reflections on my costly mistake

(see photo on my last blog!)

First, how I did it: No, Jade, it was not the bicycles. It was that my head was not screwed on properly and put my car in reverse instead of pulling forward out of my garage. I backed into some cabinets. I didn't even realize that I was going backwards when I heard the crack of the window breaking. It sounded like I ran over a lightbulb ... and that's what I thought had happened until I saw the window. I sobbed that afternoon ... feeling so stupid for having done it and also regretting the money that it was going to cost to repair it.
Well, that was last Friday. It's good to have a few days perspective. It did cost me over $400 and the loss of transportation on a weekend that Craig was out of town. However, I can now say it's not a big deal. It is one of my "First World" problems. I have a car! My family has two cars! This is a blessing and a privelege! Yes, we had an accident that costs us something, but nobody got hurt. And if not having transportation for awhile and having to dig into our savings are the only problems I have, I am doing well. It seems like over the past couple months I've seen pain and turmoil in the lives of so many different people around me ... people dealing with serious issues or losses.
It's good again to remember that I have so much more than I need and also to remember not to sweat the small stuff!

a costly mistake

More details later!

aunt christina

My sister Christina came for a visit last week. She lives in Japan right now and was in California for her friend's wedding. We hadn't seen her for about 3 years! Way too long. The kids were excited before she got here even though they couldn't remember her. And once she did get here, they didn't want to be away from her side!
She's such a fun aunt! (It was not easy to keep them from waking her up first thing in the morning.)

Here's a photo of me and Christina when she was a wee one! I think she was two and I was 18 in this photo!

sirica's birthday

Today is our beloved Sirica's birthday. Woo hoo! We love this lady ... she has been such a blessing in our lives! Karis and Daniel adore her. (If you know Sirica, make sure to email or call her with your birthday wishes!)

Happy Birthday Sirica! We love you! LCK&D

(The photo is far too old, but I like it!)

pumpkin patch

We went to the pumpkin patch with our playgroup last week. Karis refused to be in the group photo, but you can find Daniel in there! ... plus all their buddies! (These are the children of all the moms that I went away with a few weekends ago.) October has been and will continue to be a crazy month in the Sabraw house. We've got way too much going on. You may have noticed that I haven't been blogging as much. Hopefully life will slow down a little bit after this month ... but then again it may not slow down until after the holidays!

back in time

When I was in high school (it's a little scary to think about how long ago that was!), my friends and I loved listening to Michael W. Smith. My two best friends back then were Karen and Christy. Wherever we went, we loved to crank up the car stereo and sing with MWS. We saw him in concert once ... we stood at the very front and center of the pit. I have very rich memories of all my adventures with those two girls.
Last night, Karen and I went back in time ... we saw MWS in concert ... it's probably been about 20 years since that last concert! Christy was supposed to be there, but unfortunately couldn't make it. Over the years Karen and I have stayed in close contact, but it's been far too long since either of us have spent any time with Christy. (We missed you, bud!) But we did have a great time with her younger sister, Sherri, and another high school friend, Sandy.
As for the concert ... I was a little concerned about whether I'd enjoy myself. I really haven't listened to any of his music through the 90s and 00s. I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that he only sung one of his songs from the 80s. Can you guess which one he sang? (Any former MWS fans out there?) But I did enjoy myself. It was a very uplifting, worshipful concert. And he's very funny/entertaining ... I'm not sure what I liked more, the music or his stories. And I'm inspired get some of his newer music and to find all my old music of his ... of course everything I had is on cassette!!! I'm not sure how I'll play it!

a weekend with the ladies

Laughter ... tears ... great conversation ... chocolate ... good wine ... martinis ... margaritas ... cooking ... delicious food ... shopping ... an awesome group of women ... what a weekend! Each fall I get the privilege of spending a weekend with this incredible group of women who were brought together by our firstborn children. This group of women inspires and encourages me as a mommy, a woman, and a Christian. We had a great time on our retreat! My favorite part of the weekend was the hours we spent just sitting around the house talking, laughing, and crying together. These are priceless moments! Thank you to all our wonderful hubbies (and one grandma!) for watching the kids and giving us this time together.

perspective

I have been reminded lately, in many ways, of how much I have. God has blessed me with far more than I need. In the community that I live in, it's easy to feel like I don't have much ... but it's good to be reminded that I am one of the wealthy of the world and that God has given me so much beyond the financial ... wonderful family & friends, health, ... .
After hearing someone speak in church about his trip to Africa, I searched out this photo that I took in Guatemala. I used to keep it on my refrigerator ... and now it's back there again. It's a good visual reminder when I start thinking (or complaining), "Why don't I have ... ."