Summer

Summer has come and is about to go.

Most of the country had droughts but our neck of the woods, here in the Pacific Northwest had mostly rain.

It rained intil the end of July!

Here we are starting September and we still have some nice weather.

We also have smoke from forest fires and school is starting for most people.

We are NOT done with summer yet!

So we are going camping this weekend with our church and enjoying the weather for a few more days.

I'm not quite ready to start schooling yet anyway. I have my homeschool closet organized but not all of our curriculum or schedules put together.

My summer has been busy.

My grandma moved.

My mom was in the hospital a few times.

We had house projects to complete including painting and rearranging rooms for the children, power washing the house (ok, only the driveway got powerwashed, the washer is still sitting in our back yard waiting to wash the house), cleaning out and organizing the garage, not to mention harvesting and canning produce from friends' gardens. (We have a tiny garden but just for small meals, not enough to put up.)

We usually go camping and hiking and biking a lot in the summer but due to the weather we only went camping once at Diamond Lake. It was beautiful but cool and wet at times.

Good memories!

We are going camping again which is perfect except I think we can't have camp fires because of the forest fires going on.

It will still be good memories!

Mostly this summer we have been blessed.

I think my biggest blessing is my family.

Our children are amazing, my husband is loving, sweet and funny, our home is peaceful.

All of this because the Lord is in our life.

Does that mean nothing bad will ever happen to us?

No.

It is just that He is with us no matter what and if anything goes 'wrong' our Lord will sustain us through everything.

I trust Him to give me peace and strength through any storm.

Peter walked on water to Jesus in a storm.

His only mistake was taking his eyes off of Jesus, concerned about the waves and storm and he began to sink.

The Lord still held him.

This blog has been quiet too long.

I'm motivated to keep it updated but computer stuff, facebook and such just aren't a priority to me. Sometimes I wonder if it really matters what I put on here as only 8 people 'follow' this blog. I'm going to continue it because it is good for me to do. I may not be consistant but I will try.

I have a feeling there will be a lot to blog about in the future.

One Year

I can't believe it's been one whole year already!

This time last year we had just gotten back from Texas where Dan had a vasectomy reversal.

Since our journey began, I know of so many people who have gone through this recently.

(We have friends that are coming home today from Kentucky where she had a tubal reversal done.)

I'm glad we obeyed in this and know that we are where we are suppose to be.

There is an incredible peace that comes with it all!

My Gramma asked me today if we never got pregnant would my heart be broken.

I could honestly answer that it wouldn't.

I am so content with our children and feel so blessed by them.

When we first desired children after a few years of marriage it was different.

I didn't have any children to hug or fill my mama's heart up.

I know the feeling of those who want a baby so bad that it almost hurts.

I don't feel like that right now though.

I admit that when I see someone on the same journey as us, expecting twins, I wonder just a little.

(I've always wanted twins.)

I also know that God will only give me what he knows I can handle.

I trust that he knows what is best for me so I don't stomp my foot and fuss about it.

I am content and full of joy!

Joyful that I am blessed already and that my God loves me so much and he is in control!

I trust Him.

HAWAII

What can one say about Hawaii?

Beautiful

Refreshing

Relaxing

Rejuvenating

We probably had one of the best times together as a family.

While home was freezing in the 20s we were basking in 80 degree weather in our shorts and swimsuits.

Truly wonderful.

Our family had two weeks of being constantly together. That isn't new for the children and I but to have Daddy with us all that time was. It really drew us all together even more.

I was so struck by the beauty and natural splendor of the island.

We did a lot of things while we were there.

The first week we got to stay at a really nice resort.

We swam...a lot

We saw waterfalls

Explored a cave

Went to a lighthouse.

This is a coffee plant we saw at a coffee plantation.

Drove to the top of the mountains.

Played at the beach.

Watched the sun set.

We visited with Dan's brother and his family and got to experience the laid back lifestyle of the Hawaiians. We had such a great time but by the end of it all we were ready to come home. We missed our beds, our home, our friends and our family.

It was truly all a blessing.

Now we are refreshed and ready to start back with school and our regular routines.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The following is my Christmas letter and I thought I would share it on here.

Hoping this finds you all in good health, spiritually, physically and mentally. Our family is blessed. We are thankful for all of those things!

From the outside, it may not look like it as Dan has had two surgeries this year. One back in February and another this November. He is healthy as a horse and has faired well in both cases.

Back in February, while recovering from surgery, Dan was hired at PGE. He had applied months previously, but God worked it out at just the right time. Dan now works as maintenance electrician on the dams along the Clackamas River. He loves working for them and they love him!

I continue to homeschool and be a keeper of my home. Juggling four school children's education, running the economy of our home and thinking of future plans is a full-time, yet very rewarding job. The Lord is faithful and has filled me with Joy, Peace and Patience for this role. There is no other place I would rather be!

The children keep growing right before our eyes! They will soon be passing me in height this next year. (Not hard since I am only 5'1 but their dad is 6'1.) We are involved as a family with our church and various activities. Apologetics class, dance/tap class, worship team and sewing circle, to name a few.

Melody is 12 and loves to read! Naomi is 11 and is a reader also but loves to do crafts and serve others. Anna, 9 this month, also is finding a love of reading but her favorite thing is to be 'mommy' to her dolls. Finally, Jimmy turned 7 and is showing his creativity with building his Legos and making paper airplanes. They all are such a joy and a blessing to our family.

We are looking forward to the beginning of the new year as we will be visiting Dan's brother and his family in Hawaii. This is our first BIG family vacation anywhere. We usually do a lot of camping during the year and love it but have been blessed with this trip.

We are also looking forward to see what the Lord does in our lives this coming year. We are completely content with where He has us now, while learning always, to rely on Him daily. We are trusting Him for Wisdom in raising our children to affect generations to come. We want to be purposeful and prayerful, not just in parenting but in all our relationships.

May you all find your Joy and Hope in the One True Giver of blessings as we remember who the true Gift of Christmas is.

With much love.

A Dream Last Night

I had a dream last night.

I was in a room full of my friends.

They had all come to visit me and spend time with me.

As I looked around the room I noticed some were missing.

I saw on the far side of the room three of my friends who were sitting with their backs to me working on computers.

I was a little saddened but said nothing.

I walked down a hallway and saw three more friends on computers.

I was hurt because some of them had travelled far to visit yet would rather be on the computer.

I asked if they were going to join me for visiting and was put off with an

'Oh, yes, in just another minute we'll be there.'

To be put off by dear friends that I loved really hurt.

Then I went to another place and saw three more friends.

The room they were in was kinda dark but I could see their faces because a blue light was reflecting on them.

It was the light of a TV they were watching.

I asked if they were coming.

Two of them didn't even notice I was talking but one barely glanced up enough to tell me,

'No, we don't want to miss this show.'

I started to cry.

I cried so hard that it was hard to breath as I walked back to the room of all my waiting friends.

I was so sad.

I was hurt that these other friends of mine would choose to spend their time on the computer and TV and not with me.

I cried so hard in my dream that in real life I heard myself moaning in my sleep.

Then...

I awoke suddenly as I heard a gentle, love-filled, yet sorrowful voice quietly say...

This is how you treat me.

Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life

Proverbs 10:17a