The DiPastena Family: September 2009

Let me start by saying I am always completely overwhelmed by Gods provision. Our family relocated [again] to Atlanta, GA in February ’09. I say again, only because Andrew and I are frequent movers. Since marring in ’92, we have lived in 14 different homes and in 5 states. [I love it here in Atlanta so I believe that this is the final stop.] One of the things that I always find interesting about moving into a previously owned home are the little “surprises” you encounter after moving in. Some of those “surprises” are major headaches but every now and then you feel like you struck gold.

We have been in our new home for a little over 6 months now. Just when we thought we had uncovered all the “little surprises” to our amazement we discovered something wonderful! We have an irrigation system! There has been a drought ordinance in effect here in Atlanta almost the entire summer. In attempt to keep the yard from turning completely brown, Andrew has been watering the front yard by hosing it down. Don’t misunderstand me here. We haven’t been using a yard sprinkler; we have literally been watering the yard one square foot at a time with the garden hose. You can only image our excitement when our neighbor finally clued us in on the fact that we have an underground irrigation system. Of course the grass had grown over all the sprinkler covers so turning it on for the first time was awesome. It was like little chicks busting out of their shells all over the front yard. Alyssa thought it is was the best thing ever! Before we knew it she ran inside, put on her swim suit and was back out to play. What a cool God surprise we had in our front yard.

Without a doubt, God's surprises are one of the best parts of being a Christian. They don’t happen everyday, but when they do, you know it. I’m so glad that I serve a God who not only cares about the big things in life, but mostly He delights in seeing us our hearts full of joy as we relish in His little surprises.

Is this JOY or what??

Hello everyone. Most of you know that I’m the best at keeping in touch. Well I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf, spread my wings, broaden my horizons, to take a leap and what better way than to start a blog? In all seriousness, my sister REALLY wanted me to do this and she just won’t leave me alone. So… I’m doing this for you Mandy…I’m doing this for you! I do think blogging will actually be a good thing once I get in the routine of posting. I never seem to have the time to scrapbook anymore so I guess I can just print out the pages and wa-la I’m a scrapbook queen. It’s got to be better than nothing.J.

For my first post I want to talk about how proud I am of my not-so-little girl. Those of you who know Alyssa, she is quite the artistic child. She loves anything crafty. I must admit she is really good. Well, Alyssa not only excels in the pen and brush side of art, she also loves the “arts”. It doesn’t matter if its music, dance, singing, drama or ballet if it’s the “Arts” …she’s in.

Now, for many moms this would be great, however, I personally know some ultra competitive, athletic moms who shutter at the thought of their daughter being a sideline cheerleader as opposed to being “in the action.” [OK so I’m talking about myself.] I mean after all would you rather see your 9 year old daughter in a tight short skirt or in a jersey leading the team to victory? So with that being said, I decided this would be the year to introduce Alyssa to REAL competitive sports. [My apologies go out to all you cheerleaders out there but the “sport of cheerleading” still sounds like an oxymoron to me.] Anyways, I knew I would have to sell Alyssa on the idea of sports. My tactic had to be precise and flawless. After several days of internal deliberation, I chose to pose the question of, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” She responded by saying, “ a nurse.” Her answer was the perfect lead into my “sports talk.” After all a nurses mission is improved health and what better way to stay healthy than playing sports? Namely SOCCER! To be completely honest, initially, Alyssa wasn’t too excited about this. She told me she still has nightmares about a time when a boy kicked a soccer ball into her face. For days I tried to convince her that ALL cool girls play soccer. To my dismay nothing seemed to work. Alyssa was very persistent in trying to reason with me as to why playing soccer was a bad idea. She told me that she didn’t like to sweat; that she didn’t want to get hurt and that she just wasn’t really into sports. I could feel my heart crumble. Was I, Marbi Mauch DiPastena, actually going to have a daughter who was a life long girly-girl? Just as I was about to accept my defeat, her friend Ava joined a local soccer team. So I did what every good mom does, I signed her up without her knowing. I figured if she went kicking and screaming, she just might kick the ball and score a goal.

When I shared the news of her and Ava being on the same team, Alyssa’s interest level changed a bit. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Soccer breakthrough was on it’s was. The final sale happened when I told her we needed to go “shopping” for new athletic clothes. She had her first game last weekend and she did great! Andrew and I were commenting on how we have never seen her run so much in her entire life. She even got hit in the face with the ball and kept on playing. As soon as the game started the coach put her in the goalie box. Poor child she didn’t even know she could use her hands. I felt like the psycho mom on the sidelines yelling out all the “what-to-do’s”. Andrew looked at me one time and said, “WOW, you’re getting pretty intense”. Of course he was right. So now my challenge is letting the coach, coach. I love watching my girly-girl try new things, and excel at those challenges. We have already begun to see her confidence rise as she looks to the sidelines for approval. After her first game she ran to Andrew and me and gave us a BIG hug. She asked, “Did I do good?” That question resonated with me. I began to think, how often do WE ask others that question? Frequently we base our actions on the approval of other people will think of us. There have been so many opportunities that I have let pass by because of fear of rejection or disapproval. The Lord quickly reminded me that true freedom never comes until we fully realize that we don't need to struggle to get from man, what God freely gives us: love, acceptance, approval, security, worth and value. I guess it would behoove us all to remember not to be afraid to go out on a “God” limb, because that's where the best fruit is.