An Heir of Grace

Spring has finally arrived :) It was 65 degrees today and the snow is melting fast. On my short drive home from work through the housing area the streets and sidewalks were alive with people and pets. Little kids on tricycles, families walking together; garage doors open, releasing four-wheelers and motorcycles from their winter caves. The Spring air was filled with sounds barking dogs, laughter, the pounding of adolescent feet on the ground; sputtering motors, water parting as cars made their way through endless puddles that reflected shimmering sunlight.

Sunday after church Bren and I drove to town in search of The Prom Dress and it was actually a very enjoyable experience. We had a lot of fun. In the past, clothes shopping with Bren never ended well, both of us were always reduced to a mess of anger and tears. The difference now is that she is no longer stuck in the No Girl’s Land that is out of the Girls section but not quite in the Juniors. My baby is almost all grown up and fitting in women’s clothing quite nicely. I would post a pic of The Dress now, but Bren would not approve. You will have to wait until May 3rd.

Filed under: General, Parenting, Alaska by Donna
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I love sleep too much. I know this because whenever I get a lot of sleep I feel the need to tell the whole world. Hey! I got to sleep in today! I don’t have to be in to work until 2 p.m. but I have been late once or twice because I overslept. I think my co-workers find this amusing…or I find it amusing and they think…well, whatever they want. I hope they know that my afternoon naps are the reason why I have the energy to hang out with teenagers all afternoon!

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Filed under: General, Family, Parenting by Donna
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Bren’s need to write a five-page alternate ending to Lord of The Flies for English tonight totally trumps my desire to blog, so I won’t complain. Maybe in the near future I’ll get a little laptop of my own and leave Brenna’s alone. She’d be thrilled.

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Filed under: Family, Alaska by Donna
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Last night’s non-existent post was brought to you by by the letter “B” and the number 15. There is a computer hog living under this roof. I mean besides me.

Man, it’s 3-below this morning and we got another dusting of snow last night. Spring, O Spring, where art thou? Did the groundhog see three more months of winter way back in February?

Hm.

Filed under: Alaska by Donna
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You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him of whom I so earnestly desired not to meet….I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms. The Prodigal Son at least walked home on his own feet. But who can duly adore that Love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape?
(C.S. Lewis inYours, Jack, page 9, and Surprised by Joy, Chapter 14)

Never does much time go by when I don’t wonder why God would choose to save me. After I read this passage last night from Yours, Jack I began wondering all over again. Even though I know the answer, I still ask why me?

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Filed under: Dying Daily, Quotes, Theology, The Naked Files by Donna
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This is my aunt, Janet, who is nearing the end of her tour in Iraq. She emailed the family asking us to pray for her for what sounds like a serious physical problem, so I am passing this request on to you all, her brothers and sisters in Christ, family, and friends. She’s due to come home around May 23rd. Please pray her home!

Thank you.

~ Donna

Filed under: Prayer, People, Family by Donna
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I saw something today for the first time this winter (it’s actually Spring now, isn’t it?)—a snowman. We received two or three inches of snow last night and this morning, and it was wet snow; definitely not the norm for us. Our snow is dry and powdery and it squeaks when you walk on it. It is impossible to create snowballs and snowmen with it. Good about the snowballs (everyone and everything would be a target seven months out of the year), not so good about the snowmen. I love snowmen. The one I saw was created by a six-year-old in his yard at the end of our street. It was no more than two feet tall and had small branches for the arms. I left my camera at home, so I didn’t get a picture, but it was a cute.

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Filed under: General, Family by Donna
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Is it my imagination, or did the girls look like they had fun last night? (Hint: the bikini top-wearing fashion statement is related to me in some way). Amazingly enough, Bren got to sleep by 3 a.m. and was rested enough to keep from falling asleep in church this afternoon.

While I sat in the truck this morning waiting for Bren to emerge from her friend’s house, I rolled the window down so I could smell and feel the cold air. It hit me just how much I am going to miss about Alaska. I love the cold, I just don’t like the brutal frigid air. After I took this pic I hung my hand out the window and tried my best to memorize how good it felt. I know soon enough I will be hanging my sweaty hand out the window, letting it float on the hot Missouri summer air.

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Filed under: Church, Family, Military Life, Alaska by Donna
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One of the BEST feelings in the world to me is waking up in the morning/afternoon, thinking I don’t have to get up, and sleeping for another couple hours. I fully deserve any curses that come from the love of sleep.

So yeah, I did get up at noon today. Bren fell asleep on the couch last night while we were watching The Devil Wears Prada and since she had taken her contacts out, I left her sleeping on the couch when I went to bed at about 3:00 a.m.

It was heart-wrenching, but I managed to pull around fifty unwanted, unneeded, unloved...I manged to pull fifty books off my shelves that I could part with without becoming emotionally distraght. My books had been sitting patiently, stacked in a laundry basket at the end of my bed for over a week, so Rick finally boxed them up and dropped them off at the Literacy Council when he went into town this afternoon. Amazingly enough Rick only joked once that I hadn’t even made a small dent in my collection by sacrificing fifty. Psh.

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Filed under: General, Books & Movies by Donna
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Bren and I had a really nice time out tonight doing our regular biz in town. I got off work at six and by seven we were headed for Fairbanks. Rick had gotten up at 3:30 a.m. to help with a breakfast fund-raiser at the club this morning, so he was pretty much useless this evening and looked forward to getting an early night. It was all good—he doesn’t have what it takes to hang with Bren and me on our marathon reading sessions at The Mother Ship anyway.

The bookstore was really quiet and enjoyable this evening. After a couple hours, Bren finished reading Love Walked In which she loved. Once when I looked up from my book and over at her, she was holding her finger on a page and had a pouty lip. I asked her what was wrong and she said, “I’m about to read the last sentence but I don’t want to because I don’t want the book to end.” Since I am reading Belong To Me, the follow-on to Love Walked In, I pointed out that she has the next book to look forward to when I’m done with it. I discovered that my point was just a slight consolation when she finally did read the last sentence, closed the book, held it to her chest and got teary-eyed. Make no mistake about it—this girl loves good books! The real consolation was Bren being able to get up and comb the book shelves for her next read.

After B&N we went to see the scary movie Prom Night with about fifty million other teenagers. We sat, ate popcorn, jumped in our seats, Bren yelped a few times, we wondered why the fleeing damsel in distress ALWAYS trips and falls while being pursued; we criticized the ending, and then it was all over. It was a short movie.

Girl talk on the thirty-minute drive home was the highlight of night. With soft sounds playing on the car radio accompanying Bren’s voice, and the Northern Lights dancing around the dark starry sky, I thought to myself I hope I remember this night with my daughter, April 11, 2008, forever.

Filed under: General, Family, Books & Movies by Donna
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C.S. Lewis’s full name was Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963). I did not know this.

Currently I sit in an overstuffed chair by the fire at The Mother Ship (Barnes&Noble) in Fairbanks scribbling these random thoughts on a piece of graphing paper I ripped from Bren’s still unpaid for math notebook. After reading fifty pages in my current read Belong To Me, I paused for a stretch and made my way to the restroom at the back of the store. On my way back to my seat I swung by the theology section to see if Piper, MacArthur, Sproul, Packer, Willard, or Strobel had anything new published since I’d last checked. With negative results, I turned to walk away when Yours, Jack, by C.S. Lewis caught my eye. Beautiful dust jacket.

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Filed under: Family, Books & Movies by Donna
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Thought I would stop in and grease the blogging wheels here at An Heir of Grace. I’m drafting a post that will explain some big changes that are coming up in our lives rather quickly. Look for it tomorrow (Mon). I kept getting interrupted and didn’t finish it tonight.

This weekend Bren attended the ROTC Ball in Fairbanks with her friend G. They had a wonderful time and she reported afterward that the Ball was much more fun and classy than the prom was last year. Thankfully she has decided to forego the prom this year, even though she’s been invited by an upperclassman. Having a teenage girl can be expensive this time of year! But, as you can see by the pic, I think she’s worth every penny. The girl cleans up perdy good :)

click on pic to enlarge

Filed under: People, Family, Military Life by Donna
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It’s nearly eleven a.m. on this incredibly frigid day in the middle of this incredibly frigid week. I’m sitting on the couch in the living room, feet up on the coffee table (coffee within reach), laptop on my lap. Bad Dog Neezy is sprawled out on the love seat snoring across the room. The Atlantis Space Shuttle launch is being broadcast live on Fox News. My feet are really cold.

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Filed under: General, Bible Study, Family, Blogging, Alaska by Donna
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Happy New Year, everyone.

Hm. There is so much stuff going on in our personal lives at the moment, that I’m finding it difficult to to write much of anything. I don’t recall a time in the past when a new year began on low note. I’m confident things will be brighter before long.

New Year’s Eve we didn’t do much. Bren walked across the street to a party she had been invited to, but came home at 11:30 so be with her dad and I at midnight. Rick didn’t stay up much later, but Bren and I watched most of a movie, then we lay in bed talking until around 4 a.m.

Rick woke us girls up at 1 p.m. this afternoon and took us out to lunch and a movie. We saw National Treasure which we enjoyed. I thought it was better than the first movie. After picking up some neccessities at Wally World, we came home and have had a quiet evening.

We’re such an exciting family.

Filed under: General, Family by Donna
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I haven’t had time to write yet this weekend. Bren took this pic of us tonight at work…think we look alike?

Filed under: People by Donna
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Bren came in to work with me this afternoon at one o’clock. There were only three girls in the teen room watching T.V. when we arrived, so I knew I would have plenty of time to take all the Christmas decorations down and clean real well, which is nearly impossible to do with a room full of kids.

I worked non-stop, cleaning for four hours while Bren read her Beth Moore book, watched a movie, and played Guitar Hero on PS2. Rick came and picked her up at 5:00 so they could go home and get ready for their date. As a Christmas gift, Bren wanted to take her dad out to our favorite Thai restaurant in Fairbanks. Bren and I have eaten there sevearl times, but Rick had never been. He loved it.

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Filed under: General, Family, Books & Movies, Bible by Donna
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I’m never letting Bren go to bed early on Christmas Eve ever again. She woke up a little after 5 a.m. this morning and lay there in bed until exactly 6 a.m., at which time she woke us up. I had only been asleep for three hours. Yes, I realize that was completely my fault, but still. Six a.m.?

The gift-opening session was a blur, but I do remember opening this, and being very surprised:

My friend, Kim, has one of these coffee makers and makes me a great cuppa coffee every time I visit. I’ve been wanting one for about a year, and now I have one :)

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Filed under: Family, Books & Movies by Donna
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Today was the first day I had even a smidgen of Christmas spirit. I woke up around 11 a.m. and peeked in on Bren. I was surprised to see her half-awake. I laid on the bed next to her and we took several minutes waking up together, talking about our plans for the day.

After Rick came in from shoveling the driveway Bren made a dash for her stocking, which she always opens Christmas Eve morning. Afterward, resisting the urge to run to the computer to use her $25 itunes gift card, Bren offered to make an omelet and bacon breakfast for us, which was delicious (where she got the cooking genes, I’d like to know!) After we ate and got presentable, we drove to town for some last-minute shopping.

Actually, Bren had something she wanted to get for me, so they dropped me off at The Mother Ship where I indulged in a venti coffee of the day and looked for a good book for my friend, Kim. Before long Bren and Rick were back. Rick found a chair to relax in while doing his best to put on his “waiting patiently” face while Bren and I browsed a bit more.

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Filed under: General, Family by Donna
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All showered and make-up applied, I stood in my little walk-in closet this morning wearing a t-shirt, a towel wrapped around my waist, trying to find something to wear. It’s the Sunday before Christmas and I knew everyone at church was going to be in their nicest outfits, looking very festive. I had nothing.

I grabbed a brown pair of jeans and a brown blouse, then set up the ironing board. While ironing my top, Bren came in looking very pretty and plopped down on my bed to watch me. “You’re not wearing brown on brown are you?”, she asked.

“Yes, I am. I have nothing else to wear.” I finished ironing and put the blouse on, then the jeans. I heard a stifled laugh coming from Bren’s direction and turned to looked at her. “What!?

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Filed under: Church, The Naked Files by Donna
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A guy-friend of Bren’s came over last night so she could color his hair. What a riot that was.

Priceless expression:

Filed under: People by Donna
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