friends along the way

I am loving this song. For some reason it feels nostalgic and familiar, like a good friend.  

I haven't had a chance to write about the 30th birthday party from a few months ago, but it was really something. We weren't sure if the move would happen then so we hadn't shared the news yet, which made it all the more bittersweet.

I'm gonna miss these mama-pals.

They all bring such unique gifts to the group. and I have great memories of taking turns holding each other babies (sometimes fussy babies, sometimes sleeping) figuring out how we were going to resolve an argument between our kids (does it matter to you? are you going to make her eat that too?) Asking advice from other new mom's and gaining wisdom from mom's who are on number #4 and are so much more relaxed (seriously!) We've assured fellow mom's that their child's tantrum is totally normal and we do not blame them, that a full night of sleep will return, and we've gotta embrace these growing bodies because our stomachs will never (and I repeat, NEVER) be the same.
We've also celebrated adoptions, foster kiddos, mourned the loss of babies we'd lost too early and celebrated pregnancies and babies being born. 

I really love getting to know people. Their quirks, traits, strengths and history. There's just so much there to learn. These particular ladies have impacted my life and made this mom-journey a whole lot easier. Whenever I meet a new mom who is struggling I can't tell her quickly enough that finding a group of mom-friends makes all the difference. Keeping friends that aren't mama's is vital too, but when you're in the middle of the trenches at 11pm and your kid has a fever of 102, it's helpful to have a friend to text and say "is my kid going to die???" It is nice to send it to someone else who also may be up at 11pm nursing a baby who is fighting off something. Other texts that may be sent include:

"What does this rash mean?" (with picture.)
"Does my kid have pink eye?" (with picture)
"Does this dress look okay or do I look pregnant in it?" (with picture. and not pregnant.)
Along with other texts like, 
"I NEED TO ESCAPE. WANT TO HAVE A GIRLS NIGHT?" 
"It's 7:30am. Want to go to the library today? My kid's been up since 6."

I can't say it enough, if you are alone do EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO FIND A TRIBE! It may not be a long-term tribe, your dream tribe or the most life-giving for you, but do whatever you can to find some peeps who you can share life with and spur you on towards Jesus. This life is just too short to not have pals who challenge you, inspire you and grow you to be more like Jesus. No tribe is forever, but man, it sure is wonderful for the season when you do get to live life together, love on each other's babies, listen and carry each other's burdens, laugh when things are not so great, and laugh when things are going really great. (cause either way it helps to laugh.)

I'll be honest, when we first moved to our beautiful retirement city I had concluded that young families may not live here and that would be okay. But when I found a few, I was both surprised and so relieved. One of the first friends I met was on baby #3 and I had just had Jack. I went to a Bible study and met her and she was hilarious, inviting and was a serious pro at this mama-gig. We sat next to each other while we nursed, texted each other during those late night nursing sessions and still had time to catch up on our favorite shows, go out for dessert and a movie. 
I remember a moment after I had met her that I thought to myself, this is how I want to be. She reached out to me and treated me like we had been friends forever. She was so welcoming and made me feel totally normal and loved. I knew that motherhood wasn't for sissies by that time, and I also had learned that being a new mom is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Every single day you wonder, Am I doing a good enough job? Am I ruining my kid? Will I survive this? Will they hate me? But having a pal who looks at you and assures you, "you're gonna make it. You've got this." there's just nothing quite like that. and for that very reason, Jesus used her to change my life. I was done pretending like I was the mom-who-had-it-all-together, because…those mom's are annoying #1 and #2, aren't honest. But the mom's who are honest about how tough this job is? Yeah, those are the best.

So, kids, if I could give you any bit of advice on your journey through life, I'd say this: find some kindred souls who encourage and inspire and spur you on to Jesus. Run with those friends for as long as the season allows and when the seasons change, change with them. But forever treasure the season for what it was.

fire

This was a pretty wild n crazy week.

For those of you that know me well, I love a good 'ol fashioned weather scare. When I was in elementary school I would carefully watch the weather before school to see what kind of weather the week would bring. I would watch the as the Ohio sky turned dark and windy right before a big storm and ride quickly home on my bike to beat the downpour. When there were tornado watches I would quickly gather my most valued toys and take them to the basement "just in case." Only once can I remember actually waking up in the middle of the night in the basement during a tornado warning. It was an exciting thrill that most often turned out okay, but there were definitely ice storms and tornado watches and blizzards and flash floods. There was a whole lot of weather excitement in Ohio and although Arizona's beauty and mountains have captivated me it has left me a longing a little bit for the excitement and diversity that vast weather changes bring. 

I got my dangerous weather fill this week when a forest fire came about 9 miles from our house. 

It's windy this week and we live on the edge of the national forest. Perfect recipe for a forest fire, apparently. I had just changed two serious blow outs and given baths to both kids. It's safe to say there was poop everywhere. Lunch was still covering the kitchen table and counters and nap time was in the wings. I had a meeting at church I had to be at at 1 and John was going to come home to work while the kiddos slept. 

I got three phone calls in a row from friends around the neighborhood and listened to the message before calling them back (cause I was still partially covered in poo, ya'll.) One friend simply said, "Mel, just wonderin' if you're keeping an eye on the fire out there? It's gettin' a little close." I ran back to my bedroom, threw open my curtain and saw this.

Poor John. I don't do so well in stressful situations. Especially when it's slightly exciting and all I want to do is laugh and squeal at this dangerously exciting weather change. I kept running back and forth from the window to random areas in the house to see what I could grab besides my kid's and some pictures. I found myself gathering random (kind of pointless) items and calling my friend back to ask what she was going to do. She seemed calm, so I calmed down and gathered the things that couldn't be replaced, which took me back to my childhood which reminded me how truly nostalgic I am. I need to slim my "irreplaceables" a lil, I'm afraid. haha.

We gathered up photo albums and family videos, important documents and other things that couldn't be replaced. We packed our cars full and watched out the window in awe. The fire was powerful and the clouds were unbelievable. It was my first up-close forest fire out here in the west and although it can't quite compete with funnel clouds and lightning bolts, it has it's own captivating power that compares with nothing else I've ever seen.

We watched it closely as the wind directed it north away from us and our little abode.

Pretty incredible.

Though some of the pictures that friend's took of the view when the sun set were even more amazing!

So yeah, natural disasters really fascinate me. Is there kinda weird?

Maybe a lil bit.

Thankfully now it's about 15% contained and we haven't seen smoke all day. Thank You Lord that it's getting under control and the winds have slowed down. Pretty incredible the power of fire in itself. Pretty amazing that Jesus can contain it. 

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