It's hard for me to believe that today is the 2 year anniversary of miscarrying our first baby. In some ways, it's hard to believe how fast the last 2 years have passed; on the other hand, these last 2 years have seemed like a never-ending cycle of disappointment, tears, & deep heartache.
When I first found out that I was scheduled to sing at church this weekend, the anniversary of our loss, I was very worried that I would be a bawling mess on stage--especially since last year I stayed buried in our house on March 8. But, God gave me peace that I could sing this weekend with strength only found in Him. Yes, there were tears as I sang today, but they were sweet tears as I reflected on who I was 2 years ago and who God has shaped (and still is shaping) me into through our miscarriage & subsequent infertility.
Two years ago, I couldn't see all the good God could bring from this pain. This list isn't exhaustible; but, these are the main "good" things that I am thankful for right now:
--a depth & strength in our marriage that before I only imagined
--deep, real-life friendships with other girls forged from our shared experiences of infertility
--knowing personally in my heart-not just my head-that Jesus is faithful; that He truly does give us the grace we need to get through each day; and that God can cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him, as we are promised in Romans 8:28
Of course, I know there will still be hard days...after all, our arms are still empty. But, I can say that I am truly thankful for the pain & brokenness God has brought me through; because, the joy I felt today as I sang the following lyrics is a joy that can only come from being delivered from a place of hopelessness & despair.
I love you Lord, I worship You
Hope which was lost now stands renewed
I give my life to honor this
The love of Christ, the Savior King
Thank you, Jesus, for hope renewed.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Minnesota, that wimpy state!
My third grade students are preparing for their program, “A Musical Tribute to Texas,” which they will present on March 10. One of their pieces is the Texas state anthem, “Texas, Our Texas.”
The students were rehearsing the state anthem yesterday when I stopped them to discuss the lyrics. I referred to the line “Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev’ry test, O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest”
I asked, “What does boldest and grandest mean?” The students discussed how Texas was strong, great, mighty, etc. Then I said, “Well, right now neither your singing or your posture show that you are singing about a strong & mighty state. You look and sound like you’re singing about a wimpy state.”
At this point, one of the boys yells out, “Yeah, a wimpy state like Minnesota!”
I wasn’t sure if he knew that I was from Minnesota or not, so I pretended to get very offended. I started going on and on about how I was born and raised in Minnesota, and how dare he say that Minnesota was a wimpy state!
I think I actually scared him a little…and then he stopped me and said, “Mrs. Rinn, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were from Minnesota. I just said that because of the Vikings!”
The students were rehearsing the state anthem yesterday when I stopped them to discuss the lyrics. I referred to the line “Boldest and grandest, withstanding ev’ry test, O Empire wide and glorious, you stand supremely blest”
I asked, “What does boldest and grandest mean?” The students discussed how Texas was strong, great, mighty, etc. Then I said, “Well, right now neither your singing or your posture show that you are singing about a strong & mighty state. You look and sound like you’re singing about a wimpy state.”
At this point, one of the boys yells out, “Yeah, a wimpy state like Minnesota!”
I wasn’t sure if he knew that I was from Minnesota or not, so I pretended to get very offended. I started going on and on about how I was born and raised in Minnesota, and how dare he say that Minnesota was a wimpy state!
I think I actually scared him a little…and then he stopped me and said, “Mrs. Rinn, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were from Minnesota. I just said that because of the Vikings!”
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Valentine's Day '09
On Friday night, we had a little Valentine party at our house with a few other couples. We had a lot of fun playing both "Apples to Apples" and "Battle of the Sexes." Of course, the guys won "Battle of the Sexes," because they had questions such as "Where would you use the product 'Cascade'?" while we girls had much more difficult questions, like "Which sport uses the term '301'?" (Does anybody know?) No matter though--we had a great time! 
I was scheduled to sing at church this weekend, but instead my sweet husband had been scheming behind my back! I had planned on taking a nap on Saturday afternoon before heading to church for rehearsal on Saturday afternoon; little did I know Dave had reset the alarm on my phone and I woke up "late"--or at least I thought I had overslept! Dave then revealed the first part of the plan to me....that he had already talked to Brian, our worship leader, to let him know that I wouldn't be singing this weekend since I was being abducted! If you know me at all, you know I really love surprises, so at this point I got very excited! We headed out for dinner at our new favorite Italian place (Niki's Italian on Davis).
After dinner, Dave started driving downtown, so I thought we were possibly going to see a show at Bass Hall. Instead, he drove us to the new Omni Hotel! They just opened on January 17, & Dave was able to get an opening special. The hotel was absolutely gorgeous, and we had a beautiful view of all the downtown lights! Wow--this was Dave's year to plan Valentine's Day, so we'll have to see if I can top his surprise next year! ;) Truly, though, I am so thankful for my precious husband.....
Happy Valentine's Day from the Rinns!
I was scheduled to sing at church this weekend, but instead my sweet husband had been scheming behind my back! I had planned on taking a nap on Saturday afternoon before heading to church for rehearsal on Saturday afternoon; little did I know Dave had reset the alarm on my phone and I woke up "late"--or at least I thought I had overslept! Dave then revealed the first part of the plan to me....that he had already talked to Brian, our worship leader, to let him know that I wouldn't be singing this weekend since I was being abducted! If you know me at all, you know I really love surprises, so at this point I got very excited! We headed out for dinner at our new favorite Italian place (Niki's Italian on Davis).
After dinner, Dave started driving downtown, so I thought we were possibly going to see a show at Bass Hall. Instead, he drove us to the new Omni Hotel! They just opened on January 17, & Dave was able to get an opening special. The hotel was absolutely gorgeous, and we had a beautiful view of all the downtown lights! Wow--this was Dave's year to plan Valentine's Day, so we'll have to see if I can top his surprise next year! ;) Truly, though, I am so thankful for my precious husband.....
Happy Valentine's Day from the Rinns!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Dave's Birthday Video!
After many, many tries, I have finally been able to load Dave's birthday video onto Blogger! This video was a surprise to him at his birthday party, and though a few pictures may have embarrassed him a little, it was a lot of fun! And, many thanks to our friend Holly who made this video--so sweet of her! And, I just have to say, isn't this first picture of Dave so adorable? Look at that grin! ;)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Dave's 30th Birthday!
I’ve been teasing Dave for months (years?) about turning 30 (after all, I’m so much younger…)…and since it was so monumental, we had a huge weekend planned to celebrate his birthday! On Friday night, we went to Texas de Brazil for dinner. We had never been there, but had heard incredible reviews….and it definitely lived up to its name! For those of you who aren’t familiar with TdB, it is a Brazilian steakhouse where “guachos” walk around the restaurant with huge skewers of meat. There is a card at your table with a red side & a green side, and when the green side is facing up, the the guachos stop at your table and offer you meat. And…on Friday night they had 14 different meats! It was incredible! Our favorite was bacon-wrapped filet mignon. Because there is so much food, we were there for nearly 3 hours…after another week apart, it was so fun to be together while enjoying SUCH great food and dessert-- citrus crème brulee & 5 layer chocolate cake. I think this is now Dave’s new favorite restaurant for birthdays. (And, if you sign up online for their e-newsletter, you receive a free dinner & dessert on your birthday & anniversary!) 
I had planned a surprise birthday party for Dave at my parent’s house for Saturday night…and, I am so proud to say that it stayed a surprise! I had been so excited about it in the past few weeks that there were several times I came very close to slipping the secret to Dave! He thought we were going to my parent’s for a small birthday dinner with my grandparents, Uncle Kym & Aunt Bernie, and Uncle Jon.
Little did he know that many of our Keystone friends were back in my parent's kitchen….so when Dave walked past the family room and into the kitchen, he had a huge SURPRISE! He just stood there smiling for a few moments taking it all in. (He later said he thought he was being attacked because it was so loud with all the yelling, laughing, and kazoos!)
We had a great evening with our family and friends....after dinner we watched a video slideshow of pictures of Dave set to “My Next 30 Years” by Tim McGraw that our friend Holly made….and then we had cake from Sweet Memories! (What would a party be without Sweet Memories cake?) All in all, it was an awesome party—thanks to all our friends & family who helped make it a fun surprise for Dave!
Even the twins made it to Dave's party! (Way to go, Kimi!)
Some of our sweet friends--Sawyers, us, Sprauls, and Collins
"Mr. Dave" and the D'Amico boys!
I had planned a surprise birthday party for Dave at my parent’s house for Saturday night…and, I am so proud to say that it stayed a surprise! I had been so excited about it in the past few weeks that there were several times I came very close to slipping the secret to Dave! He thought we were going to my parent’s for a small birthday dinner with my grandparents, Uncle Kym & Aunt Bernie, and Uncle Jon.
Little did he know that many of our Keystone friends were back in my parent's kitchen….so when Dave walked past the family room and into the kitchen, he had a huge SURPRISE! He just stood there smiling for a few moments taking it all in. (He later said he thought he was being attacked because it was so loud with all the yelling, laughing, and kazoos!)
We had a great evening with our family and friends....after dinner we watched a video slideshow of pictures of Dave set to “My Next 30 Years” by Tim McGraw that our friend Holly made….and then we had cake from Sweet Memories! (What would a party be without Sweet Memories cake?) All in all, it was an awesome party—thanks to all our friends & family who helped make it a fun surprise for Dave!
Even the twins made it to Dave's party! (Way to go, Kimi!)
Some of our sweet friends--Sawyers, us, Sprauls, and Collins
"Mr. Dave" and the D'Amico boys!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's Bash!
We had such a fun time last at a great New Year's party! It was at John & Amy Bain's house, a wonderful couple from our church! We had so much fun ringing in 2009 with so many friends!
Sweet friends Sandi & Jenny
The real dancing queens--Jenny & Amber! If you know Dave & me at all, you know that dancing isn't quite our forte....but even we got out on the dance floor at midnight! 
Happy New Year!
Mannheim Steamroller
One of our Christmas presents to our family was tickets to Mannheim Steamroller, which performed at the Meyerson in Dallas last Saturday night! Both sets of our parents love their music, and it was really fun to surprise them with tickets. We started the evening off at our house with appetizers, and then we all caravanned over to Dallas. The creator & composer of Mannheim Steamroller, Chip Davis, has apparently been recovering from neck surgery, so they said this was the first time in 30 years that he hasn't toured at Christmas....but, the other musicians were just as amazing! There were 8 back-up musicians (mostly string players), and then 5 main Mannheim Steamroller players. Each of the Mannheim Steamroller musicians played at least 2 instruments, and most of them switched between many more! It was so fun to watch them play--what a great evening!
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