"Gathering of friends"

So much fun to see all of them together having fun! Great kids...!

Chase's Senior Ball

Saturday, May 30th we all followed Chase to pick up Macie for the Senior Ball. I thought it would be fun to share these photos with my blog friends. After these photos were taken...we were off again to the another house where the rest of the kids were meeting up for pictures. Those pictures to follow in my next post. As a Mom it was so fun seeing my son all dressed up with somewhere exciting to go and with someone he has a lot of fun being with. Chase said, "I am going to dance it up tonight on the dance floor."

Boys just love to have fun!

"A friend loves at all times." Proverbs 17:17 The value of a good friend is priceless! I thank the Lord for blessing my sons with good friendships. Friends that they can have fun with, serve the Lord with, pray with and grow up with. We all need good friends. Friends that will tell us what we need to hear and when we need to hear it. Friends that will challenge us to draw closer to the Lord. Friends that forgive us for not being too friendly sometimes. I love it that I have friends that go thru the seasons of life with me. I have friends that are great shopping buddies; great deal finders; recommend great books to read; some of my friends love to cook; some hate to cook; some of them like paper plates; some of them would never consider paper plates; some like hot weather; some like cold weather; some are organized and some are not-so-much; some collect anything that has a frog on it; and some of them love tulips... I could go on and on...Isn't that cool that the Lord blesses us in all different ways with friends that are both just like us and some who are totally opposite of us? This keeps life exiting, fun and real! I need real! I need to be able to "be myself" with my friends. That's what God wants from us. To be REAL! To be GENUINE! To be free to kneel at his feet and share with him what causes us concern. He wants to be our BEST FRIEND! My mom used to sing that hymn: "What a friend we have in Jesus" when I was little. So true, so true! Someone that will always be there and love us just the way we are. God, Please bless my friends today! Open up new opportunities for them. Surround them in your grace, joy and love. In your precious name, Amen

My two sons....the adventurous ones!

Never a dull moment when the boys were little. They were always up to something adventurous. Too cute, the hunting buddies all dressed up to go hunting bare foot and all! I loved their imagination and where it took them. What a blessing to learn to follow Jesus as a kid! To trust in Jesus as a kid! Life was pretty simple for the boys when they were little. Wake up, have cereal, watch Sesame Street, play, play some more, lunch, nap time, wake up, play some more with each other and their friends, dinner, bath-time, story time, pray with mom and dad and then off to sleep! I think the Lord would like us to learn to lean on Him more and trust that He holds each day in his hands. He is in control. He is in the "daily routines" of our lives. Nothing is mundane when we walk with Him while doing the everyday responsibilities of life. That checker at the grocery store, the tired Dad that coaches our kids' sports team, the crossing guard, our son/daughter's teacher they are all people that we can have the opportunity of being a witness to. Our smile, our response to a difficult situation etc. can be a testimony of God's love living in us. God, Thank you for the lives that have been touched thru our kids' living testimony. I pray that they will always be prayer warriors and live a life of integrity. Help them to always be brave and not be afraid of standing up for the truth and may they live their lives in such a way that would bring you honor. Thank you for entrusting Chase and Landon to Larry and I to raise. In your precious name, Amen

2 Weeks from tonight....my son will graduate...

I can hear the traditional graduation music playing already....Graduation March (from "Pomp and Circumstance," Op. 39, No.1)....I know tears of joy will be streaming down my face. How did this day come so fast? I am so proud of Chase! I will keep you all posted about the event. I will be sure to post a picture of him in his maroon cap & gown. Proud Mom....

My Nephew Brodie...

Hi Brodie, I wanted you to know that I was thinking of you today! I can't believe that in a few weeks you will be finished with the first grade and moving on to second grade. I am so proud of you! I can't wait for you and Harley to come see us and stay with us in June! Give Harley a hug from us and ask your Mom to give you a hug from us! Love you bigger than the sky! Love, Aunt Sis

Vertigo - makes you feel like you're spinning or whirling...

One minute you are fine and the next minute you find yourself trying to get your balance. I don't know if any of you have ever had an episode of Vertigo. It is a specific type of dizziness, a major symptom of a balance disorder. It is the sensation of spinning or swaying while the body is actually stationary with respect to the surroundings. Sometimes it can last a few seconds, a few hours or in my case so far almost a week so far. According to the Dr. the official name of my illness is: Labyrinthitis. It's a problem deep in side the inner ear. It happens when the labyrinth, a part of the inner ear that helps control your balance, gets swollen and inflamed. The inflamation may cause sudden vertigo. This makes you feel like you're spinning or whirling. Okay so that's what is going on with me right now. Sometimes as Christians I think we can get a spiritual form of vertigo. We are walking along with the Lord on a smooth road. When all of a sudden the path up ahead of us we can't seem to get into focus. We think we have plenty of the word of God in us to support us and keep us steady to handle anything that the world has to offer us. Then BAMM! Spiritually we are finding it hard to keep our balance. We look around for something to hold onto. This comes upon us suddenly without warning. For me I am looking at this physical illness as a wake up call to action. To be thankful daily for my health. To be thankful for my right mind. To be thankful that I can stand, walk, run etc. This has caused me to relate this to my walk with Christ. I can never have enough of God's word in me to sustain me. I daily need to enter into His presence and seek Him and devour His word. I don't want to find myself with spiritual vertigo. I want to stand firmly planted on the solid foundation of God's word and I want my daily prayer life to be fresh and not stale. God's word says: In Psalm 18: 29-30, 32-33 & 36 v29 For by Thee I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall. v30 As for God, His way is blamless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. v32 The God who girds me with strength, And makes my way blameless? v33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places. v36 Thou dost enloarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. May God be our stability! May He hold us up with his right hand both in the physical and in the spiritual. Have a blessed day!

"Happy Mother's Day Mom!" May 10th, 2009

This blog is dedicated to my mom Wanda for Mother's Day! Wow Mom, you have been celebrating mother's day for 44 years. I looked up some history on the origin of Mother's Day. First of all I think it's important to say that a woman came up with the idea. Imagine that! Below in the article about Mother's Day it becomes clear about how powerful the influence of one woman can have on so many. In the United States Julia Ward Howe suggested the idea of Mother's Day in 1872. (She wrote the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic). It was Anna Jarvis,who succeeded in introducing Mother's Day in the sense as we celebrate it today. Anna graduated from the Female Seminary in Wheeling and taught in Grafton for a while. Later she moved to Philadelphia with her family. Anna had spent many years looking after her ailing mother. When her mother died in Philadelphia on May 9, 1905, Anna missed her greatly. So did her sister Elsinore whom she looked after as well. Anna felt children often neglected to appreciate their mother enough while the mother was still alive. Now, she intended to start a Mother's Day, as an honoring of the mothers. In 1907, two years after her mother's death, Anna Jarvis disclosed her intention to her friends who supported her cause wholeheartedly. So supported by her friends, Anna decided to dedicate her life to her mother's cause and to establish Mother's Day to "honor mothers, living and dead." She started the campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. With her friends, she started a letter-writing campaign to urge ministers, businessmen and congressmen in declaring a national Mother's Day holiday. She hoped Mother's Day would increase respect for parents and strengthen family bonds. As a result of her efforts the first mother's day was observed on May 10, 1908, by a church service honoring Late Mrs. Reese Jarvis, in the Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother's Day a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May. Mom, Thank you for always being available to me. Thank you for always taking the time to listen to me and for speaking into my life. Mom you have been a Mommy Eagle in my life. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 32:11 "As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings...." The Eagle is the only bird which flies directly into a thunderstorm. Turbulent winds cause the eagle too fly higher...Mom, you have taught me to embrace the turbulent times with integrity and to rely and trust in God. You have directed me to God's word and prayer during those times. And because of that I have been able to fly higher and rise above those things that I thought were too difficult for me. I love you Mom, Bigger than the Sky! Love, Shelley

Fiji Missions Trip July 2009

Chase is working on raising funds to go on a Missions trip to Fiji this summer in July. Just thought I would put this out here on my blog. If you would like to help Chase get to Fiji....you can make your checks out to: Sunset Christian Center and send to: 6900 Destiny Drive, Rocklin, CA 95677. Include a little note stating you are sending your tax deductible donation to support Chase Merrell going to Fiji. Thank you.

May 6th, 2004...Harley Mulvaney was born! Happy Birthday Buddy!

My youngest nephew Harley turned five years old on Wednesday, May 6th! This blog is dedicated to him. Wow Harley I can't believe you are already five! You bring so much joy to all of us! We love your excitement about the daily stuff! It's fun seeing the world thru your eyes! We are so glad Jesus put you into the world five years ago. Jesus has so many plans for you. May you always make Jesus your very best friend. We pray that you will grow up to be a strong man of God who always follows Jesus. Turning five means that you will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. You will get to go to school with your brother Brodie. Your mommy will get to work in your classroom and help. We look forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks. You can play xbox with Chase and Landon, if you ask I think even Uncle Larry will play with you too! Hugs and Kisses.... Uncle Larry, Aunt Sis, Chase and Landon love you bigger than the sky! Always remember that!

8 Things...

A couple of weeks ago I was "tagged" to play the 8 THINGS blog game by my friend Leanne @ Chocolatechipsandsnickerdoodles.blogspot.com. Here we go! 8 Things I'm looking forward to: 1. Being a size 10 again.... 2. Summer 3. Chase graduating on June 4th 4. Being out of debt 5. My next hair coloring appointment 6. Sheduling a massage with the gift certificate my son Chase gave to me 7. Visiting with my little nephews: Brodie and Harley 8. Going on a visit to see my friend Leanne...sometime this summer hopefully! 8 Things that I did yesterday: 1. Ironed about 15 of my husbands' work shirts 2. Enjoyed a cul-de-sac neighborhood early Cinco de Mayo get-together 3. Talked with my friend Frances Sikich in Colorado 4. Went to our sons' Axis Youth service "awesome!" 5. Relaxed inside on a rainy, cloudy day 6. Mentally prepared for work today 7. Made homemade chocolate chip/peanut butter chip cookies...Yum! 8. Bible Study homework 8 Things I wish I could do: 1. Be nice to everyone! 2. Cook really well! 3. I wish I could really love to excerise! 4. Remember everything I am supposed to do each day! 5. I wish I could afford to visit Paula Dean's restaurant 6. I wish I could afford to take my family on a really nice vacation 7. I wish I could do my 30's over! 8. I wish I lived closer to Leanne... 8 Shows that I enjoy: 1. Dateline 2. 20/20 3. Fringe 4. Biggest Loser 5. The Office 6. American Idol (Great Season this year!) 7. 24 8. Even Stevens (Disney Channel)

Extra Grace Required....(EGR)

I don't know about you, but I have a really hard time with difficult people. It's hard to act out or live out God's word. My fragrance is not attractive for people to be around including my family and friends. I have a tendancy of wanting to just write that person off and say "I don't need that in my life. Or to just block out what is really happening" But it is not that easy to do when that difficult person is in your extended family. It's during these times that I have had more thorns showing thru instead of lovely petals with fragrance. Why did Jesus have to say "love your enemies?" Maybe it's because He knew it was not in our nature to do it naturally. A longing doesn't just come over me to pray for those who frustrate me to no end. I want to position myself as far from that person as physically possible! Occassionally I can get so worked up that I become physically sick to my stomach. It's amazing what we can allow our thoughts to do. Believe me I do not claim to have this area conquered by any means. It's a daily, monthly, yearly struggle for me. I say to myself, "Shelley you know better!" "You have been a Christian how long?" Or "how can you say you love God and still behave this way?" I believe this area will be a work in progress until the day I go to be with the Lord. The truth of it is, that God loves that EGR (Extra Grace Required) just as much as He loves me. To Him, I am sure he sees me as an EGR sometimes too! Jesus died for each of us and He does not want me to ask him to choose. Just like I love both of my sons the same. There is nothing that they can do to cause me to love one more than the other. How much more with God? He loves us all the same! Lord, help me to humble myself. Help me to see others as you see them. Give me strength to deal with those situations that appear and seem sometimes too difficult for me to handle. Help me to "grow up" in this area. I offer up those people to you that I sometimes get all worked up about. I know you care about those things that causes me concern. I know your word says in Romans 12:18 If possible, so ar as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. (New American Standard Version) Lord help me to strive for that! I want your peace in every area of my life! I need you! Everyday I need you! Psalms 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. That's my prayer. In your precious name, Amen

The Final Stretch....

One month from today my son Chase will be turning in all of his text books he had checked out as a Senior. On June 4th he will be walking up the stairs to the platform to the sound of his name: "Chase Andrew Merrell" being called as his diploma is placed in his hands and we his family will all be cheering and clapping for him up in the stands! Tears will probably be rolling down my cheeks! What a milestone for him and for us as his parents! What an answer to prayer as God has covered him all through out his elementary, middle school and high school years. We are so grateful and thankful. Through out his school years he has had exciting moments; disappointing moments; amazing moments; learning moments; ahah moments; embarrasing moments etc. I would not trade any of those moments for him. This has all been a part of the preparation for his next season of life. He has had crazy teachers; inspiring teachers; unorganized teachers; old teachers; atheist teachers; christian teachers; caring teachers and not so caring teachers. The lives he has had the opportunity of being a part of is priceless and I believe many have come to know the Lord as a result of knowing Chase. I encourage all of you mom's out there. Pray over them as each school year begins. Pray that God will seat them next to the students they are supposed to reach for Jesus. Pray that they will notice the kid who sits alone everyday during lunch time. Pray that they will see their teachers as Jesus sees them. Pray that your child will be a light in a classroom filled with darkness. More than anything "be there" when your child talks about those things that are bothering him/her. "Be there" when they are participating in an event whether it be a play or sporting event or they have been nominated for Class Prince etc. "Be there" when they get in the car with tears streaming down their face because they are so frustrated with themselves for not passing a certain exam or test in a subject they have worked so hard in. Surprise them every now and then and take them a Jamba Juice during lunch time or their favorite hamburger/fries during lunch and maybe bring extra for some of their friends. Allow them a mental brake day now and then. Allow them to go fishing with their Dad or let them have a marathon Star Wars Day where they just chill with their siblings and watch episode 1, 2 & 3 and have popcorn and a shake for lunch! (as long as they are passing all of their classes of course) Before you know it they will have to act and behave like a grown up. Make your home an inviting place where your child's friends like to hang out. Sometimes your family will be the only example of a "family" they have ever seen or been around. Keep easy snacks in the pantry, plenty of milk in the fridge and a variety of cereals to choose from. What kids doesn't like cereal? Laugh with your kids, go to the movie's with your kids....I could go on and on. As I write this to all of you I am writing to myself too. As I have a 16 year old who has two years to go in high school! Hope you love being a mom as much as I do......It's a gift from God!