On Sharing...

A very interesting dream...

If you are at all a believer in dreams, I'd love to hear your perspective on the dream I had on Saturday night. I cannot express in words how real this dream was for me. My mom recommended that I keep record of it so that I wouldn't forget the very important details over time. Here goes...I was extremely restless on Saturday night and for no reason at all. Just one of those nights where you drift in and out of sleep wondering if you've slept more than an hour or so at a time. At some point I was lost in this dream. I was standing in the middle of my living room with my sweet friend Becky Buckler and another lady I work with. Becky and I were in the middle of a conversation when I noticed that a large piece of earth out of our back windows moved. I said, "Was that an earthquake?" We looked again and saw it a second time. We immediately looked out the front of the house and it was very clear that it was the end of the world. It was a horrific scene of fire, earthquakes, darkness, and shrieks of terror. Becky grabbed my hand and began praying. She prayed for all of those that weren't saved and thanked Him that we were. She prayed that we wouldn't be afraid. In an instant, we were sucked down into the earth and separated. I could feel the falling sensation, the feeling you get when you go down a roller coaster, and my body temperature rising as I was being throne into flames. HOWEVER, I had no pain. I just kept praying that I would die quickly because I knew I was going to be with Jesus. I tried to hold my breath and kept thinking I would suffocate but when I finally opened my eyes I was in a completely different place. It was not what I would expect heaven to look like, but more like the conscious existence Paul describes Paradise to be in the New Testament. It was peaceful and calm. I looked up and saw Becky waiting for me with our suitcases. Neither one of us spoke, but knew that we needed to board a train (more like a cart) to take us to our destination. As soon as we boarded, I felt an overwhelming sense of panic b/c I didn't know where my children or husband were. As quickly as the panic set in, a box appeared in my lap. I opened the box and found 3 items. There was a Breyer horse of Lexi's, Will's spurs, and Tate's blankie. I knew that God had given these gifts to me b/c I was going to find my children. Next, I saw Jerrod's horse, Pete, gallop ahead in the distance. I knew I would soon find Jerrod. Another overwhelming sense of peace came over me and Becky and I continued our journey on the cart. We arrived at a hotel type place and checked in. People were busily going about their business, very quiet, calm, and happy. The woman that checked us in gave us our room number and assured us that we would see our kids very soon. We were satisfied with her response and waited for the elevator. I woke up.

This dream was so real to me that I felt like I was lost when I woke up and tried and tried to jump back into that dream again, placing myself outside of the elevator that Becky and I were waiting for. Of course, I couldn't.

It was frightening, mysterious, exciting, and peaceful all at once. I'm not sure what it means, but some of the circumstances in this dream align with what I've learned in 2 different Bible studies from two different churches on the theology of Revelations and the last days. Interesting to say the least. I know where my people are going, I feel an urgency to make sure everyone I know is assured the same fate. It also made me wonder how important things are in this life. I'd like to think that our Father finds some importance in things that are sentimental to us...like the three things in my box. I know as a mother, I find pleasure in the things that have remained important in my kid's lives.

What we've been up to...

Brothers...
After a long day of work with Dad and the rest of the guys.

Comin' in after unsaddling.

Feeding and finishing up a long day.

How am I doing?

Our Lexi is #10. The other 2 short girls are 2nd graders.

We've been juggling our time between basketball, work, school, the stock shows, and everyday life. January has proven to be another busy month. This has been the first weekend I've been able to relax and catch up on things around the house. Jerrod, on the other hand, has been busy receiving cattle, and supplying for the Stock Shows. He has yet to have a free weekend.

Lexi is loving basketball and has quite an aggressive attitude and is very quick on the court. Makes mama proud! I can see a bright future in this sport for our little one. We have been surprised that she is one of the shorter ones out there! We just signed Will up for baseball and he's really looking forward to that. He's been helping the guys receive cattle at work, too. 6 o'clock-5 o'clock makes for a long day for our little man. He's loving it though, and stays on horseback the whole time. I'm so thankful my children have these life experiences. Tate is busy bossing us around and finding little things to make everyone laugh. We are happy to have no illnesses to report and are thankful to move busily into our day to day lives. Hope your year has started off well!

Resolutions...

Here are a few of my resolutions.

1. To finish my bedroom. I've been married for over 9 years and have yet to decorate my bedroom. I got a beautiful new duvet cover from my mom for Christmas and I have the itch to decorate my room.

2. To make lots of new deserts and breads. I was surprised with a new and beautiful Kitchen Aid mixer from my sweet mother-in-law for Christmas. I LOVE to cook and bake and am anxious to put it to good use.

3. To see more movies. I love movies and have only seen a couple in the theatre since having children.

4. To continue my running endeavors. I love to run and find it unusually relaxing and challenging. I am now focusing on speed for some upcoming half marathons and am tossing the idea of another full marathon around.

5. To be more patient. Period.

That's all! Here's to 2010!