Correction

As of yesterday morning at 6:25 am I can no longer claim to be a local, can no longer feel settled here, can no longer consider myself a Californian. Literally, my world was shaken at that moment.  You may have heard about it on the news but in case you did not, you should know an earthquake that measured 4.4 on the Richter scale happened to be my alarm clock on St. Patricks Day. Unless you've experienced one, you will never know how unsettled it makes you feel.  I jumped out of my bed after the wobbles ceased and stood there, heart beating, hands shaking, weak….wondering what to do next.  I just walked around the house for about ten minutes as I tried to collect myself.  George called and said he had been in Pre-Op when everything started to shake and he said it was a little blurry for about 20 seconds.  I would not know, my eyes were shut when it happened.  The whole room cheered for George when he casually mentioned it was his first experience with an earthquake.  No one cheered for me.  I got out my bible and began to pray, Lord- please keep us safe from danger.  I was truly afraid.  Get me back to NC where we watch hurricanes come to shore for days on end, laugh at news anchors who hold the same stick as "debris" props time and again, where we have time to fill up the bathtub with water, make our way to the Harris Teeter for bread, milk and eggs and replace our flashlights with fresh batteries before all hell breaks loose.  I will take that any day of the week over the sneak attack of an earthquake.  Now I feel like I need a crash course on what to do in case of an earthquake.  *Note to self - research online*.

Before all that happened we had a really nice weekend!  Friday George came home at noon and we packed the car for San Clemente to visit our surrogate family here.  We arrived around 2:30 and spent the afternoon on the beach.  We went to Beach Fire for dinner and got Mahi Tacos and Calamari.  For dessert, we happened upon a great little froyo place that even had a special treat for my non-dairy husband.  The Chocolate Bliss Shake had their signature frozen coconut base, homemade raw almond milk, agave nectar, cocoa, and chocolate nibs.  All organic, no refined sugars.  It was fantastic.  Saturday we were treated by Evey to a wonderful breakfast at a beach front local joint where the waitresses greet her with hugs and kisses.  I got an egg white scramble with spinach and feta, and all sorts of veggies and Georgie and Evey split an order of blueberry pancakes.  Norma Jean and Evey also split an egg scramble.  Big George ate his and then finished everyone else's leftovers.  Once we returned with bellies full, we spent the morning at the neighborhood pool.  Georgie loved it and big George and I loved the hot tub!!  Saturday night we had dinner with Steve, Flora, Evey, Norma Jean and the three of us.  Flora made a beautiful salad and Steve picked up seafood soup from Nick's, their favorite restaurant.  It was perfectly light but filled us up for our trip back to Pasadena.  We then said good bye to our surrogate family here in California (so thankful for them!).  It was a much better trip than our previous one over Thanksgiving, except for the fact that Susan, Ryan and Will were not there.  That would have made it the perfect weekend.  Sunday we had a full day.  George went in to work in the morning and met us at church.  My softball game was at 2:00 and then we had two parties in a row.  The first one was a three year old birthday party for Baz who lives on our street and the second was a family potluck at the Skinner's house.  We had lots of fun but ate way too much corned beef and cabbage.  We got home and crashed.  Monday was spent in a fog since Georgie and I are both sick and because I started the day with an earthquake.   I managed to go to the post office and the grocery store and then made our way back over to Baz's house to finish up the leftover corned beef and cabbage.  Now I have really had enough of that meal until next year.  We played in the bouncy castle left over from his birthday party from 3-7pm.  Lots of other neighbors dropped in and by the time they served us the meal, they had quite a crowd for the second night in a row.  And I thought I was tired!!  Today was George's half-birthday celebration at school.  Since his birthday falls in the summer, we celebrated today.  The theme of the week is the color black so I made chocolate cupcakes with black currant/ dark chocolate almond buttercream frosting.  I also made black bean/ black rice with black tortilla chips and black seedless raisins.  I think he had a great time and felt very special today.  He finally took a nap today, YES!  Here are a few pictures for you!

 This is George and Evey in the front seat and we are off to breakfast!

"It don't get no better than this right here"

-Rebecca Edwards

Beach and Friends!

Way back when we first moved here, before we made many friends, George and I would go and spend the day out on the beach just the two of us.  It was mostly fun but I could not help but be a little sad as I watched other groups gather, giggle, and sunbathe together.  As much as I love my little bear, and as much as I adore the beach, the beach is always more fun with friends.  Well, Wednesday I got my wish.  We went to Malibu with Maynell, Cole and Lena.  We started at John's Garden and got smoothies and sandwiches. They were out of prosciutto and so, alas, I did not get the sandwich I have craved since the big bad seagulls ate the first one.  We had a great time in the shallow surf because there were lots of rocks to explore.  The sea life amongst the rocks amazed the kids and we even watched a seal sunbathe for the better part of the afternoon not 30 yards away from us.  We even saw a starfish this time! It was so tiny and so bright orange that at first I thought it was an earring someone had lost. We had all kinds of snacks, beach chairs, beach blankets, and George and Cole even picked up two hot chicks.  Seriously, they did.  Maynell and I watched as these two scantily clad teens "helped" Cole and George hop from rock to rock and bent over to show them who knows what.  This was George's first time but apparently Cole is a ladies' man and has picked up many a lady.  It was too funny!  We finally collected our little men and decided it was time to go.  We left around 3:45 and did not pull onto our street until after 6:00.  Traffic crawled the entire 20 miles home.  Thats LA for you!  I was seriously afraid I would run out of gas in the middle of the freeway. I did get to talk to a good friend for about an hour and then my daddy for a good little while too.  You just have to make the best of it!  After that trip we decided if we go back to the beach on a weekday, it will be an Orange County Beach to avoid downtown.  Here are a few pics!

ARRRRGGGG

I don't have long because George is awake and will call my name again any second.  I still want to give an update because we've had a lot of fun the past few days and I hate when I get so behind I don't even know where to start.
Thursday- I hate Momo the clock.  He turned our regularly calm morning into a screaming match.  And I am pretty sure I lost.  6:30am- I wake to hear George playing in his room (I knew I had set Momo to wake at 7:00) so I thought,"Great, its working"  George must have heard my thoughts because he yelled, "Is it time to wake up?" I yelled back, "Are Momo's eyes open?" (I knew they were not, or shouldn't be) to which George replied "YES"and I with a quizzical look, "YES?"  and finally, George with "YES!" "Nooooooo" <---- that was me.  I walked in a sure enough, Momo had opened his cute little eyes.  Stupid little monkey almost got thrown against the wall.  (I should remind you that I was operating on a 30 day week since my last weekend with my husband was in January- I normally don't desire to throw cute defenseless monkey clocks against the wall).  Then George said, "I opened them".  OK. Isn't it kind of THE POINT of this expensive clock that kids are not supposed to be able to control when they wake up?  Why is it so easy to figure out? Come ON makers of Momo…..I put Momo back to sleep and screams ensued over the next 30 minutes.  "Good Morning!!!!!" (read with chirpy sarcastic voice).
Thank goodness it was a school day! I dropped him off and when I picked him up, he was on the leader chair with his leader badge, so proud of himself! He is a pretty adorable leader, I think I would follow him anywhere.
The next thing I knew he had invited Natalie to the park with us.  It was pretty funny because I don't know Natalie's mom very well but as we collected our things, George just totally invited her without my help, direction, or counsel.  It turned out to be a great thing, me and Natalie's mom really hit it off and it turns out her husband writes for TV shows- probably ones you have heard of!  Everyone here is in the "Biz"  I had a friend turn me down to hang out the other day because, "pilot season is just so hectic, can we reschedule till after March?"  I am happy to acquiesce but feel a little dumb because its something folks here don't think twice about.  March is pilot season, who knew? Apparently the writers find out what they have been selected for in March and April because my new friend said if her husband got anything really good, she'd take me on set when the episode is filmed.  Man, what a different world!  Good choice of friends to invite to the park, George! Really though, I was thankful he invited them, I really liked Natalie's mom, regardless of her husbands profession.  Thursday night we went to the farmers market and who is the first person we see? Natalie, again!  Thats the South Pasadena community, such a small small town!  After Natalie left, George found another friend named Matthew and I sat and talked to a friend for the majority of the night while they played.  

Friday I took George to disney because, well, no reason! Its close, its gorgeous out, we had nothing else to do and I thought for my first fast of the lenten season I would need some distractions if I was to complete the sun up to sun down fast to which I have committed.  Disney definitely provides distractions.  I was fine until George wanted a greasy corn dog and then I paid 7$ for said corn dog and then he ate about three bites. Its 5:30 pm,  I've fasted all day, there is a (7dollar) piping hot corn dog in my face that smells like heaven and I have walked all over two parks worth of Disney since 11 am.  What would you have done?  Judge not, lest ye be judged.  Thank goodness for "try agains" which we learned about from the sermon Sunday.  We serve a God who always allows for "try agains" no matter how bad the mistake.  Remember that.  Saturday we had our first day as a family in over 30 days.  Well, not quite…I had to work at the school from 9-12 but it was so good that George was home to allow me to fulfill my commitments.  Saturday night was Cole's pirate themed birthday party.  I walked in the house about 15 minutes before the party started and had the idea that we should dress up as pirates for the party.  Everyone was on board..pun intended.  Big George made eyepatches, and I drew a brown pirate scruff beard on little George and tied a silk scarf of mine around his head.  He went with no shoes, no shirt and some brown cargo shorts.  He was to-die-for-cute.  Paired with a foam sword we had around the house, he was the cutest pirate in the WORLD.  I looked more like a gypsy, and George looked like the preppiest pirate you have ever seen with his tucked in button down, short khakis and boat shoes (they were boat shoes at least).  He wore a bandana and an eyepatch. Frat-tastic pirate.  The best entrance ever, little George charged down the driveway as he waved his sword overhead, and yelled, "ARRRRGGG, I m a pirate matey!!".  It was seriously so cute.  It was a really fun party, they even had a pirate ship bouncy house.  I asked my friend if I could borrow a shirt for George to put on because the kids he didn't know referred to him as "Naked Man"and continued to yell his new name at the tops of their lungs.  He came up to me at one point and said, "Those boys are yelling at me.  See, they  think I am really a pirate, but I'm just pretending".  We set them straight.  Made them walk the plank.

Sunday was a good day too.  George worked in the morning and then met us at church.  Church was fantastic and then we came home to rest.  My fan club joined me at my game that afternoon and I got three solid hits, even a triple!!!! I was pretty proud.  Then we went to Hi-Life Burger to put a cap on our great weekend and to celebrate the fact that I did not break a single bone.

This week I feel I am finally settled- someone asked ME for directions to a park and I prayed with a friend on a park bench.  I also purchased a baseball cap that says, "California Love".  I think I can safely say I live here, I am settled here, I am a local.

Joint Juice

Recipe Alert!

A friend told me about a good combination for joint pain- Fresh Tumeric and Flax Oil.  Since my back and shoulders have been achy for weeks now, I decided to try it out.  I did find Flax Oil at the grocery store (it happened to jump right out at me the day after my conversation about it). I have not yet begun the search for fresh turmeric but I do have powdered turmeric for my Indian inspired dishes.

After mixing a few different recipes for caesar dressings I had success with my own version. Here you go!

Joint Juice Salad Dressing for Old Ladies Falling Apart

Aka Tumeric and Flax Oil Caesar Dressing


5 T Plain Greek Yogurt- any fat content you want
1/4 cup lemon juice- please use fresh squeezed-about 2 lemons, its so much better!
1 T Worchestershire Sauce
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
1 medium to large garlic clove- roughly choppped
1 tsp mustard- I wanted to use Dijon but was fresh out, so used yellow and it turned out great
1 T Turmeric
2 T flax oil (or more, whatever consistency you like)
S&P to taste- I used a mixture of truffle salt and sea salt


Use food processor and blend until consistency is much like salad dressing.

Tonight, I plan to sauté some kale and onion and dress it up with this miracle dressing (fingers crossed).  Maybe a veggie burger or some tofu on the side for protein.
Lets see if George will eat it, then it really will be a miracle recipe.

Momo and Trains

Sunday we totally missed church.  Once a month the time changes so that the two services can worship together and so that we can have communion as a whole church.  Our normal service starts at 11:30 and so around 11:00 when I began to get ready for church, it hit me…OH NO! We felt so guilty but decided to make the best of it and go out to breakfast.  We went to this place called Colonial Kitchen.  It is a blast from the past.  It reminds me of my mom's and/or dad's small hometown.  We got pancakes and waffles and fresh squeezed OJ.  Nice little family outing.  Then the George's fell asleep in little George's bed.  My softball games were rained out because the fields were too wet.  Kind of nice to just relax!

Monday was a long but good day too. We ran to Lacy Park and met Berkeley and her sis in law and her three kiddos.  We had a great day.  George didn't nap. Monday night he went to bed before daddy got home.

Tuesday he went to school and I went for an awesome run.  Not sure of the milage but it was about an hour and twenty minutes.  We got a package in the mail and he was so excited! That boy LOVES getting mail!  MoMo has arrived at our house.  Since George is has decided not to nap, days have become unbearably long for me.  I decided to get this Monkey clock that shuts his eyes when its sleepy time and opens them when you can get up.  It totally failed Tuesday at nap time and Wednesday morning.  First I set it wrong and Momo's eyes opened 20 minutes into Georges "nap".  He excitedly brought MoMo to me….grrrr….so I told George that Momo was new to our house and did not know how long our naps were.  I reset it and told George we would forgive Momo just this once.  Then the gosh darn yard crew came and began to blow, mow, weed eat for EVER.  George says, "Mommy- I cant sleep with that noise".  First world problems, I know. I gave him a book until they left.  40 minutes later, "Mommy, his eyes are still closed".  After 30 minutes of that, I told him he could play quietly since it was obvious there would be no nap today.  After an hour, two injuries, a popsicle to fix said injury, and a meltdown about the iPad, I got really upset.  I was determined that Momo would help me so I set it again.  It was 4:15 by this point and I set Momo for 5.  I told George if he ever wanted to see MoMo again, he would follow Momo's rules or I would send Momo back with the postman tomorrow.  Welp, he sure did stay quiet after he finished hiccuping from crying so hard about the iPad.  Again, first world problems.  At 5:00 my saving grace walked in the door….not big George…..Lauren and Tac.  We have tried to resume our weekly Tuesday night get togethers while our husbands are in conference together.  We made a cake and snacked and the boys played.  They have started to play together some which is nice.  After they left, I finally got him to bed and wanted to fall asleep myself but I waited for George to get home.  By the time we got into bed I guess I missed my sleep window because I  could not sleep until 1am this morning.  Then  little George was so excited about Momo that he woke up 45 minutes earlier than usual to see if MoMo's eyes were open…and then proceeded to come tell me that Momo's eyes were still closed.  If he were not asleep at this very moment for his first nap this week, I would throw Momo in the garbage.  Hopefully from here on out, we'll have more peace at rest time and at night time.  Fingers crossed…for Momo's sake.

This morning we went to Traveltown, which is an old train graveyard.  The kids can go in some and around most of the trains.  There is also a kiddy train that takes you around the park.  He had a blast.  He had so much fun that he had an accident and we had to leave.  This was not a happy moment.  Bloodcurdling screams and a soaking wet little boy being carried out of the park.  It was quite a scene.  (Sorry, 18 year old George- I know this must be a little embarrassing.  But 31 year old you will appreciate the knowledge that his kids are normal when they do things like this! And plus, I have to tell it like it is because these people reading think I am on vacation this year, they need to know that what I'm doing is WORK most of the time, although we do play a lot….) Here's some pictures!
I think this would be an awesome place for a photo shoot for little boys or even brides or engagement pictures! The old trains were all at one time in working order.  Really neat place.

Rainy Days in LA

The past week has been really nice.  Tuesday after I picked George up from school we went to the Americana with Monica and Zoe.  They brought a picnic and I brought the blanket.  The kiddos danced and played and Monica and I had a nice conversation over the loud reggae kid's band.  Wednesday I babysat Cole and Lena while their mom went to a meeting.  As a return favor, I brought George to her house so that I could run by myself before her two came over to my house.  The kids had so much fun together and loved to play with Dean.

Wednesday night I watched the computer as the Heels tried to loose to State.  Thank goodness we pulled that one out.  I got George's lucky jersey on him JUST in time.  Its so hard to be away during basketball season. I really miss my Tarheels!!  Thursday George went to school and I went to get that wax I needed so badly.  Thursday night we went to the Farmers Market and met Monica and Zoe, Maynell and her two, and Berkelely and her three, plus her sister in law.  Good food, good fellowship, good music, perfect weather, and kettle corn.  Does it get any better for a Thursday night?  Friday it started to rain and has not stopped. 

Rainy day in LA

 

 Rain in LA makes national news.  It was pretty bad, there were even mudslides not too far away from us.  I should have made a list when I first moved here of "things to do if it ever rains".  There are so many things that I just cannot bear to do because its so gorgeous outside all the time.  If I had a list, I would have been able to stay busy the entire three days.  But on the other hand, I do enjoy a good "rainy day" and it is nice to stay at home and remain in your jammies from morning till evening.  When it started to rain on Friday George and I went to two grocery stores and got ingredients to make some play dough. It kept him busy for HOURS.  

Playdough recipe:

1 cup flour

2 Tbsp ℅ Tartar

1 pack unsweetened Kool-Aid

1/4 cup salt

1 cup water

1 Tbsp oil

Mix dry ingredients in saucepan.  Add wet ingredients and stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until a ball forms.  Knead to soften.  Store in airtight container or plastic bag in refrigerator for a few months.  

Friday night, Evie came over because her mom and dad had to help with a rehearsal at the church.  They played and played and played.  After they left, I put George down and found myself in bed also.  Its been another of those weeks where big George was only home one evening before little George was down.  My back aches, my ears are tired, and I am all out of creative things to do and say.  Even Saturday would offer no respite because George had to work all day.  Saturday I let little George watch way more TV than any child should.  I went for a walk in the drizzle when the rain let up just a little because I couldn't stand it anymore.  I decided I would try to clean the house and let George watch a Thomas the Train movie.  When he realized that I had tricked him, he turned the movie off and asked if he could help.  So cute.  He loves to clean!  So I gave him the toilet brush and said, "Go do Mommy and Daddy's toilet".  Haha, I love this.  Then he helped me cook some soup.  He loves to cook also.  He's gonna make some lady really happy one day.  A man who likes to cook and clean!  Well, lets not marry him off quite yet Becca, he's already growing up too fast as it is.  Low and behold, I got a call around 4pm that George was on his way home! It took me all of 15 minutes to work out a double date with Maynell and her husband and ask Evie's mom if George could come over for a couple of hours while we went out.  She has wanted to repay us childcare for a while so it worked out perfectly.  The stars aligned themselves just right and we found ourselves at Firefly Bistro with two lovely people by 6pm.  Maynell's husband is also a surgery fellow at USC so to have them both home and not on call, and to both have free childcare (Maynells father was in town) was truly a miracle.  A double date with them may never happen again but I am so glad it did this time.  Can I tell you we had the BEST time!  We all got something different and shared everything.  Our two appetizers were shrimp ceviche on a papusa, and butternut squash donut holes with madras curry sauce.  I got pecan crusted catfish with a sweet potato hash and collards and George got pork shank.  Maynell got eggplant with goat cheese and this amazing sauce and her husband Owen got shrimp and grits.  We shared a bottle of Pinot Noir and the atmosphere was perfection.  The restaurant is mostly outdoors with a tent for rainy or cold days.  Greenery hangs from the walls and ceiling and white Christmas lights and candles are reminiscent of fireflies.  There are heaters so it was very warm.  All the entrees are relatively Southern inspired so we all felt right at home.  Owen went to UNC and while Maynell calls California home, her family is from Mississippi and she and Owen met there.  There are definitely southern roots with these two.  George and I left and felt brand new.  Just two hours away from my son and I had a chance to miss him.  I feel refreshed and ready to take on another week.  I am so thankful for the real relationships George and I have been able to build.  What a perfect night!  Oh except for one thing, George informed us that "Mrs. Jennie only had GIRL forks".

Philippians 4:19

"My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus"

This verse has been on my mind for the better part of two weeks.  I came across the verse through a church wide bible study and have not been able to get it off my mind since.  When I first saw it, I began to think about my "needs".
I seem to have a lot of needs.  I need George to take a nap, I need to run, I need to have time to myself, I need a place to call home next year in Raleigh, I need my son to cease to command 100% of my attention and learn to share his mother (if you don't get my drift, I basically need George to have a sibling, like tomorrow), I need supernatural endurance, patience, and strength for the weeks when my husband is not able to help parent.  I need to set an example for my family related to prayer and bible study.  This is not even an exhaustive list.  It is exhaustING but not exhaustive- meaning there are so many other things I think I need- a 2014 Range Rover, a haircut, a mani/pedi, a massage (uh oh she's on personal care- watch out world, there are a LOT of needs in that arena for her).  I could obviously go on for days about things I need.  When I first read that verse, I have to admit, I was a little skeptical "oh right, God can meet all my needs?  Has he even looked at my bank account or my day-to-day routine?  Does he see how little time, money and energy is left?"   Then I finished the verse,
"…ACCORDING to His GLORIOUS RICHES in CHRIST JESUS".  God is always a thought ahead of us.  At first I still was not sure what this verse meant for me.  After a few days, all my "needs" began to sound more like "wants" to me.  Thats when I decided I would write down my "wants" and then below them I would write my "need" that God would meet through Jesus.  It was such a good exercise that I wanted to share it with you.  Here's how my list started to take shape (in the exact order as my written journal).

Want: Good house in Raleigh in a good location, at least .3 acre, at least one tub and a closet (we have neither of those in our current abode), fabulous kitchen (who am I kidding, yes, I really want that…can't leave it out of the want section) and on that note, I want a huge master bathroom and I want this house to be traditional white brick with black shutters, two stories……..ok enough with that.

Need: Safe place to raise my family, roof over our heads, within our budget

Want: George to have a sibling

Need: Patience for God's timing and trust in God's will

Want: Time off parenting/time for myself that costs nothing (either money or extra energy later- you always pay in some way, free babysitter

Need: Strength, endurance, patience, help

Want: Good parenting to just come naturally

Need: Less anger, better ways to teach my son

Want: To set a good example for my sphere of influence, make sound decisions and good choices.

Need: above

Did you see how at the beginning if I was really honest with myself, the want seemed so different from the need?  Towards the end, it changed- my last want/need was one and the same.  How did this happen?  I began to meditate on the last part of the verse.  What does that really mean, " according to his (God's) glorious riches in Christ Jesus"?  What does Jesus have that God doesn't?  One single, simple thing- Jesus came to earth and took on a human body and mind.  He experienced every single human emotion that you and I have experienced. This is the reason I can be a Christian- because my God has countless glorious riches through Jesus.  

Jesus knows what it is to be in want. Since Jesus had a relationship with God, his Father, when he was on earth, and spoke to his Heavenly Father and asked his Heavenly Father for what he needed, God has such a clear way to know what our human bodies and minds need.  Of course he created us; he knows we need water and food, he knows how our minds work, he created the nervous system that provides pain when we touch something hot so that we remember (memories: also his idea) and never repeat.  God knows our basic needs because he created us.   But through Jesus he gained glorious riches, and because of Jesus, he has provided every need for a human who had the mind of God.

Jesus felt and had needs.  Jesus told God how he felt and what he needed.  God provided for Jesus' every need.  God knows how we feel and how to provide for our needs too.  

 

1.  God knows (through his glorious riches in Christ) what it feels like to want to protect family and friends from the elements.  I believe Jesus knows how I feel when I want to provide a safe and enriched space for my family.  Instead of a house with all the amenities I think I need, God can and will meet my need for a place to lay our heads at night.  I can trust that because Jesus was never in need of a place to rest, God always provided a shelter for him.  The stable where he was born when there was no room in the inn is one example (Luke 2:7).  There were also countless homes with willing hosts and hostesses for Jesus and his disciples.  Need of shelter- met.

2.  Instead of an instant gift of a child, God can give me patience and trust in him for the perfect time and his perfect will. Even though he was not a woman with a womb, he had a mother and was close to women (Luke 8:1-3) so I can only assume he listened intently to their wants and needs and had a supernatural understanding of them.  I also see this in Luke 8:43-48 when he heals the woman of her very womanly problem on his way to restore a young girl's life.  He also knows what it feels like to be tempted to question God's timing and will (Luke 22:42  "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will but yours be done).  Jesus asked God for  his will to be done, and so can I.  Need for patience and trust- met.

    

3.  He knows what it feels like to feel pulled in many directions, he knows what it feels like to need rest and time alone (luke 22:41 says he "withdrew").  God gave Jesus twelve friends who followed him and listened to him, loved him and served him as best as they could.  God sent a woman to wash Jesus' feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair and anoint Jesus' feet with expensive oil (Luke 7:38, 44-47).  Jesus was given a friend who could afford to bless him with an expensive and royal burial.  These are all extravagant and elaborate gifts from God.   Therefore, God can (and TOTALLY has) given me friends here that have helped me in very real ways. Instead of a girls weekend away or a date night with my husband, God can provide friends to help in real times of need and supernatural patience and endurance when I am at the end of my rope.  My need for help is met.  

4. Jesus knows how I feel when I loose my temper with my son.  Jesus was able to "keep on keepin' on" (like my daddy says) even though his ministry was labor intensive with exhaustive travel and constant preaching and teaching.  With my three year old I am always on the move, always a teacher and always a preacher.  He needs constant supervision and direction; I constantly mold and shape him with my every action and decision.  That is a lot of pressure! But Jesus had the equivalent of twelve three year olds as it relates to the mysteries of the universe! I am sure he was tempted to loose his temper a few times with the disciples.  Instead he prayed for his disciples and told them stories to help them understand.  My need for better ways to teach my son is met through Jesus' example with his disciples.  Pray for your children and tell them stories.  So simple. Thank you Jesus.

5.  Jesus was a perfect example for his sphere of influence.  There's not much else that needs to be said about that.  Need for a good example to live by-met.  

 Jesus knows how I feel when I endure long-suffering, when I am weak, broken hearted, and worn down, and when I feel alone.  There is not an emotion I can think of that Jesus cannot relate to in some way.  

My attitude changed as I thought about my wants and needs through this "Christ" lens.  I asked myself, "What do I need that God can supply according to his promise?  By the end of my list of needs I began to think in a way that was Christ centered and God led.  My last request to God was to meet my "want" to provide a good example to my sphere of influence.  When I started to write a Jesus centered "need" I realized I had finally found a want that was also a need.  It was all in my attitude and my focus.  When I focused on things of this world- a good house, time for myself,  etc.- my needs were far from what God would meet.  When I started to think about my wants in a different way, a way that first asked, "How could God meet that need through his glorious riches in Christ Jesus", my wants became closer to what God will meet.  Write down your want/need list and see if you can make any of your wants into needs.  If you can reform what you "want" and ask him for it, God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  This is all for our development and sanctification- that is, God could give us all the selfish, lavish, worldly things if he wanted to leave us empty, but he chooses to only give us those things that will truly lift us up and nourish our souls in the long run.  If there is something you feel like God has withheld from you, try to ask God to provide for that need in a different way. I think you will find, as I did, that the error is not God's, the error lay in our focus.