Things Are Looking Up!

Tonight we celebrated Stephen's 35th birthday (September 24th). We met when we were 17, so this means we've celebrated his birthday more years than we were when we met! Stephen wanted to go eat at our local Teppan restaurant so the kids could enjoy watching the chef cook for us. 

There's never a dull moment with these 3 stooges!

 This photo cracks me up, can you tell the heat was a bit much for James?

Don't you hate it when the Teppan chef goes around the table flinging food across the air for you to catch in your mouth? I sure do...but my hubby and son love it! Lots of laughter at dinner. And to reward you the chef would give you a shot of saki (water for the kids) in your mouth (literally!). LOL Stephen and James are such good sports! As Stephen would say, "Saki it to me, baby!". :)

We had such a fun dinner...feasting on sushi, edamame, saki, miso soup, salad, fried rice & veggies, chicken and steak! Stephen also got a Kobe cheesecake for his birthday. :)

No more squinting, my new specs :)

The reason I titled this post "Things Are Looking Up!" is because we've had a rough couple of weeks...a time of trials and tribulations...testing our faith. Earlier this month I lost my job. It was a shock and caused much stress and anxiousness. I lost 6lbs. within a week because I was worried for my family. So I turned to prayer, Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12. And the God of all grace strengthened and established us. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12. 8 days after my job loss I was offered an amazing job opportunity with one of America's premiere Fortune 500 companies! I'll write more about the job next month once I start. But I just wanted to thank all those that prayed for me and my family. Your love and support is such a gift.

We participated in our neighborhood garage sale this morning. The kids had a lemonade and snack stand selling 32 drinks/snacks. They also sold $40 of toys. We sold our big items including our dining table set (we have plans of redoing our dining room and turning it into a den/sitting area instead), and probably $50 worth of winter coats and kids clothes. After that we headed out to the fields to watch Madeline's soccer team play. They looked better this week but unfortunately lost again...the other team had this really short player whom they affectionately called "shorty"...man was this kid a soccer superstar! Let's just say the kid made many goals. That's alright, it's just important that they all tried and had fun. :) 

Hope y'all are having a great weekend!