Where has July gone?

I swear this month has gone by so fast it is crazy. It has been a pretty okay month for the Schriver crew. We finally made it to Atlanta to see my Mom. She broke her leg a couple of months ago and is still not getting around well. We had fun exploring Atlanta and visiting with family.

We really hated to leave and the girls asked me to look for jobs in the Atlanta area. I told them we would look but it is up to God where we go.

Job are is one place I could use a ton of prayers. I have applied for jobs that I qualify for but none of the jobs that I have found are those jobs where you get everyone praying for favor because you really really want it. I want to be excited about working but money is getting to be so tight that I am just not sure what to do. I know God has got something perfect for me but I am just not sure what and I really need to figure it out sooner than later.

Until the job thing works itself out I took a mini course in Travel writing. The class taught the process of sending out query letters to write for magazines. I sent my first letter out this week. I have several articles that are ready to go as soon as I find the right place to publish them. Getting paid to write about all the times the girls and I get wanderlust and hit the road would be awesome. :)

Kennesaw Mountain 

I saw something on the internet that said to write every day or do something that is worth writing about. I am going to try and face August like that. Good things are on the way I am believing that.

Happy July

I can not believe it is July. How crazy is that? Time is flying. I have two children who will be going into their Senior year in August. I realize it is 3-5 years till I am an empty nester (insert mild panic attack).

I am still in the market for a job. Money is crazy tight but it is an act of faith for the girls and I. My health is sketchy the doctor today considered adding a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia to my already extensive list of what's wrong with me. I am not sure that a 40 hour a week job is something that health wise I will even be able to do. God has something perfect for me that will provide for us financially as well as be possible with my health issues. I can not wait to see what that is :)

Till the perfect job rolls around I am working on some of the dream projects that have been on the back burner. I have already finished a booklet for children with a parent dealing with cancer.

I am taking a travel writing seminar to learn how to earn while I travel. I am trying to do the possible while I wait for God to do the impossible.

Thanks to taxes we are going this month to see my Mom after she broke her knee. While we are gone we are going to go to Helen, Georgia and I hope to turn that into my first paid travel article.

The girls are good they are nervous about the future now that is closer than they can imagine. It is overwhelming to think in 5 years you could go from kid to wife. They are amazing kids though and I know they will be able to conquer anything that comes their way.

While I wait for that perfect job I am ticking off things from my 40's bucket list. One of those things is a tattoo. I have the design now that I want I just have to get the nerve up. :) I am sure that will be a separate blog post later.

As you start July here are some words of encouragement to remember. Much love from my family to yours.

Father's Day

Father's Day is one of those days that the girls and I hide away. It is still really difficult to see all the commercials on tv and hear the sermons about great Dad's without getting sad.

My girls had a magnificent father they know that and they have some memories of the things that he used to do with them but not a lot before cancer. I try to remind them about how amazing he is and never let his memory die but it is really hard.

The girls told me that their memories of childhood revolved around cancer which spurred us onto our endless traveling for a couple of years to make sure that they have happy memories from childhood that will hopefully outweigh some of the sad ones.

When you loose your dad as an adult like I did. You miss him terribly but there is a lifetime of memories to keep them close in your heart. I remember my Dad walking me down the isle and his boisterous laugh of joy when I told him I was pregnant. I remember how the big bad drill instructor that was my dad LOVED to tease my very nonmilitary minded geeky husband.I remember my dad strolling into Annie's hospital room with a balloon and instantly calming her down after her tonsillectomy when no one else was having any luck calming her.

I remember my Dad swatting at Cassie with a fly swatter as she ran by. It was a game to Cassie to avoid the swatter it usually ended with them both laughing and I remember him sitting with a 6-month-old Merry explaining to her what was on television and Merry just looking up at him hanging on every word.

I have a lifetime of memories good and bad but my girls don't have that. So it is easier to just avoid life on Father's day. It is getting easier. I realized this year that I am having to fill both roles in my daughters' life so maybe instead of hiding next year I will claim the day as an extra day to celebrate the fact that we are a team and we have made it together.

Holidays are the toughest when you have lost someone. I think it is human nature to mourn all the things that your lost one will not see. I guess the day will always be tough till they are married and they get to celebrate the day with their kids Dad.

Luckily though their memories are few Gary left them with an indelible example of what a good father and husband is. They have never questioned that their Dad loved them with every bone in his body and he gave them the best gift any father could give their child he loved their mother fiercely. He always made sure that they knew how precious I was to him and by doing that he showed them what to look for in a husband one day.

To Gary's Dad that is thankfully still with us. Thank you for raising an amazing man and thank you for continuing to be there for the girls and I. Happy Father's Day

Happy Fathers Day in heaven baby I love you!

Happy Daddy's day to my Dad as well. I love you.

I have learned through all my struggles and trials to look for nuggets of encouragement all over the place.

The picture below is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. It is a declaration from God that when we feel like we at our weakness that is the time God's strength can come through and shine. If where I am weak He is strong then that's okay because that is when miracles happen.

One day before I die I hope I can get my fear in check. This is a simple statement but so very true.

It has been five years since I lost my husband and I can attest that this quote is so true. 

Wise words to remember 

I am a sucker for a great quote or verse. Plese, feel free to share your favorite quotes in the comments below.  I plan on starting my weeks with a post of my favorite quotes of the week. Be sure to check back every weekend :) 

Plans not attained

Well, it's almost been a year since my last post and I am sorry. I got crazy busy with my last term at school. Lots have happened and not happened since that last post. I didn't make it to the Keys, money was just not there for us to go. I still plan on making that trip one day. Gary always told me my eyes matched the water down there and he wanted to show me how beautiful it was. (he was so sweet)

I did manage to finish college so that is a huge thing. Now  I am stuck. I went the direction with my studies that I felt like God was leading and I enjoyed every step of the way. Now I am trying to transform all those great experiences into an actual paying job and I just don't know what to do.

I can't imagine working in an office 40 hours a week, but I never have before so everything is going to be out of my comfort zone. I went to apply at a television station and I don't think I embarrassed myself but I don't think I impressed either. She asked what my ultimate career goals are and I couldn't answer them. It got me really thinking so I went home prayed and thought long and hard and I came up with two lists.  One career goals and the other life goals for the next ten years. Now at least I can answer that question if it asked again.

I have been looking at jobs from Orlando to Jacksonville all the way to Atlanta, California, and even Hawaii. I would love a short three or four-month job in all those places. I would love to explore the country with my girls.

At this point people ask me what's next for me, my answer is I DONT KNOW :(. We are in a holding pattern right now. I am ready for whatever challenge comes our way. The girls are amazing about it, they tell me that as long as we are all together they don't care where we are because home is where ever we are together. I tell you that just makes a momma smile.

Short term summer goals why we wait -

Finish a writing project I am doing with my girls. We created a short booklet to help older kids whose parent has cancer. They told me what worked for them and what they wished they knew and we put it in book form. They want to do a kids medical encyclopedia but I am just not sure about that one :)

Learn how to better handle my DSLR

Submit at least 20 more applications (I know you have to submit a bunch to get that one job you want)

Do things to add to my eportfolio


These are easily attainable goals that will do nothing but enhance my skill set. If I have to wait on the next step I can at least be preparing for the future not just sitting here. Maybe I will give in and get my knee replaced while I am unemployed too. I don't know though Major surgery or continue to limp around we will see LOL.


I am not ashamed to tell you that hearing about all my peers from school doing amazing things is tough cause I am just like "I showered today AND washed my hair" but I know I have to be patient. GRRR hate that word don't you :)

Making plans but being open for the unexpected

WOW, it is July 1st. Next month will mark four years since Gary went to be with Jesus. FOUR years that is so hard to believe. When he first passed away it was hard to imagine getting through the month without him. 

My goal according to the last post was to spend, what would have been, our 20th anniversary in the Keys. He always wanted to take me there but we could never afford it. He would get all goggly eyed and tell me that the green in my eyes was the same as the green of the water down there. He was so sweet wasn't he?

Unfortunately that didn't happen but that okay. I ended up on another couple adventures. One I had knee surgery. I was having such intense knee pain that I stopped going to church, I stopped doing anything really because it just hurt so much. 

The surgery was pretty successful. The doctor cleaned out all the bone spurs and torn cartilage but he couldn't do too much with the severe arthritis on the inside of my knee. 

I am thankful that the arthritis pain is the only pain that I am still dealing with. It can be really bad but I am determined to live and adapt to it. 

When we were first married, I taught aqua therapy classes to arthritis patients. Now if the YMCA will accept my financial aid application I will use what I taught those ladies on myself. 

Three days after my knee I ended up in the Emergency room with a calcium dip, I should say plummet it was pretty low. The ER visit turned out to be teaching time with Cindy. Not a lot of ER staff know what Hyperparathyroidism is and when you simply tell them low blood calcium they don't realize the severity of the issue. Mine isn't the low blood calcium you get when you give blood and your upper lip is a little numb until you eat something. Mine is the fix this before she drops so low she goes into cardiac arrest or full body cramping.

There is a test you can do by tapping your TMJ nerve (might not be the nerves name but it is in the area of it) when your calcium is low and it will make your lip jump. My surgeon that took my Thyroid out told me that was my new bar room trick. None of the nurses had ever seen a patient exhibit that and they were fascinated. 

The one nurse came in and was going to give me two syringes full of calcium carbonate straight into my IV. I had to stop him and tell him he is wrong. Thankfully he wasn't an arrogant jerk and went and asked the doctor. He came back in with the mixed IV bag. Then they took me by ambulance with two very handsome EMTs to the main campus of the hospital with better equipment to handle any my issues better. 


Thankfully I am finally on the mend from those two adventures. 

This month I also started another new adventure. My University started their campus version of an online magazine that is sort of like Buzzfeed. It is ran by 20 somethings for 20 somethings but they were gracias enough to accept the application of this 20 times 2 something. I have written three pieces so far and it has been so much fun. 

The latest piece I did was in response to an idea on the writers idea board of the paper. It was about not being afraid to go solo. You don't need a boyfriend to be happy. That topic gave me an opportunity to tell the world what I tell my girls all the time. Find out who YOU are before you settle down and get married. 

I was 21 when I got married and I was 24 when I had my first child. I had finished just about 2 years of school but it didn't total two years because I was on the major of the month program. I thought I wanted to be an actress and then a doctor and then a teacher never settling on anything. It was difficult because I didn't really know who Cindy was. To be honest I still don't have a clear view of who Cindy is but it is clearer than it was. 

I would never change marrying Gary when I did or having babies. I do not regret one minute of my life as a stay at home mom. I was blessed to have that opportunity. If I could go back and tell myself (and myself would listen) I would tell that 17 year old who graduated High School to take time to go on adventures. Spend time abroad with the college or on mission trips. Work crazy jobs that sound fun do things and be willing to fail at them. I still lived with Mom and Dad and I had no responsibilities or bills to pay so it was the perfect time to experience everything. 

I didn't do that and now I am a 41 year old widow who up until 2 years ago had nothing other than wife and mom to put on a resume. 

No one when they get married expects to be a widow in their 30's but I tell my girls plan for the unexpected in life. Be a mom and wife but also have a skill to be able to support your family if needed or help with ends meat. 

The article that I wrote last week also had an unexpected effect. Turns out it not only spoke to college age people but to widows as well. It was a  starting off point for several great conversations. 

I try to share a piece of me when I write. I am not the most technically proficient but I am getting better at that. It is such an amazing blessing to have just one person be touched by what I write. It makes my heart happy. 


I do not start school again till fall term, so I have about six weeks to have some more summertime adventures before getting back to work on finishing my Communications degree. I am a little nervous they tell me one of my teachers in the fall feels like it is his job to weed out the people who can't handle Communications. Part of me wants to cry at the prospect of a teacher like that and the other part of me wants to yell "Bring it". Hopefully that part will win out in the fall. 

So many of the plans we have for our life get messed up and honestly when they get messed up it is easy to be mad at God and blame him for things not wiring to your plan. 

Do I think God gave Gary cancer, nope. Do I think God has used that experience for good, yep. At the very least now I can relate to another person who has lost a loved one. It is an honor to pray for people and I know what to specifically pray for. Unless you have gone through circumstances like loosing a spouse it is impossible to know all the unspoken heart trials that a person goes through. It is human nature to want a simple 12 step plan to handle things but grief is more like a 87,000 step suggestion not a plan. (Hint to my next BIG writing project hopefully done by fall). 

Tonight making dinner I was going through all the prayer request in my head for loved ones dealing with loss and families who are dealing with things. It is unfortunately a pretty big list. I opened my soda bottle and the inner ring came off and it reminded me of Gary. Every drink he ever had from soda to milk he would take the inner ring of the cap off and turn it into a heart for me. I still find those twisted pieces of plastic in drawers and every time it makes me smile. When the inner ring came off my bottle I found myself making it into a heart. This plastic heart is for all my friends who are going through grief right now. 

Thank you all for continuing to pray for the girls and I. We have had some tough adventures this summer as well. Thankfully God is always with us and providing for us. I ask that you continue to pray for us. We have some big things coming up and some big worries and concerns that like always I tell God how he can answer them but I know his ways are so much better than anything I can think or imagine. 

Till next time. Love from the Schriver Sorority. 

This year would have been 20 years.

Our wedding day May 20, 1995. We got married at the First United Methodist Church in St. Augustine the same church that his parents were married in. That day I changed my name and gave my heart to this man. The girls asked me if I knew thing how my life would turn out would I still have married him. I could say with out a doubt YES!!! I still would have said I do. We may have only had 16 years together but we shared a deep love and I got three of the craziest, most awesome girls out of the deal.




I always wanted to renew our vows. We weren't happy with the way our wedding turned out and we (okay mostly me but he agreed) wanted to renew our vows at some point. We thought 10 years would have been a good point but we were at such a tight place financially and I was literally neck deep in some serious medical conditions that ten years didn't happen. We were together and alive so we took it in stride and said we will definitely do it at the 20 year mark whether we have a ceremony with friends or at the altar at church with David Sheffield officiating, either way we WILL do it then. Well we didn't make it past the 16 year mark. I wish I could have gone back and reminded myself that we aren't guaranteed a tomorrow and to celebrate while we can.

In my heart I am still married to him so I want to do something special on our 20th. I was racking my brain on what I can do and it finally hit me. Something he always wanted to do but never did was take me to Key West. He used to tell me of all the fun times his family had when they vacationed there and how much he wanted to bring me there. He would tell me that my eyes are the same color as the water down there and until we could go together he would stare into my eyes and dream about us being there (so sweet you could puke right :)).

So I decided that as soon as we get back from my nieces wedding in Texas we will start saving pennies to go to the keys on May 20th 2015 in honor of two decades wearing the man of my dreams name. I may not have him here with me anymore but we can still honor the day and all the amazing memories we had together.

What do you think? Is that a good way to mark 20 years?

Another thing I have tried to not be afraid of doing is traveling. Gary wanted so much to show the girls all 48 continental states before they left our house. He would tell me the best memories he had as a kid revolved around road trips with his family and he wanted to give those great memories to the girls. I always wanted to travel Europe and I still do but I think maybe we can actually manage the 48 state thing.

The sort of round about point to this post is simple, don't put things off. Celebrate now, travel now, experience things and make memories now, none of us are guaranteed a tomorrow. It is important to work hard and save money and plan for retirement but don't forget to live along the way. There are only a few things that I regret not doing while I had him with me but I am going to try not to make those mistakes anymore. My girls are only going to be with me for nine or ten more years ( they plan on living with me through college and till they are married) it is time to make memories now.

Forty is fabulous

One of my largest character flaws is my self confidence. I tend to care WAY to much about what people think about me and value their words over what I know to be true and what I know God has told me.

I spent 16 years married to an amazing man that spent everyday of his life battling the demons of my insecurities. I also spent,I think, five years in Mentor/Mentee relationships and another two years with a life coach to try and get me into a better place to do all that God has for me.

Low self confidence just isn't something that can make you shy, for me it is something that has been a weight around my neck holding me in place when God has wanted to drag me to new places in my life.

I always thought my lack of confidence was because of my height and weight. I was six foot in 5th grade with a full DD chest and always on the chubby side of life. One day I had a mentor blow my mind she told me that my confidence issues come from the fact that I am a perfectionist and when I do not reach some level of perfection I turn on myself.

When Gary was ill all the fluff in life fell away and it wasn't a matter of finishing the race in style it was just a matter of finishing and when I came out the other end still living and not completely a vegetable from all the stuff that we went through, for the first time in my life I was proud of myself. Suddenly the world is seen through a different lens. I made it through hell you aren't going to stop me.

That whole confidence was shaken when I started to exist as a single mom in a world of two parent families. To hear your kids asked, "Wheres your Dad? Why don't we ever see him at events?" is hard. That threw all of our confidences off. The world wants to put labels on you and that isn't cool. I used to be a labeler to until I felt the sting of them and now I am trying to stop.

Today was a tough day for me I was on a month contract with a job with the understanding that if there wasn't an impact that made the expense worth it then the contract would not be renewed. My rational mind is perfectly cool with that notion but my irrational mind said there is no way it would not be renewed. Well guess what, it was not renewed. I am proud at my over 40 self I thanked them for the opportunity and wished them well and meant it.

Ten years ago I would have broken down into tears, spending the next week depressed and asking WHY why what did I do wrong?

When I got out of the meeting that ended my contract I stopped and thought

"Did I do the best job that I was able to do?" - "Yep"

"Did I go over and above what was expected"(its a personal perfectionist thing)- "Yep"

"Would you have changed anything if you could go back?" - "Nope"

"Did you do anything to burn a bridge or hurt feelings?" - "Nope"

Then all that equals you did your best so walk away and wait to see what amazing things God is going to fill that void with.

I know most people are reading this reaction and going, "yeah that is how most sane people would react big deal?" Go back to the sixth word in that sentence and you will find why it was a big deal for me. :)

I used to have women older than me tell me that you care what people think till you hit forty then God gives you a "Whatever" attitude. (They didn't say whatever the words may have had an f and a u when describing the attitude you get but I won't use such language in my blog)

I think back to seventeen year old me (shiver) and the emotional conflict I would go through when moved from third chair to back row in chorus. Thinking he wanted to get rid of me because he hated me when in reality I was a good foot taller than all my counter parts. I was hard to miss. I was in choir with Gary's brother and Gary saw me for the first time at one of those concerts he said he couldn't stop looking at the tall nubian beauty in the back row with the long black hair.

I am so glad to be the forty one year old woman who still struggles with herself but it isn't a struggle that says I can't do it, it is more of a how do I do things. That just dawned on my as I type I haven't even thought I can't do something in the last few years. I may have had to think how do I adapt my physical limitations to make things work but never doubted my ability. Hmmm I wish Gary could see me know.

I love when a new struggle comes my way the girls automatically say, "Eh you drove three kids across country by yourself, you can do anything"

2015 is not starting how I dreamed it would (In California) or how I thought it would (with ESPN and working) but it is going to be really interesting.

I had an opportunity to work with ESPN and be a Research assistant helping to train cancer patients how to be better patients and I was struggling to figure out how I was going to do both. Merry looked at me and said, "You really don't give a rats behind about ESPN it is just to have the experience and this Cancer thing is something that you are passionate about go for the passion."

I am following the advice of a wise 14 year old and following my passion in 2015. Lord only knows where that will lead but it should be really fun to find out.

Goals for 2015

become descent in French again (took four years of it can't speak a lick past hi my name is Cindy)

take a summer trip from Jax to Rhode Island with the kids (their idea and heck I am game)

get a job that makes actual money (money is a huge struggle right now)

at least begin another book (haven't written anything for me in so long)

get knee replaced (it is getting really bad)

Vlog especially the road trips (single parent road warrior??)

Get back into Church (service times changed we have not made it to church lately)

Do three things I have never done before

regret nothing

Merry Christmas and Happy New year from the Schriver sorority to you.

Desert Places

(warning I wrote this after driving for four days straight I will probably edit it later but I just wanted to get it down now. Thanks for the understanding)



The girls and I just got back from a road trip to California. This journey was a multipurpose journey for us. First it was something asked for and provided by God. We have felt for a while that God was calling us to move to California and it was really scary. Leaving family and home is hard enough but add in the extra stress of not even knowing if you would like it in the place is hard. We prayed that God would let us go and check the place out BEFORE we move and he did. Good news is we LOVE Rancho Cucamonga. The girls commented to me that Rancho seemed comfortable and like home from the very beginning. We can now go from being fearful of what God is leading to being excited about it.

On the nearly 3000 mile one way journey we got to see so much amazing country side. Every state we traveled across had it own vibe to it, they were as diverse as the country side. One part of the journey that seemed particularly long was the desert. While traversing the stretching landscape of the desert God reminded me of the churchy saying, "Well I am in a desert place right now." As a Florida girl when I heard that saying I thought about the old movies where the person got lost in the Sahara and the only thing around them was blowing sand and brown lots and lots of brown.  That maybe accurate of some deserts but not the ones I traveled through.

God reminded me that I have been in a desert place since Gary's death. Sort of wandering around not the least bit confident in myself and not sure the direction that I was supposed to travel. God told me pay attention the next few hours and see what it is to be in a desert place. We started out with the big Sahara like sand, hot and no shade and you could almost hear that whistle that you here in cowboy movies when the bad guy comes in.

Then as we traveled on we ran across a water station that someone made up for travelers. They were large tanks that I guess you could give to your animal or fill your car. They were open to anyone. That struck me as interesting. Someone came and made a place for people to get water in the middle of nothingness.  Then I thought how many times in my journey has there been a similar refreshment.

As we moved on we started to see these big boulders and as we went the boulders got more plentiful and then they started to be stacked on top of one another. They looked like God had a Jinga set in the middle of the desert. One of the girls commented, "Do you think God made the rocks like that just to make us smile?" We were still in the desert place but in that desert place God was there and he made us smile with his crazy creations.

As we moved on toward California we got a little scarred when out of the corner of our eyes we spotted what looked like a tornado. It took me a minute to calm myself down but then I noticed the beauty of the dancing sand. It looked like a scary tornado at first then they became fascinating to us and we even would try and time it to where they would blow over our car. How many times has something that I thought was terrifying became something cherished since I have been in my desert place?

The sand tornados never went away they were always catching my eye letting me know that even though no one was around that I was not alone. We went from the sand to the giant heavenly Jinga game then we moved into the desert mountains. Again my brain went to the old west movies where there were just a ton of sandy rock mountains but that is far from what it is. The rock is a veritable rainbow of colors. If you look at the rocks you can see the layers of the rock and the history in that rock. That beautiful mountain of rock was not just created it was built season after season through all sorts of climate changes and disasters. Everything that rock went through came together to make something amazingly beautiful.

We still had to journey onward with a few people on the road with us now but not very many folks and when you looked off road a midst the sand tornados and the amazing rock mountains you still didn't see a soul, no houses no businesses (including gas stations) The journey was amazingly beautiful though. The rock mountains showed reds and golds and in one place the brown sand was interrupted by a couple of miles of white sand. At the end of our desert journey we were about to run out of gas. Let me tell you from experience make sure your tank is full because there is no Shell station out there. Near the end I was beginning to ask myself if AAA would make a gas delivery at the cross of a bunch of sand and a bunch of rocks?

I was on E now and there was nothing around and you could see for miles. I got my girls involved, I asked them please oh please pray we make it to a gas station. They did and a few minutes later right outside of Palm springs we ran into a place that had a gas station ( thank GOD) and a Burger King and a T-Rex. Yep you read that right. In the parking lot was a group of Dinos lead by T-Rex. You couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing and how amazingly cute they were. We fueled up the car and us and we moved on into the desert place and eventually the desert faded and we moved onto a mountain top experience and the place we want to move to is in the valley but it is surrounded on all sides by the tall majestic mountains. God reminded me on this journey to find the beauty in whatever place you find yourself to be. People say that God isn't in the desert places. He is you just have to look a little harder to recognize him.

I came out of this trip with a new confidence in myself. I always go back to a word a friend gave me that said I was enough. This trip I had to be enough or we would have failed and I was. Directionally challenged me made it from Florida to California and back with three teenage girls.

I also got a new appreciation for my girls, they were amazing they knew when to leave me alone and stew over traffic and they knew when to tell me funny stories and make me laugh so I wouldn't fall asleep. They encouraged me about the move when they asked, "Can we just stay here in Rancho, I love it here?" Today at the end of the journey they gave me a high five and told me they were proud of me. All three of them are pretty amazing.

tI have had my sac cloth and ashes on for three years now and have wandered around in the desert place missing the beauty of the place I was in. Now I can look back and recognize a lot of the beauty I missed. I look forward to moving forward to a new place and I am going to make sure I stop and look around and appreciate the beauty of whatever comes next. I will move on to the next phase of my life with the knowledge that I am enough and God is there with me whether I am in the desert place or on top of the mountain.

Father's Day

I had an interesting conversation with the girls tonight about weather or not they wanted to skip church on Father's Day.

The last few years it has just hurt way to much to go to church on Father's Day. Those were the Sundays we had emergency Disney trips. This year Disney isn't an option and it has been 3 years since we lost him and 5 since he was at church on Father's day so I asked them if they would be okay with going. Honestly I don't want to because it will make me cry thinking about what a wonderful guy he was but I was open to going either way.

Merry explained her thoughts in an interesting way. She told me for her it isn't sad as much as it is uncomfortable. She told me it is like everyone having a lollipop but you and you are going to celebrate lollipops. It isn't as much sad is it is uncomfortable. She said I like lollipops and they are important to celebrate but when you don't have one it is hard.

We are not going to be at church even though we will miss a while with our trip (please don't forget us CRC) but we will be thanking God for all the wonderful men at our church who are amazing Dad's to their kiddos.

I also hope that those amazing men who we celebrate on Sunday may be open to the idea God giving them opportunities to be a father figure to the kids in their lives that do not have fathers. My girls lost their Dad to cancer but their are other kids whose Dad's may be alive but aren't in their lives for whatever reason. There are a lot of is single moms out there who struggle the best they can to be both mom and dad to their kiddos but God designed a child to need a mom and a dad and for whatever reason that role of Dad isn't being met in a kids life I pray that you amazing Dad's out there would be open to stepping in that role for a child who needs it.

My youngest came in the other night and said she read a study where kids who are missing a father figure in their life during their teen years are more likely to do drugs and get pregnant. She said since Daddy died when I was 10 I guess that means I am screwed. I reminded her that she had the most amazing Dad ever for that 10 years and that counts for so much and his influence is still felt in her life on a daily basis.

My girls are blessed they have their Daddy's brothers and Dad who have stepped in and gone to Daddy/daughter dances with them and other things with them. They have seen them come in and save the day when something broke in the house. When we visit my family they have my brother in law who has flown with them on trips before and nephews of mine who have been there to just hang out with them.

I know in the world today the roles of men and women are getting more and more convoluted. It is so not politically correct to say this but what the hay I will say it anyway. Men and Women are different we bring different things to the parenting table and kids need both parts of what we bring.

Dad's rock out loud they are the first best friends to their sons and first loves to their daughters. They help the kids in their life understand more about the awesomeness of our heavenly father when they see how amazing their earthly one is. They give strength and encouragement, they threaten bullies and clean shotguns when daughters start to date. They show their daughters how a man should treat a woman by how amazing they treat their moms. They are there to keep teenage sons from treating their dates like pieces of meat instead of ladies and they are the ones who stand with their daughters at the end of a long carpeted isle and tear up as they remember the 4 year old little girl who came out with fake flowers and a table cloth on her head begging him to walk her down the isle.

My girls have dating and advice and well wishes and prayers for future marriages in letters in a fireproof box. They had a friend stand behind them and show them how to tie a tie when they asked how to do it so they could help their future husbands. They have all ready asked their Grandfather to walk them down the isle one day.

Father's we celebrate you on Sunday and we thank God for all the amazing Dads out their who sew into their kids life and other kids who God puts in their path who need them.

Happy Father's Day

Hitting the road Jack or Jackie in our case...

Wow, the last couple of months have been so depressing. Money has been tight and I mean squeaking out the quarters kind of tight. I don't have a job or benefits and school is taking forever to finish, Annie kept having seizures, I couldn't afford my medication and I just wanted to sit in a pile of ashes and use broken pottery to pick my scabs (Job reference).

I went to church and I laid it out there for all to see. I put how bad things have been on my communication card and I think I was even lower spiritually then right after Gary died. I cried out to God that sunday and told him exactly how he can solve my problems. Funny thing is, when you tell God how to solve your issues I think he just laughs at you. After I calmed down, God reminded me of a small retirement fund that was available to take some funds from and so I did. I took enough to catch up on my mortgage, buy a month of the pricey medication and pay most of my credit card off. Talk about stress relief. That was super stress relief.

Well now that I felt better God started talking again and we got on the subject of summertime. A few days latter I find out I have a few thousand dollars coming from grants at school and God says to me well it is time to hit the road. You know where I want you to move to (Rancho Cucamonga, California) it is time to drive out there and bring your resume and start planting some seeds for you and the girls to move out there.

I know it is totally crazy to jump in the car and drive 2800 miles one way on a whim and a prayer but that is what we are going to do. Not going to tell you when we are leaving cause that would be sort of cray cray to do on a public blog but at some point in the near future we are going to set out for the great unknown. I am going to go armed with copies of my book (if you haven't read it yet, shame on you :)) and a jazzed up version of my resume and see how God uses it all. I am hoping to find groups to speak to about my book and my testimony but even if that part of the trip doesn't work out it will be 20 days of special once in a lifetime memories for the girls and I.

We are planning on seeing things like Bourbon Street, Tennessee aquarium, the Alamo, area 51, grand canyon, Vegas baby, the pacific, route 66, and of course we will visit Homecoming at terra vista in Rancho Cucamonga to see if the apartments are truly as nice as they seem online.

I am not sure what will come from this trip other than callouses on our hineys and we will be on a super tight budget but I have learned when you go into something with no firm expectations and no money is when really cool stuff happens.

Please be in prayer for us and about the godly appointments we will have on the road. I have no idea what God is doing in our lives right now. In a way it is really scary. I am having to walk the path that God is showing me (achingly slow) and trust him to be the father to the fatherless and the husband to the widow.

Steven Curtis Chapman has a new song called the Glorious unfolding and that song speaks to my life right now in so many ways. I am looking forward to taking this next step on my unfolding and see how God uses this trip and who he will bring across our path.

As always I covet your prayers. August will be three years since Gary left us to go to heaven and in some ways I feel like I am a completely different person but then there are months like the last couple where the only thought I had was God screwed up and took the wrong parent, Gary would have been so much better at this than me. That is the truth, he would have been better at this than me but I am the one that was left and I have stuff to do and accomplish. I still have to remind myself of the word from God a friend gave me a week before Gary was diagnosed, she said God wanted to remind me that I was enough.

That is something I think every woman and mother in the world needs to remember.

Thank you for continuing the journey with me and you can find my book "My Journey through the fiery furnace" on Barnes and Noble or amazon.com or on the various ebook platforms.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rolTdI7I_4M

                     This is the logo Merry created for our out of the ruins time




Does anyone ever have anxiety jump on them out of the blue? Today the girls ran into Target to pick up a couple of things and I sat in the car (yes they are teens I can do that now) with the radio pumping and my game up on my phone. I was thrilled I had just gotten past a level I have been stuck at for a week and then the anxiety wave hit me. 

The thoughts came fast and furious, "Wow you are really pretty useless. You cant even get a job", "You are pathetic to think that you, YOU can ever get a job as a writer"and a whole bunch of other stuff that I wont write down. I sat there and the muscles in my neck just twisted up and within five minute the tight muscles turned into a killer headache. 

I have enjoyed the last two and a half years skimming through life living on life insurance. In a lot of ways that cushion of money helped me to live in a bubble and not really face what life was going to be like for the girls and I. 

Now I am back to counting my pennies and reality is crashing down on me. I have chosen a career path based on a lot of prayer and consideration but up to this point the only pay for my work I have gotten has been an attaboy.

Don't get me wrong I LOVE those. I write fanfiction and my last story had 223 positive reviews and 1 negative one. Can you guess which one I dwelled on?

I have faith that I am exactly where I am supposed to be ( I think). It is so hard though. Cassie asked, "Why don't you look for a job in another field?" My answer is doing what? 

I am not a skilled laborer. I am 40 years old and only worked a year of my life and that was answering phones part time and teaching water therapy the other half. I need a secretary, I could never be one. I have a lot of OJT as a nurse and pharmacist but that wouldn't get me a job. There is also that thing about me running away if someone throws up that kept me from finishing the premed thing I had going for a while. I can handle blood and guts (if it isn't my kids's) but let me even hear someone throw up and I am around the corner doing the same. 

I am in that horrible hurry up and wait stage in my life and I HATE it. When things don't happen immediately I fear that I made the wrong choices. 

I say that I wish God would send it to me in writing that I am doing the right thing and you know what he does sometimes and I STILL don't believe him. 

                                             One of the times he sent it to me in writing :)


I am rambling tonight and I am sorry. I ask that you would pray for some God confidence for me. 

Not that life itself doesn't bring enough condemnation but I saw my poor self esteem show up as a quality in my girls. Merry is one of the most talented kids I know and she only can see the flaws in what she does and not how amazing it is that she did it to begin with. 

I want to be an example to my girls of strength and tenacity. I want defy the odds and land a well paying writing job in Southern California with a part time gig on the radio and I want to stand tall and not let fear stop me from doing anything. 

Thank you for walking this out with me. The pastor at church has been doing a series about coming out of the ruins. Every week one of my girls looks at me at some point in the sermon and mouths, "That was just for you from God". 

My faith was at a real low today. I came home and went through old photos and treasures. PS if you are all ready down just skip the whole go through your dead husbands stuff; it will just make it worse. 

I did get a little faith boost tonight. A friend posted a pic of an article I wrote that I didn't think made it through editing. That is always cool to have someone post your work on your page. 

Life is so stinking hard sometimes. I know in the end it will all be worth the struggle. I really look forward to seeing what comes out of the ruins of my life. 

                      The Relay is a really great thing to be a part of.

I guess I should start out with HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I know that is 40 days late, but hey better late than never. :)

I cannot believe that it is 2014. This is going to be a  pivotal year for the Schriver Girls. I think the last two and a half years has been mourning  and trying to make peace with this new life. Now as we go into the third year without Gary life is going to be changing and changing a lot.

I have been flitting through the past few years without a real purpose or goal in mind other than survival. God asked me as we started this New year to begin to examine myself and set some goals.
Let me add a disclaimer first, My main goal is to be a Mom to those three amazing young women but to be fair that has always been my main purpose and even though the job duties will change it will always remain the top purpose to my life.

What I want out of myself this year-

I want to be creative.

I want to begin new projects.

I want to do things that scare the living fudge out of me and do them well.

I want to be open to ANY new things that God wants to throw at me.

I want to work on liking myself and figuring out what makes me feel pretty and feminine.

I want to flirt and be flirted with(I got married when I was 19. I am out of practice)

I want to come up with crazy wild dreams and step back and watch God make them happen.

I want to go to Barnes and Noble when my book comes out and take my picture next to the book in the store.

I want to write another book completely fiction though.

I want to see at least 10 different states this year.

I don't want to expand my horizons I want to realize they are as limitless as the horizon in the sky.

I want to bless a widow.

I want stand up in front of a group of women and share my testimony and NOT feel like throwing up.

I want to have an attitude like the person who rides the roller coaster and throws their hands up and enjoys the ride and stop being the wuss that never leaves the starting line.


They aren't exactly New Years Resolutions but they are my goals for 2014. This is the year to let God build something new out of the ruble that is my life now. I have started working on some of these and I am sure the list will be added but I am ready to get Life 2.0 started

Christmas

This is just a short post. I think I am writing this more to get it out of my head than anything else. 

Last night I asked the kids if they were going to be really disappointed if we have to postpone our Disney trip for a week or so. Of course being the good natured kids they are they said no. Merry then said, "Maybe we can spend Christmas morning in Disney, we can bring a little tree and everything" then she got quieter, "I wouldn't mind not being here on Christmas too many memories in this house and the ones I remember are the bad ones."

Anyone ever ask why we do Disney so much I am going to bring them back to this post. I have spent the last two years of my life trying desperately to fill their little minds with good memories.

Part of me is glad the kids were old enough to really have solid memories of their amazing Daddy but Merry who was only 10 when he died doesn't remember anything before cancer. I am not sure what is better not remembering anything or only remembering the bad. 

Okay that is all for my depressing post of the week. I never thought I would dread a holiday especially Christmas. Okay I am going to go eat some chocolate and get over myself :) 

Advent

The girls and I are celebrating Advent. It is a fun way to countdown to Christmas and remember the reason or the season. I found these readings on Focus on the Family.com. Hope everyone has an amazing Christmas season with TONS of memories.

First Week

Sun. Is. 40:1-5
Mon. Is. 52:7-10
Tue. Is. 40:9-11
Wed. Gen. 3:8-15
Thu. Gen. 15:1-6
Fri. Deut. 18:15-19
Sat. Ps. 89:1-4

Second Week

Sun. Is. 11:1-10
Mon. Zech. 6:12-13
Tue. Mic. 5:2-4
Wed. Mal. 3:1-6
Thu. John 1:1-8
Fri. John 1:9-18
Sat. Mark 1:1-3

Third Week

Sun. Luke 1:5-13
Mon. Luke 1:14-17
Tue. Luke 1:18-25
Wed. Luke 1:39-45
Thu. Luke 1:46-56
Fri. Luke 1:57-66
Sat. Luke 1:67-80

Fourth Week

Sun. Is. 7:10-14
Mon. Luke 1:26-35
Tue. Is. 9:2-7
Wed. Mt. 1:18-25
Thu. Luke 2:1-20
Fri. Mt. 2:1-2
Sat. Luke 2:21-35

Being Thankful and other mental ramblings

Thanksgiving plans for us were sort of a bust this year. We had planned to go and eat with Gary's family and I wanted the girls to meet some relatives that they had never really met before. I was was anxious about going but I am anxious about even going to dinner with my side of the family not because anything is wrong with them it is just a reminder of who I do not have with me anymore. 

Well all plans got pitched because I came down with a nasty chest cold. I spent most of Thanksgiving sleeping in a cough syrup induced coma. I did manage to take the girls out to a restaurant that night. 

I was thinking it was going to be really busy but there was only two families in the whole restaurant. It kind of felt like a scene from an old movie (don't remember the movie just the scene) when a single Dad burned Christmas dinner and ended up eating at a Denny's with his disgusted children. That was us but I didn't even try to cook and my girls roll with the punches and they were stoked to be eating at their favorite restaurant. 

While we waited for our food we did the traditional thing and asked each other what we were thankful for. 

The thing I was most thankful for are my girls. They are the single biggest source of stress and worry in my life but they are also the biggest source of joy and laughter in my life. I really could not have asked for any better children. 

Thanksgiving morning Merry decorated the tree for us and watched a how to video on making pancakes and after successfully making a stack of pancakes brought them to me in bed. She apologized for the food being simple but I was almost in tears, so touched that she would even think about doing such a sweet thing. 

I call my girls the anti teens. I always heard that teens are withdrawn and don't want to be with their parent but not my chickens. I cant even potty without one of them hanging by the door chatting about what they want to be when they grow up or what is happening in their daydreams. 

When their Daddy died I told them that we had to be a team if we were going to survive and a team is what we are. I am so grateful for them plus they are wickedly funny especially my little one. Little one has this ascorbic whit that keeps me rolling. 

My Middle daughter has matured by leaps and bounds since her Dad died. She is sort of my Mommy 2 she helps keep her sisters in check and is often times my sounding board and encourager. 

My eldest has had a tough year physically but she is always willing to jump in and help. She has such a sweet and willing heart. 

I laid in bed this morning in between coughing fits and tried to think about other things that I am super grateful for this year. A lot of self realization has happened this year for me. I think the biggest thing that has happened is how I see myself. I used to tell Gary, "I have a lot of aquaintices but I don't think their is anyone who would really count me as a friend."

 Gary would try and show me I was wrong but I never saw it. I think it really hit home when I was planning my 40th. I invited a bunch of people but honestly I would have been thrilled if one or two people came and I was preparing myself for no one coming. We had thirteen ladies there. I was this cross between stunned silent and giddy the whole night. I felt like Sally Field when she accepted her oscar. I couldn't get the smile off of my face for a week. 

It felt so good to think that I have been a blind fool,I do have friends :) I guess I hide it well but I have a horrible problem with self worth and to think that thirteen ladies would give up an evening at home to come and help me celebrate it was was definitely something to be thankful for. 

The other thing I am thankful for is new opportunities. I have dreamed for a long time about doing things and was petrified at the thought of even trying but this year I got to do them and now I am not so afraid of them anymore. 

My writing weather it has been on fanfiction.net, in the Pv and Atlantic beach life magazine or in school. In September when I started writing I was terrified that I would suck and critics would come back and say something like, "God bless you you tried" or "Honey writing is not your gifting". My articles have been well received and my fanfiction site gets nearly twenty thousand hits a month. 

I also got the chance to be on the radio. Realistically I am not sure if anyone really listens to me but I have had the opportunity to create, write, produce and voice my own radio show and I have had so much fun doing it. I hope that radio is apart of the big picture God is painting of my life right now. 

For the first time in 5 years I am actually looking forward to the this next year. Looking forward to cultivating and appreciating friendships, looking forward to trying even more new things and looking forward to the new adventures that await the girls and I.

I am so thankful that God is watching out for me and nothing we ever face or go through is done alone. 

I feel like I am starting to sound a little like a Hallmark movie but its all true. I guess I have existed in a constant state of numb the last few years. When Gary was battling cancer all my energy went into him and I wouldn't change a moment of any of the time I spent taking care of him. It was the hardest thing in my life and I felt like a part of me was dying with him but he died knowing he was loved and cherished and I think God I was able to give him that gift. 

For probably the first 6 months after he passed it was just numb. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do with myself.

After I got over the first 6 months I got a fresh vision for what I was to do and I started back to school. Not only has school been good in respects for a future job but it has helped me start to expand my horizons. 

I sit now with a term and a half left of school (stadium cheer) and I am so excited to soak up every opportunity that God has for me. Best of all my girls are excited about the future. 

They are excited with the possibility of moving next year. None of us want to leave our church, friends and family but the idea of going somewhere where there is no sad memories only the opportunity to make fresh ones it is exciting. 

I am thankful for this blog and the people who read it. Gary and I started the Cancer Blog the Schriver marathon as a way to keep family informed but soon it became written therapy for us. I hope you can see that this blog is the same for me now. 

Some things that I ask you to be in prayer about. Our family insurance got canceled. I am trying to get the kids on medicaid but I also need to find some insurance for me. I have too many serious health issues to go long without coverage. 

The other thing is in January I am going to really start putting myself out there for a  job. There are so many things I would love to do but I don't want what is good I want what is perfect and ordained by God.

Thank you all for reading and if I dont post again before the new year please know that the girls and I wish for you the Merriest of Christmas's.

I have really stunk at keeping up this Blog lately, I am sorry. The last few months I have been going through a lot of emotions and fighting with God over some stuff.

Back in August after leaving church I felt like God said, "How do you feel about moving?" That took me by surprise. From that moment that God put that thought in my head. The house and the area that had been giving me comfort began to almost smother me. I realized that I couldn't even sit in a parking lot around the corner without being barraged by painful memories.

God started my mind to wandering and I looked into several areas that were job hot spots for someone with a communication degree. I looked into Canada but it is Canada and I am a Florida girl. I would like to visit but I don't think I want to live there.

Then I looked at New York, again I really want to visit there especially at Christmas but live there? Nah. Then I looked at Los Angeles. I immediately blew that off, I am not a young skinny beautiful thing, I am not a person who will be a yes man to some self absorbed movie producer ( I know I am stereotyping big time. I am just trying to be honest here) and living in LA as a single mom with three teenage daughters 2000 miles away from any family, ah no.

My mind wouldn't leave California. One day on the way home from Church (Cathartic moments always happen on the way home from church) I randomly asked the girls, "So what would you think if I told you we were moving to California?" I was fully expecting wailing and gnashing of teeth but they all perked up and answered, "REALLY, when can we go?"

I rolled my eyes at God at that point because on the inside I was telling God that I could never rip the girls away from what they have known their entire life and put them in a situation where I was working full time and they were on their own in a strange place. They would never go for that. Turns out, they were feeling the same things I was feeling. The things that once brought us comfort were feeling more like weights around our neck keeping us from moving forward.

When I say moving forward I will NEVER forget Gary. He was my everything, when he died he took a good chunk of my heart with him. I also know that he wanted more than anything else for me to LIVE and use the gifts that God placed in me. His last real conversation with me was speaking over me what he felt like God was calling me to do and speaking a blessing over the man that God had to take his place has head of the house. He told me to that he saw me becoming a writer and sharing my story with groups and he told me that I had a cache of giftings inside of me that I haven't even begun to touch yet and God was going to birth those giftings out and it will be such an amazing surprise. He also spoke over tha man that would take his position as head of the house one day and said "May he be so loved by the girls that they want him to walk them down the isle" then he gave a blessing for my benefit to this unknown person. :)


Okay let me come back on track from my little bunny trail. California was always on my mind so I started for grins and giggles to look at apartments in LA. Nothing stuck my fancy at least not at the price I could comprehend paying. I could find a bunch for 10 million dollars but who couldn't :)

God led Cassie and I to a small town not to far outside of LA called Rancho Cucamonga (silly name). This is a small planned community at the base of the mountains. They even have their own youtube channel with there own theme song. One of the desires I had was an apartment in a gated community. I found one in Rancho with the bedrooms that we needed and the price we could afford. The community has family pizza nights where you can get pizzas at the main office, movie nights and even their very own Relay for Life. This place looks like it was created from my dream list of apartments.

The girls and I fell in love with the apartment and the community and the area around it. Before we knew it we were envisioning bringing visitors to the outside fireplace and they have all ready decorated their rooms. It was a perfect match for us.

Now comes the hard part finding a job and watching God meet the list of about a dozen things that will have to happen to be able to move. Our home will always be here, family is here and our church family is here but all of us feel like to continue to grow and move forward we have to make some drastic changes in our life.

The plan is to finish college this next summer and then look for a job and move us to California by fall of 2014. That is the plan we made, God's plans can be very different. I feel like this is a plan from God but I am open and so are the girls for anything that God may have for us. I do know that 2014 is a year of change for a lot of people. As we have contemplated change I have found many of my friends tell me that there is change on the horizon for them as well.

I was never a big fan of change. Since Gary died my whole life has been one big change. I am scared but I am also excited. I can picture Gary standing beside us cheering us on. I know that even if he was alive and God wanted me to move for my career he would pack up and move in a minute.

My career that leads me to the last point in this post. I spent a bunch of time while we were recently at Disney World thinking about a question Cassie asked me. She got frustrated with my wishy washy answers and asked me, "What do you want to do with your life, really want to do for a job?" Communications majors have a pretty wide range of job possibilities  but what do I want. I managed to write out a list and a mission statement of exactly what I want. Now we have purpose, we have direction and a place to call home once we get there now we are waiting on the GO from God.

Oh and I have to update you all on my Radio show, I am up to SEVEN shows that all run about 90 minutes each. I have had so much FUN with this radio show. I cant tell you how cool it has been, I look forward to having them throughout the Christmas season. I also had someone recognize me for my writing in the Ponte Vedra and Atlantic beach living magazine. I had a smile on my face all day after that. Still finishing playing email tag with my publisher but the book will be out in 2014 as well. All these things that I always wished I could one day do I am doing them and I am so excited. I still struggle with almost paralyzing nerves but I have a lot of close friends that tell me to get over myself and go for it. It is so amazing to start to live out dreams. 2014 is going to hold so much for the girls and I.

I hope you weren't to shocked over this announcement. We as always covet your prayers. With great change comes great trials and great nerves. I don't want to miss one thing that God has for the girls and I because I am afraid. I want to be cautious and make right choices because hey it just isn't my life I will screw up here. I don't want fear to stop us from having all the blessings God has for us, I feel like he has put dreams inside of me and I cannot wait to see those dreams become our reality.


Life 2.0 it is a God thing ( the logo Merry came up with for us.)

Believing in my self.

There are a few people in my life that I can go to that I absolutely trust. Tonight I went to that person in my life and talked to them about some significant life changes that the girls and I feel are God ordained.

The desperate person in my mind would love for someone to come and confirm that yes I did hear God right and if you follow through with this you wont screw you and your kids life up forever. 

This person is wise enough not to do that for me. Instead he made me think for myself. At first he said it was hard to learn to believe that God would provide and I agreed with him at first but then I caught myself. I don't worry about that one bit. Well okay a little, but it isn't a driving fear. 

While Gary was ill God provided in such miraculous ways it isn't that hard anymore to believe that God can do some crazy stuff. I told him I don't doubt God's provision one bit. The next thing he said hit my issue right on the head. 

You need to learn to believe in yourself.  Even the girls in the car on the way home told me, "Mom, when are you going to realize the only person that doesn't believe in you is you." 

I spent the entire car ride home going round and round in my head with God over the fact that I don't trust myself. I don't trust that I can make a career for myself. I don't trust that I deserve and that I am talented enough to fulfill the dreams that he has placed in me. I don't trust that I will not fail and fall flat on my face. I don't trust that I will not screw my girls life up and they will end up hating me for it. 

God reminded me the last time I hemmed and hawed about a decision that he called me to make. He told me to replace my Expedition. I loved that car and I didn't really want to trade it in so I kept putting it off till one day God just about yelled at me to do what he told me to do and I said, "No God not right now." 

Can I give you a small piece of advice. Do NOT tell God No not right now. We got home and went into the house and a half an hour later we heard a loud BANG and the girl next door rang our door bell and reported, "Ms. Schriver, I think you need to come outside a tree fell on your car." Oh and I forgot to mention we were going on a 2 week vacation the next day. 

I swear I could hear God snicker and tell me, "Told you not to wait." With the help of an amazing father in law I bought a used Honda Van (cannot even begin to spell the name of it) and went on vacation while the insurance fixed the Expedition and I was able to sell it at a good price and blessed a couple with it. 

That made me move a little quicker when God tells me to do something. 

Back to now. God told me in the car, "If you are acting in obedience to what you believe I am telling you to do and you go after it with all your heart, no matter if you heard me incorrectly at the beginning or not I will bless your effort to obey my calling. If you did hear me right then the blessings will still come." 

He reminded me that this time is the beginning of Life 2.0 for the girls and I. I am going to mess up a lot but I am also going to do a lot right and the girls will grow up and start careers and families of their own. 

The motivation behind my life choices right now are simple. I want everything God has for me. I don't want to limit God and limit what he can do through me. 

Gary spoke over me before he died that he saw me as an author and teacher like Beth Moore. Do I believe in myself enough to do that. Um no but I believe in a God who likes to take the foolish things of this earth and confound the wise with them and I totally qualify as a foolish thing. 

The last thing the person I spoke with tonight said to me is when you finally believe in yourself and what God called you to do stop talking and seeking approval from other people. 

Did I mention that this guy has an uncanny knack to find the exact root of the problem and put his thumb on it. I cant help it. I am a people pleaser I want you to be happy with me and love me and stand with me and be a cheerleader to me, if someone says something against me about something I shut down and begin to doubt myself in big ways. 

God is calling me and all of us really to allow God to be our cheerleader and encourager. It doesn't matter if the world is against you if God if for you than you have all ready won. 

I feel better. Thank God for amazing friends in my life. Friends that do not have a problem with telling me like it is. I tease this person that he could tell someone to go to hell and they would thank him. That is how good this guy is ;) 

Life is scary but God is bigger than it all. When I get to heaven I don't want to have missed one opportunity that he had for me. I was blessed with an amazing man that was the most wonderful amazing husband a girl could ask for. I have been blessed with three amazing girls that I get to have the privilege to watch and grow and plant seeds in them that will one day bloom and spread out over the world. 

I want to be an example to them that it is okay to have a dream and it is okay to work for that dream. 

I want to get to heaven in about 60 years and have God tell me well done good and faithful servant you lived your life to the very max and I am proud of you.