I LOVE my family: Four Twelve thru Four Twenty-Five

"'Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! 

How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?

Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?'

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever! Amen."

Romans 11:33-36

It has been quite a while since I last posted, and as I didn't want to overwhelm everyone with a really long post, I decided to separate the one post into two, more manageable posts. Here is part 1.


Sunday, August 21st

412) Fever reducing medicine- We battled our daughter's high fever for all of yesterday and by day's end, it was well over 103 and pushing 104. Scary! We had to do whatever we could to get that temp down- using cold wash cloths, ice and fever reducing medicine- or an ER visit was imminent. While the wash cloths and ice helped with initially cooling her down, it was the medicine that brought her some relief and eased our worries. I am ever so grateful for the creator and producers of such medicine.


Monday, August 22nd

413) Baking soda- What an incredible powder! Baking soda can be used for cooking, personal hygiene, a sport supplement, a cleaning agent, a cattle supplement, a variety of medical uses and more. We have found that it helps to heal severe diaper rash tied to allergic reactions that our daughter has had. When nothing else seems to take out the sting and clear the rash, baking soda in her bath water has proved to be effective every single time.


Tuesday, August 23rd

414) My exes- Today is my high school boyfriend's birthday. Perhaps that seems like an odd thing to recognize, but he was a really good guy and a wonderful first boyfriend for me. It made me stop a little and I realized I have been blessed in one way or another by all of my ex-boyfriends. For one, I was blessed to date some wonderful, good men- truly rare in the broader scope of teenage and young twenty-something men. I also learned something from each of those relationships. They didn't all end well, but along the way, I still learned a lot about myself, my priorities in a mate, and how I act in relationships. All of what I learned has helped me with my relationship with Drew.


Wednesday, August 24th

415) Drew's sleeping ability- I have often said that it seemed ironic that Drew would choose the military when he loves to sleep in so very much. It seems so inconsistent in that respect, yet today I saw just how his love and affinity for sleep and the Army work well together. Drew was home around 4pm and had to be back at his shop for a 24-36 hour shift at 7pm. He came home, said hello and went in to sleep some before he had to head back out. If it had been me, I would have struggled. I cannot fall asleep on command- at any time, in any situation, but Drew can. That ability serves him well.


Thursday, August 25th

416) Help despite all else- Tuesday, I was on a mission to clean; our daughter had other ideas though. Top that off with a migraine, and by the time Drew got home, I hadn't accomplished nearly as much as I had hoped. However, I was determined to finish my list, knowing it needed to be done and needed to be done then. I was blessed in that Drew helped me with cleaning, assisting in a variety of ways, so we could have some down time together before the night was out. He did all of this despite the fact that he knew he was headed into a busy couple of work days that could amount to a 36 hour shift. What an incredible man!


Friday, August 26th

417) Prioritizing- Life can get busy and the every day duties can seem to take over, so I am thankful when I remember to stop and make time for our little girl even when my to-do list seems unending. After all, the cleaning will always be there, but this time with our child will quickly pass away.


Saturday, August 27th

418) Walking through produce aisles- I don't know if I can completely explain this one. I just love walking through produce aisles or produce markets. It's invigorating; I love the smells, the colors and the possibilities.


Sunday, August 28th

419) Individuality- We all have our quirks and that is what makes each of us unique. I know with absolute certainty that many of my quirks can drive others crazy or even be misunderstood. I am thankful that my husband loves me- not in spite of those quirks but including those quirks. He just chuckles a little and tells me I am being very Danielle and that it is cute. What a lucky girl I am!


Monday, August 29th

420) Imagination- Imagination is such a wonderful quality because it can allow you to entertain yourself wherever you are, with very little, and it can be the beginning of creativity and invention.


Tuesday, August 30th

421) Obedience- This is a big issue in our house right now since our little girl is two and testing her boundaries and independence. We are very blessed that, overall, our girl is fairly obedient. She has her days, but when I look at the whole picture, I know that her times of obedience far outweigh those times of disobedience and tantrums. As I watch my daughter and consider how her obedience and disobedience affects our relationship and our day, it makes me consider my own obedience, both as my parents' child and as a child of God. Learning to obey my parents helped me as I considered my personal relationship with God, and my obedience in both situations has made my days easier, brighter and more enjoyable overall.


Wednesday, August 31st

422) Good brain- After some new, rather disconcerting side effects to my migraines and the continuing high prevalence of them, I have visited a neurologist just to make certain there wasn't some serious change that had caused everything. Today they did an EEG to check for seizure activity (due to my history of epilepsy) and the results showed that my brain is healthy. It may not have provided me with the answers to my questions regarding my migraines, but it helped settle some old concerns with my medical history.


Thursday, September 1st

423) Walking the Talk- When talking with someone about faith issues, I have found that one of the biggest and most common reasons someone has ruled out Christianity is because of the hypocrisy and discrepancies they see in the lives of Christians around them. This knowledge always deeply affects me since as Christians, we are called to have the exact opposite effect on people. We should be living in such a way that those outside the faith ask, "What does he/she have that is different from me? Because whatever it is, I want it." Of course we all make mistakes; it is part of our human nature. However those people who truly try to live what they say they believe- day in and day out whether in public or behind closed doors, are a blessing both for themselves and for others. They are personally blessed because they are living harmoniously and in accordance to God's will and they are a blessing to others as they show them that not all Christians are "hot air" or "hypocrites."


Friday, September 2nd

424) A family day- I love spending time with my little family. We have lots of time together throughout the weeks and months (generally speaking), but the duties and obligations of every day life often keep us hopping. So when we take a little time to get away from all that and just enjoy time together, I love it. There is very little that is better balm for my soul than some time just for Drew, our little girl and myself.


Saturday, September 3rd

425) My little family- I love them; I love them; I love them so very much, and that is all that needs to be said.