Making the Jump

Making Progress

2010-09-19T09:23:00.000-05:00

I was surprised to get this picture on my phone today from someone in Cameron. The picture shows a view of a demolished house on the corner of our church lot. This was in the works when we left, but has now been completed. Way to go Cameron folks!

MAIL!!!

2010-06-20T12:15:00.000-05:00

It is always fun to get mail. You can just feel the anticipation as one of these boxes arrive and we wait for an appropriate moment to bust it open.

Thank you to everyone who has helped sent a box. We truly appreciate it. It is a very tangible way of seeing that you remember us.

Playing outside

2010-06-20T10:20:00.000-05:00

We don't exactly have much green space for playing at our apartment, so the kids just play in the driveways. Here they are playing some form of dodgeball (JP's favorite in the US). It took us a while to figure out the rules.

JP bought a bike and his sister is borrowing it.

We are getting together with a group on fridays to swim and take lessons. It gives the kids a chance to have some good friends and time away from the apartment. We also signed them up for private music lessons but we have not started yet.

Hospital

2010-05-15T10:26:00.000-05:00

These pictures don't really capture the entire ambiance of the hospital. Many of these people are waiting for their turn at care without appointments.

You can see the hallway lined with people waiting. In the afternoon, these halls are much more clear.

We've gotten to know the receptionists very well. We've seen them more than one dozen days in the last month.

This doctor has been so helpful to us. He is very genuine and careful -- and extremely smart!

Tuxes

2010-05-15T10:21:00.000-05:00

Everyone in this truck was wearing tux shirts. I'm not certain they will still be white by the time they arrive at the catering event.

Birthday fun

2010-05-15T10:18:00.000-05:00

This is a birthday hat - in case you couldn't tell.

This is special stretching preparation for dessert.

This is special compacting preparation for dessert after an amazing Mexican dinner.

This is the smile of our friend the birthay girl who can now rent cars.

Science Project

2010-05-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

J had his science project presentation yesterday. He did such a great job! He and I had a lot of fun doing the experiment also. His project was to test the results of adding Mentos to Pepsi, Sprite, Fanta, Thumbs-Up. Pepsi won by spraying over 8 feet in the air. He also gave a great presentation to his peers.

Easter Sunday

2010-05-05T06:17:00.001-05:00

On Easter Sunday, we had an opportunity to attend a community gathering that works with slum children in their neigborhood.

The first thing that each of the 225 children do when they arrive is step into this little pool of water to wash off their feet. I love the picture of this little guy getting ready to plunge in. Below, you can see the girls in their pretty dresses doing the same. They love coming and today, they will have a special privilege of staying for lunch.

Then they lined up outside the house and waited for things to begin and M helped lead in some songs.

After worship and dramas, the children lined up outside and waited in shifts for the meal. Each child waits until everyone in that shift is served until they begin eating.

We are very encouraged by this ministry. Right now they are being sponsored by a youth camp in Tennessee. Oh, and they also do word in several villages in addition to an orphanage helping a total of over 2000 severely at-risk children.

Crazy traffic

2010-05-05T05:10:00.000-05:00

I got a new lens for by b-day. It is wide and helps capture the hugeness of traffic here. We went to dinner last night with friends across town (15-20 km) and arrived 1.5 hours later!

These people on bikes are able to weave through traffic even while its at a standstill.

Scratch type cooking

2010-05-05T05:06:00.000-05:00

M went to work on a new recipe that she found for my birthday cake. It was a lot more work than adding eggs and milk to a box cake, but the rewards were outstanding! Thank you for a great b-day cake M!! It was a yellow cake with amazing chocolate frosting.

We had a wonderful day with many birthday greetings from all over. I was reminded of how blessed we are to have such amazing friends. It was pretty overwhelming.

Along the way

2010-03-24T09:44:00.000-06:00

We saw this Jain temple along the way. They are currently remodelling it. It was located on top of a granite hill near the rocks below.

There is a Hindu temple under this set of boulders.

This older gentleman was evidently collecting plastic bottles from recycling. He has this burlap sack full of empty bottles.

I'm not sure why this canon was stuck in the ground, but we found it along the trail.

Head for the Hills!!

2010-03-24T09:29:00.000-06:00

We took a trip to the countryside while the kids are on Spring Break. It was a great respite from the constant buzz of the city.

This family seemed to enjoy the countryside also.

There was a very old fortress built on top of this historic hill.

This is a view of the same hill from a distance.

On the way home, we bought the most amazing red grapes on the side of the road.

Learn the Language!!

2010-03-20T13:17:00.000-06:00

This man has been a lot of fun to get to know. He is our head security guard at our complex and he challenges me every day - in a good way. One day he told M, "You live in this state, you must learn our language!" When she answered him in his language, he was very impressed. Later we had a local guest. He started to call us and she told him that we didn't speak the local language. He said, "Oh, yes they do!"

He is getting me a book and we are going to work on language together at his post. He also said I could bring my English Bible and he would bring his local language Bible!

ZipLock

2010-03-20T11:47:00.000-06:00

This was a funny find. Can you see the misprint difference between the bag and the box?

Uniforms

2010-01-27T09:28:00.000-06:00

The kids got their uniforms and wore them for the first time today. Today is the collared shirt day. P.E. is on Tuesday and Friday and they will wear t-shirts.

Hey Cow!

2010-01-27T09:26:00.000-06:00

Look another picture of cows in the street.

(Actually, I think these might be some kind of buffalo)

Hovering

2010-01-27T09:23:00.000-06:00

We finally found a place that sells silverware that we like. M was trying to pick out a pattern and evidently these three ladies thought she needed plenty of help. I slipped away and snapped this picture. We were there when the shop opened and I notice that they were having a big staff meeting. I would imagine they had been clearly instructed to be very helpful. We finally had to ask them to stop when they continued to shadow us all over the store. But, the good new is: we now have silverware! There is really no such thing as personal space in a city of 8 million.

On the Farm

2010-01-23T10:19:00.000-06:00

I think she's ready to be milked.

This was a new one! I think I'll stick with the auto-rickshaw.

Experts in Travel

2010-01-23T10:18:00.000-06:00

Best view.

Hold on! (Drivers are required by law to wear helmets.)

Delivery!

Waiting for the light.

Sunday Worship

2010-01-23T10:10:00.000-06:00

We had a great visit at an all-english worship service downtown last Sunday. All the latest worship songs were being used and the pastor brought an encouraging message. This is a mission-sending church.

Tomorrow we are planning to attend a slum church where hundreds of children are fed each day. It is just a couple of blocks from us.

All dressed up

2010-01-18T09:08:00.000-06:00

Our seamstress came by today with a friend. There faces were completely covered except their eyes when they arrived. The lady on the right made these salwar kameezes for us. We had a great time with them and they helped us learn how to make traditional coffee and chai while they were here. The lady on the right is planning to get married this spring in an arranged marriage. She will not meet her fiance until the wedding.

Around the house

2010-01-16T09:02:00.000-06:00

This is what you might call a bucket bath. They are very common here. The shower head above is a more modern upgrade. The shower is the whole bathroom and the floor slopes to the drain under the sink. After your shower or if you wash in the bucket, you take a squeegy (sp?) and wipe the water away. If you are taking a bucket bath, you mix the hot and cold in the bucket and use the smaller cup to pour the water over yourself. It is actually very refreshing (and kinda fun to get water everywhere - at least for the first week).

It is necessary to use a water filter here. This filter takes water from the faucet and takes it through several purification processes. The WMU has a program to provide them. The potatoes and fruit were washed and soaked water with potassium permanganate crystals to clean them. You can also see the 2L water bottles that we use to keep filtered water easily assessible.

We found this cereal and tried it today. It was really good.

My Mall

2010-01-16T08:50:00.000-06:00

This is my mall. I can find just about anything I need on this road. This happens to be a holiday and about 80% of the shops were closed because of a holiday.

This shopkeeper (L) saw me taking pictures and seemed curious so I asked if I could take one of him. I ended up in the shop. He sent the other guy out to buy coffee for two while I shopped. I bought a ledger book, a fountain pen, and some tiny notebooks to keep my expenses. We had a nice visit, but don't ask me to pronounce his name - I can't! (yet.)

Canyon Creek

2009-12-27T22:57:00.001-06:00

We had a wonderful time visiting with friends in Temple, TX. These were some of the precious people that have been part of our lives for more than 20 years.

One of my best friends is leading this "family." Thank you Jason for having us there. We had a great time. It was like coming home.

Quick Trip to Calvert

2009-12-27T22:50:00.000-06:00

We got to see some wonderful people that had a great influence on my life.

This is my Uncle Bob's family.

One of my all-time favorite summer jobs was working with the Cochran's.

Ouch!

2009-12-14T10:13:00.000-06:00

I gave my camera to a 3 year old to destract her from the coming shots during the THIRD shot clinic. They knew what was coming.

This is only the LEFT side on the last clinic (they always use both arms and give them simultaneously).

Some of our friends waited in line for the REI grand opening and got free passes to this climbing club. We had a lot of fun there together. The kids did really well.

I was amazed at how well the kids did. They both made it to the top more than once.

Mission Accomplished

2009-12-14T10:07:00.000-06:00

I think he really enjoyed this moment. It was like seeing an old friend.

Day in DC

2009-12-14T00:21:00.001-06:00

We had a great day in DC on Black Friday. We went with several friends and did some practice with what we were learning. Along the way, we had a chance to take a few pictures.

Acting sweet!

On the Metro (subway).

We visited the Old post office and went up into the tower. We also had some great Indian food for lunch.

Birthday

2009-11-30T09:48:00.000-06:00

M celebrated her 10th birthday while we were at training. She got to invite all of her new friends and had a great time. They played pin the face on the pumpkin (several times).

She had cake

She is growing up sooooo fast!

Fun Day in Jamestown

2009-11-30T09:25:00.000-06:00

We had an opportunity to take a break one Saturday and go to one of the oldest settlements in America.

grinding grain

rowing in a handmade canoe

defending our country!

Moving forward

2009-11-22T20:07:00.001-06:00

Please continue to pray for us as we make progress toward the big move. We look forward to sharing pictures and stories of our adventure. God has been revealing his mercy day by day. We have been learning so much - both in class and among our peers. Here are some highlights:

how to worship in a house church: we are in a group of 13 (5 of them children) that worship together everyday in a housechurch setting.
Acts: we studied each chapter in Acts for a month. Now we are in Romans
DC: we will be going to DC for a day of seeking out our target culture, eating their food and looking for EV opportunities.
And so much more than I can share here...

We only have two more weekends here. Thank you for lifting us to the father.

Some needed rest

2009-09-22T11:45:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure I really know how to rest. God is showing me that it is necessary for me to learn. We are having to learn to get more than just physical rest, but rest in Him. I woke up to this sight on Monday morning. Our bibles were left on the coffee table from the family time on Sunday night. I've never felt real confident about how to do family altar/huddle time. Our children are at a perfect age to interact in the discussion.

Thank you FBC Orlando for the wonderful mission house and the recouperation that is happening here. It amazes me to think of the sacrifice that goes into a place like this and the many families that pass through these doors on the way to various parts of the world.

Fun with great friends

2009-09-22T11:40:00.000-05:00

Look who we found in Orlando!!

Clayton was on the search committee that brought us to Cameron and Darla was my secretary for 6 great years!

One big fish!!!

Soaked from the splash.

Cameron Where??

2009-09-22T11:37:00.000-05:00

I thought our Cameron friends would enjoy this Texas sign

How many people can say they take a moving truck to the super store.

So Sweet!

2009-09-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

Introducing....our newest neice and nephew

2009-09-22T10:57:00.000-05:00

She's so sweet

He is too!!

So sweet!!

2009-09-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

On the road somewhere in Oklahoma.

Approaching the Red River!

Should I get out my passport??

Packing up

2009-09-22T10:52:00.000-05:00

Late into the night on Sunday, we were still loading

Finally, on Saturday...

The door was officially shut!!

Thank you to the wonderful team that came and helped. We couldn't have done it without you!

Nothing but net

2009-08-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

JP decided to make a net. He is planning on using it to catch one of the rabbits that come into our yard. Interestingly enough, M used to make fish nets with her grandfather when she was his age.

Happy Anniversary! 17 wonderful years

2009-08-02T13:29:00.004-05:00

This is our favorite video from our wedding.

Thank you Randy for making this for us so many years ago!

PowerPlayDay

2009-07-18T13:48:00.000-05:00

JP and I had a great day together. He has been asking about going to this place for about 6 mos!!! - no kidding. We finally had (read: made) some time yesterday. So, I had him do the google map thing so that we could have directions. We had a blast!! We played Lasertag, gokarts, video games, etc. etc. etc. Then we went to Chick-fil-a and Barnes and Noble. It was a good day. I am proud of him. He is such a great kid - and he's my son.

Tournament Double

2009-06-28T15:40:00.000-05:00

Here's his double from today. He made it to second base and the other two runners made it in and then he stole home to make the sixth point of the inning!!! Way to go!!

SBC Louisville

2009-06-26T16:36:00.000-05:00

Dad was telling one of the directors of FIREPROOF how the movie led a 60+ year old deacon to faith in Christ. Wow!

We were just milling around and thought we'd hang out with the Kendrick brothers.

We had a surprise performance from Mandisa singing "The Voice of a Savior"

A Bug's Life

2009-05-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

One of the first signs of summer break around our house is the lightning bug houses that are created and bugs gathered in them each evening! M convinced m to let them loose last night, but this remains in our living room ready for the next adventure this evening.

Camp fun

2009-05-02T10:16:00.000-05:00

Camp is fun!! We are having a great time at camp while M and j are home with the garage sale!

Kitchens

2009-04-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

Someone asked about kitchens and how big their refrigerators are. They shop daily, so there is less need for a large fridge. This one was in the rental apt that we stayed in. I thought it was interesting that on the side there was a large sticker that claimed it could handle fluctuations in voltage from 140-260. The power is very inconsistent.

Thirsty?

2009-04-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

This coconut was not exactly my favorite drink (but better than ThumbsUP!!). They chop these open as you order them. At least you know they are fairly sanitary.

This woman payed the elephant caretaker to be blessed by the elephant. One of the Hindu gods has the form of an elephant head, so to be blessed by this elephant was considered special.

Just an Ordinary Day

2009-04-22T15:06:00.004-05:00

During a recent trip through South Asia, we were in one city and went to the market where this video was taken. Notice the little taxis. Don't miss the birds that are circling the meat market in the background!

No Time for Rest

2009-04-21T07:57:00.000-05:00

I know that you are supposed to take time to rest, but right now that seems impossible. I am doing final edits on the dissertation, meeting a pastor in the city, having On Mission Celebration at our church 4 nights this week, explaining our upcoming transition to our friends, helping the church prepare for this transition, and so much more. We would appreciate your prayers for us during this time.

Awana Wednesdays

2009-04-20T09:22:00.001-05:00

We had another great night at Awana this last week. The kids at our church love it so much. We are so grateful to all the workers that come to make it successful. You can just see the joy on the kids faces each Wednesday night. We also have an opportunity to answer the questions that the children have (see picture 2). One child had a question about a dream the other night and we were able to talk to him about his dream and how to look to the Bible for answers.

These kids are amazing!!

Mobile Home

2009-04-03T15:33:00.000-06:00

In the country we were visiting, there were many houses like this on private land. These homes are inhabited by squatters that do not own land. According to the locals, these homes will be wiped out by a bull-dozer each year to prevent them from establishing squatter's rights to the land.

Those piercing eyes

2009-04-03T15:29:00.000-06:00

In my recent trip to South Asia, this little girl caught my attention as we were sitting at a stop sign waiting to careen onto the freeway. When we asked for her name in her language, she told us and then blew us a kiss! This little truck only had the front cab and the back was a canvas covered bed. You can't see her, but the mother is on the passenger side (left side). Life doesn't get much more precious than those eyes!! I pray that those eyes will one day be opened.

Honor Guard

2009-02-07T13:21:00.001-06:00

The Kansas Patriot Patrol forms an honor guard around the Cameron United Methodist Church in hours leading up to the funeral service for Chief Warrant Officer Matthew G. Kelley on February 7, 2009.

The best birthday EVE ever!

2009-01-16T22:16:00.003-06:00

My family! I love them all so much! They helped me celebrate so well today! Thank you three!

My sweetheart took me to lunch at the best Italian place! I loved their lobster bisque soup! It was well worth the drive!

I was a bit concerned about the weather(i am a weather freak), especially since I sent my kids to school in -10 degree weather yesterday morning! BUT it warmed up nicely today to 20 degrees! 20 NEVER felt so good! I just want you all to know that 40 is not bad at all! I'm so happy to have made it this far! I am so thankful for how God has worked in my life. I want to obey Him even if I don't understand.

Thank you ALL for the birthday wishes. FRIENDS are the best gift a person can ever have. I am truly blessed.

Sunrise over Cameron

2009-01-10T15:37:00.000-06:00

We have had some beautiful sunsets this winter. This is a sunrise from last week. That's right! You are looking to the east!

Krakow

2009-01-07T10:28:00.002-06:00

This photo was taken with a Kodak Easyshare in Krakow, Poland last year while we were there. I did some editing to bring out the colors.

Contrasts

2009-01-03T14:07:00.001-06:00

This picture was taken in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. An orthodox Jewish man is walking down the street. I was struck by the modern car next to him and the light contrasts.

Some time away

2009-01-01T15:34:00.003-06:00

We learned a new table game: Farkle
It was a lot of fun - especially because I won!!

We went to church at Skyline Baptist where Norm and Karen Howell are now. It was nice to see them. We met up later in the week for lunch.

We had a great time in Branson. It was fun to rest and play for a week.

(We are having New Year's Eve cake)

It's a bit ICY, see you at 10:45?

2008-12-20T13:31:00.001-06:00

We are still having worship tomorrow, but only the 10:45 am service. The last picture shows that we put down gravel and salt today to help with traction.

Creative Writing

2008-12-05T16:55:00.003-06:00

I thought you might enjoy some of this young man's creative writing from school. He's in the fifth grade.

(11-21-08)

If I was on the Titanic I would be a person in the mail room. My name would be Kindity Berndodleszapzr, but most everybody calls me Kin. I would jump off the ship when it started sinking. I got minor frostbite and I got pulled into a lifeboat and was taken to the Carpathia. Then I started telling my story. I bet there won't be many more boats like that sailing across the Atlantic. Who knows? Maybe someday there will be metal birds carrying passengers across the ocean!

____
How's that for creative!

2008-12-03T10:57:00.000-06:00

We had a great time visiting with family at the annual Davis Reunion. We laughed and worked together (and ate a bit too much). Thank you everyone for making Thanksgiving a wonderful event!

Interpretation

2008-11-22T21:35:00.002-06:00

If you received the following email from our youngest this morning, I might need to explain.

it is 6:35 rite now and our carbenbyoxsied poising deter gust went off @6:20
it was loud

You see, our carbon monoxide detector alarmed this morning at 6:15 am. I was in the shower and missed being awakened by the shriek. Dig located it and the crazy thing was alarming because the battery was about to die, I think it must have gotten missed when we "fell back" during time change. (side note: that is when you are supposed to change the batteries in your smoke and co monitors when we spring forward and fall back.) Lu woke up and could not go back to sleep, so while I got ready for work, she sent the email! We are all alive and well. Thanks for asking!

Birthday fun

2008-11-13T23:26:00.000-06:00

We had fun celebrating our daughter's birthday last weekend in St. Joseph. I thought you might enjoy some pictures.

Costume Design

2008-11-13T23:17:00.001-06:00

We had some creative costumes this year. Lu decided to make her own costume. She wanted to be a computer. You can see the keyboard hanging around her neck, her head is a monitor and she has a CPU strapped to her belt. Caspian was a detective - fully equipped with detective gear. They had fun. We made a couple of stops and then headed to the church festival. Needless to say we were tired having only been home one night from Israel. Five pm seemed like 2 am to us.

Days 6-8 in Israel (Jerusalem)

2008-11-06T11:44:00.002-06:00

Days 4-5 in Israel

2008-11-06T11:44:00.001-06:00

Days 1-3 in Israel

2008-11-02T16:56:00.002-06:00

I selected 50 pictures from the first three days of our trip. There are captions included for most of them to explain each one.

We are HOME!

2008-10-31T10:09:00.003-06:00

along the shore of the Mediterranean @ Caesarea

Just a quick note to Thank all of you for praying for us while we were in Israel. We had an incredible trip! We have many stories to share with you after we recover from jetlag!

They are HERE!

2008-10-19T20:32:00.003-05:00

I am SO excited to have these people in my home! Three of my Aunts and two of my Uncles are with us for dinner. They came all the way from Texas! My three Aunts will go to Israel with us and my Uncles will go to Minnesota while we are away. Words can't even describe how thrilled I am to have them visit with us! I am so glad they are here! Uncle Pete, I sure am missing you! I wish you were here too!

I have a running buddy~Momma/Son running team?

2008-10-17T06:43:00.004-05:00

Day 2 of my son's quest: Well he's decided to get up every morning and run, we are not sure why-Israel trip prep maybe? This morning at 6:20 when he woke me up (at my request yesterday morning)I was NOT as peppy as when I made the request. However, I did get up and am so glad that I did. So, while I was laying on the couch we decided to run a 5k together. Neither of us have ever done anything like that, so it will be interesting to see if the I part of the we can get it done. I know I can walk that far in a New York minute...but run??? This story is to be continued...

Hard workin' son

2008-10-15T16:29:00.003-05:00

Big guy here has been working so hard to get all of his homework done before we leave for Israel in addition to all of his normal take home work. He has LOTS of homework and has been working on an oral book report in which he has to make a mask to match one of the characters. I thought you might like to see his work. I'm pretty impressed!

One of my favorite things

2008-10-14T11:12:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite things in the world is reading over my children's writing papers. I love the stories they tell and I LOVE seeing how they think words are spelled. They can come up with the best alternative spellings! My favorite is Lu's spelling espsholly or the word especially. Anyway, every year we let the kids make a list for their birthday. They can put anything on it, no matter what the cost. Now, just because it's on the list, doesn't mean they GET the gift :) It just gives us an idea of what they are thinking and what they like for the occasion. Lu made her birthday list at Walmart the other day, so I thought you might like to see her list, excuse her misspellings! :)

Vilot from A Life of Faith, Baby alive lerns to potty, Chou Chou's first teeth, High School Musical 2 Country club cruser, high school musical mustaing fabulous, holiday barbie 2008, pally pocet pop and swap, barbie party cruise, barbie dog tranner.

If I was a Marine Biologest

2008-10-13T10:11:00.003-05:00

This assignment from our 5th grader came home the other day. I thought you might enjoy it:

If I was a Marine Biologest

If I was a Marine Biologest I would probobly work in a zoo but then I might go into the wild to get an other endangerd animal or an animal that just needs help. I can train dolphins, swim with dolphins, whales and sharks. (Yikes, I get scared too and I should be because one day I was swimming with a Great White and he swallowed me whole! Down I go into his stomach, then all the fumes from the...fish mush knocked me out. When I woke up I saw a bright light I yelled out, "Am I dead?" Another voice yelled, "NO!" and then, "Why are we yelling!?" I answered "I don't know! But it's kind of fun." So I found out that they had done sugry on the shark to get me out. So, I am okay and alive. THE END....classifide

Happy Pastor Appreciation Day Honey!

2008-10-12T20:46:00.002-05:00

I am so thankful for you. I get to see you do what God has called you to. You serve with grace, wisdom and love. You are the best pastor I have ever had in my life. You are the real deal. I am honored to be the only one in our church that can call you Honey! :) Happy Pastor Appreciation Day. You are greatly loved.

WE ARE PACKED!

2008-10-11T22:13:00.004-05:00

We are PACKED!!!! I am so so so excited! We have never been this far ahead of schedule...ever! The kids and I were able to pack in carry-on bags. Dig on the other hand is MUCH TALLER than we are, so he is checking his bag and carrying a few of our extras for swimming and hand laundry. I just have to show you a picture...I promise these are not stuffed with paper. If you see us wearing the same things over and over until we leave, just know it's because we packed early! It's a good thing! :)

Motor Boat

2008-10-08T21:12:00.002-05:00

My cousin Carla and I used to play this game called Motor Boat. We would chant while moving our legs like a bicycle; "Motor boat, motor boat go so slow. Motor boat, motor boat go so fast." Then, on the last verse; "motor boat, motor boat, step on the gas" we would fight to see whose legs were the strongest. Cas's feet are as big as mine and his legs are almost as long! I've got my work cut out for me now.

Lu, also has LONG legs. She is 8 and will be as tall as her Aunt Becca and Aunt Hannah before I know it!

She's almost beating me! I don't have many years left before she skunks me!

Happy bIrThDaY Carla!

2008-10-01T07:29:00.003-05:00

Do you see the girl with the ruffles on her sleeves and the CUTER than CUTE pigtails? She's the one on the left in the picture...Her name is CARLA and today is her birthday! She is the best cousin a girl could have and I have had the awesome privilege of growing up with her! (Carla, I think this is the only picture I have of Papaw not wearing a khaki shirt.) I love that you are my friend as well as family. I love that I can call you after 10pm. I love knowing that you understand what I'm saying even when others don't "get it." I love that you are SO smart. I love that you have a kind heart. I love knowing that you are as fierce as a lion when I need fighting for. I love that you have a V too. I love you and wish you the best year of your life! It's good growing old with you girl!

Update

2008-09-16T15:44:00.004-05:00

I am getting so excited about our upcoming Israel trip! I'm still trying to configure everything so that we can each get all of our stuff into a carry-on ONLY! I knew this would be a big goal, I'm still not sure if I can pull this off. But, I did make a "medicine cabinet" to take with us. I like it because everything is organized and in one place and it only takes up a small space in my bag.

See, it even folds in half, then rolls up nicely...ahhhh I can hear my type A personality grinning with delight :)
The weather is getting cooler, so the other day I decided to TRY one more time to make a loaf of bread from scratch; kneading, rising...the works. I'm not even sure why I think I need to know how to do this...but for some reason I do. I finally found the best recipe for me (the bread making novice) because this time, not only did the bread look like bread, but it also tasted like bread...I am claiming success regardless!
We have had SO much rain lately, that the bunny condo hasn't been raked and cleaned and it is soaking wet! Daisy has been staying in her weekend hutch home and while it is a happy place, a bunny needs roaming room. Today after school the kids started working on her space with help from the neighbors. Below, Lu is cleaning out her poop bucket and her feed trough and you can't see this, but she is gagging and choking from the awful smell! I'm crackin' up watching all the kids slowly back away...suddenly Daisy isn't the fun bunny of the neighborhood. Kind of like when there is a new baby and everyone wants to hold it until it has a big diaper!

All of our family made it through the hurricane. They are all glad to have their homes intact even though some are still without power, water etc. It will take a long time for the community to recover, but I'm so thankful everyone is still with us!

Honey, the bunny cage is empty, Daisy is gone...

2008-09-08T15:50:00.003-05:00

Dig woke me up early Sunday morning just before he headed out for early service at church. He said, "Honey, the outside bunny cage is empty. Daisy is gone. I closed the cage so the kids wouldn't notice. When should we tell the kids? I've gotta go now." I immediately got up and looked for Daisy, but she was indeed, gone, not hiding in the bushes or under the hostas or under the slide...no where, gone!

I wasn't sure how to handle this. The kids were going to be devastated! Lu had just finished making Daisy a bunny jacket for the winter out of bright red material! Cas loves playing with her! My eyes were all teary thinking about the trauma about to occur in their lives! We had such a busy day planned for Sunday. After church we needed to head over to an associational meeting about an hour away, then we needed to go to Kansas City, then head home. There just wasn't a good time. So, I decided to wait until after church to tell them. I knew that we just might need to cancel plans for the three of us while Dig preached at the associational meeting.

All through church I kept praying for a way to tell the kids, for the right words, for the right timing etc. So after lunch we came home and I told the kids we needed to talk. About that time, the phone rings...Dig said, "Have you told them yet?" I told him that I was about to tell them. He said, "Well, you don't have to, Daisy is in her cage!" After lunch, our backdoor neighbor, Megan, saw Daisy in our backyard. She came right over and picked her up and put her in her cage before we got home! She must have been hiding under the shed or something, but it was nothing short of a miracle! Apparently the lock hadn't been placed on the cage door the night before and she jumped out of her cage and had "free time" for a while. The reunion was sweet and there were many tears of what almost happened. They indeed would have been heart broken! I am so glad Megan found her! You are our hero Megs! BTW in about a month if there appear several baby bunnies...we will need a few takers! :)

Reunion is sweet! Mother and bunny are doing well.

There's an artist in my house

2008-09-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

When I came home from work Thursday night, this beautiful water color painting was sitting on my mantel. It is a gift from my sweet daughter! I LOVE IT! I think it is more wonderful than words. Thank you darling! She worked on this at djo's every week for about 4 weeks. I know the two of them had a lot of fun finding the mat, cutting the mat, setting up, and working on this for those weeks! I love you both! Thank you djo for helping her to shine!

We LOVE the Midwest!

2008-09-05T13:37:00.004-05:00

This morning we headed over to Jamesport. We LOVE this little community. There is a mixture of modern country folks, artists, business people, Amish, Mennonite and I'm sure a lot more! It is simplicity at it's finest and the downtown area reminds me of my hometown of Calvert, TX. One of my favorite stores is the Farm House Collection and I found a couple of things to add to my collection from them! While there you can also find out what's going on in town. The mayor of the town came in and had big news. His documentary on Jamesport will be showing on the Documentary Channel. Everyone in the store was excited. Others were talking about a couple of teenagers that had gotten into trouble. The owner Linda then asked us if we had ever been to the produce auction east of town. She gave us directions and off we headed. We found a very charming place. We drove up and there was a hitching post lined with horses (sorry, no photo of that! next time maybe :) There were buggies and wagons full of produce. The air was crisp and cool, the produce was beautiful! The mums were even more wonderful than any I've ever seen. If you ever get a chance to head over...it's worth the trip!

The vehicle of choice in these parts!

In line waiting for a turn on the auction block.

You can touch and hold and inspect the produce before it hits the auction block.

The auctioneer's turn to bring in a good price.

The serious bidders. Some come in from the city others are locals who want the best produce!

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake Recipe for jph

2008-09-03T10:35:00.002-05:00

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake by Patsy Foster Marion, Arkansas from Luscious Homemade Cakes:

Cake:
4 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup water
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups of sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

In a mixing bowl, combine the first six ingredients; mix well. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to chocolate mixture. Beat on low speed just until moistened. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
6 squares ( 1 ounce each) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
6 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
6 tablespoons milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

In a mixing bowl, combine frosting ingredients. Beat until smooth and creamy. Spread over cake. Store in refrigerator. Yields: 12-16 servings.

I followed the recipe to a T, except I didn't have on hand the unsweetened chocolate and used a bag of semi sweet chocolate chips instead :) Happy baking!

cooking again

2008-09-02T20:27:00.003-05:00

I think for me "new" cooking gadgets inspire me to cook again! I have been in a rut of sorts and haven't wanted to cook at all! By necessity, I've had to...but it hasn't been fun (as fun as cooking can be anyway.) BUT...I drug out the pressure cooker and I have been going through cook books and having a great time in the process finding new recipes. I have enough entrees to feed my army of 4 now for a month! So, tonight I made chicken and dumplings while BBQ chicken cooked in the pressure cooker. Then, it occurred to me that we "needed" a chocolate cake, my friend gave me a recipe for sour cream chocolate cake-from scratch no less-and off I went mixing and stirring and melting. By the time Dig got home, the kitchen was about 20 degrees hotter than the rest of the house!

BUT...boy was it good! This cake is so rich that we couldn't finish our serving!

I know I can't cook like this every night! But...it was fun making something that put a smile on the faces of those I love!

Pressure Cooker

2008-08-26T15:29:00.001-05:00

Hey, do any of you folks have great recipes for a pressure cooker? Email me if you do!

Tabernacle experience (pt 2)

2008-08-22T22:44:00.000-05:00

This is in the holy place. There is a Menorah on the left (light in darkness), showbread in the middle (bread of life) and the altar of incense on the right (symbol of prayer).

Cool picture.

Holy of Holies, high priest and ark of the covenant.
Other notes of interest: Green Valley has worked on this project for 3 years; They plan to give it away in 2 years; the entire tabernacle is symbolic of Christ and his incarnation and sacrifice.

Tabernacle Experience (pt 1)

2008-08-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

We took a group to see the tabernacle at Green Valley Baptist Church in St. Joseph tonight.

This was an introduction to the tour.

A view of the tabernacle from the back of the church. Imagine one million people living in tents surrounding this tabernacle.

This is a view from the East. There is only one entrance, just as there is only one way to a relationship with God.

Fencing Video

2008-08-21T11:56:00.004-05:00

I found this video that someone posted of our son in his fencing class. You can find him near these intervals in the video: 1:22; 1:53; 2:00; and 3:42. He is in the white shirt and mask :-) and black pants.

NOTE: We found out today that there will not be a fencing class for him this year. We are trying to find a way for him to continue fencing this year. Let me know if you have any ideas.

School Begins

2008-08-19T09:11:00.001-05:00

Here are pictures for the beginning of Third and Fifth Grade. It's hard to believe.

Family Fun

2008-08-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

Cas brought his new knife along...just in case!

Nice shot!

Adding up the score - trying to beat dad.

Fun was had by all.

It has a name...

2008-08-14T23:42:00.003-05:00

Just so you know...that feeling of tiredness, irritability and the excessive need for caffeine actually has a name during the Olympic Games. It's called Olympic fatigue! So there ya go! Happy fatigue as I watch the women's finals in gymnastics at 11:45pm!

They RAN

2008-08-07T13:39:00.004-05:00

Okay...keep me accountable! I've been on the treadmill twice this week...

see legs
see legs run

see legs off of the ground at the same time!

Must get into shape for the Olympics! I only have one more day!

This post has NOTHING to do with dust.

2008-08-05T18:45:00.003-05:00

You all know that it's hot. I'm okay with this. However, some members of my family are not. Lucy, decided yesterday that she would rather have January than August. I really thought she was going to melt, poor thing. Then today, we decided to get Daisy from her outside condo and bring her inside for a while. She did great this morning, hopping around, digging at the air vents, nibbling on apples etc. We let her go outside for a while and when it got really hot, we decided to bring her in again...this time was different. Poor girl she looked so hot, I decided to point my workout fan on her for a minute (please no comments on the dust!) I'm not kidding when I say this...she has been in this spot in front of the fan for the past 3, three, THREE hours! I don't think she's movin'. EVER. Smart girl!

He turns 11 and starts falling apart :)

2008-08-05T10:40:00.002-05:00

Big Guy here hollered up from the basement last night, "Hey Mom, I lost a tooth!" Yep, here it is in all it's glory, and when you look at the tooth socket area, the other tooth is almost completely in! He's about to loose the same tooth, other side.
The Girl Baby suggested that he rinse the tooth off prior to placing it under his pillow for the night. During the suggested rinse, the tooth fell into the sink and down the drain never to be seen again. Poor guy. Not to worry, the tooth fairy arrived as usual and slipped the silver half dollar under his pillow. I'm sure the tooth is gone now, the tooth fairy always takes care of that kind of stuff, right?!

Happy ANNIVERSARY Dig! I love you!

2008-08-01T02:41:00.002-05:00

Please post that really cool anniversary card here :)

I would be glad to do it... Here it goes!

Tween-age conversations...

2008-07-30T17:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if I'm ready to be the mom of a tween-ager starting middle school. But it's happening anyway. We've been having interesting conversations of late, one of which goes like this:

Cas: "Hey mom, when can I have a cellphone?"
Me: "When you can pay for it with your own money."
Cas: "Awe mom, but I'm going to need one."
Me: "Why?"
Cas: "So I can call people."
Me: "What people?"
Cas: "People like YOU MOM!"
Me: "but, I'm standing right here buddy."
Cas: "oh, yeah."

Trying something new...

2008-07-30T10:02:00.003-05:00

I'm on a quest...I get like this when we travel. I have learned through much travel experience that less it best, especially with children. It was too much to go through security, keep up with children and stuff and quart sized baggies and laptops etc when we took our mission trip last year to Romania. THIS time I hope to remedy the craziness at least some. SO...being limited on the amt of liquids you can take on a plane, I've decided to see if there are alternatives...and to my surprise there are many! Did you know that lotion is made in bar form? I didn't. They are marketing tooth powder like crazy (we used it growing up at our orthodontist's office) in many flavors and to my surprise, shampoo bars. Since I know I can make my own tooth powder, I decided to try the shampoo bar and lotion. I love the lotion bar and I'm working with the shampoo bar to get it just right...I've read that it can take up to a week to figure it out with your hair type. SO...if anyone else has any great ideas about packing light and without liquids, let me know! I'd love to hear what you have done! Now I'm off to trying to eliminate the need for a travel fan! I'm a white noise freak and I think I've found the solution using my ipod and small speakers...more to come on that.

1-800-bunny-dig

2008-07-26T19:43:00.004-05:00

Daisy's hole a week ago.
Daisy's cavern today...it is so huge! I can't even describe the vastness of this hole!
Dirt pile found this afternoon.
Entering her underground home (above)

Resting after a day of intense back-HO-'in! (below)

Lu went to feed Daisy tonight and couldn't find her, instead she found a pile of dirt and a MIA bunny...oh NO! She looked inside the hole and found our sweet little missy! We aren't sure, but we think she's trying to make her way to Grand Oaks to be with "Dig" and Cas. She really misses them.

I'm 11 years old!

2008-07-24T00:08:00.003-05:00

DSC_0149
Originally uploaded by pastorjay_photoalbum

Happy Birthday Big Guy. Love Dad

Happy Birthday Mister 11 year old!!!

2008-07-24T00:00:00.003-05:00

you can stop growing so fast now!

Ralph and Surfer Dude

2008-07-19T11:45:00.000-05:00

Steve and I had a lot of fun during VBS appearing as "Surfer Dude and Ralph the Pirate." Thanks for being a good friend! The kids now fondly refer to us by our pseudonyms. Every day when Steve aka Ralph took his eye patch off he had a red dot on his forehead! He is one of the truly funniest guys I know - and fast with the one liners. Thanks Steve!