Today we hosted a family reunion!

We had a reunion with all the cousins on my mom's side of the family at our house. It was SO FUN!!!! It's always special when some of your favorite people in the whole world are in your very own family :) The only thing that makes me sad about it is that I didn't take a pic of all the kids together or every one all together :(

Jon and me...I also found out I am definitely NOT pregnant today, by the way. We do hope our family will grow soon, though!

Jon and the kids.

My cousin Mark, my dad, and my mom. My dad fell asleep so Mark and my mom were being goofy pretending they were asleep for the picture, but my dad opened his eyes right as I took it.

My Aunt Nancy brought BEAUTIFUL flowers for all the tables...she did all the flowers at my wedding, too. She is amazing at all things domestic...she could give Martha Stewart a run for her money...no lie.

A picture of my Aunt Nancy and her daughter, Jennifer, who is a couple of years older than me and growing up I always wanted to be like her because she is very cool :)

31 people came...this is some of the people and lots of yummy food...we also made homeade Milky Way Ice Cream that was a big hit.

And finally, you will never believe what else happened today at our reunion. There was a stranger outside as the family reunion was just getting started and she asked my dad for some water, and he went to get her some and I went out to invite her in for food (because we had tons) and she ended up staying and showering and resting at our house and my family was so kind to her and I am so thankful. She doesn't really have a home. Her story just totally broke my heart...she was sexually abused and she got pregnant at 12 (that daughter is now 12 and doesn't want anything to do with her) and she dropped out of school then and can't really read and had a hard life, to say the least, and last year her fiance & best friend was murdered and now she has cervical cancer and other various diseases and has a hard time staying off drugs because she just has a lot of pain and was raped again just a week ago. I cannot imagine having had her life. I read a book that opened my eyes to the lives of low income women because it is impossible for me to relate from anything from my life...the book was Promises I Can Keep and I highly recommend it.

We have people walk in front of our house every day between the bus stops on the busy roads east and west of our house. At first when we moved to this city, I was TERRIFIED and would lock the doors and sit shaking in my living room holding my children close and watching the windows knowing that any minute the bad people would come in an get us. I'd see these hardened poor people every where and read the crime reports and shudder at the thought of what was happening every day at the apartments several blocks from our house. I'd go to the grocery store and see men that look freshly-out-of-prison look at my children and me and make me very uncomfortable.

But God is working on us. Growing up super sheltered in a Christian home surrounded by rich Christians, I hate to say it, but it's hard to see the need for God...but now I see the vhast evil and how it spreads and infects our world need for the strength and power of a God that is Good and I am so thankful He is there and that "the least of these" are near and dear to His heart. God brought us here to our very neighborhood...may He use us for His purpose. Going through this trial and seeing the hard reality of life up close and personal and learning so much from Jon and growing in so many ways as I face the challenges of raising my children has given me a great love for and appreciation for God that I have never known before.