Unnatural Disasters and other AWESOME blessings

IAT = I am thankful

1. Patient piano teachers.
2. Pianos.
3. Fresh fruit slushees.
4. Summertime.
5. Happy endings.

This weekend the Bish and I and maybe some other players are headed to pick up/purchase a new van. "New" is relative of course. I don't believe in paying for a vehicle that costs more than our first house. So, we set a budget and we search until we find the perfect one. I guess I love taking trips. No, it's true, I do. So this is actually the 3rd vehicle in a row, that one or both of us has traveled to get. Dallas, Denver, Orem, Utah.

But there's a long story of blessings behind this purchase. See the cast of characters on the right side of the blog.

Because of our lovely commute, I have fuel efficiency on the brain and this isn't very fuel efficient.

 Yes, only a few short years ago, we had 9 passengers in this 12 passenger van. But for the Summer, we are down to 5, and will only have 6 for less than a year. So, out of the blue...really? We'll see. Out of the blue, I decided it was time to sell the van, and I realized in the process, that we could pay off our sweet little Mazda that RM2 was going to purchase from us, and replace the van with a more fuel efficient mini-van. 2 of our adult boys thought a mini-van was far less than cool. Really? I can't wait until they are parents and have budgets and other concerns. I will stand back and smile and bite my tongue and NOT say I told you so. Haha. And encourage them to dream.

But I am off track. This Mazda.

 BEST BLESSING OF ALL--NO ONE HURT

Oh! Oops. Saturday we got a call, that another salesman was driving the RM's car and someone wrecked into them. Thank goodness they had insurance and we had full coverage as backup. I was not upset. And within only a few hours actually found myself hoping it was totaled, except for I was a little worried about the RMs situation. But it would drastically help ours. More on that later.

And then we got a call Sunday from the Married Student. He wanted to tell us about this.

ONCE AGAIN, NO ONE HURT--SO GRATEFUL!

This is his DW's car. And it's paid for. Or was paid for. Another salesman borrowed the car and unfortunately was temporarily distracted and veered off the road. Totaled. Sigh. Well, I can't say I was happy or seeing the blessing, but I certainly felt more perplexed than anything. I wasn't upset, just truly perplexed. Two totaled cars in two days? Well, there has to be blessings in it. Unfortunately, there was only liability insurance on this one and it's a total loss. The driver also had no insurance. Well, hmm, we can't really help TWO children with wrecked cars, so I felt bad telling the MS that he was on his own. Fortunately, there has been some help offered by others and we are grateful. I choose to believe that a loving Heavenly Father will make this up to this wonderful young couple by blessing their bottom line now or some other time in the future.

So, before I got all of this news, we had sold our van and it's gone. The blessing to us is, the insurance will now pay off the Mazda, and our funds can go toward our new purchase. And we are giving some of the insurance to RM2 so he can eventually purchase another vehicle.

There is an AMAZINGLY HUGE blessing that I cannot even write about (until later, hee hee) that is going on. I am so excited about how our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers, how seeming trials, can turn into glorious blessings, and how if we don't throw ourselves off track by crying, whining, and complaining, He reveals His wondrous plan by answering our prayers in ways we never thought the answers could come. He weaves a wondrous tapestry out of our trials and leaves us in awe of the gifts given. But we must be grateful in the moment, and still, and looking for the beauty, to see it all. I promise, in a few weeks, I'll tell the missing part of the story.

But, I digress.

I drove two vehicles I really liked this week, and made an offer on one of them that was turned down. I know from experience now that I don't have to get hung up on the one I think I want in front of me. There is ALWAYS a better deal. So, I just kept looking. I knew I wanted a Honda Odyssey and was discouraged a few times at how far away some of the deals were. And so in frustration a few nights ago, I did what I did to get the exact van we've been driving the last 7 years. I made a list.

A goal is just a wish unless it is written down. I truly thing that writing down what we want, begins the process of bringing it into physical creation. I wrote a list like this when we got the big van, and because I wasn't finding what I wanted, I made this list. And while I wrote this list, I just said a simple prayer that we would be able to find it. This, or something better.

The Bish really wanted an '05, but in the ups and downs of the week with the insurance, I wasn't sure we could go newer than an '04. When I make lists like these, I always realize that I may get everything I want, and I may not. But, it will be the best possible and for us in all cases. Less than 24 hours later, I found it.

An '05 Honda Odyssey. Power everything, 7 passenger (not 8), Sage brush pearl grey, (that's a greenish grey), 92,000 miles, multi CD, DVD, leather seats. Woohoo! Price, after hearing the insurance payoff, is right where we want it to be. Woohoo! It's not in Arizona, but the next best place it possibly could be. Orem, Utah. Where we first lived when we were first married. And Utah feels like my second home. When I saw this van, I felt extremely happy, and that it was perfect for our family. I know stuff doesn't create happiness. But solving a problem does. It's exactly what I want for our needs, and that does make me happy.

But it gets better. Because the car is in Utah, the Bish felt like his mom might want to go visit her sisters. So, the plan was, we'd all drive up together and she'd visit her sisters and we'd drive the van back. Well, we can't convince grandma to go along but she may loan us her car, and we'll take the kids, and we'll both have passengers back, so I don't have to go alone, and maybe wreck our new car due to my African sleeping sickness disease. It's a joke. Kind of.

And the icing on the cake? Because the boys were going to be gone for the Summer not driving any of our vehicles, I took the 2 not driving our vehicles off the insurance. We also took the van off because it has sold. We took the Mazda off because sadly, it is dead. And I got an estimate for the new vehicle and combined with our other cars, our insurance bill has dropped MORE THAN HALF. Which means, most of that savings will make the payment, and we are way better off having gone through all of this. I have no idea why the Lord felt to bless us in such an ENTIRELY HUGE way, except to show me that other decisions I am making in my life, WILL BE MADE up. Simply because He can and He chooses to. I won't question it. I will simply PRAISE Him and THANK Him. And do my best to bless the lives of others.

And that is the very long story of how two totaled cars, made us way better off. As a final note, the darling couple has found a very nice vehicle and I just know it will all work out with them and they'll be able to pay that car off in NO TIME. Be believing. You just can't go wrong.

I am thankful for what 12 year olds can teach me

The last couple of nights, I had 7- 12 year old girls camping out in the back yard at my house in a tent under the stars, giggling and whispering, eating smores, and having fun. Last night, we had a little challenge. One of the girls, whose family has been affected by the fires, had a nightmare about the fire.

We (the two leaders) were outside sleeping under the stars. I heard what was going on in the tent. First, attempts by the awake girls to awaken the sleeping girl having the nightmare. I could hear the one having the nightmare crying out in her sleep. They continued to try to wake her up, sit her up, snap her out of it. Finally, one of them came out to tell me. I told her to bring her out to me. These girls gathered 'round her, got her up and walking, and brought her outside for some "fresh air."

After soothing, reassuring, and hugs, I sent them back to bed and told them to think of happy things and sing some songs together. They started out with Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree and never got any farther because they were all giggling. They had been instructed earlier that when lights went out, their mouths were to be zipped, but considering the circumstances, I thought I'd let them get good and happy for sweet dreams.

After a few minutes, they suddenly got quiet. I tuned my ears again, and could clearly hear, that one of them was praying. For peace for her friend, for the fires that are burning, and for the fun they were having at camp. My heart was so touched and the tears streamed down my face, for the wonderful example of compassion, concern, and leadership these girls showed. 12 years old! I think the future is in good hands. And I am so grateful.

Yes, an hour later, I did finally rain on the parade and make the girls go to sleep. :-)