Wednesday, April 29

I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR MY LIFE

THANK YOU DEAR JESUS FOR MY LIFE
One year ago today, April 29, 2014, I almost lost it when I couldn't breathe
I am an ordinary girl.....but I am married to an extraordinary boy!

Dear Jeremy,

I love being your wife.  I feel so grateful for you everyday.  As the years go by (married 18 years this July) my love for you grows.  True love doesn't stale.  It doesn't grow boring or impatient or get antsy. It grows in intensity for all of the right reasons.  I love being around you everyday.  Even though, we have been together since we were 18 years old (I absolutely love that thought), I look forward to your call everyday on your way home from work.  I miss you when you are not in the same room as I am.  I love just talking to you about nothing (sometimes I really don't have much to say) but I still want to share our thoughts, laughter, or just chat.  On July 19, 1997, when we said our marriage vows, I really had no idea what "Until death do we part" meant, but I don't think that we would be able to really understand it at that point.
But today, when I think of those words, tears fill my eyes as these words absolutely define my life and my world.  We are on a journey side by side together, heading home  to Christ  (sometimes it is not even side by side....sometimes you are in front of me as the spiritual leader of our family, leading me by the hand)  
Christ is truly the center of our lives...that is probably why you have put up with me for so long.....I love blurting out (when we are arguing)  "Well, you are stuck with me for life, Buddy!"  That is the most amazing thought ever, isn't it?!?
  The thought of living just one day without you makes my heart drop.  Thank you for loving me.  Thank you for taking care of me.  Thank you for making me feel so honored and cherished each and every day.
Thank you so much for being thankful for me.

A year ago today, when I was SO SICK, it was so scary for me and for you and for our family.  I am so sorry that you and our little ones had to go through that.  I pray each day that our Lord continues to bless me with strength and good health.  But whatever happens, I know that it will be His Most Holy and Perfect Will.  What a blessing our crosses have been for our marriage and to our family.  Thank you for sending me beautiful flowers and expressing how much you need me.  I feel so inadequate so often, as you hold everything together when I am unable to.
I love you, Jeremy and I love being Mrs. Kerry Lustig
 Beautiful roses from my Love, Jeremy

Dear Madison, Savannah, Nicholas, and Isaac,

I love being your mommy so much.  You make me a better version of myself each day.  You make me so happy and I am so grateful that our Lord chose me to be your mommy......What an honor it is for sure.  I love being known as "Madison, Savannah, Nicholas, and Isaac's mommy."  Please know that I will always love you and that our Lord will always take care of you, no matter what the future holds for us.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for loving me so much as to bless me with a beautiful cross that is a continual reminder of my dependency on You (which gets forgotten so easily in our human-ness).  My every blessing, every Grace, everything good in me, my every breath comes from You.  I trust in You Jesus and I pray fervently to always keep You in the Center of my life.....today, tomorrow and forever.  You are truly my everything.  I Love You through the wonderful family, that you gifted me with and through the beautiful Faith that You so Mercifully graced me with.

I am feeling very grateful today for my life.  Please work through me to bring many souls back to You.   That is the entire reason for my mission on earth.  Without You, my life would be completely pointless and empty.

Today is truly a day of joy and celebration.  I always want to remember it as it reminds me of how blessed I truly am.  Thank you so much to my friends and family for celebrating it with me.

I WANTED TO SHARE THIS STORY SO THAT MY KIDS WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER IT
 Me at 4 years old....June 9, 1979

When I was 4 years old, my mom and dad took me to a Catholic Charismatic Conference in Michigan.  There was a well known Sister, named Sr. Briege McKenna, who was blessed with a gift.

 Sr. Briege Mckenna

  Jesus healed the sick through her laying hands on them and praying.  My mom and dad brought me to the conference in hopes that Sr. Briege would lay hands on me so that Jesus might choose to heal me of my CF.  My parents have always showed so much faith in our Lord, laying everything at His Feet, but at the same time, they have always desired Christ Will above all...but as Jesus has exhibited to us through holy Scripture, He wants us to ask Him for special blessings or healings, as this shows our undying Faith in Him. 
I don't really remember this experience but I have been told of it numerous times.  Mother Angelica was also at this conference....Boy, I wish that I could remember being in the presence of these holy apostles of Christ.
During the last day of the conference, 3 people were called to the front to be prayed over by Sr. Briege.....One of them was me!!!!
My daddy took my hand and began walking me down the stairs of the auditorium to the front.  On my way down, I tripped and fell on the stairs....and being only 4 years old, I began to cry. 
Sr. Briege, stopped what she was saying and exclaimed to the crowd, "I am praying right now for that little child who is crying."  I heard her say this and yelled out, "Daddy...that's me, I have been healed!"

Well, I was lead down the stairs as my dad consoled me and Sr. Briege did in fact pray over me for my healing.  Here is the amazing part.....Sr. Briege came and spoke 2 weeks ago in front of a Catholic group that Jeremy and I are in (Legatus).  I couldn't wait to meet her and introduce myself.....not that she would remember me, but I wanted to thank her so much for praying over me, so many years ago.  
When I finally got the chance to meet her, I was really nervous as this has always meant so much to me...she was so kind and so loving. I told her who I was and then I told her that, I was now MUCH older than 4 years old, and that I was also a wife and a mother of 4 children.....All miracles, indeed.  I told her that through her prayers, Jesus blessed me with many years of health and continues to bless me every day with continued life!  It was very humbling and powerful to meet her face to face after I had heard about her for so many years.  She was so gracious and after meeting me and Jeremy, she took our hands and prayed with me again.



Jeremy, myself and Sr. Briege at the Legatus Meeting
April 9, 2015

Sunday, April 26

FUN EVENTS WITH DADDY

Our amazing Daddy does lots of fun things with the kids.  Here are just 2 of those fun events from this Spring.

APRIL 26TH

MAVERICKS PLAYOFFS
Daddy took Nicholas to a Mavericks playoff game......super special.....

 And super fun!!

APRIL 24TH

CHEER BANQUET
 Madison and her Daddy
 Again....Madison and her Daddy

Time with our Daddy is really special
Thank you Jesus for Daddies, who always know how to make any event crazy and fun

Friday, April 24

MY FIRST HOLY COMMUNION

TODAY IS THE ANNIVERSARY OF MY FIRST HOLY COMMUNION
April 24, 1983
I am wearing my mother's First Holy Communion veil and my sister's First Holy Communion dress.  Both of my girls, Madison and Savannah wore this exact dress and veil for their First Communions.  It was VERY special to see them in the same dress and veil that I wore.

I still remember the day of my First Communion.  What a wonderful day it was.  I felt like a true daughter of the King in my beautiful white dress.

Even now, when I am praying and I think about how it will be to meet Christ one day, I often picture myself in my first Holy Communion dress (looking just like I do in this picture) I envision that I am with my Sweet Jesus, my hands in His Hands and I am standing on His feet and we are dancing.  I absolutely love to think about that.

I love our Lord so much and I know for certain that He Absolutely and Perfectly loves me too,  that He would gift me with His Precious Body Blood Soul and Divinity.  That He would strengthen me with Him truly and physically.

Thank you, Lord for this beautiful and powerful Sacrament.

Thursday, April 23

BEHOLD I AM THY HANDMAIDEN...Fearful Little Lamb

I am not always capable of truly understanding what Our Lord has written upon my heart, and why He would EVEN bless me so much as to write anything upon my disfigured heart.
I feel so unworthy to be Loved and Cared For by such an Amazing God!  Praying the Divine Mercy always reminds me that He Loves me just because He Loves me.....and He is SO Merciful and Amazing, beyond what my injured and corrupted human-ness can even comprehend

Today, Jesus spoke to me through this beautiful song.  It was awesome how I even happened upon it, but it's just one of those wondrous moments that would be ruined by trying to put it into words.  

So all of the way home from dropping the kids off at school, I sang it REALLY LOUD while crying!  My heart burned so incredibly

"WHO AM I"
(By: Casting Crowns)

Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth, would care to know my name, would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the Bright and Morning Star, would choose to light the way, of my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done, not because of what I've done, but Because of Who You Are
I am, a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, a wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind
Still You, hear me when I'm calling, Lord You catch me when I'm falling, and You told me who I am....
I am Yours
"Behold, I am Thy handmaiden, "Timidis Autem Agnus"
(Fearful Little Lamb)

Jesus, I love you so much and I will be ever filled with gratitude that You, Who is Love, would choose to love me so much, as though there was only one person to Love.  
You are my everything, You are my every thought and my every breath.  Thank You for choosing me to be truly Yours forever.  Please, I beg of You with everything that I am, to never allow me to turn away from You.
Love, Kerry Ann

Saturday, April 18

FAUSTINA TRACK AND FIELD

FAUSTIAN TRACK LOWER SCHOOL
Nicholas and Savannah are on the Faustina Lower school Track Team.  They are really excited about the track team and I am so happy that they get to be a part of it.  Coach Bernard is AMAZING!!  I absolutely ADORE him.  He has the kindest heart and a fervent perseverance!  He takes his job very seriously as a coach and grooms very disciplined athletes.  As he firmly molds his team, he never crushes their spirits!  He encourages with love and my 3 kids totally LOVE him in return.  They want to play sports because of Coach Bernard.  He is surly a gift from God!

TRACK MEET
March 31st
Nicholas competed in the boys 100 meter dash and the boys 50 meter dash
Here he is on the starting line at the track meet.  All of the Faustina students and families always cheer on and support their teammates as they are competing.  
The air is always full of excitement and brotherhood!  
Nicholas was on top of the world as ALL of the Faustina families began yelling "Let's Go Nick" in unison.  Wow, what a wonderful feeling of support!
Here is a picture of the lower school Faustina Track Team.  Nick is at the VERY top, and Savannah is 3rd row up on the right with her cute glasses.  Savannah is on the team as well, but she had an injury and was sadly unable to compete at the track meet with her team.


VARSITY (HIGH SCHOOL) TRACK TEAM

Madison is on the varsity track team and has really found a love for running.  She runs the 800 and has beat her personal best at each meet.  She has competed in 3 meets and yesterday, she qualified for state!!  She competes at the State meet next Saturday

2nd Varsity Track Meet
April 11th
Here are some pictures of Isaac at one of the High School track meets.  He is holding his VERY FIRST french fry!  He loved it of course
He loved being outside and eating his fry
Oh.....it is Madison's event.  Isaac waits at the fence so that he can see his Sis running
Isaac waves and cheers Madi on as she passes
There she is.  He was really excited to get to see her

AFTER THAT LONG AFTERNOON OUTSIDE
He fell asleep before we even exited the parking lot.  Poor little tired boy.  He was so cute

DISTRICT TRACK MEET
April 18th
Isaac dressed SUPER CUTE at the District meet in Springtown TX. The entire family packed up a huge cooler and a car full of chairs, blankets, and snacks in preparation for a long day outside in the sun.  And boy, was it a BEAUTIFUL day
Isaac was a hit with all of the kids.  They really kept him happy the entire day! I barely interacted with him.  He LOVED all of his new friends.  The students and siblings at our school are such a great group of kids.  The other sweet baby is Isaac's new friend Baby Owen.  They are a month apart in age.  They will someday be roommates in Seminary, I just know it!
Look at Madison's name on the big score board!  Women's 800 is underway
Watching Madison from the bleachers and cheering her on as loud as we can!
There she is running to the finish line....Yeah she beat her personal best score again!
Both She and her BFF Claire ran the 800 and BOTH made it to STATE!!  They were SO excited!  What an amazing accomplishment for these two lovely girls
Nothing better than sharing an amazing achievement with your Bestie!  Look at their cute matching high ponytails with their "cheerleading" bows

TRACK MEET MOMMIES
Gisele and I as we celebrate our daughter's triumph!
Same time, same place, next Saturday for STATE!!  It will be a day to remember!

Gisele....I honestly could not do this high school thing without you....you are so precious to me!  I just cannot express enough how much I love you
These fun school events are so very enjoyable!  I am so thankful that my kids get to be a part of this!
These are fun memories being made for a lifetime of smiles

April 25, 2015
State Track Meet
Okay, we were running late this morning to get to the meet in time.  Well, so I only have 1 picture from the State Meet (because I shattered my iPhone as I was running to get into the car)  We packed the car crazily and grabbed chairs, drinks, snacks, umbrella for baby shade, I even remembered Isaac's hat and food......well, somehow we drove all that way (to Springtown) with our car filled to the rim....but Isaac didn't have any shoes on!! Ugh...
Not good....no running around and playing for Isaac today!  He was stuck in his stroller!  Yikes! I cannot believe that we did that.....That is why I should've packed his stuff up the night before.
It was a fun end the Track season none the less.  Until next year, Springtown TX!

Jesus, thank you for the gift of my beautiful family (without them I would not have any shoes to forget) and for this beautiful day that we were able to spend together.
I love You today and always and forever,
Love, Kerry Ann

Friday, April 17

LUNCH DATE

My SUPER HANDSOME BOYFRIEND......who I have been lucky enough to be married to for the past 18 years (since 1997), took me on a lunch date to a new restaurant, called "Vertskebap"  It just opened in Southlake right in front of Spouts!  I love trying new places to eat!

YUMMY! You've gotta try it.  I had the beef and lamb Kebap....Jeremy had the wrap!
Here is a pic of my Kebap
I never think to take pics of our everyday fun stuff!!  I am always sad to never capture those everyday joys....They are honestly the spice of life!!  So as soon as I thought of taking a picture, I had Jeremy snap a pic of my delicious lunch before I bit into it.
Jeremy did not want to be in the pic this time.  A Kebap selfie of my Love and I would have been even better.......maybe next time!
Oh...by the way, I ate ALMOST that entire Kebap!

Thursday, April 16

SWEET BROTHERS

THESE 2 SWEET LITTLE ONES ARE MY BOYS
Boys are so different than girls, even in the way that they interact with each other.  Nicholas is none other than the pure "boy" that our Lord created him to be...I see this beautiful distinction in many different situations....one of those, being, when he plays with Isaac.

Nicholas fake wrestles Isaac, plays matchbox cars with him, spins Isaac around and makes him laugh, pushes Isaac in his little play car around the house, and lots of other things that only a brother could come up with, like......
 (snuggling RIGHT when Nick walks in the door)
 (playing with oven mitts)
 (walking around naked after bath)
(A secret fort for boys only)
Only a sweet big brother would make Isaac's Pack-n-Play into a fun fort to play in.  It is scientifically proven that playing is WAY MORE FUN in a fort
 (swinging Isaac in a circle while Isaac cracks up laughing)
(putting Isaac inside of a box)
(Making the box into a make-believe car....and driving Isaac, still inside the box, around the kitchen REALLY FAST)
 (naked studying after bath)
(Nicholas trying to keep Isaac away from the lego ship he is building)
(Finally, as a loving brother should....just letting Isaac play with the lego ship)
I absolutely love my boys! 
Nick and Isaac, I cannot believe that you are all mine (well, on loan from our Lord)!! I am totally and completely in love with you both!

Love, Mom

Wednesday, April 15

6TH GRADE AT THE ZOO (SAVANNAH'S CLASS)

ZOO FIELDTRIP 

Savannah's 6th grade class went to the Dallas Zoo for a field trip today.  It was such a beautiful day for a zoo visit.  Here are some pics of the kids from her class.  Savannah loves her school friends and adores her teacher, Miss Bradford (front and center)
Savannah's Class
 Wow......Either Giraffes are super huge close up....or Savannah is super small close up
It's gotta be the giraffe, right?!?
 My Little St. Francis, holding a bird on her finger....She is so "one with God's little creatures"
Girls always have THE BEST time together!!  I love being a girl!
Savannah and Sophie
 All of the 6th grade girls
These girls are truly delightful!  They are always all-inclusive, thoughtful, and kind....plus they are 
A LOT of fun

What a great day at the Zoo.  Thank you to my gracious fiends, Megan and Shannon for sending me field trip pics throughout the day.  I needed to stay home with Isaac, but was still able to fee like I was right there with Savannah and all of her friends