Friday

It's Friday!!!! I didn't think this day would ever come. It has been a hard, long week. A week full of trainings and sitting all day long. I am not a sitter. I don't know how people can sit behind a desk 8 hours a day. As a teacher, you rarely get to sit down and so, I am just used to being on my feet majority of the time. So my body feels out of wack from sitting so much this week. Oh, and doing taekwondo makes me super sore, so you can probably imagine how my body feels. I could use a good  massage. :) 

One thing I am looking forward to is that my sister is coming to visit on Sunday! I can't wait. I haven't seen her in a year. Unbelieveable. How can that be? I hope that next year I will be able to visit with her more. It has been hard living away from family. I am thankful for Skype, social media, cell phones, email, etc that allows us to communicate with eacher other. 

Well, I don't have a lot of things to say this week. I just wanted to get words out. Plus, no one  really reads this anyway, so I shouldn't stress. 

                                 

Hearing Double

"Prepare for twins..." is something I heard whispered in my head not too long ago. Since then, I've seen countless pairs of twins, equipment for twins, articles about twins and seeing doubleon the clock, i.e. 11:11, 12:12, 2:22, etc.

Now, I believe God speaks to us in interesting ways. For example, before I met my husband (John), it seemed that every guy I met at work or school was named John. Before we moved to Texas, I kept hearing about Texas and sure enough, we moved to Texas a few months later. So you can probably understand when I heard about the voice telling me to prepare for twins caught my attention. :)

Obviously I don't know what the future holds. I/we feel ready to start the next chapter in our lives...kids. We have been together for 8 years and married for 7 years and have the bulk of our education out of the way and financially able to bring in a little one (or two).

I can't wait to be a mom, but yet nervous and scared, especially since now we are at that point of really trying for one. Last year when we were "seeing what happens," I really stressed out and got disappointed every month the test said negative. Then I would get to thinking that there was something wrong with me, even though the doctor said I looked good and healthy. I actually welcomed the forced break we took this year because of the cruise we are taking in December and you can't be in your third trimester or bring a baby on board while crusing.

It seems that getting pregnant is harder than our health teachers in high school lead on. It also seems like the most stressful thing...ever. I have heard so many horrible things about pregnancy and the worries that come with being pregnant. Though I appreciate hearing other peoples experiences, the stories are becoming overwhelming and make me even more stressed about the process.  I am now worried about having a miscarriage, bleeding, ripping, my baby having 3 eyes and 2 toes...the list  goes on and on. 

This time around, I am going to really let God in control. I feel that if I wasn't meant to be a mom, then God wouldn't have given me the desire to be a mom. I know God will protect me and my baby and that I don't need to fear. 

So, now we wait. It could be this month, next month or a year  from now. I am really excited and I know John is too. Keep us in our prayers. 

Faith As A Mustard Seed

Have you ever been confused about  your life? Lost motivation and do not know where you are heading? Yeah, me too! The last few months for me have been hard. I have been fighting life. It seems as nothing is working out and I have to fight every minute just to make it through the day. I have been battling anger, depression, stress and anxiety. It has not been fun and I often feel like there is something wrong with me because I can't get out of this funk. I am usually good about pin pointing the real trigger, but so far I have nothing. 

So what is causing this big stir inside of me? 

Could it be all of the change that has happened in the last year and it has caught up to me? Is it because I felt like I was screwed over in grad school and had to put off graduating for the second time? Or is it because I am homesick and whenever I see or talk to my family, I am reminded that I really do have parents and a sister and they are more than just a photo on Facebook or a voice on the phone. 

Even though these past few months have been hard, I know that for whatever reason, there is some good that will come out of it. Maybe I am meant to deal with some terrible things that have happened to me in the past and even though I thought I have dealt with it, maybe I haven't to the full extent. Or maybe its a wake up call to really do self care and to take life my slowly, as I am a very impatient person. :) 

Whatever it is, "if you have a faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you" Matthew 17:20. I am confident that God will help me work through these tough days and that I will be able to overcome these challenges.

Our Yearly Holiday Newsletter

The Lehr Family

Holiday Newsletter

 

Hey y’all! 

It’s that time of year where we reflect on what the year has brought our family.

It has been a very busy year, with a lot of changes for sure! Living in Texas has been an amazing experience. We have been able to explore new land, experience Texan culture, including the crazy weather, make amazing friends and been able to grow stronger as a couple/family.

We also grew as a family. In May, we rescued a very scared Chihuahua that was in our front yard. We never found the owner and we think he was abandoned. However, he has made himself right at home and adjusting to his new life just fine. We are hoping next year we will be adding to the Lehr residence...if you know what we mean. ;)

We are excited for what 2013 will bring. We hope that you have a wonderful year and we miss you all!

Best wishes for the New Year!

 

-The Lehr Family

Some Pictures from our year.....

Lil Guy ready for Christmas

At 6 Flags with my sister

The big move from Portland to Fort Worth

Sunset in Texas

Riley

Katie

Candy Wrap

Just a little humor. This is one of my favorite Chris August videos. We have seen and talked to him in person. Pretty cool guy and good musician. 

Life Is An Adventure.

2012 has been an interesting, yet exciting year for us. This time last year the thought of moving to Texas hadn't crossed our mind. We were busy finishing up graduate school and just getting by in life. This time last year was pretty tough for us, but as always, we pulled through.

Texas has been good to us. We have met amazing people, seen new territory that we haven't seen before, experienced crazy Texas weather (including tornadoes), ate a lot of good food, learned how to pump my own gas, took in an abandoned Chihuahua and most importantly, our marriage got stronger than ever.

This whole Texas journey has been God at work. I had a slight feeling that our time in Texas would be short. I am so thankful John was able to get the position he did in the consulting firm. The job provided us with things that we were not used to having or never been able to enjoy. I know John has other opinions about the consulting firm he was with, but I am proud that he gave his 110% and never gave up. He may not believe it now, but he gained a lot from working there and one day he will look back and appreciate the little things he got out of it. He is and always will be my hero.

It was hard to see him get treated the way he did. It took every ounce of me to refrain from calling up his boss and chewing him out. I don't understand why superiors feel they need to treat "rookies" like a piece of garbage and belittle them, especially when they are giving it their all. I am confident that one day they will realize they made a mistake for letting John go. It is their loss and I'm not sad to see John be apart from the company. He deserves much, much better.

Even though it was hard to see John get verbally abused and harassed everyday, I know there is a reason why he was put into that position. I know there is a reason why we moved to Texas. There is always a plan for everything, even if we may not understand why we have to go through the hard times or even move half way across the country to only live there for less than a year.

Today, John flew to California to meet with another consulting firm. Interviews had already been going on way before he was let go from his previous company. His connection to this new firm was the guy who interviewed him in January for the position he just had. Funny how that works out. I hear the interviews today went well, but the thing is that this new position will be in California or Washington. Which means, there is a good possibility we might be moving back to the West Coast in a couple of months.

I can hear some people say that we are flaky or indecisive, but I see it as an adventure. Yes, the thought of packing and moving again does not sound fun, but if moving is what God has planned, then why complain. Like I mentioned, Texas has been amazing. The next location might be just as amazing.

I think what has saved me through this whole year is that I let God take care of the details. Philippians 4:6 says "don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done." I have done this and I've been at peace. I can't wait to hear if John got the job or not. I have a strong feeling he will, but it's up to God to tell us what's next in our lives.  

Run:4Justice

Many of you known that violence against children and women has been an interest of mine for a while now. I have been a crime victim advocate where I have educated teens and adults about domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and child abuse. In college I have done a lot of presentations and papers on this topic as well.

Human trafficking is another form of violence against children and women that has been popping up in the media in recent years. This is not a new form of violence..it's been going on for many, many years that not only occurs overseas, but in your community as well.

Our church: 121 Community Church in Grapevine, Texas is hosting a 5k run/walk event called Run:4Justice on October 27, 2012 that will benefit International Justice Mission, a human rights agency that rescue victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violence.  

Our lifegroup that consists of six couples are raising money for this cause. Our goal is to raise $1,000 by October 27th. We are asking for your help. We have taken a stand, will you?

Please check out our fundraising page and consider making a donation. 

http://ijmfreedommaker.org/account/1198/Our-Life-Group-is-Running-4-Justice

 Below is an article from International Justice Mission describing what children and women are subjected to. Please take a stand and say no to to this form of violence. Thank you.

Injustice Today

"Today, millions of lives around the world are in the grip of injustice.

More children, women and men are held in slavery right now than over the course of the entire trans-Atlantic slave trade: Millions toil in bondage, their work and even their bodies the property of an owner.

Trafficking in humans generates profits in excess of 32 billion dollars a year for those who, by force and deception, sell human lives into slavery and sexual bondage. Nearly 2 million children are exploited in the commercial sex industry. The AIDS pandemic continues to rage, and the oppression of trafficking victims in the global sex trade contributes to the disease's spread.

In many countries around the world, pedophiles find that they can abuse children with impunity. And though police should be protectors, in many nations, their presence is a source of insecurity for the poor. Suspects can be held interminably before trials, imprisoned for crimes they did not commit.

The land rights of women are violated on a massive scale worldwide, but with particular ferocity in Africa, leaving widows and other women in vulnerable positions unable to care for themselves or their children. Around the world, women suffer the double trauma of rape - and seeing their perpetrators face no consequences.

Often lacking access to their own justice systems and unable to protect themselves or their families from those more powerful, it is overwhelmingly the poor who are the victims of these brutal forms of abuse."

Taken from International Justice Mission. http://ijm.org/our-work/injustice-today