full of my awards from high school, I laughed. I thought I had already gotten rid of these! Back in my teen years, these were very, very important to me. Now they're irrelevant in my life. I took photographs and am blogging them because that's part of what I do to declutter my life - keep a digital "copy" and get rid of the originals.

One favorite memory of these awards is from thinking of my mom. When Louie and I decided to buy a house in Jordan, my mom was so mad at me that she boxed up all my awards (the only thing I had left at her house besides my wedding dress). It's not terribly logical, but that's what she did. (Both my sisters had a LOT more of their old possessions still at the Aldrich house . . . )

 Top left - I added this to the pile. I got it in District 112 within the last decade, but don't want to keep it.

McDonalds - hard to believe I got these for being a good crew member! The 1980s were different.

Kennedy H.S. - not sure what these were about, but I pried off the metal and plan to sand and re-use the wood forms for other projects.

Voice of Democracy - I competed each year that I knew about the contest and got some bling from the VFW. One year, I won first prize and some money!

Various Speech and Theatre trophies - these were the ones I really cared about as a teenager. The time I spent rehearsing, performing, and competing . . . rivaled time I spent on school work!

Now I'm just ready for them to go away. I hope someone can re-purpose them. I hate sending junk to the landfill if I can avoid it.

Vacation 1999 Memories

While doing some more decluttering of my house, I was able to recycle lots of pamphlets and miscellaneous papers from a trip we took to the West Coast in 1999 with all five of us and Louie's mom and dad. I didn't realize I had saved *all* the handouts . . . and still have photos, memories, journal entries, etc. to revisit that trip. However, in with all the "junk mail" of the trip were some pieces of paper.

There's a LOT of driving involved in going from Minnesota to California and back. We read books, played car games, and found other ways to entertain ourselves. But we played one game that I wanted to record here (from those random pieces of paper). Someone would suggest a theme and then we cast each person in the car into a role. Some of these I don't remember / understand, but most of them I do! Just putting this here for posterity and giggles. I've typed the info as it was hand-written on the sheets of paper (which are now in the recycle bin).

Seven Dwarves
Doc - Grandma Betty
Sleepy - Grandpa Lou
Sneezy - Morgan
Bashful - Louie
Dopey - Nick
Grumpy - Jeanne
Happy - Alex

Toy Story
Little Bo Peep - Jeanne
R.C. - Alex
Buzz Lightyear - Grandma
Rex - Morgan
Woody - Louie
Slink - Nick
Mr. Potato Head - Grandpa

??? (A video game? I should ask the boys)
Flik - Morgan
Old Queen - Grandma
Praying Mantis - Alex
Gypsy Moth - Jeanne
Potato Bug - Nick
Dim - Grandpa
Ladybug - Louie

Star Wars (I don't remember which one this is from. . . .)
Anakin - Nick
Obi Wan - Alex
Qui Gon Jinn - Louie
Jar Jar Binks - Morgan
Queen Amidala - Grandma
Padme - Jeanne
Mace Windu - Grandpa

Star Wars: A New Hope
Luke - Morgan
Han - Louie
Leia - Jeanne
Chewie - Alex
R2D2 - Nick
Obi Wan - Grandpa
C3PO - Grandma

Alice In Wonderland
White Rabbit - Nick
Alice - Grandma
Queen of Hearts - Jeanne
Cheshire Cat - Alex
Tortoise - Grandpa
Mad Hatter - Morgan
King of Hearts - Louie

Candy Bars
Snickers - Nick
Crunch - Morgan
100 Grand - Jeanne
Twix - Alex
Reese's PB Cups - Louie
3 Musketeers (soft middle) - Grandpa
Dove bar - Grandma

Beanie Babies
Radar - Nick
Princess Dye - Grandma
Hiss - Alex
Nanook - Morgan
Flip - Jeanne
Canyon - Louie
Legs - Grandpa

I remember the laughing and discussing, but not the details of how these titles came to be . . . though now I want to Google the Beanies to see what they are. Fun times!

Yogurt Dots for Teething Babies

Once upon a time, I had a photo of this, but I don't know where it is.

A brilliant young friend of mine had teething babies (twins) and she took some strawberry yogurt and dropped small dollops (dime-sized) onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. She put those in the freezer and ended up with yummy, safe teething objects.

Brilliant! Yummy, healthy, easy. I just gave my kids a handful of frozen peas . . . 

 

Found the pic! (2021.01.09)

 

My Siblings Are So Talented!

I should be posting about all three of my siblings with a title like that. But today I'm focusing on one: Ann. She can create art in so many different mediums! She weaves, dyes, sews, and so much more. She is also a member of Minnesota's Textile Center. As such, she has a piece hanging in the member show. Joshua and I got there to see it in person before the show closed (and before Covid-19 had us all staying home).

Here we are, admiring Ann's piece in the gallery:

I had asked a volunteer to take our photo. I probably should have cropped it . . .

Below are the scans of the postcard advertisement sent out for the annual show. I love that Ann has done this for many years! I wish I were organized enough to share photos of some of her other years' entries.

She is so talented!

Options

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Commitments have dissolved. The day is gorgeous. We have so many home projects to do! Louie is diligently moving from one stated goal to the next, completing one before moving to the next. I am in a tizzy, overwhelmed by options and a lack of direction. I've done a little of this, a little of that . . . and need to make something a priority! I think I'll start with prayer. . .