September 21st - Life and Death...

Sometimes there are days that we are reminded just how short life is and how blessed we are to have a Savior. Being a parent, you tend to always pray specifically over your children and cover them with protection, and always ask the Lord to shield them from harm... I do that daily.

Having lost a sister of my own, I tend to always pray that I don't have to go through the same situation as the parent. For those of you who may not know, my sister, Wendi, was killed one rainy day on her way to an Indian Princess camp out. She was riding with a friend. My dad and Christi were in a different car. Wendi was the only one in the car that was killed. My dad never saw the accident. My mom was at home with me. Wendi was 6 years old. At that time, I was only two, but I remember parts. Growing up in the wake of that experience has been one of the things that has kept me and my family close to each other, kept us fully dependant on Christ, and what led me to surrendering my life to Christ. Some have wondered why a "loving God" could do something like that. Let me just tell you.

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whosoever would believe in Him, would not perish, but have ETERNAL life." (John 3:16)

Two weeks before Wendi was killed, she prayed and asked Jesus to forgive her of her sins, and to be her Savior forever. She surrendered her life to Christ, and asked HIM to be in control of it.

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that Jesus was raised from the dead, you wil be saved. (Romans 10:9)

Because she believed that Jesus died on the cross to save her and forgive her from her sins, she is now with him in Heaven.

God is God, and I am never going to question WHY he chooses to allow things to happen in our lives. BUT, that said, "God works all things together for good to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."

My mom and dad, from the time Wendi was killed to now, have always said. "Never ask 'why' or 'what if.'" There is absolutely nothing you can accomplish in asking those two questions, AND there is NO verbal answer to those questions that can fill the void that has been left.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5)

God was glorified in that event. You can ask anyone in my family. God used her death to bring so many who may not have been willing to listen, to confessing their sins, and asking Christ to be their Savior.

"All things work together for good, to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

I say all of that to tell you about my day today...

This morning was a normal morning of playing, watching TV, visiting with friends, paying bills, and dealing with the every day. We all got dressed and dashed off to Grace Camp (my weekday-afternoon job).

On our way there we were rear-ended by an 18-wheeler on 635.

I was trying to change lanes to exit, and while I was changing lanes, another car was changing into the same lane I was, but was coming towards me. At the same time, the car in front of us threw on their brakes. In order to miss the two cars, I swerved back into the lane I was in the process of leaving. At that point the 18-wheeler hit me from behind. I remember watching the back hatch glass break as I looked through my rear-view mirror, and I saw the truck directly behind me. I don't know why, but while all that was happening, instead of throwing on my break, I accelerated. I drove a ways and didn't even pull over. I was in shock. Finally, I came to my senses and pulled over to the HOV lane (I couldn't get to the other side because of all the traffic). I sat in my car for about 5 minutes or so, and just sat there. I made sure the kids were okay, and they were wondering what was going on.

I immediately called Grace Academy, and told them, in hysterics, that I was in a wreck and they needed to find a sub for me. (I freaked my friend Shelley out). Then, I called the office, and asked for anyone in my family. Finally, I heard Eric's voice on the other end. I told him where I was, and he, and our friend Chris, were there in minutes. Mr. Clarke, my boss, called to make sure I was okay, and then came to the accident to make sure I was okay. It was really nice to know that others were there.

Now there are several things you need to know. One is that before we left for Grace Camp, I remembered that my newly fixed vacuum was still in the back of my car, so I thought that I should probably take that out. AND, just before I left the house, I also was on the phone with State Farm (our car insurance company) asking them to fax Eric a copy of our new cards because I couldn't find ours. So, the Lord gave me the insight to remove the vacuum from the trunk that could have flown and hit the kids or me, and had it perfectly set up so that we already had our cards for insurance ready for the accident! I think that's cool!

One more thing you need to know, is that while I was waiting on the side of the road, the truck driver told me that is was good that I didn't throw on my breaks because the outcome of the wreck would have been very different. I will try to attach picture of my car and you will see that my car really isn't that bad considering I was hit by an 18-wheeler going about 40 mph. Because I was accellerating with the hit, the impact was not great on us. The Lord has truly blessed us and protected us in every way!

You may think that I am strange, but I have had a strange feeling for several months that I may be in a wreck, so I have been asking the Lord to please keep the children safe and let no harm come to them, and to not let them be in the car if I were to be in an accident. Well, the kids were in the car, but God just showed how amazing he is...The big glass window that broke directly behind them dissolved -- literally. That was the biggest question everyone had was, "What happened to all the glass?". There were a few tiny pieces of glass that flew into the front seat, and a few were in the very back, but not ONE SHRED of glass was to found anywhere near Evan or Emily! Is our God amazing or what!!!! We couldn't even see where glass was on the highway. The window literally DISSOLVED!

We finally got everything squared away and the Police stopped all traffic on 635 for us to get off. (That was cool too!) Before we got in our cars and parted ways, the truck driver mentioned that he may get fired because there were kids in the car, and that even if they don't fire him, he will be out of work and under suspension for a few days or even weeks. So, if you guys will please pray over this truck driver and ask the Lord to let him keep his job, and to provide for him while he is on suspension. He was a very sweet man, and, in my view, did nothing wrong.

After that, Eric, the kids, and I all went to the Purple Cow for ice cream, and I stress ate. I ate an entire brownie sundae and two cups of coffee within minutes. Then, when I took Evan to the bathroom, I bent over to help him with his pants, and as I did, I felt everything coming up and... Luckily, I made it to the toilet!

We went home, got the kids and ourselves settled, and then off to my other job!

WEDDINGS! I had a rehearsal at 7pm downtown at First Dallas. Everything went great!

I left as soon as it was over, and walked out the St. Paul Cafe exit. As I walked down St. Paul to my car, I noticed that a car was following me and getting closer and closer. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that it was a Navy Blue Explorer (1995 or 1996 model), and there was one white guy with a baseball cap driving, and another in the back seat with the window down -- sitting next to the door closest to me, and both of them starring. They stopped, and as they did, I turned towards them. Just as I turned towards them, they peeled out and were gone in a second. I turned back the way I was before, and there about 25 yards in front of me was a cop just standing there. I walked up to him and thanked him for being there and told him what happened. He wanted to know if I got the license number, and I am sorry to say that I did not. Fortunately, he got me to my car safely, and I drove home in shock. The whole way PRAISING GOD our SAVIOR for saving me and protecting me and my family all day long. I feel as though I have seen miracle after miracle today. How truly blessed I am to have a Savior!

Now I am safely at home. The kids are having a slumber party at Grammy's house, and Eric was studying, and now is watching my favorite movie -- "Pride and Prejudice!"

"As for God, his way is perfect, the word of the Lord is flawless, He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and make my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. (Psalm 18:30 - 36)

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." (Psalm 23:6)

So, in the days ahead, I am going to cling to one of my favorite verses,

"I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you-- the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm -- he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
(Psalm 121)

PRAISE BE TO GOD OUR SAVIOR!

The outcome of today could have been so different. And, even if it had been different, the Lord STILL would be glorified, but I am so thankful that he chose for today to be just the way it happened!

It is my prayer that you will be blessed in reading this, and that you will praise God with us over his protection today! He is to be praised!!

Zippity DOO Dah!

Let's talk about me, shall we!!!
WELL... My day started about 2AM this morning! I woke to Evan screaming and crying bloody murder. It absolutely scared me to death! I think that I threw the covers completely off the bed leaving Eric to fend for himself. (Which, by the way, I wish that I knew how guys can sleep through crying and screaming...?)
After throwing the covers off the bed, I made a mad dash down the pitch black hallway. As I was making my last turn before getting to his voice, I was accidentally introduced to the wall, which resulted in a beautiful bruise on my right arm. I continued toward his voice, this time with with a little more caution to walls. If only I had turned on the light... I found slimy, gooey, wetness on the bottom of my foot just before I got to him, and when I finally had him in my arms, I figured out why he was crying...
Evan was throwing up. He threw up all over me. (This is the second time this has occurred in my life, and to my dismay, it really doesn't bother me. I would rather be covered in my child's throw up, than his diarrhea!) We always have to think positively, don't we!
Unfortunately, I am not one of those moms that stays calm, however. I am a sympathetic "freaker-outer." If someone is freaking out about something, I will go right along with it, wholeheartedly! So, of coarse, I started to loudly but quietly call Eric and try to wake him up. In the mean time, Evan started throwing up more, so I practically threw him into the bathroom and told him to throw up in the toilet. He said it was too hard, so he continued to vomit on my new bathroom rug! About that time, I finally hear Eric, teetering and tottering into Evan's room followed by, "OH YUCK! WHAT did I just STEP IN!" Calmly, I replied, "Evan is throwing up."

Eric is amazing! He made sure that Evan was okay, and immediately started cleaning the carpet and taking off the sheets on Evan's bed! (The carpet in my house, for those of you who may have read my previous blog entries, will never be the same after this week! I have Lysoled it about a dozen times! And the mess the dog made earlier has discolored my beautiful green carpet! If I were a country singer, I would write a song about it!)

In the mean while, Evan and I are getting him washed off and changed, and getting the "throw up taste" out of his mouth,and trying to get it out of his nose too. The one problem he has is that he doesn't understand how to BLOW his nose. Instead, he sniffs, and that doesn't help a thing! About an hour later I am trying to get him to calm down and go to sleep. He was still shaking from the event, and his nose would not stop burning. I tried rubbing his back, bur he didn't want to be touched. So, I finally decided that we should watch "Meet ME In St. Louis!" That put him to sleep in no time, but I forgot about him and watched the movie. (What an idiot!) I finally started realizing I was tired when Judy Garland started singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas."
So, I turned the movie off, and carefully went to bed! The Lord was gracious because Emily slept in until 7:45am, so I got a few more hours. I got up and called work and requested a substitute for Grace Camp. We were going to have a day at home!!! The only thing we did out was go and pick up our vacuum cleaner from the repair shop!
The rest of the day we spent having "school." I have been trying to work with them at home on the basics -- colors, numbers, counting, writing, reading, letter recognition, manipulative's, etc. So we were busy for the rest of the day! We did a craft and worked on our memory verse for the week. We made spaghetti with meatballs, we played play-doe, we colored, we did puzzles, we read Bible stories, we reviewed color,number and shape flashcards, we played number bingo, we played the "Ladybug" game, we practiced making patterns, and segregating colors in the correct box! We had a blast!
At the end of the day, I was cleaning up and reorganizing some of our school supplies. Emily and Evan were off doing their own thing, and all was great -- until...
I learned that Emily had flushed an entire Mega-roll of Charmin down the toilet. Well, I went on a search for the plunger, and while I stepped out to look, Evan needed to go to the bathroom, so he used the same toilet that had just been stuffed full of toilet paper. For those of you who want to know, he didn't do number 1 or number 2... he did number 3 -- YES! DIARRHEA!!
AND... Emily flushed for him while I was wiping his bottom!!
I threw the kids out of the bathroom, and moved my, now clean, new rug, and began plunging in the diarrhea water as it is spilling over the top onto my feet! (For those of you who may not know this -- I don't do DIARRHEA!!) After a few desperate blows with the plunger, all was clear and the #3 ceased from tormenting me!) I finally got the bathroom cleaned up and BLEACHED! I used steaming hot water everywhere...I think that it may be cleaner than an operating room right now.
Well, dinner time came quickly after that little nasty episode! The kids wanted turkey and Texas Toast. That was easy! I made the toast, and then they both wanted a second piece. I made them another and placed it in the middle of the kitchen table to cool off. I saw Emily eat hers, so I assumed that Evan ate his...
A little while later Evan asked me where his toast was. I told him that he ate it, and he said he hadn't. Both of our eyes immediately went to innocent Emily and then to Dollie (her sidekick in crime!) I told Emily NOT to give Dollie fancy bread, and to apologize to Evan. I then made ANOTHER piece for Evan. I put it on the counter -- high, so that she couldn't get it while it cooled, and guess who got it anyhow!
I waled into the kitchen and Emily and the Sundance Dog were doing tricks. Emily was telling Dollie to roll over, and Dollie was doing very well! I figured out why all too quickly when I saw what she had in her hand... Just as I was telling her to give it to me, Dollie snatched it up and ate another piece!!! I kicked both Dollie and Emily out of the kitchen for the rest of the night, and Evan finally got his bread!!! It was funny once he finally got it. He screamed very loud if anyone came close to him and his bread!
I put the kids to bed, and was about to start my evening chores, when Eric walked in with a mountain of work in his hands, and said those magic words, "Can you help me with something?" I said yes, and "saintfully" helped him with his work! Well, I am off to bed for who knows what adventures await tomorrow!

I've Got Peace Like A River!

Do you know that song?

I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river
I've got peace like a river in my soul!

How often we forget that we have been given a wonderful gift -- PEACE!
I am guilty of focusing on the storm rather than turning to our Savior and asking him to say those magic words, "Peace be still." You may reacall the difficult few days I wrote about previously. It's funny how Satan knows the buttons to push, isn't it?
Well, the following day (Thursday) was a little difficult too, but you really have to laugh when it goes from bad to worse.
I woke up and the day started out perfect...then I went into the Green Room of our house.
Dollie, our beautiful Golden Retriever, went to the bathroom all over the carpet and left a lake in the middle of the floor. Now, I don't know if you know how crazy I get over urine of any kind -- especially when it is somewhere that I walk or sit, but needless to say, I freaked out after stepping in it BAREFOOT! I also discovered in my Green Room that Dollie had figured out how to "retrieve" used diapers, and apparently she found them satisfying, so they were sheredded all over the floor. As I took a few more steps I discovered that she also knew how to open the pantry door, because that is the only place I keep all of my "Homemade Gourmet" seasoning packets...Yes, she thought that those were tasty too and decided to help herself to about three of the larger packets.

So there I was with a pee-covered foot, both from the dog and the diapers, with a "Granny's Summer Roast" crust smothered all over my feet! Need I say more... yet it continues.

I began sopping up the wet mess with paper towels while talking with my mom on the phone trying to figure out a way of cleaning up the mess without calling a carpet cleaning company. After getting the wet stuff up, and douced with Oxy Clean, Eric and I started cleaning up the other. Eric swept up the seasoning and picked up the diapers, and then began to vacuum when suddenly -- the vacuum broke!
I cannot handle yucky floors!!! Luckily, Eric was home! He keeps me sane!

Well, we blocked off the room and continued our day.

A little bit later, I glanced out the back window and noticed that the front passenger tire was practically flat on the "frilly" car (the Lexus). Considering that my car was in the shop, and I was depending on the frilly car to get me to work, I was rather put out to say the least. (Don't you wish everything was made like "Rubber-made?") So, we got that fixed just before naptime, and then went to work where life seemed much calmer! Thankfully everyone, minus Emily, is potty trained!

I tell you that little story to say this... no matter how tough life may get sometimes,
"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12 NIV)
"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valualble crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm because the Lord's coming is near." (James 5:7-9)

Just because we may have a bad day today, we are to stay focused on WHO is in control and where we are going!
"May the peace fo Christ dwell in you richly!"

A day in the life of Catherine Couch...

Well...

Do you guys ever have those days that you are so glad are over, and you wanted it to be over before you even woke up? I have had a few in my time. Today may have to be considered one of those days. I don't know why, but I have been noticing myself fall behind the past few days. My energy level is not as high as usual, so my tolerance level is also lacking. I think what threw me into this was yesterday when my car started smoking while I was driving to work (and was late). While waiting for HELP from my "knight in shining armor," we (the kids and I) were approached by THREE homeless people. Normally I am somewhat nice to them, but I was cranky due to the car situation, and had no cash or quarters for them. I might have scrounged something up if they would have known anything about a 1998 Ford Explorer Sport, BUT since they probably didn't, I was not in a giving mood... While STILL waiting for "that guy in the shining suit" Evan also cut his hand and was screaming. So here we are stranded with a car that is, according to my dramatic views, going to BLOW UP, a kid that is screaming over the 500 gallons of blood he is losing due to some cut, bees are flying all over the place, and to make matters even more comfortable, the window to my car breaks...

After the whole window thing, I decided to call in a substitute, and I would make an appearance to work, but NOT STAY!!!

FINALLY, the guy that was in a somewhat shiny suit showed up. He gave me a Lexus and a kiss, which was honestly very accomodating. (I like driving "frilly" cars, and his kisses are, well...!!) He shewed me off and he took care of the car that was about to explode all over Texas, while I elegantly left and checked on my 40 children at my work. Luckily only two were throwing temper tantrums when I got there, so I left them in the hands of the substitute, and Evan, Emily, and I went to Eric's office to get a key to our house. The rest of the day is a blur -- I think that I was overloaded. All I remember is that bedtime was a war zone, and I felt like Wyatt Earp trying to keep those kiddos in their "cell!" Evan finally went to sleep at 11:45pm. He was too excited that his birthday was coming...

Well, his birthday came! All too early it came, and it wasn't Evan's fault! Christi, my sweet, loving, wonderful sister, who has a key to our house, came at 7 AM! SHE WOKE HIM UP AND SANG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HIM!!!! AT 7AM, WHEN I HAD JUST ENTERED A REM-CYCLE!!!!! (Bitter, party of ONE, your table is now available!) It's great that SHE was so excited about his birthday, but I was in a bit of a sleep deprivation mode which not even coffee could cure. He woke up 2 times from 11:45pm to about 5am, so I literally was CRABBY!

I didn't do the greatest job at making him wake up to a "Happy Birthday" land full of balloons, donuts, etc. I usually like to do that, but not this year. I hadn't even bought his present yet! So, we went to Target and got cupcakes for him to take to Grace Camp for all the kids, and we let him pick out his presents at Target. I think that he liked that! I let Emily get a little something too, so that then she didn't feel left out.

We went home and took naps and then dashed to Grace Camp. (Note to self, NEVER GIVE KIDS CUPCAKES AFTER SCHOOL -- especially when YOU are watching them for several hours.) Can you imagine 40 kids from the ages of 3 to 10 running around in a room surrounded with brick walls and wood floors?!!! I wasn't the most REALXED of individuals ever. You know it's bad when the parents that come to pick up their children say, "Hurry, this room is going to force me to drink! -- You poor thing! How do you handle this! Bye!"

In the middle of all that chaos, I was approached by some of the church staff (our school is located at a church), apparently I offended them by trashing the room yesterday (which if you remember, I wasn't there yesterday)... I was bothered, and now hope that I never have to miss a day. Not only was the room trashed yesterday, but also, alot of the toys had been destroyed, and the games were now missing the game pieces... UUUGGGG! I depend on little things like game pieces and toys to keep children QUIET and calmer than they would be otherwise!

The day at worked ended happily, though. I was able to walk out to my adopted "frilly" car, and drive to CHUCK E CHEESE! oh joy! My "knight in shining armor" was going to meet us, along with one of Evan's friends named Caleb. Emily and Evan had a blast! It was so much fun to watch them, and then lose them, and then find them, and then chase them, and then give up all together! Eric walked through the door of Chuck E Cheese, and no one missed his grand entrance. He was carrying 100 balloons! It was cool! I think that he could have floated off the ground! Our table was very easy to spot to say the least! Evan passed out balloons to kids throughout the restaurant! That was fun! Emily, Evan, and Caleb had so much fun! It was nice -- I even like the salad bar! I didn't talk much because Eric said that my mouth was full negativity, so I just observed and kept quiet. I was tired, so I didn't mind not saying anything. (I get tired of being patient and happy sometimes -- don't you?) We finally left, and headed home and eventually got the kids in bed, but not before breaking some glass and having to clean that up. But now, all's well that ends well! Everyone is asleep (minnus the dog) and I am venting on my blog! Ain't life grand! Well, it's off to bed for me! Goodnight all!

Check out my Slide Show!

Well, people keep telling me that I am horrible at keeping my blog current...
The truth is, I am NEVER current. Lately I feel like I am always at least 16 steps behind, and even further on laundry. I know that it is all self provoked, but what can I say, I guess I have secret priorities that I don't even realize, and blogging isn't one of them.
Now to get somewhat up to date... We have been pretty busy since we returned from Europe back in May. We went to a river place with Eric's fam (I can't remember where it was, but I think that the name of the river was Frio -- I could be making that up...) We had lots of fun and several adventures along the way.
We have had playdates almost daily, lots of swimming, friends and family. We went to the circus, and got to see the tigers and elephants before th circus began and go to their cages! That was cool! I auditioned for American Idol for the final time (thank goodness!) I am now too old!!! Eric went with me, but obviously he is too old. We waited for 12 long hours in 96 degree weather. NOT FUN!! I did get to see my old college roomate, Keelie! That was fun! We also ran into alot of our old friends there. One of them (Jeremiah Richey) made it through!! Fun Times! We also got to catch up with another friend, Nate, who is also in Jeremiah's band. (They are on my MySpace page if you ever want to hear their music...
We are currently in the process of building a fort/ 2nd house in the back yard. It is HUGE! Eric, my dad, Bennie, David, and Vernon are all here building away -- FUN TIMES! When it's finished I'll show you their progress!!
Eric's birthday is tomorrow, but we are going to celebrate tonight over steak and cheesecake -- Eric's favorite! Evan is UNpatiently waiting for his birthday to hurry up and get here, already! He wants pretty much all of Target and Toy's R Us combined. He is so funny! He is going through a super hero phase (as you can see in the pictures), but I am trying to teach him that they are not really going to fly down from the sky and save him if he walks into the middle of the street, so we invited our friend Lee, who was in Iraq for a season, to come and meet Evan. We explained to him that Lee is a real super-hero because he stands up for our freedom and fights for our country. Lee presented Evan with a medal of honor for being a "good boy!" It was really cool! Now Evan has it up high where the other kids won't take it! We've also been talking about how God is the one that keeps us safe. We may not be able to see God in human form, but HE protects us in ways we may not understand right now. Evan is full of questions, and I love hearing what is in his mind. He is brilliant. He even asked me what "real" is. And then said, "Is this peppermint in my hand real, are you real, am I real, is Emily real?" And I said, "Yes!" I've also been telling him that Superman and Batman are ficticious characters in comic books. They are fun to pretend, but the will never save us.
Oh the joys of children! I love being a mom! I am constantly under conviction of how I think and act, and what I say, do, watch, and even how I respond to things. I am definitely a work in progress! I am so glad that I have a Savior who knows my heart and sees the end result. I want to be like Him. And, when people see me, I want them to see Him.