An Update on Andy & Becky Dietz: Where are they???

Andy & I were talking last night about how many people were asking what we were up to---and realized we just hadn't kept everyone up-to-date on what's going on in our lives.  So...here goes!

Andy resigned from his position as Missions & Evangelism Pastor at First Baptist Church Borger last April (where we'd been and loved the people for 25 years!).  We just knew it was time and Andy clearly heard God tell him to "step out of the box."  We'd gotten way too comfortable!  Almost immediately, we were talking to a Chinese church in Dallas about going there as pastor.  (You know how much we love the Chinese people!!  And this is the church that supports our trips by sending interpreters...so we already had some great friends there.)  We were in that process for 4 months.  We made several trips to Dallas during that time and took full advantage of being with our family.  We also caught up with some friends we hadn't seen in a long time.  But God clearly shut the door to that church and Andy withdrew his name from consideration.  Andy's had his resume' in several churches, he's filled the pulpit of several churches, but we have no clear direction for our future.  God has put a desire to pastor a church in Andy's heart, but there's also a desire to speak in churches, help churches with conflict resolution, and develop a business in China to help our friends there have jobs.  

What God has been doing in our lives in the meantime:

• Teaching us to rest.  We're terrible at it--and always have been!  Andy had great benefits at FBC including weeks of vacation.  He seldom took them.  We spent more time going on mission trips (which were fun--but lots of work!) than vacations.
• Refining our hearts. This has been an ongoing process all of our lives, but it seems to have intensified while we've had some quiet time to listen.  There have been some strongholds in our lives He's been digging up.  Ouch!
• Giving us time with our family.  It's been awesome to spend so much time with our kids and grandkids!!  In fact, if you didn't know, we've been living with our son, David, his wife, Lindsey, and their two kids in the house they bought from us.  So we're still at the same old address in Borger...but just living in the basement.  They have been very gracious hosts and have loved on us through this process.  
• Teaching us about The Church as we've visited about a dozen churches in the past 5 months.  It's been enlightening!  It's also given us vision for what we'd want a church to look like if Andy should pastor.
• Waiting.  We're terrible at this, too.  It's hard to know whether we should just pursue other jobs to support ourselves (since we don't have an endless supply of money) or...what.  We're listening closely and we're willing!!
• We don't want to retire.  Period.
• Andy's been working on getting his book published.  We hope it will be ready before Christmas!
• Realizing how much we need the prayers of others.  We even had some friends fasting with us a couple of weeks ago.  So encouraging!
• And probably the most important thing we've learned is how valuable our friends are.  We've learned that people love us for us...lumps and all.  That's been so encouraging.  And we've learned just how deep some of those friendships run.

We're reminded of the verse, "Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to force out and thrust laborers into His harvest." in Matthew 9:37-38.  

And we're raising our hands and saying, "Pick us!!  Please!"

Emergency Room Visit

Andy cut his knuckles. He was cleaning up the backyard after the big move and pulled the trash can down on himself and the ground. His knuckles scraped the ground.

He said it was cut to the bone and he needed to go to the emergency room.

So here we are. The doctor said it wasn't the bone, but the tendon.

He wanted to know if we saw any skin on the ground--it would have been nice for a graft.

He's gotten a shot to numb his fingers...and now we wait. I'm betting on 4 stitches.

His doctor is a comedian! Andy asked him if he took sewing lessons to be able to give stitches. His reply, "No. I just watched lots of YouTube videos!"

Three stitches on the first finger. Two on the 2nd. I missed. I think he's going to live.

**Shanna taught me to use the blog app on my phone!!

Change

The Dietz family is in the process of change.

Through the years,  I’ve asked God to keep my heart open to change because my roots go deep and it’s easy to become staid and comfortable.  This prayer came after watching older people who were unwilling to embrace change and, as a result, they became hard, opinionated, unmovable, stubborn,  and cantankerous.  I didn’t want to be like that.

Andy & I began to know about 2 years ago that change was in the air.  God was preparing us for a move.  We didn’t know where or what it would involve…but we just knew.  I began training Selena at Living Water to take over my job as director.  I began asking God last June if “now” was the time for me to resign.  I finally felt the freedom to let my board know last September that I would be stepping down at the end of the year.  Andy & I both thought God would open doors for him by that time for a new adventure.

Around the first of the year, David & Lindsey asked us if we would consider selling our house to them.  They’d been looking for months and hadn’t found anything.  Since Andy & I were feeling change was in the air, we began praying about it…but they were still looking at other houses, too.

We never intended to step away from our church with nowhere to go.  But circumstances brought us to that point.  Andy knew it was time to resign–after 25 years of being on staff here.  The amazing thing is that when he told me what he planned to do, there was absolutely no fear in my heart.  I knew it was time, too.  We’ve both walked into an uncertain future with confidence–confident that God was in complete control!

We approached David & Lindsey again about buying our house and we will be closing on it with them April 1.  On the first weekend of March, they had a crew of people from their church come and help us move all of our things into storage.  It was amazing!  We moved into 2 bedrooms in the basement–making one a bedroom and one a living space–and  they began remodeling the rest of the house.  (She’s blogged about some of it here.)

This Sunday, Easter Sunday, will be Andy’s last Sunday in our church.  He will leave on April 4 for his last trip to Asia with our church.  It will be a medical trip not only to take care of some people, but to thank them, encourage them, and bring home our doctors’ medical equipment.  I was given the opportunity to go but since we’d put our things in storage, I couldn’t find my passport and didn’t have time to get a new one.  I’ll hate missing it.

So…when Andy gets home from that trip April 14, we will officially be jobless and homeless.  ;)  We can’t imagine what God has in store for us.  My brother and his wife have graciously offered to let us use their cabin in Ruidoso for a while, so the first thing on our agenda is to take some time to get away, hear God, and hopefully find what He has in mind for our future.  We are more than anxious to serve Him in whatever capacity He offers us.

Change can be scary…but it can also be very, very good.  Living things grow and change.  We honestly feel like God has propelled us into this change.  Our future is veiled…but only to us.  We know God is in complete control!  (Please feel free to remind me of this along the way…)  The Dietz family would really appreciate your prayers.  Between us & our 4 kids, 4 of us as families are moving right now–as well as my brother!  It’s been a little crazy!!

“But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.”      Isaiah 40:31 Amplified Version

2012--A Year in Review

2012 was an eventful year for the Dietz family.

January–Went to Lubbock to celebrate Zach’s birthday with him.  I also went to Dallas to babysit the Wright kids while their parents went to a pastor’s conference.

February–I went to Dallas while Jay & Amy went to Ethiopia to bring Hadassah home!  While I was there, the kids & I watched Dax’s dedication in real time at their Lubbock church.  What a blessing to be there when they brought Hadassah home–it was a beautiful experience.  I hated leaving with Jay & Amy so jet lagged!!  I wasn’t sure they were going to make it.  (But they did.)  After coming home, I took Caitlin & Alexis with me to Lubbock for Dax’s first birthday party.  The only problem was Dax’s parents got a stomach bug….but we stayed at a nearby motel and totally had a great time swimming and eating!  We handed Sprite, crackers & Pepto through the door to the sickies.

March–Jay & Amy were moving from a townhouse in Dallas to a house (thank goodness–no more neighbors knocking on the wall!).  I had no idea how Amy was going to manage packing and moving with a new baby who wouldn’t let her out of her sight!  So I asked my mom if she’d be game for going and helping.  Then Lindsey (the queen of organization!) was also able to go and we had a great time packing and moving.

April–Andy left for China on a medical trip.  I babysat Ryan & Addie while Isaac, Hadassah & Josiah all had birthdays.  Hadassah was also baptized that same week.  On the 28th, we left on a CRUISE with David’s family.  What a blast!!  We ate, swam, partied and ate some more.  It was so much fun watching things through Ryan & Addie’s eyes.

May– I went and kept Dax while his parents went to Ruidoso.  Gary & Amy met me there and we spent the weekend together while they attended Amy’s niece’s graduation.  The kids and grandkids came before Mother’s Day and we were all together.  So much fun!!  It was great seeing Hadassah and how she was adjusting to her new family.  Caitlin & Alexis came to meet Hadassah for the first time.  (They also gave beauty makeovers to Addie & Olivia!)

June–Andy & I went to China.  I was excited to meet Abby–our Chinese daughter’s baby whom we had the privilege of naming (mom & daughter).  It was a precious time.  I was so emotional when I left.  I didn’t expect that.  Abby was adorable.  David began his new job as worship leader at Celebration Family Church in Fritch.

July–We had the BEST 4th of July!  Gary hosted our annual Sanders Family Reunion at Wonderland Park.  It was the first time most of our grandkids had been there.  THEY HAD A BLAST!!!  We declared it a huge success and want to do it again!  I came home with a bug from China–I really think I had a parasite.  We made the birthday circuit for Shanna, Matt & Amy’s birthday.  We went to Lubbock to take Shanna out to eat and then I came home and headed to Dallas for Amy’s birthday.  We met Matt for lunch for his birthday when I got home.  Addie is a “steak girl” so we went to Outback for her birthday.

August–We got a call on the evening of the 6th that Zach & Shanna were headed to the hospital.  They were going to call us back if they kept her.  This meant that August Cohen Dietz was coming about a month early!  We began to get ready to head to Lubbock.  We got there and Shanna was still in slow labor, so we went out to the pickup to get a little sleep.  The next morning, Gus came!  He was taken to NICU early on because of his breathing.  He was adorable!

September–We celebrated Andy’s 62nd birthday.  Shanna’s sister, Amanda, was home from Alaska, so they were in Borger–which meant we got to see Dax & Gus.  Such cute boys!

October–Andy & I celebrated 25 years of ministry at First Baptist Church, Borger, TX.  What a milestone!  I also submitted my resignation to the board at Living Water Ministries.  My plan was to work til the end of December.  I was also keeping it quiet until the first of December.

November–We kept Ryan & Addie while David & Lindsey went to Dallas to celebrate their 10th anniversary and had lots of fun.  Andy & I then went to Dallas with some friends to a dinner where Glenn Beck spoke.  It  was hosted by Messianic Jewish Bible Institute.  We had a blast with our friends!  Afterwards, we spent the weekend with Jay & Amy.  We babysat the grandkids one night while they went to a wedding and then went to church with them before we went home.  It was Andy’s first time at their church in Dallas.  We had a very special Thanksgiving with most of our kids and grandkids and our moms and my siblings at our house.  Matt deep-fried 2 turkeys for us.  Shanna took family photos.  At the Living Water Thanksgiving, I told the volunteers that I was resigning.  A bittersweet time.

December–I was on the countdown for finishing my job.  It was a very busy time at Living Water.  Then all of our kids and grandkids came to our house for Christmas.  It was a wonderful time–and it snowed!  It was a perfect Christmas with so many fun gifts, watching cousins play and enjoy one another, late night laughter with adults, and good food.

If I had to sum 2012 up in one word it would be FAMILY.  Our family changed in 2012.  There were adoptions, additions, and transformations.  We were together more times than I actually remembered.  It was a good year for our family.  We helped one another, worked for one another and blessed one another.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2013!  I expect…change.

Change is Coming

Well, the word is out.  I've resigned from my position of Executive Director at Living Water.  It's such a bittersweet moment.  When I began the position, I prayed that I'd never become cynical as I helped the less fortunate and that I'd know when it was time to step down.  I knew it would be easy to become burned-out in this job and I wanted to give it my best as long as I was there.  I clearly believe God told me to hire Selena McClellan two years ago and to "get her trained."  I trained her for a year.  But then last year, I told her that I was going to train her with purpose for the next year....the purpose of being able to lead the ministry.  Of course, I knew the board would have the final decision, but I felt it was my duty to have someone completely trained to run the ministry in my absence.  So I did.  By August of this year, I knew it was time.  Things were just coming to a point that I knew it was time to let Selena take the reigns.  In October, I advised my board that I was resigning.  I asked them to consider Selena for the position.  And then the wheels began to turn.  Selena was hired and was given the freedom to hire someone to take her position.  I wanted to help Selena through the holiday seasons (our busiest time) and teach her what I knew.  So my official last day will be December 31, 2012.  Selena will begin as Executive Director January 1, 2013.

There are so many emotions that accompany this transition in my life.  I'm excited.  I'm scared.  I'm anxious but anticipating.  I told some friends that I most look forward to sleeping in a few mornings!  I dread adjusting to a new home budget....but at the same time, I'm excited!  See?  I told you my emotions are all over the place.  I'm going to miss this ministry.  I look back and see just how God has grown me.  I think the most important thing that happened along the way was that I became comfortable with who I am.  And...I was privileged to lead hundreds of people to the Lord in the past 5.5 years...and got comfortable doing it.  That's amazing!!  I've grown to love the extraordinary volunteers and our clients.  I know that with any crisis or calamity, I could be exactly where our clients are.

I know I'm going to feel lost for awhile.  Or maybe not.  Before I began working at Living Water, I was ready to get outside of the 4 walls of the church and be around lost people so I could share my faith.  That happened.  And now I'm anxious to get back inside the 4 walls of the church and minister to so many hurting people who need encouragement and love.  Funny how God does that.  I want to work alongside my husband and minister.  I just want to love on some people.  I want to invite people who go to Living Water to become involved in my church!

Please pray for me.  I've already started grieving the loss of this ministry.  But I'm ecstatic over the new ministry in front of me.  I think for the first time in my life, I'm not trying to twist God's arm.  I'm taking each day as it comes and praising Him that He allows me to be involved at all.  I know He's already got my future carved out.  And I can trust Him.  Change is coming...but I'm learning to embrace change.

25 Years of Blessings

Andy took the position of Student Minister at First Baptist Borger 25 years ago this month.  Wow!  We've been in Borger, TX 25 years.

When we came,
Andy was 37 years old.
I was 32 years old.
Matt was entering 4th grade.
Amy was entering 3rd grade.
David was 5 years old.
Zach was 2 1/2 years old.

Gary Miller was the pastor who brought us to Borger.  Since then, we've served under Gregg Simmons, Scott Maze and Steve Taylor.  About 14 years into our tenure, Andy changed positions and became Minister of Evangelism & Missions.  He's also served in many capacities when we were without ministers.  He's served as children's minister, worship leader, and senior adult minister.

To gain perspective, Amy is now older than I was when we came.  And Zach has children close to the age he was when we came.

I wish I could expound on everything I've learned in the past 25 years...but maybe that's a post for later.  Instead, I can tell you that we are rich beyond words in friendships and relationships.  God has blessed us indeed.

Go Bulldogs!

Tonight is the Borger Bulldog vs Pampa Harvester game.  I always hear it:  "Who are you going to root for?"  For those who don't know, I grew up in Pampa.  So I was a Pampa Harvester who bled green & gold.  Now back in the day...those were football games!  Borger & Pampa are huge rivals and their football games 30-something years ago always involved a fight.  Police positioned themselves near the student section just to break up fights.  And they were definitely on the field after the game for the after-game fights.  Not that I'm advocating fighting...it was just always a show and something to talk about for weeks/years afterwards.  Harvesters stole the Bulldog bell.  Bulldogs torched the Harvester.  And on and on and on....

But once we moved to Borger and my children were involved in sports, my loyalties switched.  I root for the Bulldogs--that is, if I ever go to a game.  And if that weren't enough, I lived in Pampa 18 years.  I've now lived in Borger 24 years.  Incredible!  (And if you're trying to add...yes...I'm only 42.  jk)

Go Bulldogs!

Fix-Up

An older house comes with lots of needs.  And our sweet, old house has needed lots of help for quite some time.

It doesn't look too bad from the front.

But once you get up close and personal, you see the needs.  Our poor windows...

We'd hoped to replace our windows this summer and called our favorite window man.  But it just wasn't meant to be.

So we called a great handyman.  Dave Potter has been repairing, priming and painting around here.

It's been pretty time consuming for him.

But things are starting to look up!

Our thirsty windows are happier.

And I'm pretty excited about this new color.  And now our favorite window company (Woody's) is replacing some glass on our storm windows.  I'm sure our neighbors are breathing a sigh of relief!!

Drought

I've seen something this summer I've never seen in my lifetime---a real, live (dead?) drought!  Today, Borger has reached the record high of 113 degrees.  I've never seen that in my lifetime, either.  I'd say since March, we've only had a few days without a gusty wind----sometimes in excess of 70 mph.  It's blowing again today.   In fact, something seems wrong now if we don't hear the wind!  Yesterday, on Facebook, our local news channel put up a weather forecast for today.  They only showed a picture---of a blow dryer.  That pretty much sums it up!  Hot and windy.

I've also watched the progression of yards in our area.  They've gone from dying grass to weedy dirt to plain ol' dirt.  I would never have believed how quickly you could lose a yard!  There's one yard down the street from us which belonged to some much-loved friends of ours.  The people who purchased it began to let the weeds take over the summer they bought it.  Our hearts were broken.  That yard was always perfect.  And now...it looks like a scene from Ethiopia.  Unbelievable.

I began going to Andy's mother's house to water her yard.  She's afraid to water because she's afraid she'll trip over the ruts in the yard and fall.  But she was beginning to lose all of her grass.  We told her she had to water it or she'd only have dirt left.  We don't water much, but enough to sustain it.

Yesterday, I began to see the spiritual parallel.  If we're not watering our spirits, we're going to dry up and die.  We have to come to the Fountain of Life and be nurtured.  And it's amazing how quickly death comes.  We don't find life in facebook, television, video games, etc., etc.

Seek sustenance!  Water your fields with the water of the Word.  Drink deeply from His well.  And then pour into others who need it.

"If I shut up heaven so no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land."  II Chronicles 7:13-14

Mint Roots

I thought our flower beds had experienced some kind of weird blight this past year.  Our hedges died, our wisteria died and we had an ash tree that died.  But after discussing it with our local greenhouse expert, we were told that the deep freezes this past winter killed our plants.  Our flower beds were looking pretty sad--especially considering that our friends had it looking fabulous when we came home from China last summer.

But I knew I could count on one thing coming up in our garden.  MINT!  I planted mint in our flower bed about 3 years ago.  No one told me it would take over my garden.  And I discovered that I didn't even really like fresh mint.

But here it is in all it's glory.  As I started working in my flower beds today, God gave me a visual.  And it's something He was already dealing with in my heart.  So I ran and grabbed my camera and began taking photos--after I'd already pulled up most of the mint!

Do you have a stubborn root growing in your heart?  As I began digging up the mint (and it was everywhere!), I realized the root of mint grows like many long fingers snaking through the soil.  The mint looks so pretty...so healthy...so beautiful...so minty and fresh!  But the roots take over and choke out the life of other plants growing in the garden.  It even begins growing in the middle of flowers.  I found myself digging and pulling from every direction.

And then I got to the root of it all.  WOW!  Is this a hunk of root, or what???  It was so satisfying pulling this out of the soil.  What root is growing in your heart?  It's been a root of fear in my own life.  It's taken many forms on the surface...but the root of it all has been fear.  This past year, I began to recognize what the root was in my own life.  And I feel like I've done this very thing---dug out the big chunk!  It's soooo satisfying!

And the good thing as you dig out the root...it has no life of it's own.  Apart from the soil where it's fed, it dies. 

And the mint?  It can be tasty.  But apart from it's root, it dies, too.  What is the "mint" in your life?  It could be anger, bitterness, adultery, materialism, etc., etc.  It may taste good, but it will choke the life out of the true fruit.

You may get dirty like I did as you dig up those roots.  I even ended up with a splinter in a finger that I can't seem to get out.  But is it worth it?  Absolutely....ab-so-lutely! 

But as you fill the trash bag with all those roots, you may need some help carrying it out.  (This was very heavy!!)  But God has told you to yoke up with Him and He'll carry the heavy burden and give us the light burden.  He delights to do the heavy work.

In place of the mint, I've planted grapes---true fruit!  No more mint which is just the appearance of something appealing...but which can choke out the garden of your heart.  Clean out those ugly roots in your garden beds and let the true fruit grow.  It feels so good--so freeing.

I think my garden is going to mean a little more to me this summer.

Snow, movies, no work, etc.

If you've read my blog very long, you know I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE snow!!!!  I mean LOVE!  I get excited when the skies turn gray and it gets cold.  Actually, I get giddy.  I know I'm weird.
Well, there's something that can even top that!  Thoughts of a blizzard coming and having a day off work!  Woo-Hoo!
So if you're as crazy as I am and you're interested in a really cute movie for your children to watch, check this out.  America Family Radio sent out an ad for this movie and it intrigued me.  It's produced by a family and their 5 children are the only actors in the movie.  It's along the lines of the Little Rascals...with a spiritual message.
Ryan & Addie were here this weekend and watched it with me and I loved listening to them belly laugh over it.  We all enjoyed it.
So...enjoy the cold, the snow, the blizzard, a fire in the fireplace, no school, no work, and the entertainment of a good movie!

A Golden Glow

I happened to glance outside after washing dishes this evening and saw this golden glow in the sky.  I ran and grabbed my camera to see if I could catch it.  Earlier today, I happened to see rain falling--from a clear sky.  Both were amazing sights!

Winter Wisdom

Don't you just love it when you've been wise?  I just knew seasons were about to change!!  In my last blog, I wrote that I wanted to take some photos of fall before it leaves...or leaves before they fall...and I did.  Wisdom.  And now I present to you the first snow of the season.

I got up at 6:30 to be at work early.  It had rained off and on all night (2.75 inches!).  And even when I woke up, I heard rain (or at least I thought I did).

But by the time I was dressed and looked out my front door, it had become SNOW!  And not just any snow...big, fat furballs of snow hitting the ground.  It was so beautiful, in fact, that I went and woke Andy up to come and see it.  And that's not something I do lightly....

I even texted David and tried to get him to get his kids up---they were so hoping for snow this week!  But David was a party pooper at 7 a.m.  So...the last of my fall decorations against the white of the snow.  I think I'll go turn on my Christmas music, light a fire in the fireplace and...think about putting up my Christmas tree!

Fall

When I came out of my office today, the sky looked different.  There was a feeling that a season had changed.  I hear we may get snow this week!  I had to get my camera out and get some photos of fall before it leaves.

Thunder & Rain

It's raining in Borger.  Actually, it's rained off and on all day.  It's been wonderful!  But it wasn't until I heard thunder for the first time today that I realized how long it's been since I've heard thunder!!  I couldn't wait to get home from work and crawl into my warm bed and just get cozy.  I decided to run to Wal-Mart's Red Box and get the Babies movie after reading Lissa's blog today.  Then I had to run to United on an errand.  While I was there, I realized I hadn't eaten lunch and was hungry!  So I called in an order for fajitas at Plaza and went to pick up my dinner at 3:30 p.m.!!  Much to my delight, a book was waiting on my doorstep (in a very wet box!) which I'd pre-ordered a couple of months ago---the new Joel Rosenberg book.  I couldn't decide which luxury to indulge in first.  But I chose the fajitas because they were hot.  I plugged in my movie and watched 4 adorable babies during their first year.  By 5:00, I was in my pajamas and in my bed with a fresh-brewed cup of flavored coffee.  (Did I mention Andy is out of town?)  I turned everything off and read the first 12 chapters of my book.  And in the silence, I enjoyed the rumble of thunder and the sound of rain on my window.  A perfect, perfect evening.

Floods predicted on Crockett St.

The end must be near.  It's flooding on Crockett St. in Borger, Texas!  Actually, my dishwasher or my disposal backed up into my basement sink...and into the floor...and into the basement living room...and on into the closet.  And I cried, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus!"

And then I borrowed a carpet knife and began cutting up carpet and rolling it up (while trying not to touch it---hard feat!) and threw it out the back door.  HGTV has paid off.

Then I lit candles all over my house (nasty smell!) and grabbed my mop and Lysol...and bleach...and 409.  I couldn't find the mop pail, so I dunked my mop in the toilet and started swiping the floor.  Trust me...it was a vast improvement over what was on my floor.

I went upstairs to grab paper towels and began mopping up my countertop after spraying 409.  Some of that gunk was glued down.  It looked like seaweed.  Maybe the ocean is backing up into Crockett St. in Borger, Texas!

The plumber is coming in the morning.  And I think the disposal is history.  Pray for my plumber...I want God to guide him so it's a quick, easy fix.  And I think he'll appreciate the prayers for his health and safety.

TWO MORE DAYS TIL....

Photo by Lindsey Dietz

Can you guess?

Seasons....

As spring was turning into summer this year, I made a conscious decision.  I wasn't going to complain about the summer.

Now...I'm not a summer person.  As a child, we didn't have sunblock lotion, so this little redhead usually looked like a burned clam.  And as a family, we lived at the lake all summer!  So not only did I get sunburns, I'd usually get water blisters, too.  We also didn't have Aloe Vera gel.  It's easy to see why I don't like the sun...or heat.

But as it began to get warmer this year, I noticed a growing trend on Facebook.  People were complaining.  They began to complain about the rain or storms in the spring and began to complain about the warmer weather.  It made me think of the children of Israel wandering in the dessert...murmuring and complaining.  So I decided right then and there that I wasn't going to participate.  I have my favorite seasons and absolutely love and enjoy them.  And I realized God created summer for those who felt the same about the sun and heat.  So I decided to grace them to enjoy what God had created especially for them.  And I wouldn't complain.

But this week....oh this week!  I've felt fall in the air!  And it's my absolute favorite season.  I got married in the fall.  I love everything about it---the cooler weather, the colors, the smell, the way the sun hangs in the azure blue sky---all of it!

And then comes winter.  It's also my friend.  Please, please don't complain about the snow this year.   Grace me---because I'll be enjoying it!

Stair Fun!

Ryan & Addie having fun on the stairs---til Dad got home!

No termites!!!

And God said, "There are no termites!"  Yipppeeeee!!!

It seems that bug men know more about termites than garage door men.  And I'm so grateful I could BUST!