Anna M. Aquino

                As I’ve written about before, we have become a single car family; which for us it means that when I pick my kids up from school we have to hang out where my husband works for an hour.   It’s really not that big of a deal.   His work has a small pond and a couple picnic tables set up.   The girls do their homework, and Mojo (my dog) gets to spend some time outside.   Yesterday my youngest was on a toot.   She was procrastinating on doing her homework. “Mommy, I forgot my sweater in the car.   Mommy, I don’t have a pencil.   Mommy, I need to get another piece of paper.”   I was getting frustrated, and sent her back to the car to get what she needed.   In order for her to do that, she has to cross a parking lot. I tell her every time to be careful in the parking lot. I had Mojo’s leash in one hand, and my tablet in another.   Suddenly I heard a scream. ...

  So it’s Monday morning, and I have some confessions to make.   Sometimes, I’m not as bold with my faith as I’d like to be.   Sometimes I am so caught up in my own stuff that I avoid contact with people I don’t know especially in public places.   Sometimes I can fit the stereotype of a writer/hermit.   Sometimes while I think people who are bold with their faith are awesome secretly I would rather hide.   Don’t get me wrong, when I’m behind a pulpit I am a bold person.   I would pray with anyone, and declare Jesus in their lives and their 2 nd cousins named Bob…grin…   However, when I’m in Wal-Mart and God gives me a prophetic word for a complete stranger, my reaction can be a bit different.   Sometimes I’ve been known to be disobedient, and sometime I have stepped out in faith.   I have an old friend who used to joke with me that for every convert people bring in they get a set of steak knives.   It’s a joke, but it i...

My youngest daughter has wanted to be a paleontologist for several years.   At only age 7 I expect that she’ll change her mind several times over and that’s fine.   We want to give her the freedom to choose and be whatever she feels God is leading her in life.   We’ve tried to encourage her love of dinosaurs through various ways; even by last years ‘Dinosaur Dig Birthday Party.’   So when she came home several months ago suddenly declaring she wanted to be a ‘Jewelry Designer’, I was a little bit sad that the paleontology phase of her life had ended.   I didn’t question it much, but tried to think of ways I could encourage her in this. It’s amazing what parents can learn about their children in long car rides.   On our way up to Windsor Canada from Central Ohio a few weeks ago, somehow the conversation got shifted to my daughter and this sudden shift to ‘Jewelry Designer’. “Mom, it’s my choice.” “Sweetie, I’m not saying you can’t do this. ...

  Yesterday after church my girls, Dan and I sat around the table eating chili and talking with my oldest daughter about her future.   She was telling us about some dreams she’d had, and we were trying to instruct her as best any parents could.   Without thinking much about what I was saying I responded to her, “Let me give you a piece of advice that I wish someone would have told me regarding the destiny on your life.   Don’t fight it.   The earlier you accept what God is doing, hook into it, the more He can do through you and the less you’ll be miserable in the process.”   I remember that while I probably fought the call of God on my life less than most, I had some moments that I really wasted time fighting.   People may want to argue this point with me.   Didn’t God give us free will?   What are we just pawns on his big game board?   My answer to that is both yes and no.   God did give us free will but he created u...

  This weekend marks a milestone anniversary date in my life.   I met Dan 15 years ago this Friday.   I’d traveled 3 hours in   the snow to spend a weekend with a different guy that I was dating.   As shocking as the story is, many of you have heard it.   I met Dan because he was my ex-boyfriends roommate, and that ex at the time was debatable.   It was a real life version of Rick Springfield’s song, “I wish I had Jesse’s girl.” I suppose.   The how’s all that came about is kind of a long story that if you haven’t heard, either ask me, or I’ll save it for another time.   It’s one of those divinely orchestrated “How they met” stories that seems like something straight out of a sitcom.   The picture attached was taken about a month after we met. Earlier this week I was thinking about this pseudo anniversary date, and a conversation I’d had with my ex before we ended, was brought to my memory.   He’d asked me once if I was ...

Last week while we were in the North, we took our dog Mojo with us.   However when we headed for Canada, for a whole list of reasons, we left our little mini doxie with my parents in Ohio.   My parents love dogs and leaving him with them is a no brainer.   Mojo has fun with them, and I think they enjoy him too. My parents usually have bigger dogs and haven’t had a puppy or a small dog in their house in years (unless you count the week Mojo stayed there in the summer).   My mom totally forgot that she had rat poisoning behind the bed.   It had been sitting there for years.   In her defense what animal other than a rat would seriously fit or go back there.   I would have forgotten about it too (Mojo only weights 12 lbs). Mojo found the rat poisoning.   It was an innocent dog thing that could have easily killed him.    I am so grateful that my mom heard him chewing on it.   I am so grateful that she thought of getting him t...

  The last few weeks my family and I spent traveling.   We were in Marion, OH for a week and Windsor Canada for a week.   Last Thursday, though we’d tried to make this appointment for my husband in Columbus, OH while we were staying in Marion, Dan had a meeting in Columbus.   The original plan was to get up early on Thursday, cross the border and drive the 4 hours, have the meeting and drive back.   We knew that would be stretching it, and in perfect driving conditions it would have worked.   However the weather had different plans.   My parents heard that the weather was supposed to be bad, so Dan and I left the girls in Canada on Wednesday, spent the night in Marion and drove to Columbus the next morning.   Driving to Columbus that morning was okay until we got into the city.   The snow had already started and there was too much traffic.   I was the one driving and I was already close to tears by the time we got to our destin...

    My family got into the airport in Orlando late last night.   In a perfect world it was a good time to arrive and get everyone to bed.   However Snowmaggedeon was supposed to be happening in Ohio, so we weren’t sure if we’d be one of the many travelers stuck in the airport.   We rushed to the airport so my mother could drop us off and wouldn’t be stuck in the snow.   We got delayed (not by much) and through the rush of running, getting two kids and a dog all packed and ready to return south we all made a boo boo.   When my family and I arrived at the house in FL, we realized we were missing a suitcase.   The only thing we could think of is that it must have gotten left at the airport.   We checked on six bags and left with six, but there was a seventh.   My oldest daughter was missing her suitcase;   filled with her Christmas presents and a load of new clothes that she’d just bought in Canada, the bag was missing. ...