Our House!

Our house is under contract for a second time!  God is so good - I want to tell you the whole story.

When we listed our house earlier this year, I began to pray that our house would be sold by our listing agent.  It would save us a percentage in commission fees, a blessing for sure!  This girl is all about saving money.

In April (I think), we had an offer on our house from a couple through another realtor.  We knew that the man was in poor health, and they were buying our house to be closer to the medical providers he needed in Bolivar.  It seemed like a good situation for everyone, and we signed the contract.  However, he passed away in the middle of June and the contract was no longer valid.  Our house was back on the market.

As the house we are building was getting closer to completion, I began to fear that our house would not sell before we moved.  The burden of that felt super heavy to me - one home to care for is enough.  In my fear, I brainstormed ways I could control the situation.  I needed to call our realtor to make sure she had done everything she could do, I needed to put our house on FB again, Nate needed to send an email at work, etc. etc.  Oh - and I needed to pray.   The same prayer every time. ||: "Lord - please sell our house before we move. Please.  Please sell our house, Lord." :|| Repeating the same prayer over and over meant I was in control.

On Friday, I was cleaning the house and praying my repeat prayer again, and I was overwhelmed with the thought that asking God over and over like that in my situation was actually showing a lack of belief.  I have been studying Hebrews, and the word "believe" has been a standout.  Hebrews 3:12 says, "See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God."  There is a real pattern highlighted here that disbelief leads to disobedience, sin, and a hardened heart.  However, on the other hand, belief leads to obedience, relationship with the Lord, and rest.

So I asked God, "Lord - does it bother you that I'm throwing this repeat prayer at you over and over?  The root of the repetition is that I don't believe you have this in your control.  I feel like I need to control this.  Lord - I want to BELIEVE you and rest in that belief!  I believe that you will sell our house, Lord.  I believe you could sell it today!  I believe in you, Lord!"

At lunch, we got a call from a realtor that wanted to show our house that afternoon.  "This is it!" I thought.  When the phone rang at 4:30 after their viewing, I was so confident it would be an offer.  But it wasn't.  It was OUR realtor, calling to say she had someone who wanted to look right now - was the house available?  We left; they came to look.  At 5:30 we knew that they wanted to look again in the morning.  By 10:30 the next morning, we had an offer - less than 24 hours after I talked to God about my lack of belief.  Our house is under contract.  And the selling agent and the buying agent are the same - just what I asked for from the start.

God showed himself so real to me that day.  I rejoiced in Him and praised Him and told everyone I could our story of His faithfulness to our family that day.

But I admit, I have a hesitation in all this.  God is good, all the time.  When our house sells AND when it doesn't.  When a person is healed from disease AND when a person dies from disease.  When a person is blessed financially AND when a person is poor.  We don't have a circumstantial God, and so often I am a circumstantial girl.  He met me in this circumstance, and I am so thankful.  But even if He wouldn't have, He would still be God and He would still be good.  And while I know this and can type it, I don't always live it.  I want to live like I believe.

Just for fun, here is a picture of our house in 2005:

 And here is one from today:

He rides!

Today is one of those days that is hard to explain. One of those days where being a dad feels like the most amazing thing ever.

Our oldest, Cooper, is six and has always been very cautious. He is continually worried about getting hurt, hurting others, etc. So, in the realm of bike riding, the thought of pulling his training wheels off is nearly the most horrific thing ever. So, a few months ago, I pulled them off for him and said 'Coop, today is the day we learn how to ride.' As you can imagine, that didn't go over very well. But, shortly after, we negotiated a deal (he is learning very well...) - on Miles' birthday we will take them off for good. Deal. 

Miles' birthday is tomorrow (he turns the big five!!) and not much mention has been made of the training wheels since the original deal was struck. So, I was quite surprised to go out into the garage and find Cooper with his tools, having successfully pulled off his training wheels. (As a sidebar, at the age of six, he is showing that he is more mechanically inclined than his father...). We worked in the driveway for a bit until Carey and I both got sick to our stomachs from all the tiny circles he was riding while we hold on! 

And then today happened. He asked to go ride after church and we went out for more mind-numbing circles. However, after only a few, I found that even though he thought I was holding on under the seat, I really wasn't because I didn't need to. He was doing awesome! I couldn't believe it. And two minutes later he was doing this. 

I was, and still am, stunned. I'm sure if someone was watching I was glowing. I was so proud of the way he was brave, took charge, and conquered his fear of riding a bike. And he is riding like a rock star!! Of course, with my hobby of riding, it's icing on the cake to have him so excited about something I love. 

As we get ready for our little one to turn five tomorrow, I'm in awe of how fast our boys are growing up. They are learning so many things about life and it is fantastic to be a part of it. Congratulations Cooper and happy birthday eve Miles!!!

The Color Craze

My mom is the director of Communities in Schools in Ottawa, KS, and this last weekend she hosted the Color Craze run for a fundraiser. 

Here we are before the race, all white!

And after the race - colorful!

Here we are with "Nana."  She was covered in blue!

After the race, we had a family birthday party for Miles and (Great) Grandpa Holtwick.

Here are the birthday boys:

These five boys had so much fun together! (This is Cooper, Miles, cousins Jackson and Blake, and my cousin Aaron's son, Eli.)

Little House on the Prairie

A few weeks ago, we took a trip to Laura Ingalls Wilder's house with Nate's sister, Hanna; her daughters, Claire and Katie; her son, Zeke; and Nate's mom, Anne.   We couldn't take many pictures, but we saw so many cool things!

Here we are getting ready to go in. In May. In the snow.

In front of Laura's back porch. (Still snowing.)

 This is the house.

This is Rocky Ridge, a house that the Wilder's daughter Rose built for her parents.  It was super modern with running water and screens in the windows.

Summer Hair

The Bethell Boys have been growing out their hair.  Nate is leading the way with this:

That is impressive.  Meanwhile, we are about to enter a really cool new chapter of life.  Our new house will be finished at the end of July, and if you haven't seen it, well, here is a picture:

It really is back there, behind those trees.  My boys are going to be in heaven with all the dirt/rocks/trees/mud, etc.  With the outdoors, however, come these little pesky critters:

Each boy has had the experience of having a tick in their hair in the last week...so I decided that I needed to eliminate the tick habitats on their heads.

 So, without further ado, here they are:

School's Out!

It's officially summer!  Cooper finished Kindergarten/Jedi training on May 10th (as you can see in his journal), and Miles finished preschool yesterday.  What a great year!

 

Stage Races

After being able to watch a number of the Spring Classics (which were incredible), I'm pumped we're coming up on the season for big stage races. While the Tour of France is more popular in culture, the Tour of Italy (aka the Giro) is my favorite. In anticipation of the race starting Saturday, Wiggins talks about racing and the Giro. While a bit unusual, Wiggins is planning to race both the Giro and Tour of France.

Legos, Legs, Lighting and Likes

Legos. That pretty well describes the Bethell-family free time. Even though I loved Legos and played with them well beyond the age I think other kids did, I somehow thought our kids would get tired of them. But, I was so wrong! They love them and could play with them non-stop! It's fantastic. While I'm sure they would love to play more video games, etc., I love that they use their imagination creating new buildings, weapons, Star Wars speeders, etc. Cooper is especially amazing in building creations that replicate things he sees around the house, in movies, books, and the like. Miles does build, but he much prefers to play with the people, making imaginary worlds with all kinds of Lego people. I love to stand by his room and listen to all the different characters he personifies. It's so fun to have the innocence of a little guy around - I'm not ready for him to grow up.

When not playing Legos, Carey has been really creative in finding things for the boys to do around the house. We're all anxious to get out of the house as the weather cooperates. There have been a few really nice days in a row now and I think Spring Fever has officially hit us all.

Legs. Not the legs you're probably thinking of at least. I'm talking about the traveling kind of legs and there have been a lot of them! As mentioned in a prior post, we've gone from month to month thinking that the next will ease up and we'll have more time together as a family. Unfortunately that trend has continued well into April. I've had an unusual number of large deals in the past six months (huge blessing) and one in particular has required a massive amount of work and travel. Countless people on the pursuit team have spent countless 100+ hour weeks, pulling all-nighters in the final push for this deal. It's been amazing to see the number of people surround this opportunity and to see what the full force of Accenture can do. Pretty impressive (and for those that know the account, the final executive presentations have been made and we're waiting on a final decision in the next 72 hours). With the completion of this deal nearing an end, I can truly see a break in the schedule. While I already have trips scheduled to Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Amelia Island, etc. it feels like a vacation knowing I may get more than three hours of sleep at night! Through it all, Carey has been amazing as she has supported me and our family. We wouldn't survive if it wasn't for her!

Lighting. All of us have lights in our homes. And, if you're anything like me, you walk into a room, flip the switch 'on', do whatever you need to do, flip the switch 'off', and leave the room not thinking another thing about the lights. In the last few days, we've been working on the lighting for our new home and I've been amazed at the thought process that goes into the design and location of lights, switches, fans, etc. While fun, there are parts of the decision process that have been a little overwhelming. Our builder has been great and I can't imagine doing a project like this without his expertise and type-A personality! Overall, the house is going great. We've got another few months or so to go - the roof, windows, doors, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, are mostly complete and we start spraying the insulation / sheet-rocking next week.

Likes. With all that's going on, there have been a lot of fun things mixed in! We've had a ton of company come to visit for extended weekends: Carey's family, my family (including my little bro who hasn't been able to come for a LONG time - it was fantastic to have him) and a few friends from out-of-state. Here are a few other general updates from the past three months:

• We all got to play in the snow several times t
• I had a birthday
• I went to the Worlds for Cyclocross in Louisville with the guys
• Cooper has really started to enjoy chess and we've been playing some here and there 
• Nerf gun wars with the whole family are fantastic - I think Carey and I are undefeated... 
• I've been biking more as things are 'slowing down' at work 
• Carey continues to put in some incredible mileage every week running and 'enjoys' Insanity a few times a week
• Cooper and Miles both love baseball and our backyard is turning into a home run derby!

Cooper's pose

 Yep, it was cold. That's frozen snot!

 

One section of the Worlds course. Very tough as things got more sloppy as it warmed up. 

 

You see all types at a 'Cross venue. 

See above caption...

John, Dale, and Ira

Heartbreak for J. Page

A very intense Sven as he rode up what I struggled to walk up. 

March Madness was alive and well, for a while, at the Bethell house

Some progress on the house

Client meetings in Boston are brutal.

My 17lb travel bag

During the early part of my trip this week out of the country, I thought I forgot something and began to anxiously search my laptop bag. Once I found what I was looking for (passport), I began to realize how much stuff I have in my bag.

A list of the items:
My business cards
A bunch of business cards from other people I haven't filed
Stack of hotel notepads (from five different hotels)
7 pens
Highlighter
China pen
Apple earbuds
Sure earbuds
Bose headphones
Bottle of mouthwash
Empty tin of Altoids (peppermint)
2 Black 'n Red notebooks
2 'Manila' folders
Extended life battery for mobile devices
Mifi device
Mini power strip
WSJ
Q-tips
13 tea bags
Bottle of vodka (put in as a joke with M. Robinson one day and evidently it made its way to the bottom of the bag, i forgot, and TSA has never noticed...)
Leather binder with membership / travel cards
3 USB 'thumb' drives
Security token device
5 napkins
Sewing kit (that's right, a sewing kit)
2 shirt buttons
Small leather-bound notebook for recording things I encounter on the road
Plastic collar stays
Pair of cufflinks
Passport
2 ID badges
New set of luggage tags / thank you cards from AA
Blood transfusion kit...oh, wait, that's just in Armstrong's travel bag
Individually wrapped sanitary wipes
Car keys
iPad cleaning cloth
Several cards / notes from Carey (always a surprise and highlight of trips when I find them tucked away)
Medicine bag containing a little bit of everything
Kindle Paperwhite
Stack of US Custom cards
Laptop privacy screen
Small laptop
Power cables for everything, including devices I no longer own

Everything in the bag has made it in for a reason and I've been surprised how often I use some of the items in the list. So, despite lugging around a crazy-heavy bag, everything stays!

Catching up

It seems like just yesterday that I was writing an entry about writing more entries. But alas, this is the first since and it's been months! It certainly hasn't been because there isn't anything to write about. We've been crazy busy over the last few months. I will attempt to do a quick catch up.

In September, Carey and I saw a flood of travel coming up. Some of it for fun, but most for work. So, we decided that we'd put on our waders and get ready for the next month or so. However, unbelievable it is, we still have them on and they are becoming quite unfashionable! I've been all over North America for work this year, but in past months spending a lot of extra focus time in Detroit, New York, Chicago, Toronto, and Hartford. While I've been traveling to some of these for a number of years off and on, the additional time lately has enabled me to see a bit more of the cities, which has been fun. Except for Detroit. As Carey noted in a previous entry, she came with me on several trips this year and in December, to New York, which was a highlight for me. All in all, I traveled to more than 80 different cities this year and its been nuts (with a little bit of fun mixed in).

Carey has been a rockstar in managing all things kids, home, and school. While school is a challenge at times, it has been rewarding to spend extra time with the boys and be apart of what they learn every day. And, when I haven't been on the road, it's been great for me also as km able to work from home and get to have extra time around them. It would be wild to send them off early morning and not see them again until late afternoon. I'm very grateful for the sacrifice Carey has made to do this for our family, and most of all, our boys. I know it isn't glamorous at all.

Christmas was a blast this year with the family. We spent some time in Topeka with Carey's side of the family and then came back to Bolivar for the full week of Christmas. I had trouble getting home the week before Christmas, so once I made it, I took a little over a week of 'real' vacation and it was incredible. The New Year brought quite a shock to the system, and email inbox, and it's taken a bit to get adjusted.

Despite all the work and travel, we've been able to have some great family time and very memorable moments! Looking forward to the rest of 2013 already.

Here are some various pics from the last few weeks including a New Years Day ride (tradition lasting several years with the guys), Miles collecting and savoring the flavor of icicles in his PJs, a lady who yelled at me at the airport, Fiona lounging during story time, Carey and I heading out on a date (after my 16 hour drive from Chicago!), beer / cayenne pepper peanut brittle - a fun concoction I created, and a Miami Heat game - one of several 'work' things I've incorporated into the schedule this year.