Aria in the news - helping a charity called Blake's Miracle

Blake's Miracle is a charity that provides music and massage therapy at the hospital for children who are sick.  Every year, SwimUSA holds a Swim-A-Thon that helps raise money to support the charity.

Last year, Aria was asked to hand out the ribbons to the participants. She was not able to swim due to just getting out of the hospital after her fifth brain surgery. It was the fourth one in less than six months.

This year they wanted her to do it again but they also wanted her to swim. They also asked if she would be part of the promotion attempts to raise money and so Aria has been in the newspaper and on Fox 10 Morning show this week.

East Valley Tribune article

Fox10 Morning Show - Aria has had 14 surgeries but only five of them have been brain. Four of them were last year. Anyway, we tried to clarify this with them but they still messed it up. Oh well.

If you'd like to help support this charity, go to Blake's Miracle

HOPE KIDS - Restoring Hope. Transforming Lives.

My daughter, Aria, is a Hope Kid and I want to say how glad we are to be a part of such a great organization. Hope Kids is a non-profit group that helps families who have children with severe health problems be able to go out as a family and enjoy time together. Anyone who has had health expenses knows that usually the first thing to go is any sort of recreation or family fun time together because the family can’t afford.

This organization allows families to have fun together without have to worry about the expense of it, except for the gas to get there. We’ve been a part of several activities in the past four months since we joined. A couple times we went to family fun center where the families were treated to a movie, bowling, laser tag, and a free game card for each child in the family.

This past weekend we went to a family carnival that was sponsored by a local preparatory academy where the families had access to free food, lots and lots of games, face painting, music, zip line, bouncy house, and lots of prizes. It was a great afternoon that we were able to spend with our family that we would not have been able to enjoy without being a part of Hope Kids.

In December, they will be hosting a Christmas party where all Hope Kids will get a day of fun with snow, Santa, and a gift individualized for each Hope Kid.  It's going to be a real fun event for the families.

THANK YOU, HOPE KIDS!!

Our Dark Cloud OR God's Plan

Last week I had to tell my boss about going out of town in June for the trial in NH and I gave him a quick rundown of Tina's life and what we've been through over the past four years of churches, media, trials, etc. He said, "that beautiful, young woman who I met a couple weeks ago has gone through all that?" I said, "yes, she's beautiful and she's been through that and much more. I'm just giving you the Reader's Digest version."

He's been my manager for the past nine months and so he's been told about Aria's five surgeries since last October and what she's been through. He's extremely amazed at our strong, sweet, little girl whom he met once when she came to my job.

He knows that we're in the middle of trying to sell our house to pay down some our debt.

On Friday, I told him that our dog's not doing well and we may have to put him down. He doesn't know yet that we did it. He was just amazed at one more thing going "wrong" in our lives. He joked that we have a "dark cloud" over our lives and moved himself back from desk.

I thought about that and I can see why people might wonder how we keep our sanity. On some days, it's not easy.

I don't see this as a "dark cloud." No, it's not easy or pleasant but it's life. It's the path that God has given us to walk and we won't turn back and we won't sit on the sidelines and we won't quit.

Here's what I believe.

1. This is God's way of showing us that He's in control.
2. This is God's chance to show us His grace worked out in our lives.
3. This is God's method of bringing Himself glory.
4. This is God preparing us for the future and what else He has planned for us.
5. Our lives reflect God's control, His grace, His glory, and God's working in our life to our friends, co-workers, and relatives, if we allow it through our faithfulness and willingness to accept and do what God has set before us.

Isn't that what life's about? Yesterday, the youth pastor made a great point as he preached to our church. He said, "God's not just a part of your life, He is your life."

My prayer is that as our family goes through the trials of life, or as some people may see as a "dark cloud," that they see God's Hand. They see a witness of God's power and grace and that God is magnified through our lives by us being faithful to Him.

WHY I LOVE MY WIFE

My wife texted me and said, “I love you.” I responded “I love you, too.” She responded, “why?” I thought about it for a little bit because I wasn’t sure what to answer. I texted back, “because you’re awesome.” It’s the truth, but is that really a good answer?

There are a lot of things that I love about my wife but they’re not the reason I love my wife.

I love that my wife is beautiful. I find her very attractive and time won’t be able to change that.

I love that my wife is frugal. I can’t tell you how much time and energy my wife puts into saving our family money. It’s awesome!!

I love that my wife is a great wife. She takes really good care of me.

I love that my wife is a great mom. She always has their best interests at heart. She’s heavily involved in their safety, medical care, school education, training, and anything else you can think of.

I love that my wife is a great cook. I have many people, not just my kids that can attest to that.

I love that my wife is creative. One of may things she can do is sew and this has allowed her to make Easter dresses for our girls that past few years and she's made hats for my daughter so she doesn't have to feel uncomfortable after Aria's brain surgeries.

I love that my wife is friendly. People love my wife. They love talking with her.

I love that my wife is caring. People reach out to her for support. A person may just want to talk and they'll know Tina will listen and that she'll care. Sometimes a person will want advice and they'll ask Tina. They know she'll give them an honest answer. 

All these things above could change. It won't matter. It won't matter why the change. It won't matter if she can't do them any more. I won't matter if time takes away these things or if chooses not to do them any more. I will love my wife.

I love that my wife is my wife. I can't imagine my life with anyone else. I don't want anyone else to be my wife. 

I love my wife because she is my wife. I love her because I choose to love her. I love her because I WANT to love her.

If I choose to love my wife because of the things that I love about it, my love is conditional. My love is based on the things that I love about her.

If I choose to love her because I WANT to love her, then when and if those things change, I can still love her unconditionally without worrying about her changing and not being the person I think or want her to be. I can love her through the tough times. I can love her through the times when I don't "feel" like it.

I love her and I always will. No matter the time that passes, the circumstances that happen, or the changes that occur, I will always love my wife because I made that choice when I married her and I WANT to love her for the rest of my life.

VALENTINE'S DAY 2014 - My Favorite One - so far

On February 14^th, my wife and I had plans to go out for dinner. Our two oldest children were at a church activity for a couple of hours and we had a friend at our house ready to watch Aria. It had only been one week since Aria’s brain surgery but she loves our friend and we thought it would be fine.

As we tried to leave, she starts begging us not to go. She’s clinging to us and didn’t want us to leave her. So, my wife came up with a brilliant idea of ordering some food and having Aria be our waitress and include her in our romantic evening.

I headed out to Pei Wei to pick up a couple dinners to bring back. While I was gone, my wife set up a small table with candles in the front room. When I came home, we sat down and Aria came to take our order and asked us what we wanted to drink. She brings our drinks and then takes our food order. Our friend helps her put food on the plates and she brings us our food. Every few minutes she would come in and ask us if we need anything more to drink or some more food.

She was so cute. It was great to be able to include her in our special evening. After we were done, she asked if we’d like to go to a private room to snuggle and kiss. She was coached by our friend but it was really sweet. She walked us upstairs to our room and then went back downstairs to be with our friend.

We didn't get to be alone too long because we had to go pick up the kids from church and then we all headed to the airport to pick up my sister, Tammy, who was coming into town to spend a week with us.

Overall, it was just a great and wonderful evening and definitely one to remember.

ARIA - "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

How many people do you know that have five or six rare health issues? Until my daughter, I didn’t know any. That’s what my daughter, Aria, has to deal with but if she was to walk into the room, you’d never know anything was wrong with her.

I was thinking, “How could so many things be wrong with her?” I have to realize that God made her that way.

In Psalm 139 it says,

13 For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.

I know that’s a strange thing and it’s easy to think that when you’re “healthy, wealthy, and wise” but what about a little girl like Aria.

Looking at just a small part of Aria’s medical history, you’d wonder how I could think that she’s “fearfully and wonderfully made” but here is why I believe it’s true.

1. God has made an incredible girl who has allowed her body to deal with her health issues as we try to resolve them as best we can.
2. Aria has an incredibly high pain tolerance and is able to handle things that most children could not.
3. Aria has such a sweet spirit about her and is just a blessing to all those she meets.
4. God has given her such patience and grace to accept her life the way it is with very, very little complaining.
5. Although God has made her beautiful on the outside, more important, she’s beautiful on the inside. That’s what’s important and that’s what comes through her daily life as she lives, a much a possible, a “normal,” spunky, happy, and satisfied life.
6. God has a special plan for her life. Through her, God will bless others and God will be glorified.

Aria is a little girl who has been “fearfully and wonderfully made."

Haydn's Baptism

Tonight I was able to baptize Haydn. It's such a great experience to get a chance to baptize your own children. I baptized Suzanna a couple of years ago and I might get to baptize Aria in the next year or two.

I tried to upload a video but it's not working. You can see it on my FB page. 

Aria in Christmas Program at IWG

Our kids go to Imagine West Gilbert and are doing great there. They have programs all the time but today Aria had a Christmas one and she is so cute that I just had to share.

Christmas at DSC 2012

We go to Desert Springs Church in Chandler. We love it!! I just wanted to share some of the events that our kids have been involved in this Christmas. I hope you can see why we love it.

The Children's Choir

(my daughter, Aria, has her hand over her mouth)

The Children's Christmas Production

My daughter, Suzanna, being a great angel with lots of enthusiasm.

And the snow brought in that leads to snow ball fights.

"All is Vanity (Emptiness)"

I listened to Ecclesiastes yesterday morning and I listened to it again this morning on the way to work. Over and over again, "The Preacher," King Solomon, exclaims that everything is vanity. He did everything he wanted, and had wealth beyond measure, and he sought for wisdom and knowledge his entire life, and at the end of it all, he claims that "it's all vanity." Sounds hopeless but it's not. In this book, He's trying to impart wisdom to us, his listeners.

I'd like to share some of the things that I picked up while listening. It's things that I struggle with at times.

First, enjoy life. Several times Solomon tells us that whatever our lot in life, we need to enjoy it. In the end, it's all we really have. We could strive and strive for more and more and not be satisfied. We start with nothing and we don't take anything with us when we die. What do we have? We have the life that is given to us and Solomon says in Ecc.5: 18 "Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot."

The second thing that caught my attention was in Ecc.6:9a "Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite." For more than five chapters Solomon has been talking about the striving for more, the emptiness it brings, the lack of satisfaction, and still striving for more without enjoying what you have and then this verse. It tells me that it is better to see what I already have then to chasing after my wants. In another place he uses the analogy that it's just like chasing the wind.

The third, and probably most important, words of wisdom (and goes nicely with the first one) that I heard these past two days is found in...
                 Ecc. 9: 7-10 "Go, 
                          1. eat your bread with joy, and 
                          2. drink your wine with a merry heart, for 
                          3. God has already approved what you do.  
                          4. Let your garments be always white. 
                          5. Let not oil be lacking on your head.
                          6. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, 
                all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the grave), to which you are going."
     
When I put all this together it reminded me that I should enjoy the life that God has given me and not be wishing for things that I don't have. I need to enjoy the time I have with my wife and kids and don't waste my time thinking about having bigger and better. Whatever I do, whether work or play, do it with everything I have. I have what I have because God's already approved it for me and it's all for nothing if I'm not satisfied with my lot in life.

Solomon sums it all up in Ecc.12: 13 "The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." 

While we enjoy our portion in life that God has given us, our duty in life is to honor and obey Him. I can't think of anything better than having satisfaction in life while serving my God.

BLESSINGS

God's Providence
       I want to thank God for His Providence and guidance in our lives. The Lord has provided for our family in numerous ways.
       1. God provided a job for me for the past seven years that has paid enough to allow my wife to stay home and take care of our children. This is no small thing in today's economy.
       2.  God has allowed Tina to do some part-time jobs in teaching and tutoring around the kids' schedule.
       3.  God's given Tina a gift of being able to save our family a LOT of money through coupons and other store incentives. It helps the paycheck a lot when a very gifted wife is able to stretch it.
       4.  God has brought many people, especially the past two years, into our lives that have been such an encouragement and blessing to us in so many ways.

Education Pays!!!
       My wife and I completed our master's degrees a few years ago but for various reasons my wife has stayed home with the kids. A couple years ago we put our children into a charter school, which we love, and now our youngest is in kindergarten. Tina's been volunteering there in the kids' classroom but at the end of last year they were pushing her to get a substitute teaching certificate for this upcoming school year.
       Education pays because she already had the education she needed to do the paperwork (fingerprint card, background check, application, etc.) and she was able to submit and receive her certificate that allows her to substitute teach. It took months to come in but she got it this week and the school is excited and has already put her to work and has scheduled for a couple more days next week.
       Tina's very excited and all the teachers there are telling her that they are going to request her if they ever need a substitute teacher for their class.

Our Church
       We have been at our new church for over two years now. I LOVE IT !!! I'm excited to go to church every Sunday. The love of God is evident among the believers. They love God, each other, and helping not only those in the church but also those in the community. There is a major focus on relationships with God, each other, and the community. There's no condemnation and guilt but an encouragement to listen to God, to obey, and let God have the preeminence in your life. The conviction comes from the Holy Spirit, not the man on stage laying on a guilt trip.