Coming Home!!

 One year ago...March 28, 2011 our girl came home to her forever family. 

This is her stepping off the plane and into her new life.

 We have all *grown* in EVERY WAY this year.

  It has been the most blessed and challenging year of growth for this family....SO FAR!!!

Esther has grown the most, especially physically.
She has grown 3 1/4 inches in one year, and she has gained 19 lbs.
That is remarkable.
  She is healthy and thriving in every area of her life.

One year later this is her!  Feeling and looking confident and glowing.

 Esther has been a wonderful blessing to this family.  We have all learned A LOT.  There has been adjustments to make in EVERY area of our lives.  Some of the adjustments have been hard  and some have been easy, but EVERY single adjustment, is worth it, and a BLESSING and a JOY and a GIFT from God.

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 Esther has amazed me.

 She is so bright.  

She is learning a ton in school and in life. 

 Esther has many friends and enjoys sports and loves church and family.

  Esther is NOT the shy or quiet girl that stepped off the plane that day, she is definately a Brewer in every way.  

 She is wild and loud and energetic.

 She never wants to miss a thing, she wants to be involved in everything.

I'm so blessed and thankful that God has allowed me to be this girls Mom. 

 I feel ill equipped most times, but the Lord just provides, and with a whole bunch of grace and love that covers ALL we are definitely  a family and we are bonded right to our very souls.

Bless the Lord O My Soul

My new favorite song!!!!  

My Man is ManUp!

I posted last week that I felt once Charlie and Kole went to Texas our lives would never be the same. 

 That is very true ALREADY!! 

Charlie's HEARING will never be the same. 

Kole has been wanting to go to a MAN UP conference, they have a bunch of Christian music groups that he really enjoys. 

 The groups are hard core Christian Rap Artists...they can rap entire books of the Bible. 

 They are incredible in their talent, and totally sold out Jesus lovers.

As it turned out guess who happened to be in Austin Texas the same time as Charlie and Kole......yep, all the groups that Kole has been wanting to see.  

There is a HUGE music festival going on in Austin right now, and the ONLY Christian label there, happens to be the artists that Kole has been wanting to see.

  All performing in one concert from 9pm - to all horrible hours of the morning.

So my 48 year old awesome MAN...MANED UP and went to the RAP concert with Kole. 

 It was good stuff, they both really liked it, but Charlie is claiming to now be deaf and he claims that he was the "oldest" guy there. He also can not believe that they left at 1:38am and the concert was still going strong!!

That is the time Charlie has told me over and over...not 1:30 or 1:40, but 1:38am.  (makes me smile)

 I laugh every time I think of my small town cowboy man in his cowboy boots, with his very silver hair and his very white and weathered skin just rockin' rappin' out at a Christian rap concert!

 Now THAT IS MAN UP!!!!

I know you can't hear me Charlie, because it has caused permanent hearing damage, but it was a sweet gift from God to our son to have that concert in Austin at the same time he was there, and it was a sweet gift from you to take him and sacrifice your hearing!! 

I'm totally sure, it was worth it~!!!!

A Lump the Size of Texas

I have a lump in my throat the size of Texas. 

 It's a lump that swells up a lot right now.

  It swells whenever I talk about Kole or Texas.

When the lump acts up the eyes water at the same time....it's just a mess!!!

 Kole is a Senior and I'm so proud of him, and I'm excited about his future; he is looking at Texas for college. 

 Him and Charlie are leaving this week to go check it out. 

 Kole has already been accepted and has a full-ride scholarship.

THANK YOU JESUS! 

 He is going for tour of the school and an orientation  to the engineering program. 

 Charlie is going with him, and he has an appointment as well. 

 He is talking to a company down there about construction. 

 I have no idea what the Lord has in mind with all this.

 I'm excited one minute, and panicked the next, thus, the LUMP swells again.  

We are asking the Lord for 

direction and for guidance

 and a very CLEAR answer to college, and everything else.

One thing I know for sure; I'm very excited about the time Charlie and Kole will get to spend together touring around Texas.

  I'm excited about Kole's future and our future.

  Whatever that looks like, I don't know, but I do know

 WHO

 holds the future and so I'm excited to see what He has in store.

 I remember feeling this same way when Charlie and Lashae left for Africa.

  I had no idea what would come of it all, but I knew it was already in the Lord's hands and it was going to be

 GOOD and LIFE CHANGING.

I knew I had zero control of any of it, which just makes me go to the One in control.

  This is the exact way I feel now, about Kole and Charlie's Texas trip and the future.

James 4:13-17

English Standard Version (ESV)

Boasting About Tomorrow

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— ¹⁴ yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷  So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Bull Riders - Brothers - Traveling Partners

Where has Charlie been?

This is a picture of Charlie in the bull riding days.

He is working out of town, he's not too far away, so we do get to see him on the weekends, but during the week he is working and he is staying with an old friend. 

 Not "old"  in the sense of age, but "old" in the fact that he has been friends with Scott since before I was in the picture.  

Scott and Charlie go back to "bull rider days" together.  They were "traveling partners".

  If you don't know anything about bull riders and the lifestyle of these guys, let me give you a brief description.

These guys are "brothers", they travel around on a hope and a prayer.  They are broke most of the time, as they are putting their very lives in danger, one bull at a time. 

 These guys always have a good time, they are "brothers". 

 They look after each other, they help each other, they cheer for one another, they take care of each other's injuries ( and there's plenty of those to go around in a van full of bull riders).  They share everything, if one guy has a good go at a rodeo he helps get everyone to the next one.  

It's been a lot of years since Charlie and Scott were traveling around together, but once a  traveling partner, always a traveling partner through the journey of LIFE.

 They may not talk often or do anything together, or the same, for years at a time, but they are brothers to the core.

When Charlie realized where he would be working he did not hesitate to call Scott, and ask if he could "crash" at his place.  Scott did not hesitate to open his door wide open.

  Not a question, just open door.  

This is not the first time his door has been open to us Brewers. 

 When Charlie and I were first married, and my job was based in Portland, Scott's folks, who barely knew me, opened their door and their hearts to me anytime and every time I needed a place to stay.

Charlie and Scott's lives look very different to most people. 

 Scott, is single with no kids, and Charlie is married with a lot of kids.  

They may have taken different routes in life, but they are 2 guys that have a history and a brotherhood that can never be forgotten or taken away.  

When I call in the evenings to talk to Charlie they sound the same as they did over 20 years ago.

BUDDIES - BROTHERS

I want to thank Scott for taking my man in, and being such a good brother.  Since I'm not there to look after him, I know Scott has his back, just as he did over 20 years ago. 

 I thought I'd give Scott a big shout out to say thanks and let him know a few things.

  I want Scott to know what is going on at his "brothers" house on this side of the mountain.

MY THANKS TO SCOTT:

Thank you for opening your door and your heart to Charlie and ultimately our whole family....hey, we are a herd...you accept one of us, you accept us all.  Hehe  

You are just one good guy with big fun-loving heart.

 I thought I should let you know something though; 

I am praying for you...as is the rest of the herd.

You are taking care of my man and I pray for him, so I've conveniently added you to my list. 

 And just so you know, for whatever reason, not because of anything I've done or said, but just because

 God is so gracious and good, 

He listens to my prayers. 

 He has done amazing things in my life, and the lives of the people I love, just because I've asked Him to.

You see, I have a lot of time to talk to God, because I'm at home a lot and most of my duties are ones I can do without thinking, so I pray. 

 When I'm baking cookies for you and Charlie, or making soup,

 I just PRAY and God hears me.

**God listens to mothers - Jesus' first miracle was done at His mother's request.  I think He has a special affection for a Mother's request.**

While I may not be your mother, there's a simple rule of nature, that once you become a mother, you just want to mother everyone.  

Here's my prayer for you: 

 I'm praying for big blessings of peace and love and joy abounding in your life.  

  So I suggest you 

~put on your cowboy hat~

~cinch up your belt~

~walk in your cowboy boots~

~wear your protective vest~

~get down in the chute~

 ~raise your hand in the air~

~LOOK UP and nod  "YES" to bring it on.~

Be prepared for things to get crazy GOOD in your life, because that's what I'm praying for you.

I'm praying for the

 "ride of your life", 

and you will never be the same!!!!

This is a wedding photo, and Scott is on the bottom left.....always by Charlie's side.