Happy Birthday to Me!

I had the perfect birthday celebration this year! It started with a weekend in the mountain with great friends. Then an early morning breakfast with Goofy and friends and the other birthday girl, Adeline Duncan. Then a lunch date with my cute husband. Then a visit to Disneyland with Heather. Topped with dinner at Smokey's BBQ with the Eckerts. Below are some Arrowhead pictures. Unfortunately, I was terrible at capturing the rest of the festivities!

The Matthews, The Kalubs, The Poladians, The Guties, The Brannons

Andrew and Chad have August birthdays also! We each got a candle!

The Man I love!

Weston!

Hudson!

The Brannons (with Ford on the way)

The Kalubs (with Madison on the way)

The Matthews (with Cade on the way)

The Dads and the little men :)

My main man Job

We just finished reading through the book of Job. If you haven't read it, I recommend it. Our main man Job is prospering and doing really well. In enters Satan for a little competition with the Lord. Are you kidding me? What was he thinking? Anyway, the Lord allows Satan to test Job's faith. At this point I start thinking, what if Satan asked, "I want to test Jenny Poladian." Would the story have the same results?

I continue reading and am met with four "friends" all trying very hard to help Job. At first it kind of reminded me of the Gilmore Girls. A lot of words to say a little. They each thought they had the answers to why Job was suffering the way he did. Oh, let me back and give you a glimpse into what Job was facing here. This is no ordinary suffering. Painful boils from head to toe, severe itching, great grief (all his children were killed), lost appetite, insomnia, worm and dust infested flesh, decaying skin and severe halitosis. That isn't all, but you get the idea, it was bad. His "friends" speeches tell him to get right with God, he is suffering just and what he deserves, and so on.

Job has a few speeches too. He kindly responds to his friends and points them back to God, but he also questions God, boy does he question. It seems to me that Job, who was put through the wringer for no reason other than Satan wanted to, would have reason to question. But then the part of me that knows the truth thinks that is not the response that honors God. I was reminded to listen to the part of me that knows the truth with the Lord's response to Job's questioning.

It is refreshing to hear from the Lord after the friends give it a go. Someone who can actually say "I have all the wisdom and knowledge - listen to me!" He address Job rather frankly, saying I created everything - including you - so why question me. Wow! Words from the Lord that penetrate to the heart. Don't question, I am mighty, just trust that I have it all figured out. The Lord uses two mighty creatures to prove His point in the last chapters. I really enjoyed what John MacArthur's commentary says about the Lord using the behemoth and leviathan (probably some dinosaurs or elephants or sharks or hippos..) as examples. "God created these awesome creatures, and His might is far greater than theirs. If Job couldn't stand against them, what was he doing contending with God? He would be better of to fight a dinosaur or killer shark." This goes for me too...humbling...

So there is Job in a nutshell. Too much more and it would be too much to read - but read it yourself! I pray you are encouraged as much as I was!

Cade Jeffrey Matthews

My sister and Eric planned a big event to reveal the gender of their child. My Mom, Dad, Lucy and I headed over and found the table decorated in blue and pink, giving us no clue as to what "it" was. At each of our places was a baby food jar with pink and blue candy inside. Not really being one for competition, I figured we were going to have to count and I was going to have to win. I can't let my parents beat me after all!

So out poured the candy and as you can see below I had a number of small candies to count. Being totally focused, because that is what winners do, I didn't even think to look at my parents plates to see what they had to count. Well! They had FAR less to count and determined LONG before I did that I was to have a nephew and they would have a grandson. Still, with all the gusto in me, I shouted "It's a boy" just to feel like a winner!

Lucy was undecided and so she sported a yellow bow to demonstrate her love for what ever small child would soon play with her!

The Matthews Family w/Cade pictured :)

They also did a really fun thing to let us know his name. About a week later, they gave us each a hangman game! So fun. So it's a boy and his name is Cade Jeffrey. Love it and Love you cute boy! Can't wait to meet you!

Wedding #2 and #3

Cousins! This is actually Wedding #3. I didn't have a single picture from Wedding #2! It was still a very fun wedding even though I captured not a single moment. This is Josh, Matt's cousin and his new, very cute wife Kara. Every year this group of cousins run off to Arrowhead for a weekend of fun and eating. It has continued to expand over the years with the addition of spouses and significant others. Kara has been at every one for at least the last 3 years, so we have been able to get to know her well. We are so excited for them and their marriage!

This is Lauren, she is a "kind of" cousin according to what the book says, but a true blue cousin in the hearts of the Poladians! I think it is her first appearance on the blog! We think Lauren is a hoot!

The Poladian siblings all wore pink. I promise they did not plan it! What a great family I gained :)

This is all of us!

Wedding #1

Matt's friend Tucker got married in San Antonio. It was also a bit of a college reunion. These are the CMC Men at the wedding.

This was the whole group at the rehearsal dinner. I guess you know you are in Texas when the wall hangings are bull horn and old pictures of the Alamo.

It is HOT and STICKY in San Antonio! I got a kick out of this sign. We definitely ate a lot of ice cream..blue bell ice cream in fact. So yummy!

We decided we were tougher than the weather and walked all around San Antonio for a day. The next day we sat by the pool.

A crazy hat for my crazy husband!

Who is the teacher?

I took my kinders to the Library each Monday morning. One particular morning we enjoyed a story read to us (highly recommend Duck Rabbit by ) and a short activity about perspective (relates to the book). It was then time for the little guys to pick out a story to read from among the many books on the shelves. I noticed two boys, Ian and Hunter, sitting off to the side without a book to read. Thinking highly of myself, I picked a book from the shelf and walked over to ask them if they wanted me to read to them.

The sweetest voice responded, “No, thank you.”

“Oh,” I responded, feeling slightly defeated that they didn’t want me to read to them. “Well what are you doing then?”

“Well, we didn’t find a book we wanted to read, so we decided to tell our own stories,” the other sweet voice explained.

“Can I listen?” I asked.

“Sure!” and so it began. The lesson they didn’t need a teacher to teach them. Ian shared a story about a Gorilla that escaped from its cage and scared the town. Hunter told a very involved story about a Chicken that loved to read and thought ‘it is easy to read, but is it easy to tell a story?’ and so the Chicken in his story began to tell a story. When he finished Ian commented, “Wow Hunter! That was long!”

Then Faith came along and wanted to join the group: “What are you doing?” she asked.

“We are telling our own stories,” Ian replied.

“Can I try?”

“Sure!” said the ever-accommodating boys.

“I don’t know how to tell a story,” said Faith.

“Oh, it’s easy! You just say ‘Once upon a time’ and then say some stuff in between and then ‘the end!’” Ian taught.

So for the next 10 minutes of Library I sat and listened to the 3 of them trade stories back and forth. I loved every minute of it, I felt privileged to be a part of it, and again I was taught by my students. I learned to never assume I have more to offer and instead to assume I have something to learn. Thanks Ian and Hunter!