Reflections

too tough to cry?

2006-11-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

Yep this is me when I was a kid. I bet I was thinking "go ahead take the picture and when you are done I will kick your BUTT!" I was a tough kid, a tom boy, everyone called me bruiser because I never cried and I was never afraid to fight.

Those of you who have known me for a while know that I am not very sensitive, I dont like people to see me cry or upset, I have had it put in my head that I am too tough to cry. I held onto that thought most of my life, even today I find my self fighting tears most of the time. Except for today... I was getting ready to walk out the door this morning to take the kids to school (that is an adventure in itself hauling 5 kids out the door at 7:20am) anyway, I noticed something in one of my candles on my wine rack, it was a note with my name on it. I opened it up and money fell out and here is what the note said... "not much but maybe you can take it Christmas shopping. In love, Merry Christmas"

then there was a verse written on the other side of the paper... Acts4:32

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

wow, tears started to flow, no matter how hard I tried to hold them back they just coming, as I type this now I am blinking and blinking trying to hold back the tears, I called Jami on my way to the school and was crying just telling her about it. It is so awesome to be apart of a community that knows a need and reaches out to meet it. Thank you. You have really blessed me and my family. God is wonderful!

2006-11-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

5 years ago today I was in a Costa Rican hopsital recovering from having our third child, Josiah Matthew Edwards! Happy Birthday! We love you!

Good Times, Good Times

2006-11-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

Great Core Group Discussion (WOW, I am even more excited to see what God has planned for us)

Great Food (thanks Vicki)

Great Drinks (so says Mike)

Great Friends (Even the ones that weren't there, I love you all)

Great Dessert (Happy Birthday Joe!!)

And we would not have had all of this if we did not have an awesome God!

Planting

2006-11-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

When I was a teenager I got a job at Post Gardens Greenhouse in Rockwood, Mi. I loved that job, it was easy, (sometimes it was hard), it kept me in great shape, it was fun, it was relaxing, I got a great tan every summer, overall it was great. I loved the people that I worked for and with (well most of them) and I had great hours. Each year we would plant bulbs for Easter, and I remember that you had to plant it a special way or it would grow upside down, they had to be planted in a cold area of the green house so we froze as we stood at the line putting the bulbs in the pots, then they would go in trays and be stacked on these huge racks. After a rack was full they would put them in a cooler that was bigger than my house. They would stack them as high as the forklift would go and then someone had to go in there and water them every week. I spent many 8 hour days in that cooler watering those stupid bulbs and freezing my butt off. But I still loved it. The end result of all that work would be a beautiful lily with radiant colors and a wonderful smell that would fill the entire greenhouse. It was pretty amazing to watch it grow from a bulb in a pot of dirt to a tall and beautiful flower.

As I look at church planting I know that there may be days where I may feel that I am "watering stupid bulbs", but I have to stop and look to what the end result will be and that is glorifying my Savior in all that we do and say. I have been amazed at the growth that I have seen in just these few months. I have seen growth in my husband who is more determined now than ever with raising funds to support us, a husband that is not proud but humble, a man that can open up his heart and share it with others. I have also seen growth in our core group. I went from saying hi every Sunday, to sitting down in my living room with them and sharing my life with them and knowing that the people that I am looking at have my back and I can trust them 100 %. How beautiful is that!?!

some birthday love

2006-09-12T16:33:00.000-07:00

you guys are awesome!!

birthdays

2006-09-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday was my 31st birthday and it was GREAT! I think it was the best birthday EVER!!
Mike and I went out to the Hard Rock Cafe in Detroit, then we drove around and went to Belle Isle (12 years ago we went there on our second date and sat on the rocks) it brought back some great memories. Then we came home and to my SURPRISE... our friends were all there and we had a great time. I felt truly blessed to have everyone there to celebrate with me. It meant so much. Thanks for all that were there and for all that wished me a happy birthday. God has blessed me with some awesome friends I am so grateful for all of you! Thank you to everyone who made this birthday the best ever! I will never forget it!!

update

2006-09-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

I just wanted everyone to know that my mom is home and doing much better. She has to schedule a few tests in the next 14 days. I know it seems like a long time, but she has to see if she qualifies for any medical coverage and the doctor wants to make sure that the infection in her bowel is gone. So for now she has to see the Dr once a week and check with him. She wont be able to come and watch our kids for the trip that Mike and I will be taking along with some from our Core Group, so we are going to be looking into his parents watching them. I know that it will all work out. My mom's spirits are good. I just got off the phone with her and she said that the Dr. does not want to do a colonoscopy right now, he is going to do a barium xray and then proceed with the colonoscopy if her intestines dont seem too irritated. She mentioned that she did not have to pay for her perscriptions so that was a blessing for them. I want to thank all of you for praying for my mom, please continue to keep her in your prayers, I know that they are going to be checking for cancer in the bowel and I pray that all goes well. Thank you for all of your support and love!

Prayer

2006-09-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

I was going to send out an email, but my email doesn’t have everyone’s address saved so I just figured that I would do a quick blog about a special prayer request...

I got a phone call from my grandma and she told me that my mom is in the hospital, she has a hole in her bowel and a burning pain in her back. I guess my mom has diverticulitis and has had it for a while, but my mom said that the Dr's said that she would not need surgery, which confuses me?? I don’t know all that is going on, her WBC are very high, she is breast cancer survivor, has had a heart attack, and who knows what else. My mom is not one to always be up front and honest about what is going on with her health because she doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She is at a hospital in Petoskey, so I cant just run up there and visit her. (so that is hard) My grandma was crying on the phone, which she never does, so that leads me to think that there might be something more going on. All of this to say, please keep my mom in your prayers. Thank you.

I will keep everyone posted as I know more.

Trash fairy

2006-08-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

Last week Mike decided to clean out his office along with ALL the paper work. He threw out a TON of stuff and thus we had a ton of garbage. Well, last thursday I had to go out to mike's parents house for his mom's b day. They live an hour away so when I was driving home I started thinking about how late it was and how I needed to get out all the trash because I knew Mike would not be home for a while because he was working. Anyway, I turned on to our street and I saw ALL of our yucky trash out by the road! So I just want to say thank you trash fairy! You made my day! And I also want to say sorry there was SO much trash!

I'm a Clown

2006-08-16T08:13:00.000-07:00

Yep this is what Anna said as she came down stairs looking like this... she does look like a clown, Leah said all she needed was white makeup...

Top Ten

2006-08-11T05:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of the top 10 things that I need to be better at on a daily basis...

1. Talk to God more
2. Read my Bible and study it
3. Showing my husband love
4. Showing my kids love
5. Taking time away from cleaning the house and spending it with my kids
6. organizing my house (I think that if it were more organized it would take less time to clean it)
7. Calling friends when they are on my mind (I dont like to talk on the phone, I think it is because most of the time I have a hard time hearing people on my cell phone.)
8.Taking in all of what God has made and blessed us with
9. Being a reflection of God's love to those around me
10. Smiling more

Some of are out of order, but they ALL need to be worked on. So pray for me and I will pray for you! I love you guys!!

My Hope is in YOU

2006-07-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

I was reading last night before going to bed and this Psalm just stuck out to me and I can not let it go! I read 3 different versions of it and I woke up thinking about it. For those of you who know me reading is not my thing, but I can not seem to stop reading this over and over! So, I thought I would share it with those out there! Enjoy!

Psalm 25

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one whose hope is in you
will ever be put to shame,
but they will be put to shame
who are treacherous without excuse.

4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD ?
He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

13 He will spend his days in prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.

14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.

19 See how my enemies have increased
and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope is in you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!

Happy Birthday!!

2006-07-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

I just had to say Happy Birthday to me sweet 9 year old daughter. God has blessed us with a great girl and I don't feel that I thank Him enough for her. Happy Birthday Leah! Thank you God for blessing us with her.

Your Smile and Joy is one of the highlights of my day! I love you Boo!

update

2006-06-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

Josiah showing off his muscles! too bad there werent any girls at the beach, maybe next year!

Leah relaxing in the lake!
I think she is part mermaid.

Anna Rose and Anna Michelle kicking back. Oh to be a kid again!

Elijah getting ready to go fishing.

John actually got a fish!! All by himself! Way to go!!

And it would not be a trip to Kalkaska without going to G"S
We had a great time. It was great to just laugh to the point of almost peeing your pants or water exploding out of your mouth! Thank you for all who prayed for a safe trip!

VACATION

2006-06-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

Ok I had to post before we went away for the week. ( this is for you JT) I just wanted to shout out to those who surrounded us at the concert last night, it was great! It was a great time to laugh together and worship together. Thank you all who were there! I love all of you!

I also wanted to say thanks for the support from many about the friend issues that I have been going through, you all are a true blessing to me! As we sang you are my JOY last night it helped me to relflect and know that GOD is my pure JOY. Yes I must say it was another God moment and I loved it!

Well we are off to Kalkaska for the week! I wish we were going to a mansion so all of you could come with us! We will miss you all. have a great week!

Love
sherry

Dads

2006-06-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

My kids dad and the love of my life

Mike's dad with Elijah at youth camp

My dad with his mom and some of the grandkids

Missionary dad in Costa Rica

Friendships

2006-06-15T19:12:00.000-07:00

Friends

Lately I have been dealing with friend issues. I think that for the most part I am a good friend, I try to be there for my friends when they need me (even when they dont ask) Friendship means alot to me and it upsets me when a friend becomes distant with me for no apparent reason. I do have one great friend, Jami, we have been friends for 12 plus years now. She is great! She loves me no matter what I do, what size I am , or what frame of mind I am in. She is a "true friend". She shows me the love of Christ even when I dont deserve it! I hope you have at least one friend like that. Even when we moved to Costa Rica she was always there for me and did not distance herself from our friendship. I have noticed since we have had some change in our lives and where we are going with our ministry that friends who I thought were going to be there forever seem to have drifted off and moved on. It is sad. I wish they would realize that we can be friends no matter where we are in life, but maybe it is time for them to move on to new friends. This is one thing that has really messed with my emotions lately. I am working on it.

proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times
proverbs 18:24 A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother
Proverbs16:28b a gossip separates close friends
John 15:13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends

Jesus is my very best friend, who is yours?

2006-06-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

2006-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sherry Day

2006-06-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who dont know, yesterday was "Sherry Day"! My loving
husband gave me the day off and I got to spend it with some great friends! We first went to

IT WAS AWESOME!!

Then after hanging out there talking for a bit we went to the movies to see the break up, it was funny and sad. I did not like the ending.

Then we came home and went to Elijah's game and when I got home in the yard there was a beautiful

I just love it !!! Thanks!

Then some friends came over and we talked late into the night and had a great time.

Overall Sherry Day was a blast! Thanks for sharing it with me!

SUNDAY

2006-05-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

I SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST
AND I THINK SOME BELIEVE THESE ARE
EQUAL??

THANK YOU FOR MAKING SUNDAY A GREAT DAY FOR US! you know who you are.

Love Sherry

Family

2006-05-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

God has blessed me with an awesome family. I just wanted to take the time to share them with you and thank God for them...

Michael : You are the love of my life. We have been through so many things together and I love you more and more each passing day. You have shown me the love of Christ and given me your whole heart. I can not thank you enough for choosing me to be your wife.

Leah : You are getting to be such a beautiful young lady. Your smile brightens my day! You are such a caring and helpful daughter. Thank you for all you do! I love you!
Elijah: You have to be one of the sweetest kids I know. You always have something to say and are always creating stuff. I love you!
I love your
Popeye face!

Josiah: You are so cute! I love the way you tell stories at bedtime and how you act out Smash Brothers. You are so smart for your age! I love you!

Anna: You are such a big girl now! I am so proud of you! You take after Leah, you talk just like she did when she was your age. You have been a sweet blessing to all of us! I love you, my purple bunny!

I love you guys and I thank God for each one of you everyday! I can not believe how big you guys have gotten! Love your mom!

one of those days

2006-05-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

I say one of those days because it was a day that I was glad to get over!

Here are the list of things that would usually make me upset and have an attitude (ok so maybe part of the day I had a slight attitude, but I wasn't feeling good either and all this other crap didnt help)... ok enough babbling... here we go...

1. Woke up and had no milk for breakfast, luckily we had left over doughnuts from last night, so the kids ate those.
2. Came home after dropping the kids off, started laundry, went to switch the laundry and to my surprise there is this gel like substance ALL OVER the clothes and washer! YEP it was a diaper (a clean one)! What a huge mess!!!
3. Took the van that we keep for a missionary to get an oil change at walmart, it took 1 hour and 35 minutes for that oil change, had 3 kids with me that started to get on eachothers nerves after walking around the store 3 times.
4. Went home ate lunch and started to feel sick.
5. The kids came home from school and I made Elijah cry because I was very rude to him about getting holes in the knee of his almost new sweat pants (ok i know i over reacted)
6. went to elijah's game and froze my butt off, but they WON!!
7.after the game i was getting the kids in the van and leah was like mom look at the windshield, YEP, i just had to park close to a field and apparently a base ball hit the passenger side of the windshield and left its mark.
8. Now I am home and ready for bed, I will stay up and watch lost with mike and then be off to dream land, I cant wait!

Overall as I look back I smile at my day. God has blessed me with a great husband, awesome children, a great home, great friends, and most of all HE has shown me mercy and grace. We all have "one of those days", but God gets us through it. I just have to laugh at the obstacles of my day and thank God for it. Maybe he thought I needed a good laugh today.

Dinner conversations

2006-03-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some highlights of the last two night at dinner.

Tuesday Night:

Josiah and Anna kept on asking when dad was coming home.
Leah and Elijah were talking about the gerbils and Elijah asked why he could not have a boy one and Leah could have a girl, Leah said because they will mate and make babies. Elijah's reply was..."OH is that like making out?" My reply was yup.

Wednesday Night:

Josiah and Anna both had to pray and then Leah spilled a full glass of pop right in Josiah's lap and plate (no I did not get mad) We cleaned that up she said that if dad were here he would be really mad (which he wouldnt, and i corrected her) My brother in law quizzed leah about divison and prime numbers, My sister talked to me about camping this summer with her and the kids and our grandma. ( she is only 60) We use to go camping with her all the time when we were kids and it would be fun. All in all it was a great time of just talking, laughing, and eating.

Oh yeah, Josiah and Anna are still asking when dad is coming home to eat.

Off to bed I go have a great night!

Deuteronomy 9:10

2006-03-26T17:28:00.000-08:00

"When you have eaten and are all satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you." Deuteronomy 9:10

I was reading last night and this caught my attention. The commentary said that this is a verse used to back up why we say grace before we eat. I thought that it was interesting that it says when you have eaten... usually at our dinner time the kids get called to the table while I am still finishing their plates and some get their plates before the other ones and will eat before everyone sits down, then when everyone does sit down we pray and sometimes the kids mow down their food and ask to leave before I have even finished one thing on my plate. They ask to be excused and clean up their plate and run off to play. I have now decided that we should sit down and eat together and then pray after we are done, that way we all are at the table the entire time and no one is rushing to get done so they can watch tv or play a game. It might also be a good time to thank God that the biscuits were done or the meat was good. SO I guess we will give it a try and see how it goes.

On another note, this was a great weekend. The kids got gerbils on Friday night and are totally in love with them. Last night we all went to Outback (becuase we got some unexpected money) . Today I taught in Metrokids both services and it was an absolute blast. I saw kids there that were new, some returning for the 2nd time, some who hadn't been there in a while, and some that are always there. I had a special needs kid in my K-1st grade class, it was so neat to see kids that were new and old treat this boy no different from anyone else, they accepted him for him and that was it. They played and laughed with him and I really believe he had a great time. It was a blessing to see the love of Christ in these kids.
Well off to put the kids to bed.

Quick review

2006-03-11T18:14:00.000-08:00

Ok here is a quick review of the past week or so.

Lately I have been a bit down; Anna has been sick and whenever one of the kids is sick I become a stressed out freak. SO that has been me this past week and a half. Plus I have had a bit of self induced stress that results from me just not taking time to breathe in God and how wonderful He is!

Well, lets see for this past week I had a sick kid, life group, a mother in law in the hospital, a slight flood in our kitchen, a leak coming from some part of our hot water tank, two nights out with my wonderful husband, flowers from a best friend (just when I needed it). So I will let you here a bit of all of the above.

1. Anna is much better and acting more normal every day. It turned out to be a UTI and the meds are working wonderfully.
2. We had our life group at Marty and Stacy's house which was a blessing because I was able to have my house be a bit messy due to the fact that all Anna wanted to do was sit with me. We had a great time at their house. We have a challenge over the next few weeks to really take a good look at ourselves and see what some of our faults are and how we can help each other improve that area. So I have been doing a lot of thinking and will write more about that later.
3. When we came home from group wed. night I walked into the kitchen and stepped into a big (well it really was a HUGE) puddle of water in our kitchen. Water was pouring out of our freezer from the ice maker that just decided to produce a waterfall instead of ice. The water was flowing from the lights in the basement and had covered part of the floor and some of the carpet! Our wonderful friends (Ej and Lindsey) came to the rescue with a shop vac and helped us clean up the mess. I am starting to think that maybe we have bought "the money pit". Because now we have a leak coming from our hot water tank.
4. Ej and Lindsey stayed over and we had a great time talking after the freezer incident.
5. My mother in law is in the hospital so Mike has been going over there and visiting. I haven’t gotten a chance to go over there yet because of Mike's schedule and the kids.
6. My best friend knew that I was having a rough week and surprised me with some beautiful lilies on my front porch wed afternoon. Every time I look at them I smile. I am blessed to have a friend like her.
7. Yesterday Mike and I went out with a great couple and had a great time talking with them and laughing. It was nice to get out with some healthy adults.
8. Today I went to a shower for our cousin Aaron and Danielle, I sat with some great people and had an awesome time talking with them and getting to know them a little bit better. It was a joy to share that time with family and friends. I feel blessed to have people in my life like the ladies that I sat with for a few hours. God knows just when you need times like that.
9. Mike got a babysitter and took me out tonight. I can not remember the last time that he and I went out together (just the two of us) I had a great time just talking with him and holding his arm as we walked together. I looked at Aaron and Danielle today and saw them smiling at each other and saw the love that they have for each other and I said to Jami, We still have that with our husbands, but sometimes we have to be reminded of it. As I looked at my husband tonight I saw the same man that I fell in love with 10plus years ago and I also saw the love of God flowing from him as we talked about our future. I loved just spending time with him tonight and listening to him talk.
10. Now I am finishing up with the day and saying goodnight.

I hope that I didn’t bore you tonight, but I hope that you realize that my God has gotten me through this week with his strength and love. God has placed people in my life this week that I needed more than they will ever know, so I thank all of you for being a part of my life and allowing God to use you to help me.

life groups

2006-02-28T04:18:00.000-08:00

We had life group last night and it was so much fun. I love to just hang out with everyone. It was a much needed time for me to relax and refresh. We stunk up the house with the wonderful smell of taco meat.(I smelled it all night, but the tacos were great!) We sat around our huge makeshift square table and talked about the state capitals and how we all wish we could just wear pajama bottoms ALL the time(wouldn't that be great!) Mike had to leave for programming but 2 couples stayed and we talked and laughed some more. All this to say I had a great time last night with some great friends.

2006-02-15T05:45:00.000-08:00

Ok since my husband and some other people have made some comments about it almost being a year since I have blogged I decided to start back up.

Yesterday was Valentines Day, or another day for people to make money off of cards, candy, stuffed animals,flower, rings, blah, blah, blah! I love that I don't have to wait until Feb. 14th to get a gift of "love" from my husband. I love that he gives me something every day even if it just the way he looks at me or the excitement he shares with me about something that he has read and I am totally clueless about it. What matters is that he cares about me enough to share everything with me (even when I may not seem the least bit interested). Deep inside I am very grateful for that because it makes me feel that I am important to him. weird I know. Yes my man did get me a gift of chocolate Hershey kisses and while I was making dinner for our family we were listening to some songs in spanish (on the I pod, of course) and he told the kids that these were the songs that he use to listen to when we first got married and I was at work while he was home and he would listen to them all day and think of me. AHHH. I just love him! Leah thought it was gross and TMI. Elijah says that we should only kiss in our bedroom and not in front of him because it is gross and the other 2 dont know what cooties is yet.

After dinner we had our Lost group over and watched 2 episodes of that and talked. It was so much fun! I just love to have people over to hang out with. Sunday we had people from our other life group come over and hang out and we all talked till it was time for Greys Anatomy and we all watched that together, I just love times like that where you just get together with some friends share some coffee and just live life with them. Michael and I were talking about how we have more friends now than we have ever had in school or anything like that and it is great to know that the friends we have would do anything that they could to help us in any way. They all show a Christ like love to us and I am very grateful for that.

2005-03-13T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since I last posted, but here I am. I must say that I had a great week! I had the chance to get away and get some ideas about children's ministry and connect with people that I serve with. It was Great! I really missed Michael and the kids. I was ready to come home and be with them.

Michael surprised me with a new mattress for our bed and I love IT! Thanks to stacy and Marty! He also surprised me with a y membership and I am so excited to go and workout and play with the kids in the pool! What an awesome husband I have! The house was spotless when I came home and all 4 of the kids were still alive! What a man!

God has blessed me with a wonderful family and each day I learn more and more about His love for me. What a great gift to live my life with my best friend and to share our lives with 4 great children. God is so awesome!

Well that is it for now!

Marriage

2005-02-03T05:29:00.000-08:00

Last night someone asked Michael and I how come we are always happy. Alot of couples dont seem happy in their marriage, I mean you know they love eachother and everything but they just dont look happy when they walk in a room together. I was glad to hear that people dont see us that way. My answer to them was great intimacy, but it really is more than that. I really dont know how to fully express in words the feelings I have for my husband, but I will try. I look to Christ for my example of love, the love that he showed me when I didnt deserve any of it, and that is the type of love that I want to have for my husband. I want to have a love for him that tells him that I will love him no matter what . I strive to have a deep relationship with my husband and with that comes intamacy, good communication, and forgiveness. God has placed us together as husband and wife to continue writting out His story and nothing excites me more than to write a life story for God with my best friend. And that my dear friends is just a small glimpse of our happy marriage!

2005-02-02T05:11:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since I have blogged. Many things has happened, but I would bore you if I listed them all. Some things that haven't changed... 1. God is as awesome as ever 2. I have a wonderful husband and I love him more than he will ever know 3. I still have 4 kids and they are great!

That is all for now due to the fact that Josiah is up and wants me to sit on the couch with him. I will take all I can because soon he wont want to cuddle with his mom.

LOVE

2004-06-13T05:28:00.000-07:00

Well it has been awhile since I wrote last. I just want to let everyone who reads this that i am so thankful for the man that God has given to me. He leads and guides our family as God being the focus and I am so grateful for that. I know he has desires for us and I know that he is surrendering those to God for it is not the right time for us to pursue them. Before we started dating I wasnt happy I wanted a man in my life that was devoted to GOd. And I found him and held on to him. I know that he isnt perfect and I know he doesnt think that he is, he may even mess up sometimes, but my love for him is so deep and strong. i thank my loving Lord for putting us together to do life together, raise kids and most importantly to serve our God together. I have found a great man and I love him!

I love you Michael!

sherry

what is that? that freaky thing... it's a ...

2004-06-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

well we had a full week and I cant believe it is thursday night. havent been doing much just watching kids, cleaning house, cooking dinner, laundry, dishes, etc. etc. etc. All in the life of a stay at home mom. Like laura says..."I am my kids mom". I am thankful for that too. thankful for no one else raising my kids. I know that some people just cant do it, but I can and I am very thankful. today was a hard day. I am not too sure why I was just down alot today. I really miss wally and sarah! My heart was just doing alot of dreaming and I guess my emotions got caught in it! UGH!I may not understand why we are where we are right now but I know that God is in control and he is working things together for His Great Plan!

we went to the zoo last saturday and had a blast! It was also great to hang out with jay and erica for a bit! They are so awesome! I really miss them! They are going to have such a beautiful baby!!!

well enough for now

naked mole rat

sherry

Remember

2004-05-31T06:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day of just relaxing. We got up and got ready for church and I have to say that the kids and I were ready way before Barry (that hardly ever happens) I mean I had them in the car and everything. Anyways, we went to church and had an awesome service that really hit home! Then we went home and relaxed and then we headed out to granny's and got some dinner. Finally we hit our destination of the Rudy's. It was a great time with them as we finished watching Return of the King! Awesome movie! And AJ came over with their lil one. We had a great time of talking and sharing our hurts and stuff. Some dreaming going on too! It was great! Got home around 1 or so and hit the hay. It was such a great day. I must say that we really do miss the Harrison's! I mean tons and tons. The kids are always asking about them! But they understand that they are going after God and they are excited about that! We all love and miss you Wally and Sarah!!

as I close I wanted to mention something I saw on TV yesterday. They were interviewing soldiers from WW II and asking them how they felt about the new memorial and one guy said you couldn't pay me to come back here it just brings back some terrible memories of how men and women died and this is more that I can handle. And it made me think of jami's brother who is in the Marines and of all the other men and women who have served and who are serving our country and all of the families that they leave behind. May we not forget them and may we pray for their safety daily.

our troops...pray for them

sherry

Just thinking ...

2004-05-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

Boy oh boy what a great time and a much needed time with friends. We headed out to Texas roadhouse for some good grub and some GREAT conversation! Then we headed over to Todd and jessica's place! all I have to say is that their table is sweet!! We had a great time just talking about God, life and what is out there! It was such a great time. My spirits were lifted! Thanks guys! We also got to hang out with the Rudys and AJ. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Overall it was such a great time!

I just have one more thing to say!!! I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!! HE IS A WONDERFUL MAN!!! AND I AM SOOOOOO GLAD HE IS MINE!!!

happy thoughts

sherry

go till you ...

2004-05-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday was a huge letdown, but my God is still AWESOME! I dont know How to express what I am feeling right now, but I do know I hate feeling this way!

A shout out to jami, man I am so thankful for your friendship! More than you will ever know!

get a no!

sherry

I'm a survivor

2004-05-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

WOW! What a week it has been and it is only Tuesday! God has shown himself to me this past month and yesterday I almost loss sight of him. It's strange how we can go on and see God and his will when everything falls into the perfect place but if one thing jumps in the way we are like oh no this isn't right. That happened to me yesterday but instead of saying this isn't right I found myself saying I know its right I know that GOd is in this and I know that we just need to keep on going. (If this doesn't make sense to ya sorry) HOw often do we see a difficult path and think nope no way am I going down there. So what if the path is difficult just go down it and cling to GOd he will get you through it. I think of the people in foreign countries who are beaten and killed because of their faith in God, they have a difficult path and still they pursue it because of their passion. WOW! Don't loose sight of your passion. Paul writes this to Timothy...

If we die with him,
we will also live with him,
If we endure hardship,
we will reign with him,
If we deny him,
he will deny us,
If we are unfaithful,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot deny himself.

he also says," I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen."

I'm not going to give up!
sherry

no laundry today!

2004-05-22T04:54:00.000-07:00

finally a day of not doing laundry! I am so excited! I never thought that I would ever be excited about that. Weird.

Yesterday was a great day. Elijah wants this toy so he is clean like mad to earn some cash. Josiah is just plan crazy. Leah was at school when a bad storm hit and she was crying because she was worried about her bros and sis. What an awesome concern, not for herself, but for her family. WOW!

Hit starbucks after dinner and it was darn good! Barry and I talked alot about fundraising. we'll get the job done! soon!

well i am off to enjoy a day with the kids.

sherry

going places

2004-05-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

well what time it has been these past few weeks. First Todd and Jessica's wedding was such a great time!! If you have never seen a couple truly in love with eachother you have to check these guys out! They are totally God centered! had a blast watching people be gay with dancing and all! i mean come on grow up will ya!
anna had her first dance with Jessica's dad! they were getting down!

on mother's day i had a great time of reflecting on how much God has blessed me with! I have four wonderful children (yes they do get in trouble) but they are great! what a great blessing!

my great barry got home last night after a few days with the "family" boy i wish i had a chance to go but i know it was good for him. he hasnt stopped beaming since he came home. what a blessing the past few months have been for us! God is so unbelievable. HE NEVER ceases to amaze me!

barry and i went to a bday party and had a fun time with some family. THe kids were great!

my heart is filled with a new and healthy excitement about the upcoming months! cant wait to get going with it all!

ready to get started and see my man's dream come true

sleep tight
sherry

Our Great Comforter

2004-04-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

Isn't it great to know that our God is there to comfort us when we need it. My heart goes out to my sister tonight and I pray for God to comfort her as she is having problems with her first pregnancy. we also had news of a lady that worked at mbt ,her infant son has a disease and he will not live past his toddler years. My prayers go out to that family as well.

we have had a great week so far. The kids and I got a chance to hang out with aunt kimmie and go to the show. we also had a great time flipping pizza at pizza bobs with awesome paula! Elijah just loves her to death. God has put some great people in our lives and always at the right time.

Easter was good. It has been a year since my dad's heart attack and it is good to see him healthy and full of it. The kids had a good time coloring eggs.

well enough for now. my heart is heavy with prayer.

sherry

What's your 20?

2004-04-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

when I worked as an EMT the dipatch would always ask what's your 20 to see if we were close to a call or if another rig was. As i was thinking today, I thought... what's my 20 in my relationship with God?? I mean am I close enough to Him to "respond" to an emergency call if He needed me to?? Or am I too far away that I wouldn't make it in time?? I think I have been in such a whirl wind of emotions and thoughts of things going on in the past couple of months that I have to take some time out and make sure I am in a close position with Him. I seem close but sometimes I think I am a little off the map. I am going to take some time tomorrow to reflect on that... anyways enough of of bable it's not like i am from Babylon. (funny on seinfield they are talking about emts not responding in enough time) ok now a different subject.
I am so thankful for my family and friends. I took time the other day and just reflected on how God has brought some pretty unique and awsome people in my life just at the right time. Makes me so excited to see who He brings in next!

I am so in love with my husband I cant begin to describe it!! He is just awesome! Thank you God for putting him in my life.

we went to metro sunday night it was great to see some great people. Then we got a chance to spend some time with some great friends. Man if we lived downriver i dont think we would ever sleep.

sunday morning at cedar creek was awesome! THe pastor really brought to the table the guilt of sin and how Christ paid for it. tonight we met with some coupleswho will be making up our home group. we had a great time. I cant wait to get to know eachother more.

ok enough bable for the night!

en route
sherry

2004-03-30T18:49:00.000-08:00

ok here we go!! Now that mi esposo is hooked on this it is my turn. Today was a good day lots of stuff running through my head. 2 of our great married friends are leaving this good old state of Michigan and running hard after God. (I mean these guys have had such an awesome impact on our lives) they will be missed greatly but not forgotten. I cant wait to see what God has in store for all of us.

time with the kids today was awesome. I cant believe how old they are. Leah is such a great daughter and sister... Tonight we were watching American Idol and she was teaching Josiah "the robot" dance. It was stinkin great! Elijah has such a huge heart. He is totally in love with Bible time at night and prayer time. I just love to hold him and pray with him. God is huge to these guys and I am so grateful for that.

I am so proud of mi esposo he is running hard after God. I am so grateful for him and his love. What a man.

alright enough for tonight.

earmuffs
sherry