Ice driving is not for the faint-hearted

This one thing I know: I'm a ninny. A wimp. Totally faint of heart. When it comes to certain things. Flying is one, driving in icy conditions is another. Most other things I can make it through without the heart palpitations, sweaty palms, and concrete creeping through the muscles in my neck and shoulders.

This west coast gal is not used to ice-driving. Yet, this morning, I had a great adventure. This is how it went in my mind:

"This is crazy. Why would anyone drive in this weather?"

"Hmmm...that stoplight turned yellow. Better keep going and not brake. I said, DON'T BRAKE. Why is my foot not listening?"

When I come to rest in the middle of the intersection (thankfully with no other cars around), the inner dialogue continues:

"Should I really be driving in this? Why are so many people crazy enough to be driving on sheets of ice?"

As I drive past a car that has freshly spun out, off the road, into a ditch, taking out traffic signs, I continue:

"Why am I driving right now????"

When I arrive at my destination, I throw my hands up and let out a Zachary-like, "I did it!!"--in my mind.

Thankfully, the drive home was almost boring compared to the drive to my destinatination. A few lessons came fresh to my mind once this adventure had come full circle.

First, God doesn't give us the spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind. As I focused solely on what I was doing, I did not fear going off the road. Instead, I felt confident in the journey.

Second, I realized that it's when my mind wanders--and I allow myself to be distracted--that those things I fear take over my thoughts and concerns and I don't find rest or peace in my mind or my heart.

Third, I am reminded that while I like to pretend I have control over certain things in my life, just like driving on ice, nothing is guaranteed. I may see an illusion of control, but underneath those tires, things are still a little slick, and could change in an instant.

So, while I'm faint-hearted about some things, I will continue to remind myself of the refresher course I had today. And, I'll be honest, I plan to stay home for the rest of the day.

Happy Ganksmiving, Ice Cream Saturday, and More

I wish I could be more consistent with these posts--there is so much to share in just a little space. I blame the holidays for my lack of consistency. Perhaps in January, we will be snowed in too many days in a row to ignore journaling our latest happenings. Here is a short snippet of things on our minds these days:

-"Happy Ganksmiving"--Zachary couldn't quite get Thanksgiving out of his mouth in the right fashion, so he spent the day wishing everyone...well, what I just wrote. He was very sincere, and it was super cute, but required much translation when he was talking on the phone with grandmas and grandpas. We spent the day at home, just the three of us. We had a nice meal for lunch, cleaned up, and were all in bed for a long nap by 1:00. That's my kind of day off!

-Ice Cream Saturday--Somehow, Saturdays have become a dessert tradition for our family. After dinner each Saturday night, we all have a scoop of Edy's (Dreyer's for my west coast friends) Berry Sherbet in a cone. Yum! This has become something we all look forward to each week, talking and goofing off around the kitchen table together over a yummy treat.

-Before bed each night, Zachary loves to read a story, rock, and sing songs together. The two songs that are "must-sings" are Rock-a-bye Baby and Jesus Loves Me. Recently, Adam has hung out in Z's room while we sing together. It's become a collage of sweet moments for my heart to remember, all three of us singing those songs together. I know in a not-so-distant future, he will be too big for such nonsense.

-I have hit upon two "musts" for myself recently. Besides my absolute addiction to Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte, I also have discovered a terrible addiction to Facebook and to Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peppermint Joe Joe's cookies. Indulgent, but oh so good.

Christmas is right around the corner (gasp!), so here are a few pix from our decorating adventures:

Just a simple afternoon project for Zachary

Decorating Zachary's tree
All done, time to pose for the paparazzi

Hmmmm how many jingle bells will fit on this garland?