From Ocean to Ocean

Yesterday I had a moment to sit on the beach without kids and watch the waves roll in as the sun was going down. It was a brief moment because Tom had taken the kids up the cliff for a hiking adventure. My legs were sore from a sunburn and tired. I sat on the sand mound with the ocean roaring and I heard God speaking directly to me. Such a soft voice to be heard but He was reminding me that 8 years ago I was on the other side of the United States sitting by myself at the Atlantic Ocean needing Him desperately after enduring some hardships. There on the Virginia beach He spoke clear to my heart. He told me how much greater He was than the ocean and definitely greater than my circumstances. My situation definitely improved for I met Tom and we got married. Now we have 3 beautiful children with one more son on the way. This year however has been rough. Some how I found myself back at the same spot I was 8 years ago, hurting and not sure if things would improve. But God in that special way that He pays attention to even the smallest details of my life arranged for such a moment as that one. Sitting there now on the Pacific Ocean by myself needing Him. He knew my time with Him would be interrupted soon so me spoke clearly about His love for me. Yet inspite of that I was finding it hard to let my heart trust Him. I knew that in all circumstances we are supposed to praise Him but my spiritual voice was missing. Tom and the kids returned and I sat there trying to be content that God had spoken to me and sighed. The kids being their usual selves became a huge distraction before long. Tom sat down beside me hand smiled. Maylee ran to the ocean with her stick to write in the sand. Tom followed and I just assumed he was going to help Maylee write everyone's name. Instead he wrote, "I love you". Which was quickly washed away by the ocean but forever written on my heart. I needed at that moment for him to be expressive toward me that way. He insisted that we sit back down together with the kids and watch the sun set. So we did, of course Lilly cried and Aiden threw sand and Maylee rambled on about something we could not understand but we watched and praised God inspite of the distractions. As the sun settled behind the earth God whispered I love You. He reminded me that marriage is for that very thing. When one half of the two He has joined together is weak the other can reach out and praise the Lord for them both. At that moment I felt two relationships were renewed. I love you Lord. I love you Angel. Happy 7 year anniversary!!!! With you both from Ocean to Ocean or anywhere!

We played all day at the beach for Memorial Day. It was fun. Sandcastles, sunscreen, sleep and smiles.

Strawberrys, Shells and Sand

Today was an amazingly fun day. We went to the beach and hiked down the cliff to the rocky shore and collected rocks and shells. We found some many different varities of shells and stones. The kids actually surprised us by climbing all over the sandy cliffs exploring the crevices. Maylee discovered a bench up on one of the cliffs. We climbed up and rested a little while soaking in the view. It was nice to sit as a family and watch peace roll in like the waves. It was short lived peace because kids don't rest long. They had so much fun that they forgot that it was lunch time. We didn't eat until we got home about 1:oo, which is late for my kids. Then rested at home for a couple of hours. After naps we decided to go out to the strawberry fields (which are pretty popular here). It is a place were you pay and pick as much as you can get in a bucket. The kids of course were picking and eating. Tom and I forced some down too (ha! Ha!). We had so much fun finding the biggest and most red strawberrys we could.

When we were done we carried our loot to the car and set out for some dinner. We enjoy burgers from IN-N-Out burgers. What did we decide to do then with all the daylight we had left. The beach. We went to a different part and of course looked for more shells and tried not to get wet but of course we failed. After taking a long stroll down the beach leaving a trail of kids shoes along the way, we found some amazing shells then decided to walk back and enjoy the sunset. The kids were completely exhausted. Aiden's feet were black from the sand so I took him down to the ocean at the end of the day to wash. Just as I set him down a kids rubber ball rolled right up between his feet. He was so excited. I told him it was a surprise from God. TO me though the whole day was a gift from God.

Inner Beauty

Tom has always had a deep love for minerals (rocks), not just the ones that first pop into your head like sandstones or decorative rocks. I am talking about beautiful stones of color like emeralds, tourmalines, rubies and such. When I first started looking closely at the uniqueness each of these different minerals at a gem and mineral show we had attended I could not help but be over whelmed with the thought that this came from the inner earth. God created the earth for us, with us in mind. Every inch of this earth is for our needs and pleasure. God speaks probably the loudest to me through nature. So loud and clear came the thought that not only did God make this earth with a most amazingly beautiful outside (the trees, canyons, mountains and much more) but he also went so far as to make even the inside of the earth beautiful. So if He cares about the outside and the inside of the earth of course He cares about the outside and inside of us.

So let me stretch this analogy even farther. The worldy folks tend to focus on the outside of themselves, striving to be physically beautiful and well maintained. It is only those that allow God to dig deep down inside of them, through the rough dirt, that get to see the real treasures. Once He reveals the precious stone He then takes it and makes it into a beautiful gem. A diamond or emerald or ruby. He mounts it onto a crown for His glory or a necklace for the bride of Christ.

What gem has He found inside of you? Rejoice for He actually values you more than you can imagine.

Tom was playing with the kids and having just as much fun as they were.

Loads of fun at the beach

Our first sand castle. Not so bad for the first attempt at a family castle.

California

We made the big move. The kids did incredibly well in the car. We had a few times of emotion break downs and almost had our moving truck stolen but we are here. Carlsbad is beautiful. We have gone to the beach twice a day for the past three days. Nice!!! The beach is just a few miles from our apartment. Yeah!! I will add some pictures soon when I can find my camera.

Jenny: As for the baby, I am feeling him move around in my tummy. That is favorite part about being pregnant. My heart beats a little faster everytime he moves. I sit and stare at my bare tummy waiting for the next move. James Lucas Spann will be his name but we are planning on calling him Luke because there are several James in the family.

Aiden is finally starting to realize that it will be cool to have another boy around.