The Life of Gabe and Mandy

Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Weathers

2008-12-08T20:07:00.001-08:00

Justin says, "Another one bites the dust". But he doesn't know what he's missing. If it is dust, it's the best dust in the world! (Being married to your best friend that is!)

Tiffany's wedding was totally beautiful. We're so excited for her!

It sure is quiet around here now. All the friends from out of town are gone. We had some good games of volleyball at the park today, now we're all pretty much exhausted.

Kaylee and Heidi are being extremely amusing as they play throughout the house, amusing each other with who knows what... unless you watch them discretely. Oh, now they are attempting to do the dishes with Trevor and Charity. LOL!

I'm going to miss them all so much when we go home. :(

2008-11-12T19:34:00.000-08:00

Pictures deleted! Hope you enjoyed while it lasted. :)

Maui!!!!!

2008-11-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

After desiring to go for several years the Lord made a way and I went with my best friend! It was a wonderful, good time! There were many little blessings along the way that made it more special too!

When we first arrived we ended up getting a Jeep for the price of a car. We were thrilled about that since we could put the top down and enjoy the tropical air and beautiful scenes all around, the warm sunshine, and the easy access through the top for taking pictures.

On our first night Gabe turned on the TV and we saw the Duggar show that our family was on. Gabe had never seen that before. What timing! ;)

Here's a few pictures from the trip for you guys until we get down there to show you the slideshow!

Dedicated to Trevor...

2008-09-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking about findind pictures of each one of my brothers and sisters and posting them here in a special post, dedicated just for you!

What do you think?... you might be next~!

Belknap Hot Springs

2008-09-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Booher brothers played at a private reunion at Belknap Hot Springs Resort. They gave us lodging as part of the deal which was pretty cool for me and Gabe. We really enjoyed the place.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them!

Tiffany and Nathan!

2008-09-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

Our family is so excited to be getting a new brother! And Tiffany is excited to be getting a husband!

Isn't her ring beautiful???

Gabe and I went to the SFMI conferance and got a little carried away on the slide... That was way too much fun!

It's a Race!

Off we go...

Yeah, air gives extra speed!..

Umph! Ouch! The landing's not so soft...

Go, Daniel! Pump those arms!

Hey now!

Argh, let go of me!!!!!!!!!!

Watch it, boy!

Victory!!!

Laurie, Tom and Daniel on the slide. They knew how to race... :)

Uh, guys? What's going on? We know Nathan's head is on backwards but what happened to his legs? jk!!!!

Yeah Nathan!!! You schooled me that time. LOL!!!!

The new happy couple!

2008-09-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Tiffany and Nathan Weathers, engaged August 28th! The wedding is scheduled for December 6th, 2008.

Words are not adequate to express our excitement over the last month as we watched Nathan and Tiffany get to know each other and become engaged.

2008-07-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful fun 4th of July! Annie inspired the idea of a party and we ran with it!

Gabe got really creative with his bean dip for the party! It was tasty too!

My favorite pie to make! Strawberry Rhubarb Custard

Perfecting the strawberry lemonade

Loralei and James spent the day filling up water balloons and the rest of us ate all the food. jk! We had a very fun game of volleyball, and crouquet. Then we had a great time throwing paper airplanes... and the water balloons were flying all day long! (But the back deck and house were safe.)

Last weekend we were over in the valley again. We've been meeting there for Ben, Brendan and Gabe to practice. On Saturday we worked Rudi's coffee shop. That was fun, again!

So many different flavors. This is only half of them. :)

We went to a birthday party at some longtime friends of the Boohers on Sunday. The guys played some songs for everyone. Later Gabe and I went down to the river.

It was beautiful! And the water was a very comfortable temperature!

Time to go!

One year has flown by...

2008-06-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

...And it's been the best year of my life!!! God is so merciful and gracious to us! Gabe is the most wonderful, sweet, amazing man I know!!!

A majestic sunset that is a small display of God's awesome power!

One of my favorite things to do is to collect wildflowers and make bouquets with them. I think God chooses the best colors and styles to go with each other.

These flowers weren't wild, they were from Mother and Daddy's yard. They smelled wonderful!

On Sunday morning we had a very sweet time of fellowship with Rudi and Carla, Mother and Daddy, Ben, Brendan, and several of the Keulens. Afterward we took the Keulens to Rudi's coffee shop and served them all drinks. That was fun!

Some friends offered us the use of their beach house and so that's where we planned to go for our anniversary. We started the trip out by going to Bob Schultz's memorial service and what an awesome testimony that was to everyone. We were reminded to live each moment as if it were our last, and we were challenged to draw closer to our heavenly Father in every moment of every day. Then we spent a day at mother and daddy Booher's farm.
After making a detour to Ben's house up in Washington, which was really special, we finally did end up on the beach, and I got to see the Oregon coast on a sunny day for the first time ever! It was absolutely beautiful!

We went on a walk the first morning and saw Haystack Rock, which was in view from the house we stayed in.

Gabe enjoyed taking pictures.

Here's the coast highway, palm tree substitutes I guess, but very beautiful none the less! Quite a difference between the Oregon coast highway and southern California's PCH. ;)

We toured the Tillamook Cheese factory, and felt very touristy when we bought ice cream in fresh handmade waffle cones. Ooh, that was so delicious! And then we bought some "squeaky cheese" and some Peppercorn smoked white cheddar and carried it around in our little white Tillamook Cheese Factory bag and felt quite touristy.

The cheese is made in 40 lb blocks and then processed to more manageable sizes by all these machines and people. It was an incredible operation! Well worth the seeing!

Our beach house is the one to the right of the roof that goes down to the ground. It's pretty much in the center of this picture.

Hey guys, I think our car looks pretty cool! And it definitely rides pretty cool! We had a very fun time driving it on the beach!

These guys were crazy, but it looked like fun... most of the time. I was laughing so hard watching them bump into the sand and get drug around before lifting back off into the air... the one guy just seemed to be having a bad day... but he kept at it.

We had a fun dinner at this place on our last night at the beach.

And that's all for now...

14 months later...

2008-05-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

My, what a random way to start blogging again after being gone for two months more than a year. I kind of forgot how to do it... Pictures are always fun, right?

Gabe took me to the Pine Tavern for my birthday. He also gave me that silver bracelet I'm wearing which has little diamonds in it! (Oh, and he gave me the shirt that I'm wearing there too.)

Well, it's been 11 months of happy blissful marriage. Life with Gabe is more wonderful than I ever pictured, imagined, dreamed. He's so sweet, thoughtful, caring, loving, fun, precious, tender, romantic, creative, bold, brave, wonderful, amazing, incredible, awesome... oh the list goes on and on but I'm sure that's not what you had in mind, Joanna. ;)

We've been busy, busy, busy. Gabe's been working full time along with 2-3 other guys, and it's good, but it's also sad because now I have hours alone in the house. I'm not sure how to handle it, but I know one thing. God is using this time to teach me to lean on Him more and I'm grateful for that!

We've been trying to get our yard in shape, little by little. A few months ago we started into it and one day we had the use of a Bobcat. Gabe dug a fire ring which we later finished with our nieces and nephews. We also started a burm in the front which we hope to finish soon. And we set up a drip system so that if we hang flower baskets we'll have water to them. Today was a good day! I was able to edge 2/3rds of the front lawn. It's not too easy because I have to dig the grass and weeds out of the rocks that line the lawn. Yesterday I picked up a rock and suddenly discovered a frog looking up at me. I screamed a little, it just surprised... then I stood there hoping nobody heard me or saw me jump... This afternoon I finally ended up tearing down the whole wall and then going back over it and digging up the grass and pulling the weeds and pine needles out, then I went back and rebuilt the wall. Phew! It wore me out! But I'm so happy to do it because it surprises Gabe, and it's one less thing for him to have to do when he's not at work.

Here's kind of what it looks like before

Here's what it looks like after... now I need to mow the grass.

When Gabe had the Bobcat he decided to take the "little" rocks out of the grass that were always getting in the way of our mower... they turned out to be not so little!

This rock was barely a tip showing up in our lawn.

I had a baking morning. I made a bunch of mini braids for Gabe's lunches. It makes it so easy to pack a lunch for him when the main part is all ready prepared! I've been making tuna bundles, and he liked them so much that I decided to try some other ones. So today I made Reuben braids and Spinach Sausage braids, and then I made Calzones... it was fun!

I love keeping house! It's such fun. On Saturday we went to some yard sales together and got some cute decorations, place mats, a pitcher that I'd been looking for, Tupperware, canning jars for a quarter each, a Pampered Chef tool turn-about, a little cabinet carousal, a thermos, etc, etc, etc, we had too much fun doing that! Good thing we're busy this next weekend or we might go yard sailing again!

Like the new place mats and cloth napkins?

Well, I'd better close, we're supposed to have company this evening and I go help Gabe get the last things ready before he does it all himself!

Hope you enjoyed the update.

I'm still here! I'm not ALL there!

2007-03-03T20:55:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

I finally got a few pictures on my computer so I can post them!

Bear with me for awhile, I'm sure I'll come back to earth some day... maybe... I think... possibly... I don't know... we'll see... (That was for you Abby. LOL!)

I do know that we've been keeping busy. Daddy cut his thumb, I noticed that. It was pretty serious. We're really glad that it started to hurt yesterday because that means his feeling is being restored!

Our Papa had a heart attack two weeks ago... if the fire chief for L.A. County wasn't standing next to him he would be in heaven right now. We spent a lot of time, (between all of us), at the hospital with him. Fortunately he's home now as of yesterday afternoon! PTL!!!

We went to some friend's house for dinner one night and they served us a mystery meal... that was very entertaining!

We've been going skiing/snowboarding each Wednesday this month. The last trip of the year, Merrie wanted to remember so she dislocated her shoulder. (Actually she was attempting a jump, which she had done successfully earlier, she wants everyone to know that!). ;-)

We had pizza night last night.

And I miss my guy like crazy... :-(

We had company today from San Diego. A family with 11 kids... we played basketball, frisbee, football, jumped on the trampoline and sang a little, then we taught them the Virginia Reel. It was such a beautiful day outside today! The weather was perfect for flip flops, which makes it perfect! ;-)

Now we're sitting around in Dad and Mom's room just talking. It's been awhile since we did this with just the family...

I read a verse this morning that really encouraged me. I love verses that have such practical applications for me.

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." Hebrews 13:2

In Love

2007-02-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all,

Yeah, I know it's been awhile, but as my family can all attest to you, I haven't been "all there" lately...

I think you all know already, (that was my consolation for not updating sooner), that I'm engaged to Gabriel Booher!

Our family met Gabe at Camp Dwight, back in July. We got to know the Booher family a little better at the Booher family music camp in August. In November the five oldest in my family spent a week in Oregon visiting different people we had met. We had an awesome time! We just happened to see Gabe almost everyday of the trip... The more I saw him, the more I was interested in the guy, and very impressed, but I was also sure that the interest was totally one sided and so I gave it up to the Lord.

In mid November, Ben, Brendan and Gabe Booher came down and stayed with us for a few days, on their way to Texas to make a new recording. We had another great time with them! We were all very impressed by their love for the Lord, and very godly character.

December came along and I remember wondering if I would meet the guy I was going to marry in the new year that was fast approaching!

On Christmas Eve, Dad got a phone call from Gabe... That was such a shock!!! In January we began corresponding fast and furious. ;-)

Gabe came down at the end of January and stayed with us for a few weeks. We enjoyed doing everything together!

On February 14th we all headed up to the mountains for another day of skiing/snowboarding. That evening we arrived home to Mom's traditional Valentine's dinner. (The only tradition about it is that she every year she likes to make as special of a dinner as she can for the whole family). Ben, Brendan and Gabe joined us since they were staying with us that week.

After dinner Gabe grabbed a guitar and said that he wanted to sing me a song since he didn't have time to write a card. When the song was over he got down on his knee and asked me to marry him... the rest is history. It was witnessed by all of my family and two of his brothers. I thought that was really sweet, but he said he did it in front of them to insure my positive response! lol! (And yes, he already got permission from my parents!)

So now we are planning a wedding. It's looking like it will be on June 23rd.

I never imagined that I would have such a confidence in knowing who the man was that the Lord created me to be a help-meet for. God has been guiding us so faithfully through this time and it's been amazing!

I was a little shocked when I realized how quickly everything progressed, but looking back there's been a wonderful peace that passes all understanding as I've sought out the Lord's will for me over the past month and a half. God is so good!!!

Marriage is such a real illustration of the Lord's relationship with us. I can't even imagine how deep His love is for His bride, (us)!!!

Thank you all for your patience with me in posting! If you have any questions feel free to ask. Can't promise if I'll ever get around to answering them or not, but I'll definitely try.

I better run, there's a lot to do...

"How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure.

That He would give His only Son,

To make a wretch His treasure.

He deep the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away.
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory.

Behold the man upon the cross,
My sin upon His shoulders.

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sins that held Him there,

Until it was accomplished.

His dying breath has brought me life,
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything,

No gifts, no power, no wisdom.

But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
His death and resurrection."

A few pictures...

2007-01-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

I've started a new blog post about 18 times in the past month and that's as far as I got. Finally I decided to just post some pictures. They can do the talking for me! ;-p

Dad and Heidi, on Dad's 50th birthday.

Grandma Sue, Me, Great Grandma O'Malley and Chris on G.G. O'Malley's 93rd b-day. Grandma Sue's birthday was two days ago! (I guess she's too young to state her age yet?)

Merrie and Kaylee on a trip to the beach in December.

Can you guess who this shadow is?

With two of my best friends!!!

Abby and me on the phone with a friend in OK. Hi Sarah!!!

Have you ever seen a hand on fire like this? This pic was taken in the kitchen.

Joanna, and a bad hair day!

What am I doing?

A pose for the Naylors. We miss you guys!

Our family has been reading through Psalms in the morning. As we are going through the book this month we've been noticing verses that have to do with praising the Lord with our mouth, lips, countenance... If we are really serving the Almighty God, who has everything in control, what do we have to worry about? Nothing should be able to take our joy away!

"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips" Ps 63:5

It's a beautiful day today and we are having a pizza night tonight! I guess I better go get started making it! Hope you all have a great weekend!

2007-01-06T12:06:00.000-08:00

We recieved word yesterday that Danielle and Mandy's mom went home to be with the Lord yesterday around noon. You may remember when I posted about her about a month ago. My heart goes out to the girls especially!

I'm reminded of James 4:13-14

Several times I've attempted to update you all but it just doesn't happen since I hate posting without any pictures. :-p

I'm working on it though, you'll probably find a new post soon.

A belated birthday post +

2006-12-18T23:33:00.000-08:00

December is a month of birthdays for us. Joanna is now 13, Alyssa is 11, and Trevor is 9! I remember the day each one of them were born. What an exciting time it was for us kids the day another sibling was born!!! The amazing thing is that it only got better!

Joanna has been maturing into such a fun young lady. She shocked me when she volunteered to take over the job of running all of the laundry for our family a couple of months ago. She's taken the responsibility very seriously and is doing a fair job of it! (Thanks Joanna, way to go girl!!!)

Alyssa is a treasure! She has such a creative way of making us laugh... I love sharing a room with 8 other girls who are my best friends! Alyssa blessed me just the other day when she spent the entire day in the kitchen with me baking and cleaning up the mess. It was a long day, but having her company,(Not to mention her help!), made it easy and fun!

Trevor will always have a special place in our hearts as our youngest brother for the past 9 years! Today he proved to me that he's starting to become a little man as he helped me cut down a huge juniper bush. It was a messy, prickly, hard job, but he stuck to it and kept working even when I stepped inside to make lunch! (Go buddy go!)

A late Happy birthday to all three of you!

I love each one of my brothers and sisters so much! God is so good to bless me with their love and friendship. I can't imagine life without any one of them.

Thank you all for your prayers for our friends. God is working in some special ways in both cases that I mentioned. Mrs. Lynch is actually able to be up, as long as she doesn't do anything strenuous. Our friend's Mom who had brain cancer is now enjoying the comforts of her own home and the company of her family and friends in Missouri.

We sure enjoyed spending two days with Danielle and Mandy while they were out here!

This year I've been able to fulfill some of my life long dreams! Some of them I was afraid I'd never learn or do!

1.) I've become more familiar and competant driving a manual transmission.
2.) I bought my first car! (And then my second car!) :D
3.) I learned to do a back flip!!! (Thanks Mandy and Danielle!)
4.) I blew my first bubble with gum! ;) Yay! (Merrie, you're a great teacher... if only you knew how many people had tried to teach me before...) lol!
5.) I ran a 5k race
6.) I began learning to play the fiddle!
7.) I got a real cell phone... lol
8.) We did some traveling!
9.) I started to learn how to ski
8.) I "learned" how to snowboard! Haha!
9.) I hiked to the top of Half Dome without stopping to rest a million times! ;)
10.) We got a family website. :D
11.) Our family did a concert!
12.) I learned how to shoot!

It sure has been fun!...

"The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. " ~ Psalm 145:15-16

What tomorrow may bring

2006-12-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

You never know what a day can bring forth.

On Monday Dad invited me to go with him and Mom to shop for a living room! That was such a special thing for me since we've been longing for a couch or something comfortable to sit on since our house had nothing but folding chairs or linoleum floors. Plus a day out with Dad and Mom is always a special treat! After about an hour in one store I was ready to go home. (I'm not what my mom calls a shopper!) 8 hours later Mom and Dad were ready to go home too! So yeah, it was a long day, but I wouldn't have traded it for a different one!

On Tuesday 8 of us went to work. We had a very profitable time and got a lot done. It was kind of late when we got home but we were thrilled to see Chad Johnson pull up! He visited with us for awhile and we enjoyed having a nice little "living room" to sit in! Talk about perfect timing! ;D

Wednesday morning started at 5 for me. Dad and Justin were getting ready to fly to Minnesota. We dropped them off at the airport at 6:50 and returned home. Once at home I was checking my email and discovered one that I'd been waiting for since Sunday and I had lost it somehow. Next thing I knew I was heading for San Diego with Annie and Joanna to spend two days with the family I last blogged about. We spend the night with some friends who live near the hospital. Very dear friends to us!

It was a huge learning experience for all of us and I'm so grateful that it all worked out so well!

The next morning we picked up Danielle and Mandy from their motel and headed to the beach for a nice refreshing walk. From the beach we drove to the Gramm's house in Riverside for a party. We had a great time there as always, and we didn't leave until after midnight. =-p

It looks like we'll be up late tonight too! We get to pick up Dad and Justin at 11:00 pm! Yay!

Thank you all for your prayers! I'm really excited to hear that Danielle and Mandy's Mom is improving today. Read Danielle's report here!

Also, Mrs. Lynch is home from the hospital! PTL! She will be on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy which should be 22 weeks if I remember right. Continue praying for them! And if you would like to help them out you can call or email my Mom. (Or you can call the Lynches direct I suppose!) =D

"Little drops of water, tiny grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean and the pleasant land.
So the little minutes, humble though they be,
Make the mighty ages of eternity.
Be faithful in little things, 'cuz little things make big things.
Great things are done by doing little things every day..."

Pray

2006-11-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile since I last posted and there have been several things I'd like to blog about but I just haven't been using the internet for blogs as much lately...

We have some dear friends who would really covet your prayers right now.

A few months ago we learned that our friend's Mom had brain cancer and was given 3 months to live. They live in Missouri but have been spending most of the last few months in Mexico where they were recieving alternative treatments for her cancer. Things were looking up after many intense struggles when all of the sudden Mrs. Carter came down with pnuemonia and some other complications. You can read more about their family on this blog http://www.mustard-seed-faith.blogspot.com She is now unconcious and on life support I believe.

On Monday we got a call from the Lynches. Mrs. Lynch is 17 weeks along with their 7th baby. She began bleeding on Monday and is now in the hospital where the Doctors are encouraging them to sign papers that will allow them to take the baby in the event of a hemorrage. Her condition was labeled as Placenta Accreta. They would appreciate your prayers for wisdom as to what to do, and also that God would sustain the baby and the mother long enough for the baby to develop to the point where he/she will be able to live outside of the womb. (A seventeen week baby's lungs are not developed yet.) The Doctors are also encouraging a hysterectomy, saying that it is the only way that Mrs Lynch can survive the Placenta Accreta.

A little about what our family has been up to can be found by going to our family website, of you are interested in reading about that.

May God bless you all and may you all have a great week.

EDIT:
We went and saw Peri, the mother with cancer, in the ICU unit. She is not unconcious all the time, she was actually awake for two of the days this week and she was aware of everything and knew who her family was. Because she's been fighting cancer I have a feeling it's going to take her body more time to get rid of the pnuemonia.

Thankfully we were able to introduce the family to some friends of ours down here in Chula Vista and they invited us all over for dinner, which was a huge blessing I think, seeing as they have been eating from restaurants for the past week straight.

Please lift up Danielle and Mandy and Mr. Carter in your prayers. They are having a tough struggle as you can probably well imagine!

Thank you!

And thank you Merrie for finishing this post for me while I was on the road yesterday! I love you, and miss you! (All of you!)

"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." ~James 5:16

Birthdays

2006-10-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Will turned 18 on September 29th. He was my first little brother. Now he's my biggest brother! He can beat me at arm wrestling... sometimes.

He runs a gardening business and we're not sure but we think that it's simply because he likes operating cool equipment.

Will, formerly known as Will-IE, is aspiring to be our family comedian, but I appreciate the way he knows how to be serious too.

Just about every evening Will is in the kitchen helping with the dishes. We like to sing together and if you haven't had the chance of hearing Will sing bass you're missing out! He's a sweet singer!

I love that guy! He's a real 2x4x92.4 (I hope I got those numbers right)

We celebrated another birthday on September 27th. We had Aunt Nancy and her family over for her birthday so that she wouldn't have to cook. We had some...food... and some cake, made by her husband, my Uncle, Dad's brother, Grandma Sue's son, Great Uncle Tim's nephew, Natalie's Dad, the Gramm's friend. Yeah that guy. You probably know the dude!

Anyways, when some of us went into the kitchen after dinner to clean up we saw this nice cake sitting there. We also saw this nifty tube of icing. 5 minutes later, with tons of giggling and a little bit of chocolate syrup we found in the 'fridge the cake was altered in appearance, and so were some faces...

Yosemite again!

2006-09-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It's been a long time since I posted anything but that doesn't mean there weren't a lot of things I wanted to post about. In fact I would have updated more often except that I feel guilty posting about anything on my blog before updating the family website. So instead of telling you all something interesting I'll tell you about my backpack... jk!

We just came back from Yosemite again! We got home around 1am Saturday morning and had a wedding to attend at 1pm.

In Yosemite we met up with some nice families. On Tuesday Chris, Annie and I set out with 9 others to hike up to Half Dome. It's a pretty strenuous hike and I was really stoked when Annie and I made it up to the top without having to stop to take a break! We just paced ourselves and kept moving. It was so much easier than the first time I went 3 years ago!

This picture was taken on the way down

Man was I sore the next day though!

When I got to the cables at the base of Half Dome I decided to leave my backpack behind a rock. When I got back down the cables I headed straight for my pack to get my sweatshirt. As I pulled my sweatshirt out I noticed it was wet from a juice I had left inside my pack, I also noticed that somebody had eaten half of my apple!

At first I thought maybe my juice had gotten punctured by something on the hike up. Then I thought maybe it was from the altitude change!? I also wondered who in the world would eat half my apple and then return it to my pack and zip it back up. Then I realized there was a big hole in the back of my pack! A squirrel popped out of it's shelter beneath the rock as I was holding the half eaten apple in my hand and I quickly realized what happened!

That squirrel got stoned with an apple and it was a satisfying feeling. :o

On the last night of camping I accidently left my backpack out and a bear got into it... Need I tell you that it's been retired? Bummer too because it was my laptop bag. (There, I guess I told you about my backpack after all!) ;-) I can't believe I didn't even think about squirrels, and I was so sure my pack was safe in the bus on the last night, I even casually checked but later discovered it was actually Joanna's pack that was safe in the bus... oh dear, my lack of responsibility scares me!

My goals for this week are to get the house back into order, start reading through the Bible again, this time in 6 months, get the menu planning and grocery shopping done, and update the family website between working with Dad. We just started a project that needs to be finished by Sunday!

Hey, anyone want to join me in reading through the Bible in 6 months?

In the past two days we've attempted to take a good family picture and here's my favorite one, which is far from perfect! Hope you enjoy.

Justin

2006-09-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a very special day! It was an unusual Sunday too since Dad and Mom had to leave before the morning church service and didn't make it back until just before the evening service. But the reason this day is a very special one is because 23 years ago Dad and Mom were scheduled to move out of a converted garage into a house, but God decided that September 3rd was the best day for Mom to go into labour for the third time, and Justin was born just in time to help our family get settled into our new house!

Since Dad and Mom were gone today Justin stepped up to the plate and filled in Dad's shoes leading singing while Chris accompanied on the piano. At the retirement home he also shared a message that the Lord layed on his heart. It was neat to see his willingness serve others even on his birthday.

I have so many precious brothers and sisters but Justin and I have shared a lot together... Good memories, all those days sitting in Mom's room, or worse, on our beds waiting for Dad to get home... All those days at the school table when I would cry if my score was any less than Justin's after a test... Spending every moment possible outside year 'round playing, playing and playing... And now all the days at work when things seem to go wrong and he always finds a solution and helps us all to see that it's not the end of the world.

I often wish I could be more like Justin. He's so full of initiative, diligence, faith, generosity, sincerity, self-control and loyalty to name a few of the traits he demonstrates.

I'm so grateful to the Lord for giving me such an awesome brother, friend and example!

Happy Birthday Justin!

The "I" Survey

2006-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Dad and Mom are at the hospital with Pastor Sam this evening. They are operating on him to install a pace-maker. He has been doing much better since Sunday and the Dr. assured Dad that nobody has had any problems from having a pace-maker put in, ever.

I got this in my email, and instead of forwarding it and risking sending it to somebody who didn't want it I got this brilliant idea, "Why not post it on my blog and people can just copy it and post their own answers and email them to me?"

So, if you feel so inclined, it would be fun reading your answers.

I: am only replying to this because my oldest sister did and I really admire her.
I Live: at home with 15 of my favorite people in the world!
I Work: with my Dad and brothers remodling kitchens, or at home keeping house.
I Talk: more than I should probably.
I Wish: I could travel more, but I'm content to stay home because I know that's where God wants me.
I Enjoy: lots of things like sunshine, a nice breeze, extreme sports, doing laundry and dishes, cooking, singing, having company, driving, camping, the beach, the beautiful scenery God has created...
I Look: like me.
I Find: lots of things to do to keep me busy.
I Made: myself eat a big fish eyeball, and a huge serving of brussell sprouts, and I'm still alive to tell about it. ;-)
I Smell: fresh cut grass and laundry soap.
I Listen: to cars driving by and I imagine that what I'm hearing is actually the ocean.
I Hide: dirty clothes in the laundry closets.
I Pray: when I have someone on my heart.
I Walk: kind of fast usually.
I Write: a lot in my journal, and I wonder if I'll ever let anybody read all that I've written.
I See: darkly as through a glass... but someday I'll see my Redeemer face to face!
I Sing: when a song is in my heart. I sing a lot.
I Laugh: when my siblings do the cutest or silliest things.
I Can: do anything through Christ who strengthens me.
I Watch: crime happen in my neighborhood, and it's rather interesting to see.
I Learn: as much as I can from those who I admire.
I Dream: of being able to do back flips and back handsprings someday, but I never have the nerve to try them.
I remember: being scared of bears.
I Want: to serve the Lord every moment of every day!
I Cry: when I'm over-over-over-over tired, maybe once every 3 months. (A nap alway cures me).
I Burned: up our last oven cooking cinnamon rolls at 2am.
I Read: the Bible, email and blogs, and occasional books, but I try to keep them to a minimum...
I Love: knowing God! (Amen!)
I Sometimes: have to go out and run around to burn off extra energy, but not very often anymore.
I Touch: hot things in the kitchen and remember them for weeks.
I Hurt: other people's feelings more often than I realize, and that hurts just to think about.
I Fear: doing something stupid that might hurt other people.
I Hope: to see revival in America in my lifetime (Amen!)
I Break: open my skin on every kitchen remodel I've helped with so far.
I Eat: good food just about every ol' day of the week!
I Quit: the last game of volleyball I played...
I Drink: water every single day! ;)
I Save: almost all of my emails
I Hug: 50# bags of wheat when I carry them.
I Meditate: on Scripture sometimes, when I feel really motivated (ditto)
I Play: less and less often, it's terrible!
I Miss: playing more often. jk!
I miss all the neat people we met all across the country.
I Hold: the position of chief cook and bottle washer at home.
I Forgive: as God gives me grace.
I Drive: as often as I get a chance.
I Have: a purple Nalgene bottle and a top bunk in our bedroom
I Don't: like being inside all day long.
I Kiss: my little brothers and sisters.
I Believe: I know where I'm going when I die, and it's a wonderful place!
I Feel: really happy right now, sitting outside with my laptop, listening tothe kids practicing music inside.
I Know: that all things work together for good to them that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.
I Wonder: what's going to change with our family in a years worth of time because life is sure sweet the way it is now.

Work, Play and Pray

2006-08-25T21:55:00.000-07:00

This week has been one full week! All week I've been finding lots of opportunity to practice flexibility and trusting in the Lord. I'm beginning to come to the point of not even making plans so that I feel available to serve however I'm needed. It's been fun, exciting, challenging and well worth it!

This morning Chris, Annie and I went and painted the kitchen we were doing with two different colors, and I'm feeling grateful to the Lord because the whole job went so smoothly we were done by 1:00 and so we were able to go home to join the party that was happening at our house!

Dad and Justin were working in 2 seperate places and they were able to make it home for the party too!

Mr. B. Came and did a very entertaining magic show for us! It was great!! People played volleyball for several hours straight, I joined in and jammed my thumb on the first game and wasn't able to play any other games all day which was a real bummer! Justin and Darrell BBQ'ed hot dogs and hamburgers, lots and lots of them. They did a great job. All in all it was a really nice afternoon/evening thanks to Mrs. Gramm's organization and hard work!!!

This afternoon Dad got a call informing us that Pastor Sam wasn't doing to well. Apparently he had several small strokes and so after spending some time with him Dad followed the ambulance to be with him in the hospital.

While in the emergency room Dad overheard a woman in the room next to them complaining to the Doctor about her breathing problem... As she went on and on Dad couldn't help but hear her and indeed she was not having any difficulty in breathing! What she wanted was for the Doctor to get the school board to clean her school room for her because she had asthma! Finally the Doctor said, "I don't know what to tell you. I think you should contact the mental heal-- I mean health board!"

The Bible says that a merry heart does good like a medicine. Unfortunately Pastor Sam must not have heard that conversation because he's still at the hospital. But I'm sure he covets your prayers! Dad's on his way back there tonight.

EDIT: Pastor Sam is still in the hospital. The Doctors want to give him a pace-maker, but he doesn't really want one. Especially when they told him he'd only have 2 months to live at the most without one. He's has congestive heart failure.

Trailer Fiasco

2006-08-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

We just had our second Friday in a row with pizza nights. Now we're back onto our regular every other week schedule.

Last night we had 89 people here, and several people who were planning to come didn't make it. It was a great day/night. Annie and I made 18 pizzas, and we were really happy when a former Italian restaurant owner gave it very high ratings! We're hoping that he'll teach us to toss the dough some day, he showed me how to practice with a dish towel, but I didn't catch on. Dad and the boys were working at his house yesterday changing out their electrical panel so he cooked up some eggplant lasagna on the BBQ, and it was delicious!

Last Friday we had just started eating with all of our company that had arrived when the phone rang. It was our friend from TX who was on his way to our house when his trailer had a little accident... It rolled a few times and was completely obliterated, leaving it's contents all over the road.

It just so "happened" that we had two 15 passenger vans sitting in our parking lot ready to go, along with two big trailers. They were loaded and on their way in a few minutes. About an hour later the rescue crew returned with our friends from TX. The trailer base, (the only recognizable thing left), was inside of one of the bigger trailers that just "happened" to be here that night.

I just think it was so neat the way the Lord arranged all of the circumstances to help a brother in need.

This week has been a very special week for me! The Lord has been revealing a lot of things to me through His Word, and through other people's experiences. I'm so blessed, excited and encouraged to begin practicing the things I've been learning about giving thanks in all things and rejoicing always and serving those who I've been called to serve! (I already knew I was supposed to do that, but it's good for me to be reminded often).

(Now that I post this I'm going to have some tests that will try my faith, I'm sure!)

I enjoyed a week off from going to work. I got to do what I love best, keep house! Yep, I actually love to wash dishes and cook, sweep and mop, clean up and organize, vacuum and dust... But I'm excited about learning to be another "secretary" for Dad and the business, presenting kitchen plans to customers and scheduling with them. Today was my first trip with Dad and it was way too easy...

Dad: "I've made three different designs for you to look over and choose one of, and we can change them around however you like."

After viewing the three plans...

Dad: "Would you like to keep these and think about which plan you want to go with?"

Elderly home owner: "Nope. I make fast decisions. I'll take the third plan, that's the one I like best."

We actually have 4 kitchens waiting for us to do right now. They're all from word of mouth references. The customers have pretty much decided to use us before we even give them a price!

Last night several of us received personal thank you notes from the owner of the last kitchen we did. She enclosed a cash gift for each of us! How sweet is that?! (She also gave the company a bonus!)

I'm hoping to update the family website some day in the near future. It will probably be a mile long but hey, at least we have some new stories to tell!

Music Camp...2

2006-08-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm actually going to continue blogging about Music Camp!

For those of you who didn't know, I don't really play the fiddle yet, I just kind of picked it up a few times and tried to pick out tunes on it, so when I found out we were actually going to camp I signed up for fiddle 1. When we arrived I discovered that I had been placed in fiddle 3. When I asked about it I was encouraged to just try it and I was always welcome to move from one class to another.

Monday Morning came and I headed off to class. First I had to tune my fiddle, yikes, I had always asked Annie to do that for me! Then the teacher asked everyone to play a solo so that he could get an idea of where we were at... understand, I'd never learned a song on the fiddle to play straight through. As my turn came closer I was ready to run! Instead I told myself to just pretend I knew what I was doing, and to calm down.

It was definitely a humbling week. Fortunately my solo went fine, half of my class was actually just as prepared as I was, or less, even though they took lessons, so I didn't feel so bad... yet... (But that's another story).

All the classes were actually very fun! I loved them, and the instructors were awesome! But by Wednesday, I was going on my 4th day with only about 5 hours of sleep and I was getting more than overwhelmed, I ditched the afternoon class and a nap took care of that problem!

On Friday morning I ditched class once more, (With permission this time!), to go rock climbing with Justin and a group of others. After a week of classes I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of being outside and getting some excercise!

We went to Smith Rock. It was actually very pretty, in a deserty sort of way. I'm looking forward to going back there sometime! The climbs we did were really fun climbs, and the group we went with was great fun too! Some of the climbers had never done rock climbing before and they did great! I can hardly wait to go climbing again, but today, surfing will suffice!!!

Music Camp... 1

2006-08-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the Booher family music camp where we had an awesome time! I was so blessed by the fellowship with other families there! It was great!!!

It was neat to see the way the instructors who didn't know the Lord couldn't help but see Christ's light shining... One of the teachers said to me, "I like the way everyone here deflects praise, that's really neat." They all seemed to believe that this was the best camp they'd ever been a part of!

My first performance with a fiddle ended on a memorable note. It was band scramble night. The night when they take all the students in the whole camp and assign them to different groups to be led by the teachers. My group was going to be performing Pecos Bill, and I was getting more nervous and embarrassed as the time drew nearer for the performance. I spent the time doing dishes instead of practicing, and the girl I was working with began to sing hymns with me. The first one we sang was, "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus, Life's trials will seem so small when we see Christ..." At that point I heard the Lord asking me if I really believed what I was singing and I had no reason not to! So from then on I was totally at peace and happy!

Sure enough, our performance was lousy but I enjoyed it anyways. At the end we were going to throw candy out to the audience and I ended up throwing my bow accidentally...

I saw it fly up, hit a microphone stand and bounce off to land right in front of the kids sitting in front.

So yeah, that was my first attempt at playing the fiddle in front of a real audience.

But hey, "it will be worth it all..." Right?

Thanksgiving

2006-07-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

I spent the last two days filling in as a substitute teacher for a Summer School near our house.

My eyes have been opened to a few things that I often take for granted! I'm so grateful right now because:
1.)My parents don't send me to summer school from 8:00am - 6:00pm
2.)I'm free to learn the things that interest me instead of whatever is being presented to me by any teacher or school, (These things might include dancing, or watching movies about ghosts, witches, and other demonic subjects.)
3.)I've learned to play outside in the rain or in the hot sun and have fun, without computers, video games, adults to supervise and run the whole show just to keep order... It's okay with my parents if we have to sweat it out, and it's okay with us kids too!
4.)I consider my siblings to be something much more valuable and precious than a thorn in the side.
5.)In my schooling atmosphere I didn't have to hear minced oaths crude topics proceeding out of the mouths of teachers and students alike on a regular basis.

The list goes on and on... something seems to be seriously wrong.

Time to talk about something more cheery.

We're planning to take another trip up to OR! Next week we hope to attend a music camp, www.boohermusiccamp.com , where we hope to learn/improve on the fiddle, guitar, keyboard and maybe bass. We're pretty excited about that!

Last night it was so hot we decided to sleep outside. Chris, Annie, Merrie, Alyssa and I laid out a couple of blankets on the lawn and enjoyed a night away from our oven of a house! It was kind of scary when just the night before a guy tried to climb into our bus and upon detection of being detected he cussed dad out, threatening to bring back "the gang". And the night before, we came home to find a guy getting ready to bed down on the front porch. When Justin discovered him he said, "Oh, I thought you guys were gone."

Comforting...

It's interesting to consider that we need to love these guys as Christ loves us.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" Matthew 5:44

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35

If you had an opportunity to spend 2 long days with 8 kids, who didn't have a very good family life what do you think would be the most important thing to try to teach them? How could you impact their life for good?

Another Week

2006-07-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone by already.

This is for Johnny!

On July 3rd we went to LAX to drop off Anna and Sarah. That evening we went to Uncle Mike and Aunt Nancy's house for a get together. We had pollo asada... and other good stuff. Later in the evening we all headed off for the park to watch a firework show. After the show Aunt Nancy pulled out brownies and homemade ice cream! Yum!!! (Yep, it was sugar free!)

On the 4th we had an absolute BLAST in Grandpa's pool. I finally learned to dive off the diving board. And I finally got up the nerve to do flips off of it again too, thanks to Dad and Uncle Mike's patient coaching.

Wednesday Annie and I had the day set aside to go pick up our adopted sister and her 3 girls at LAX. She was coming home from a month in New York. We took Charity, Kaylee and Heidi with us and they were so adorable the whole time! We took them to In-N-Out because they hadn't eaten since the day before but we didn't eat because of how early it was. By the time we dropped off the new arrivals we were feeling really hungry so we stopped at Baja Fresh. (Tip Of The Week: Don't ever buy a bean and cheese burrito there!) It was so fun going out with my sisters. Did I mention that they were so precious and cute?

On Thursday I got a call from Brian Denton, a friend we hadn't seen in 8 years. He was desperately looking for 40 volunteers for an all day Childrens Program on Saturday... I took on the task and after 3 hours on the phone while driving back and forth to Home Depot...(long story)... I was ready to quit! I was trusting that God would supply the perfect amount of workers, and He did!

Friday was Pizza Night and we had ... PIZZA for the first time in a long time! Making pizza between making more phone calls and running more errands wore me out. I was dead tired but then the company started arriving. It was fun to see the Rutz family from AK! There were quite a few people here and we had a nice time.

Saturday morning we had to get up around 5:30. That's normal for a week day, but it's not fun when you don't go to bed until after midnight as you all well know.

At the Childrens program we met up with Brian and his new wife Shanna, and the Leckenbys. They gave us a 20 minute briefing for the whole day and we were off to our team stations to start collecting kids.

I was so blessed by what Stephan L. shared about unconditional love. The whole day I was impressed by the message they were sharing with the kids too, it was exactly what I needed to hear that day! Even though I was seriously lacking on sleep, (to the point where I couldn't stop laughing at one of the skits it was way too funny. I think I had all the leaders in the back laughing at me). So despite being over-tired, embarassing myself like that I wouldn't trade the day for anything! It was fun taking Turner and Josiah to dinner and then home afterward. They remind me of ourselves a lot!

Sunday was a sad day because Hannah and Minna said goodbye. They went to Taiwan for a month. But one cannot be sad for too long because we had some great games of volleyball and some profitable fellowship!

Monday was a quick planning day because we headed off to the beach to test out the bus and to take the Rutz family surfing! The waves were incredibly perfect for me and I had the funnest time of my life surfing!!! It was REALLY FUN!

Tuesday had a million things to do on our to-do list so we threw it out the window and enjoyed a rare visit from our cousin who is heading off this Monday to spend 3 years in England with the Air Force. We got Jack to help us girls wash the bus using a folding table to reach the top. lol! Then we washed Mom's bedroom windows inside and out and made dinner while keeping an eye on the little girls who played happily together. Dad and the boys + Merrie had a hard day at work, Mom at the office, Annie, Joanna and Alyssa at the department stores.

In the evening I joined Justin, Willie and Jack on the basketball court for the first serious time in a long time. (They are WAY TOO good for me to play with anymore). We had a great time and I didn't even come in last place! (Probably because of Willie's tolerance and Jack's kindness).

After the basketball game we all sat out on the front porch and talked while waiting for the moon to rise. After the moon finally came up we all headed to bed because we're supposed to get up early ya know.

Last week I was driving in the car with Dad one day and he shared with me about something the Lord was beginning to teach him. He asked if I knew why God had created me. Do you know why God has created you? I'd be interested to hear your answers!

Maybe I'll tell you more another time. For now I'd better get going. We're planning to leave for Oregon tomorrow evening so we have some stuff to get done first.

" Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." James 4:7-8a

Unusual...

2006-07-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

I wrote this yesterday but couldn't get blogspot to download any pictures so I thought I'd try again today but it's still not working.

I guess I'll have to do the pictures later. Bummer.

This past week has been full of fun and excitement!

We've had several strange or unusual happenings starting with the morning Merrie woke up to find a note on her pillow that had been pushed in through the screen in the window.
The other day Chris found a pin hole in his gas tank.
Mom lost her wallet. Thank God she got a call today saying that it's beenfound!
Yesterday we woke up at 6:30 after going to bed at 2:30 to find an old office chair we'd never seen before at our back door. Tiff had been up with the door open until 2:30, and we opened the door at 6:30 when we got up.
Willie went out to get the mail and lost his cell phone. After calling it over 6 times somebody finally answered it. They said they found it in the street, (Unfortunately Willie didn't go in the street, but whatever). They told us we could pick it up in front of the office at an apartment complex. Willie and I walked down there and as we neared the office two guys stuck the phone out through a fence they were standing behind and said,"Is this your phone?" I was surprised that they picked us out so quickly out of all the people who are constantly walking up and down that street. The whole thing smelled really fishy to me...

And now for the requested update:

Last Friday we had the Creightons over for the first time. It was nice to see their family again.

Saturday was an interesting day. We were invited to our old neighbors high school graduation party complete with a band. A few of us went and were very blessed and glad we did. I was impressed by God's incredible working as I talked to our old playmate/neighbor, (it was the graduates brother), he was born again shortly after he started going to CSULB. I guess some good can come out of universities after all. lol! But it was so neat to hear his testimony and to encourage him on as he is the only member in his family who is saved now. It's a long story but we had tried to witness to their family in many ways when they were a lot younger but only ended up offending them... so it was especially exciting to learn about Nathan's salvation. I came away from a party that I was dreading with regret at having to leave so soon.

Anna and Sarah Naylor came to visit us on Tuesday.

We went directly to the beach and they got to go surfing for the first time! Some other friends joined us for a Tuesday beach night and we had a good time. That evening we learned that Sarah had never been to an amusement park so the next morning we set off for Knott's Berry Farm... That was a memorable trip! We were really glad that they opened up X-celerator! The best rollercoaster in the park!!!

Thursday was a nice slow day... we went to Costco and compared prices and selections with the stores in OK. CA stores won I think! ;-)

Friday we visted both Grandparents, went swimming, introduced our friends to Cristen McIntire, ate at Boca Del Rio, Visited our two latest kitchen jobs, made apple crisp and played maffia until midnight. Saturday we headed back to the beach, (Doheny this time). The water temperature was a little warmer, and the volleyball courts were much nicer! Sunday was a full day as usual, but it wasn't usual if you know what I mean?

Monday we lost lost Anna and Sarah at the airport. :-( Haven't seen 'em since.

It was a special treat to get to spend time with sisters in Christ, sharing our room, talking until late, getting up and finding them reading their Bibles, Preparing meals with them, doing the chores together, going shopping, discussing scripture and other interesting subjects, encouraging and edifying one another, and just seeing first hand the way that God is working in the life of our friends.

Today we're on our way to Grandpa and Grandma's house as we usually do on this day every year. Last year being an exception as we were in OK.

This week the Lord has been convicting me about lying. I tend to be deceitful and call it joking. The Bible has a lot to say about lying, and it's not in a good way. This morning I came across Psalm 52 it really caught my attention even though it wasn't what I was looking for.

"Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.Selah.
The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints."

That's enough for me to think about for a long time...

Have a great day everyone!

(I hope this was sufficient for you Turner!)

Hats

2006-06-22T19:25:00.000-07:00

The other day, Annie, Charity and I had about 10 stores to go to so we headed off hoping to get back before the whole day was wasted away. One of the stops kind of distracted us for awhile. We took a little longer than we had planned but it was so much fun, we just went extra fast the rest of the day and still got home in good time! At the store I realized that I had a camera in my little purse so I pulled it out and it made the trip even funner. We highly recommend you try this if you're ever bored and want something intersting to do. See Pictures...

These were taken at a thrift store.

On Friday we spent a relaxful, beautiful afternoon at the beach. The waves were very cool!

Saturday was another special day! We went out to our friends house, and on the way we saw some skydivers. (Sorry, I just had to add that!)

We've known the Osbornes for years and years and years.... a long time. But we just don't get together very often because they live kind of far from here. Anyways, they took us swimming in their neighborhood pool which was complete with a sandy shore, and a water slide. It was really something else! We played volleyball in a nice sand court and then went kayaking and pedal boating... then we went home and ate bbq chicken, yum! In the evening we played a game... you'll probably be playing it with us if you see us often! And then we had a time of singing to the Lord and praying together. A very sweet day with friends! Thank you Mr. and Mrs Osborne and family!

Random Pictures

2006-06-20T14:30:00.000-07:00

I couldn't stand looking at those eye pictures anymore so I decided to update.

The other day I started going through my pictures. I went from having 936 MB of free space to having 2.03 GB of free space. It was fun reliving all the memories of our trip. I had over 1.5 GB of photos from one month in KY. (And I had already deleted a lot of them.) While going through the pictures I thought I would post some here for you all to see. ;)

Is he in trouble??? Is this a new form of punishment?

Nothing better than a tractor tire in the rain!!!

Wow, where did this come from? (I'm still trying to figure out how it got on my computer!)

Babysitting... lots of fun!

Anybody wanna buy a car? We drove by this in New Orleans after Katrina.

She just had to take a picture of....

... This!

Mr. Pianoman! lol!

EDIT: For some new, really beautiful, pictures of Yosemite try clicking on this link: http://www.homeschoolalumni.org/weblog.php?w=545

Let me know if that works or not.

How well do you know us???

2006-06-13T14:20:00.000-07:00

Some people say we look a lot alike. Others think we look totally different. I think it's neat that out of 14 kids not a one of us has the same eye lashes. We're unique... just like everyone else!

Warning!!! These pictures could be considered a little gross to some people and may cause feelings of squeamishness, or dizziness. Blogger not responsible for any screaming, fainting, or frustrations that may occur from viewing or trying to view these eyeballs. ;)

Can you identify these eyes?

"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them." Pr 20:12

Can you imagine how many of them He has made since the beginning of the world?

"He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?" Ps 94:9

And if He cares for the sparrows that fall from the tree how much more does He care for us?

"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him." Isa 64:4

The greatest paradise imagined on earth is nothing compared to what He has waiting for us!

A Special Opportunity

2006-06-10T13:48:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I, along with Annie, set off for the polls. I was the inspector which is strange because it's very rare to see anyone under the age of 55 working in polls, let alone acting as inspector.

One by one my "clerks" arrived and introduced themselves. Each one was unique and entertaining. I had one lady though, who stood out above the rest. She was Burmese. She was about 60. She was a non-stop talker and very "touchy" when she talked so you could not easily ignore her or brush her off. She was extremely inquisitive, very opinionated, and yet she stated that she believed people shouldn't talk about things like politics, religion, race, etc, because those were the things which caused people to not get along with each other. She was of the belief that all beliefs are good, and she had no idea about what happened after death. Phew! She was harder to deal with than a dozen 2 year-olds!

My second clerk was a also an immigrant. She lives in our neighborhood. She's the youngest of 13 but only 6 lived. Her mother prayed that none of her daughters would ever marry so that they could stay home with her, none of them did. She was in her upper 50's (the daughter). She was, as a result of her upbringing, very timid, shy, scared of many things, superstitious and curious. When she found out I was a Christian she lighted up and said, "So am I". I just wondered... she's a Roman Catholic, and goes to the church we were working at.

The third "clerk" was a man who was required to serve in the polls because he works for LA county. He's in charge of 300 health inspectors who grade any business that deals with food. He was in his 40's. He was also Catholic and went to the same church. He was very efficient, precise and did his job with no problems at all.

My fourth clerk was a really sweet, 19 year old girl. She was a quick learner and sat silently sketching beautiful pictures while waiting for the next voter to arrive. She smiled a lot and wasn't embarrassed or ashamed to sit and read a Bible when there was nothing else she was supposed to be doing.

As the day progressed I also spent any spare time reading my Bible. It was interesting how the first clerk would often try to hold me captive in conversation as I tried to read. Knowing that the human soul is the only thing on earth that will count in eternity I like to spend time with people so I would patiently listen to her, after I finally learned that it was no use debating with her.

My second clerk listened also, and she drew nearer to me, and had an obvious attraction/admiration for what I had to say. (She would agree with me over the other lady everytime.)

Towards the end of our long day the second clerk approached me after her break with an article she had picked up about a person who supposedly heard the virgin Mary speak, and saw visions of her, etc... She said, "You should like this, it's Christian." She seemed real pleased to be able to give it to me. I glanced at it and silently asked for wisdom as to how to respond. I could see the man watching to see what I would do with it, and felt burdened for anybody who actually was decieved enough to believe the words written in the article. I decided to return it to the lady who gave it to me and told her that I didn't agree with it. She was shocked! "But it's Christian, aren't you a Christian?" She asked. I told her that I was, but that I didn't believe that praying to dead people was right. I instantly had the attention of all my clerks! I continued explaining to my stunned friend that there was only one way that we could enter into heaven and that was through Jesus Christ. She agreed. And since I had the audience of all at my table I went on to share the gospel. I was filled with an awesome peace as I talked, and the words were definitely not my own. That was the 3rd time that day that I felt the strong presence of the Holy Spirit, and had an opportunity to share the truth with some people who had maybe never heard it quite that way.

Praise the Lord!

Look what we caught!

2006-06-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

These pretty flowers are all over the beach. Aren't they beautiful?

On Memorial day we had a good time reminiscing over the past year. I can't believe it's only been a year since our bus caught on fire, since I was suffering with poison ivy the flu and hives, since Justin, Annie and I flew back to an empty ugly house in OK and drove on to KY, when we met the Myers, Overholts, Morrises and several other neat Christian homeschool families... What an eventful year it has been!

I got a few more pictures for you! Check out what Sarah and I pulled out...

...of the trash.

We had some fun games of volleyball the other day at the beach! I love playing in the sand!

Last but not least, Kaylee and Charity headed out for some fun in the friendliest waves in the world! Doheny beach is the place to learn surfing if you have any fear of the ocean!

Randomness = Blogging

2006-06-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Last week I called to volunteer to be a poll worker, as I had done in the past a few times, I was shocked when the lady asked me if I'd be willing to be an inspector this time instead of a clerk. That means I would be in charge of picking up all the polling supplies, counting the ballots before hand, calling all the clerks to make sure they will show up, telling everyone what to do and how to do it if they don't already know... Etc, plus I have to inspect all the materials that I picked up, make sure all the numbers line up, and drop off all the ballots at the Sheriff station at the end of the day. (It's a 15 hour day). I'm still not sure why I said yes. :-( It should be interesting!

I just came back from inspecting my supplies and here's what I got for it... (Mrs. M-V, you might not want to look!) Dad said I should get a purple heart award for being injured in the line of duty.

If you've never worked in a poll before you should do it. It's rather entertaining.

Yesterday we went to the beach. The weather was so beautiful and the water was surprisingly warm! I wasn't planning to get wet but I did while playing keep away... but right before I did, a lady was walking past us as we played and got her feet wet from a wave, as the water hit her she gasped and said, "Brrr", while looking at us. We grinned and continued on our game, when we got surprised by the next wave we were shocked because the water was so warm!!! Next thing I knew I was on my way out to surf for the first time in almost two years! It was very fun even if there weren't any real waves!

Willie tried challenging us to a contest to see who could ride the worst wave. I think Darrell and I won by a long shot!

Now you can be the judge, is that a wave or a wake? LOL!

Here's a picture of Annie showing us how it's supposed to be done.

The other night we went to an open house for a guy named Ken Masse. He's a serious Christian with a huge vision for LA county. He's running for Sheriff against a very corrupt guy who has been the Sheriff for the past 7 years I believe. It was really interesting talking with him. He seems to have a heart for sharing the gospel more than anything else. It would be amazing if he wins. In fact I think it would be a miracle! But after living in this neighborhood awhile, and having to call 911 four times in the last 3 weeks, (And not being very satisfied with the results), we were ready with lots of questions for a guy who wants to run for Sheriff.

Uh oh! I had a bunch of pictures ready to post but none of them will upload for some reason. I guess it's time for me to get to bed anyways. So goodnight for now!

A Summary

2006-05-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

EDIT:

Pictures at last!

Playing "Take Two" was a favorite pastime for many.

Justin and Darrell on the rock that provided hours of entertainment for us in camp! ;-)

Jack, doing his version of the hoods we see people driving with around here.

Climbing Jump For Joy, a 5.9, and using my shoes for the first time. I'm about 30' off the ground there.

A view from the trail to the top of Yosemite falls. It was a hard hike but the views were spectacular! The hike up was grueling and hot, but I enjoyed running all the way down the trail in 50 minutes! (It took me 3 hrs to hike up).

A beautiful view of Glacier Point that we enjoy while in our campsite!

I love cooking outdoors... and indoors too for that matter.

Me, Sarah, Merrie, Annie and Abby at the entrance to the valley through the tunnel.

Some of our group on a rock by Vernal falls.

Eden, Hannah, Annie, Alyssa Abby and Me at the base of lower Yosemite falls.

*End EDIT

As I think back over all the fun and exciting things I've done in the past two weeks there's more I want to blog about then I could.

*Merrie's 16th birthday party.
*Learning how to replace brake pads and fixing the shocks in my Jeep.
*Selling my Jeep for more than I paid for it in less than 12 hours!
*Buying a new digital camera and some rock climbing shoes.
*Using the rock climbing shoes to do a really nice climb in Yosemite. BTW 5.10 makes the best climbing shoes!!!
*Using my new camera to take over 4oo pictures!
*Waking up at 1AM to hearing a man Scream, "Get out of here bear!"
*Seeing a bear up in a tree not more than 10' from our tent and less than 5' from the Gramms!
*Hiking up to the top of the third tallest waterfall in the world.
*Killing 10 mosquitoes in one swipe.
*Meeting new people.
*Hearing Darrell sing a solo at the campfire.
*Watching two Dad's cook pancakes for a group of 58 people and not making any regular shapes! *Hiking to the top of Nevada falls with my 8 year old brother.
*Leading a whole bunch of hikers into a dead end because I lost the trail due to flooding.
*Staying up until 1AM playing Dutch Blitz and Take Two.
*Spotting a bear with a van full of girls. LOL!!!
*Caravaning home with Uncle Mike & family and trading songs on the radios.
*Read Justin's blog to hear about this one

There you have it in a nutshell. If you want anymore details just ask!

2006-05-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, on a totally lighter subject... We're packing, ahem! I mean we're supposed to be packing for a one week vacation to Yosemite. We're planning to leave tomorrow morning early.

Yesterday we were supposed to be doing all the baking for the trip and we were having pizza night. Pizza night turned into spaghetti night when we discovered that our oven was not functioning properly. It was such a relaxing problem for me since I didn't have to make all the pizzas for a change! =)

We ended up having over 50 people come, some from as far away as Jordan, and I really enjoyed the fellowship.

Around 11 we had our special friend share a presentation about her ministry in the mid east. It was very enlightening. She, Melissa was such an inspiration to me in joy, contentment, peace and love! I was impressed by her sacrificial love towards the lost and towards the believers.

There's a lot more that I would like to blog about but I'd better get back to packing! The Gramms are on their way over to spend the night so we can car-pool up together in the morning! FUN!!! If you've never been to Yosemite you should!

In closing:

A small contingent of Dortignacs drove out to the Creightons today. It happens to be Mr. Creighton's birthday, and also their one niece's first birthday whom they lamented that Alex was never able to meet. As you can imagine they're pretty torn up inside.

Zachary has been allowed to visit yesterday and today. He came expecting to stay, bringing all his stuff, but the social worker wouldn't hear of it and has picked him up the past two evenings.

Please continue to pray for their family!!!

Here's an article about the accident that Alex was involved in.

Schofield soldier killed in training

Nine others are hurt in a truck rollover in the Mojave Desert

By Gregg K. Kakesako and Mary Vorsinogkakesako@starbulletin.com mailto:mvorsino@starbulletin.com?subject=http://starbulletin.com/2006/05/13/

FORT IRWIN, Calif. Â» A 25th Infantry Division soldier was killed and nine others received minor injuries this week when the truck they were in rolled over and caught on fire.
John Wagstaff, National Training Center spokesman, identified the Schofield Barracks soldier last night as Pfc. Alexander E. Creighton, 23, of Romoland, Calif.

Pfc. Alexander Creighton: The California man, 23, talked to his mother just 12 hours before he died
The nine soldiers were treated and released from Weed Army Community Hospital following the Thursday morning accident. The Army did not release their names.
Creighton, 23, talked to his mother less than 12 hours before he died, and the Hawaii-based soldier had planned to meet his parents today to spend some time together.
"We were going to drive up there and meet him," Charlotte Creighton of Romoland, Calif., said last night.
Creighton said her son, who had always been into "military kind of stuff," was considering the Army as a career.
Before joining up in June, he had been working in construction with his father.
"He was a good man and a good son and a good brother," Creighton said. "He was a man of dignity and character. He sure will be missed by a lot of people."
In addition to his parents, Charlotte and Jim, Creighton is survived by four sisters and 10 brothers. Services are pending.
The accident occurred at 9:15 a.m. Thursday, and Alexander Creighton was pronounced dead at 9:34 a.m.
Creighton was a passenger in the truck, but it was not known whether he was in the cab or sitting in the rear of the vehicle.
All 10 soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Lt. Col. Bryan Rudacille. Although the 10 were part of the current training mission to the National Training Center, they were members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which is not going to Iraq this summer, but was supporting the training of the 3rd Brigade, the Army said.
This was the National Training Center's first training death since 2003.
The center -- one of two used by the Army to train soldiers in counterinsurgency tactics for combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan -- is located north of Barstow in the Mojave Desert about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles. The other is the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La.
The accident occurred on a dusty, unimproved road in the eastern remote end of "the box" -- a training area as big as Rhode Island -- close to the mock Iraqi village of Al Sharq, which was under the jurisdiction of soldiers of Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry.
The accident is being investigated by the Fort Irwin Criminal Investigation Department and jointly by the 25th Division and Fort Irwin safety boards.
"The entire Army Hawaii community is saddened by this loss," said Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, commander of the 25th Infantry Division and U.S. Army Hawaii.
More than 5,000 soldiers, the majority of them soldiers belonging to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team under the command of Col. Patrick Stackpole, have been in "the box" for the past two weeks as part of their final training mission before deploying to Iraq this summer.
Besides the temperature, which can climb to the high 80s in the day, the Tropic Lightning soldiers have had to endure gritty dust that can be whipped into a sandstorm without warning. Combat training operations have occurred around the clock, with soldiers getting two hours of sleep at most on any given day.
Yesterday was the final day of the exercise, and the Schofield Barracks soldiers will spend next week cleaning their equipment before going on leave or returning to Hawaii. All of the soldiers are expected back home by Memorial Day.

A shock!

2006-05-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

We just heard word that a friend was killed in military training practice yesterday.

His name was Alex Creighton. We've been blogging about their family over the past few months. One thought that is kind of amazing is that if CPS hadn't kidnapped his youngest siblings his family wouldn't have had the opportunity to spend 2 days with him one month ago. Good can come out of every situation to them that love God!

Apparently he was inside a vehicle that flipped over and burst into flames. He's the only one who couldn't escape.

Please keep the family in your prayers!!!

"...Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14

God Is SOOOO Good!

2006-05-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Dad shared about the second fruit of the spirit. Something that God commands us to have. Such a cruel command, huh? Not really! I mean, who wouldn't want to rejoice always? Dad pointed out how we can only have joy if we believe the promise in Romans 8:28. A lack of joy is a warning indication of little or no faith... A time to ask, do I really believe God?

It was exactly what I needed to hear. God knew that too! "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!"

A couple of days ago Mom was going to take my Jeep to the office, but she came back into the house a minute later saying, "Mandy, your radio is gone and I think you better come and look."

Dad and I went to have a look and we discovered the glove compartment was opened and Willie's check book that he left in there for some unknown reason was . . . sitting on the passenger seat!! The front of the dash had been gently pried away, and the radio cover plate was not there, but Dad saw it on the floor, and put it back on with no problem, he was also able to push the front of the dash back in too! We'd been told that it wasn't unusual for people to break windows to steal stuff from cars in this neighborhood, (And the broken glass in the streets around here confirmed that claim), so I was immediately very grateful that whoever it was didn't need to break any windows! One of my doors was left unlocked.

Basically it was just another way that the Lord was proving to me that He has everything under control. Whoever had broken into my car decided not to take anything, and even left me with a gift... a blue cigarette lighter that was sitting on my seat!

EDIT: This afternoon I discovered that they took my Christian CD's, broke my light, (which is a clue that they did it at night), and they left me a black cigarette lighter too! I'm thinking about listing them on ebay if anyone is interested! JK!

A special thank you to everyone who helped to make my birthday so special! I feel so blessed!

Heidi and I shared a dessert since our family has 4 birthdays and an anniversary within 8 days of eachother!

Note the hand over Kaylee's mouth! (Not mine!) Most of the candles were already blown out for me and Heidi! Actually Heidi didn't quite catch on with the blowing, she kept saying, "pwff" under her breath! lol!

Look at Heidi's face! What was she thinking? Kaylee has eyes only for the cake! My family is so precious!!!

How we really work...

2006-04-25T15:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we all went to lay a new driveway. We heard that some Mexicans were going on strike yesterday so we decided to take their siesta for them.

How we really work...

This pose was for the M-V's... You'll know what it's about when you see FRED!

It's so much fun when we all work together!!! We got the driveway laid in about 4 hours. Tip of the day, wear gloves or at least long sleeves if you're going to be carrying pavers a lot.

"Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity..." Psalm 133:1

"Let brotherly love continue." Heb 13:1

2006-04-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

It took me almost 40 minutes to get connected to the internet here at the office! I intended to come and update my blog and work on getting caught up with everyone elses this morning while Willie loaded up his gardening equipment, but a phone call from Dad changed those plans. Instead we headed to Home Depot where we met him, and he was going to give us tools and instructions to go and fix a mistake we made on a horrible painting job last week... I didn't ever ever ever want to go back to that house!!! So when Dad called me this morning and said he needed me to I felt like crying. (yeah, I'm a whimp). As soon as I started driving I was convicted of my bad attitude and wrong response so I apologized to Willie for being a bad example to him. And thanked the Lord for His plan. I felt so free inside and I was actually happy to be going to do what Dad needed me to do! We found Dad in the parking lot, on the cell phone. I was just in time to hear him saying, "Oh, the cabinet finisher will do it for x$'s? Great! If that's what you want we'll be happy to let him do it, and we'll pay half!" He looked into our window and said, "Never mind guys, you can go..."
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! (I can't tell you how relieved I was/am!) I don't think it would have felt so sweet if I hadn't already yielded my time and will to the Lord, trusting that He was in control of every detail!

Last Monday we went to the C's house. I wrote about them on my xanga before. For an incredible, unbelievable update click here

We're now officially moved into our house. I'm glad it's over and done with for at least 1 year! I wanted to post some pictures, but after what happened to the C's I don't think I will... You'll have to email me to see, or better yet, you'll have to come stop by! We've already had lots of company!

Well, I have a ton of things to blog about, but I don't want to make this post too long. I guess I'll post some pictures and let you guess the rest. ;-)

I've actually written several blog updates but never had a chance to post them...

Mr. & Mrs. Peterson were down from WA this week. We enjoyed seeing them 3 times during their short visit. This picture is taken in our new backyard! ;-)

Mr. P playing with Joanna and Alyssa

Mrs. Peterson, listening to the rejection hotline! LOL!!!

Our car lot... How did we ever fit in our little cul-de-sac?

Sunday's brunch! We enjoyed having Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle Rick, Uncle Mike and family, The M-V's, the Huangs, and Alice... Did I forget anyone?

Working hard...? Um, this picture is for Abby. We were having too much fun!

These girls felt left out of the above picture, so they found their own style...

One of the two trailers we used to move everything!

Some people know how to make it tough to stay away from sugar for a year...

Heidi hasn't been feeling so great lately.

A sad farewell to skiing

Skiing Pictures

2006-04-08T22:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in an almost empty house at 11:00pm, waiting for the shower...

So I thought I would post some pictures from our last trip to the slopes!

This is Sarah G. She's a great helper when it comes time to move!!! So are Hannah, Darrell, Abby, Charity and Joel! They make the job fun!

We've spent 3 days moving all the stuff from our house of at least 13 years into a smaller one that doesn't have a garage or shed to keep stuff in. (We're using our shop/office for storage).

Our new house doesn't have a running shower yet, so 5 of us drove back 10 miles to use the one in our old house, (which also has internet still!)

We had so much fun skiing/snowboarding for the past 4 weeks with the Gramms!

This last trip had an added element of what I called "slushies" all day. It was a wet day, but I was happy with how dry my snow clothes kept me!

Aren't they so cute!!!!?

This is a picture of my friend, Abby. She's standing behind my snowboard. (That's me in the front).

We ate a hot lunch in the van, and stayed nice and warm while we ate!

The lift ride was soooooo cold!

It's snowing! We Californians don't get enough of it so we make it snow indoors too!

Surf's Up now! Good bye snow, ski's, poles, boards, scarfs, gloves, goggles, cold! Lookout beach, here we come!

2006-04-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

"It's raining, it's pouring..." It's been raining all day long! I love the rain!

This morning started out slowly for us. There's so much to do before Friday that we're kind of lost when it comes to deciding what to do next.

Willie and Justin headed to church to work on the shower we're installing in our "new house". It wasn't long before Justin had to go to an emergency electrical job with Dad and Chris, leaving Willie all by himself. I got a call from Willie. He wanted to know if I had the key to the room with the shower, it was in my backpack! Oops!

Mom was heading in that direction so we decided to only take one car over the hill and she would drop me off with the key to help Willie while she ran some errands.

We finished up the 2nd coat of mud pretty quickly and had nothing else to do so we (Willie, and the mouse in his pocket ;-)) decided to start walking home thinking that Mom could pick us up when she passed us on the way. (He called Mom and told her this, and she suggested we bring an umbrella since it was raining, but the only one available was a red lady bug umbrella with antenas!)

We started off without the umbrella and thought nothing of it walking in the light drizzle for the first couple of minutes. All of the sudden it began to rain harder, and harder and harder... We ran until we found the only tree within sight that looked like it might provide some shelter but it was a poor shelter to say the least, and the rain didn't let up for a second!

Willie called Mom on the cell phone to find out where she was as I attempted to keep a little plastic bag over our heads, (really fruitless!)

We ended up making a dash for a tunnel that ran under the road, where we waited for Mom to get to a nearby park. Unfortunately we got all muddy and completely drenched, but it was so fun, and I totally recommend doing it if you get a chance to. :-) It was a walk I'll never forget!

I have to say a special HUGE thanks to Jack for helping me set up this blog! Jack, I would make a new blog everyday if you would help me like you did the past two nights! Love you buddy!

2006-04-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

Last week I was sitting in the truck waiting for my Dad to rent a tile saw at Home Depot.
While I waited I was reading my Bible, with the window rolled partially down. As I read I noticed a man walk by right next to the truck, stop, turn around, come back to my window and lean up against the truck looking down at me. I looked up wondering what kind of looney had just come up, and if I should ignore him or what... He asked, "What's the Word say? What's the good Word say." I wasn't sure if I knew exactly what he was asking, but I replied, "It says that Jesus came to earth and died for our sins so that we could have eternal life". He nodded, and asked, "But what's it say? What does it say today? What are you reading?" So I told him I was reading Proverbs, still wondering what this guy was all about. "What's it say?" He persisted. "Tell me something from the Word this morning!" I glanced down and read him one of the verses I had just read a minute earlier. "There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches." (Proverbs 13:7). He listened very attentively until I looked up again. "There's a lot to be said in those words isn't there!" He said, "You love the Lord don't you!" I said, "Oh yeah!" "You don't see young people sitting reading their Bibles very often. You have made my day! God bless you! Thank you, and keep it up!" He walked away with a smile on his face and I continued reading after thanking the Lord for the unusual encounter.
I was encouraged and blessed. I never would have guessed that my light was still shining while I sat in a vehicle all by myself waiting for somebody. It was an important reminder for me to be faithful in little things! God is always watching, but you never know when somebody else might be!
Here's a few pictures for you all from last week.

Visiting with friends after a long day of skiing

Kaylee Striking a Pose for Chris

Heidi Loves the Camera!

The Whole Family + 1!

A New Corner in cyberspace!?

2006-04-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Xanga has been disappointing me with the inappropriate adds they keep using. I hope that enough Christians will email them and they'll get the point, but until then I think I'll stop posting on it. Thus I'm experimenting with blogspot...