Target

Jeramy won a $50 Target gift card and gave it to me.  I was instructed to use it toward items that we would normally purchase at our usual shopping stores (ALDI, Sam's Club & Walmart).  So, off I went.  Everyone loves free money, right?!

Buying a few items was a no-brainer.  I bought several hair care products and some much needed toddler spoons, toddler toothbrushes and toddler underwear.  However, after a few minutes looking around, I found myself in quite a predicament.  All the exact same items (except the spoons) could be found at my local Walmart for a significant difference in price.  How could I buy Item X for $16 when I could get the exact same thing at Walmart for $11?

And because of this I now found it extremely difficult to use the remainder of the "free" money in Target.  I see now the deception.  People pay more for these items thinking they are getting a better quality product, when in fact, it is the same quality as at Walmart (or ALDI or Sam's).  Why pay more if you're not getting more?  For the same amount of money, I could have purchased more items at Walmart than at Target.  I'm ruined.  I can no longer pay more for anything if I know I can get it cheaper somewhere else.  Ethically, I view it as a waste of money.  Jeramy works too hard to bring home what he does and I work too hard to stretch what he brings home to spend more than is necessary.  I don't think I'll ever buy anything at Target again.

Don't get me wrong, Target provides a nice, quiet, clean environment in which to shop.  But I just can't buy anything there.  I'll deal with lines and crowds to save $10.  As Jeramy would say, "It's all about the bottom line."

Joseph's Birth Story

The due date was fast approaching and I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of our newest addition.  In the early morning hours on Tuesday the 19th (the due date) I had regular contractions and thought that I might be in labor.  However after several hours of clock watching and trips to the bathroom, the contractions were getting consistently farther apart and completely ceased after about 5 hours when I relieved myself.  That’s the last time I’ll eat two bowls of red chili and push a stroller uphill for a mile the day before I’m due! 

The day after came . . .

. . . and went.

Apparently I have a hard time waiting.

Two days after the due date, Thursday, I try to continue business as usual and keep my mind off of the fact that the baby is late.  My last midwife appointment was that morning and I had to ask Debbie, “So, the baby is going to come out, right?!”  And I was totally serious and somewhat discouraged as I asked her that question.  She looked at me and said, “You know, of all the expectant mothers we’ve had . . . they ALL have their babies.”  I just needed to hear that.  This was the first time I’ve ever reached and exceeded my baby’s due date.

That afternoon, I begin making dinner and notice an uncomfortable contraction at 5:18.  We sit down to eat dinner and at 6:18 I start timing my contractions as they are regular and I’m not really interested in eating.

After dinner, about 6:45, dinner is over and we decide to go outside to walk around and see if I’m in labor.  The whole family comes to cheer me on.  The neighbors across the street are outside and they begin talking with Jeramy about building an entertainment center.  So, we all go in their house and I’m still having regular contractions.  I’m distracted by the conversation, but I’m still pretty uncomfortable and tired of walking around.

We got back to our house at 7:30p.m. and I continue pacing the floor for another 30 minutes to see if the contractions intensify.  I call the midwife at 8p.m. and tell her what’s going on.  She could hear the uncertainty in my voice as to whether or not I was in labor.  I wanted to be sure of my labor before I had her come. 

I laid down for 30 minutes and my contractions were very erratic in frequency and intensity and I was almost completely convinced that it was NOT labor.  Jeramy called my Mom to tell her that there was some “activity”.  Mom decided to come over and sit for a while to see if anything was going to happen.  But I thought it would be a waste of her time. 

I got up from the sofa and as I walked to the toilet, I could not walk through my contraction.  If we were planning a hospital birth, that was the indicator to begin packing up to leave.  But, I decided to sit on the toilet for 30 more minutes to determine if I was in labor and then I called the midwife again to give her an update.  It was now 9p.m.  She and I agreed that I would call around 10 or 10:30 to let her know if my contractions stop or if they continue and I want them to come. 

Every time I moved, the contractions would reset themselves and change character.  And because of this, I was thrown off, thinking it was just flatulence, as it was before.  I know the character of real labor contractions and what I was enduring was far from it, so I considered that it wasn’t yet that serious.

After another 10 minutes, I thought it would be nice to get in the shower.  After washing off, I just stood there letting the water massage my lower back.  It was very therapeutic.  During each contraction I would tilt my hips and squat slightly, hoping that if I was truly in labor, my water might break.  But that never happened.  While I was in the shower, Mom popped in to ask about the girls’ shoes and decided to take them to her house.  By God’s providence she arrived just in time. 

Ten minutes before 10p.m. I get out and put on my robe.  Jeramy was laying on the bed, staying awake to see what would happen.  I kneel down next to him on the floor.  Then I have two really painful contractions about 3 minutes apart, that I endure with moaning.  This is it!  Then I feel something really peculiar and rush to get to the toilet.  My water breaks with a little cupful into the toilet bowl.  I call the midwife at 10:15p.m. and tell her that the pain is getting more intense, my water broke and I want her to come now.  I told her I thought she might have 10 minutes to get dressed and get to the house.  I tell Jeramy to get the birthing pool ready.  And no sooner had I said these words with great difficulty, I felt the need to push!  I called the midwife back and said, “Debbie, the baby is coming NOW!!”  I screamed for Jeramy, who had just barely reached the kitchen with the pool, to come catch the baby!  I threw the phone onto the counter and stood up.  I couldn’t have the baby in the toilet!  I couldn’t stand up either, so I just instinctively got down on my knees leaning on the bathtub.  Then Jeramy ran into the bathroom and yelled, “NO!!  You can’t do this to me!  Don’t push!  You have to wait until the midwife gets here!  You have to wait 10 minutes!”  I told him that I couldn’t wait and he must get down on the floor and catch the baby! 

With my right elbow on the tub and my left hand reached down between my legs, I felt the head coming out and screamed again for Jeramy to catch the baby.  He got behind me and as I pushed the baby out, I guided the head back so he could catch him.

After the baby came out, I was in shock for a minute as I realized what had just happened.  The midwife was still on the phone and Jeramy was freaking out.  Debbie spend several minutes calming Jeramy down.  Then I realized that we had a boy!  Jeramy did not want me to move or push anymore, so we just hung out in the bathroom, all of us covered in water and blood until the midwives arrived about 20 minutes after the birth.  They cleaned all our mess up, did all their checks and left around 1 or 1:30a.m.

All in all, it was the best birth ever!  We named our baby Joseph Wade.  We’ve had his name picked out for the last 5 years.

Learning to Count with Money

Up until January, I had taught the girls to count past 100 by single digits, to skip counting by 10's and 100's. They were also able to recognize random numbers like 57 or 86. I dropped the math for a while in an effort to focus on their reading and writing ability. Jeramy has begun to teach the girls math and counting with money. They are learning the basic coin denominations and to skip count by 5's using nickels. They really enjoy the hands-on learning and working hard with Daddy.

Shiphrah's First Worm

As we have been preparing our two large garden spaces through raking up leaves and tilling the ground, we have found our share of earthworms in the moist soil. Over time Moriah and Lily have both become accustomed to picking up and holding a worm and the other day Shiphrah had an opportunity to do so also.

Jeramy was breaking up the hard clay ground when he found an earthworm. All three girls were nearby and, at that time, Moriah and Lily had not fully overcome their fear to hold one. When the worm was offered for Shiphrah to hold, she gladly held out her hand to accept this unknown gift from her Daddy. Upon taking it in her chubby little hand, she then began to open her mouth and shove the worm inside! It was the funniest thing ever! I guess you had to be there. :-D

Rest assured no worms were actually ingested during this altercation!

A 10-Year Project

This is Jeramy's gift to me for our 5th Wedding Anniversary. He designed the layout, even the script and flower design. He began this project about 10 years ago when he started looking for his future wife. He chose Proverbs 31 as the text for her character basis. He began this piece while dating one girl and when the relationship ended, he would cease from this project. Another prospective wife would enter the picture and work would resume. Likewise when that relationship ended, so did the work on this sewing project. And so on and so forth until after we married, he inserted my name. As our anniversary approached, he became determined to finish it. I asked him what his driving force behind this deadline was and he answered that in the 5 years we've been married, he has seen more of this passage to be true in my regard now than even before we married. (Sniff, sniff . . .) So then, it's finished and framed. Perhaps when we can afford to, we will have it professionally framed. But the sentiment is the most important for now.

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

A Blast From the Past

Most of you reading this will not remember personally going through a period without some of the modern conveniences we've come to take for granted. Like a dish washing machine and a clothes washing machine, for example. Over the past week, we've had such a trip back into the ice age before modern technology created these wonderful time-saving devices.

My husband and I purchased a Kitchen Aid Stainless Steel two-drawer dishwasher when we moved into our new house a little over two years ago. When my parents remodeled their kitchen in early 2000 they replaced their dishwasher with a Fisher & Paykel double drawer model and I appreciated it so much, I convinced Jeramy to get one. Well, we've had trouble with it from day 1 but I still enjoy using it very much.

For several months it had been making a terrible grinding noise when the top drawer was in a washing cycle. Then last week it decided not to drain the water out after rinsing. It would wash the dishes, but the water would remain in the machine afterwards. It is still under warranty and so we had a part ordered and a man was to come and install it, Tuesday. That was almost one full week away! The bottom drawer still worked, but alone, it only washes about 1/2 a load of dishes.

In the meantime, Saturday night after washing a load of clothes, the washing machine would not drain the water either! We did not have any other issues with non-draining in the house (toilets, sinks, etc.) so now, something was wrong with the washing machine. It was full of clean towels and clean water. It did not spin and it would not agitate. For some reason it stopped mid-cycle. You can imagine our frustration having two expensive major appliances out of commission and possibly costing a pretty penny to fix or replace. After viewing some YouTube videos, Jeramy ordered a part he thought might fix it. Well, it would not arrive until Tuesday also! We have three children and use cloth diapers!

During the time without those appliances I went about the house trying to figure out how to spend my time apart from doing laundry & the dishes! I kept thinking about how I wash going to wash clothes in the bath tub or travel with them to our neighbor's house. Well, we got by without and Tuesday finally came.

The Geek Squad technician from Best Buy arrived and fixed our dishwasher. Now it hums quietly just like new! How wonderful!! The part Jeramy ordered also arrived and after he got home, after several YouTube videos and about 2 hours later, Jeramy fixed the washing machine, too! He's so proud of himself that we didn't have to spend any more than $30 on an expert to come fix our washing machine. And because the dishwasher was still under warranty, we didn't have to pay for that repair either!

I'm so thankful to have working machines again! Today I've never been more excited about doing laundry than the whole time we've been married!

Pregnancy Update

Well, I've lost track of what week gestation I'm on, but I know that I'm somewhere in the half-way point. To me, that's very exciting! I feel movement every day. The baby is definitely getting bigger and stronger and excitement mounds for me because I know that the day is drawing near when I will get to hold another little baby! Jeramy thinks that I've been the most excited about this pregnancy than the others. I would agree, but I think my excitement is due to the lack of incessant nausea every waking hour and that we will not know the gender until the birth.

I like the uncertainty of not knowing until the birth. Even 30 years ago, couples could not know the gender until then. And it's been that way for the past 6,000 years of Creation history. The excitement of waiting is like Christmas. You know that Christmas is coming. You know that you will get a present. But you don't know what that present will be. We know we're having a baby. But we don't know if we'll have another girl or, finally, a son. Jeramy and I are content with either sex because we know that it's not up to us to decide and God is sovereign. I figure that if we continue to have children for the next 10 years or so, eventually a son will pop out. I just want to be surprised when that happens. I don't need to plan for it because I have green & yellow clothes up to 3 months and I know that Grandmothers will shower us with blue, brown, red and black when they hear the news. No worries, just excitement. :-)

Opening Gifts at G'Wanda's

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I know it's late, but here are a few pix of gift openings at G'Wanda's on Christmas Eve.

After eating a wonderful baked pork stew lunch, we opened gifts. Later we went together to G'Wanda's church for a Christmas Eve service. Then we headed home and opened our immediate family gifts. Then we got in the bed for a big day following.

Christmas Day we went to church, where I played prelude, "Sweet Little Jesus Boy", then afterwards we drove down to Statesboro for the McDonald Christmas gathering (Grandma Jane's family). We had a great time seeing everyone. Then we stayed the night and Jeramy, Shiphrah and I headed home, leaving Moriah and Lily for 4 days with Grandma Jane. Everyone had a great time and we were glad to be reunited the day before New Year's Eve. Shiphrah was so excited to see her sisters again, they had a slumber party in their bedroom for almost 2 hours before finally getting to sleep! We don't need a bigger house! Kids would rather share a room with siblings, at least in our case.

Somewhat Aloof

A few months ago I could honestly say that I had taken a little break from regular blogging because I was so nauseous. I'm so thankful to say that it has officially subsided and I am experiencing more liberty with my food choices now. Tomorrow I will be 17 weeks gestation! I can't believe that I'm almost half-way already! It amazes me how fast it has past. One minute you find out your pregnant, the next you realize that you're half-way through! This is a definite sign that I'm getting older.

Well, since I cannot honestly say that my blogging absence the past 2 weeks is due to nausea, I can say that time on the computer has become more competitive. Jeramy has been working on launching a new website - one that he is building himself. He has no previous knowledge of web development or search engine optimization, but with some books, determined study and practice, he has now become a web developer in his spare time at home. If you click on his picture to the left it will take you to his site where he is religiously posting daily blogs.

In other events: I'm very excited to start a new sewing project - DIY cloth diapers! I spent almost an hour in JoAnn Fabrics finding everything I need to make 15 - 20 cloth diapers, including a DIY how-to book! The first All-in-One diapers (Osocozy) I purchased 2.5 years ago are looking really ratty. The velcro tugs at the cotton lining and it really looks bad. I bought more Osocozy AIO in a larger size for Moriah and Lily for their sleep times and in less than a year, they are looking pretty ratty too! The best AIO diapers I've bought have been the bumGenius AIO pocket diapers. These are awesome! They dry quickly. They have some absorbency already sewn in and the pocket allows you to add more for nighttime. The lining is super soft and doesn't fray, pill or catch on the velcro! This is the diaper I'm attempting to duplicate.

For Christmas I made an apron for my sister-friend Sherri. I know the picture isn't that great- the apron and the model look a lot better in person. :-D The neck strap is adjustable. I'm very pleased with how this project turned out. I'm considering making a few more in purple.

All that being said, I'm hoping to return to a regular blogging routine. Please accept my apologies.

Holiday Pictures

A Little Sugar for Daddy

C/S Trip Day 6: Sweet Reunions & Grace in a Screw

Monday morning we left Mt. Vernon, Illinois after our complimentary continental breakfast for our final day of driving. We chose not to fly (I was adamant I was not going to fly) because of the ridiculous TSA security procedures. I will not willingly submit to being personally violated through expensive X-ray photos or aggressive physical searches. Nor would I allow the gamble of purchasing expensive tickets with the hopes of avoiding these measures. Driving is just fine, thank you.

We crossed into Kentucky and then Tennessee. We met our friend Channing outside Chattanooga for a late lunch at Cracker Barrel. We love Channing. We all met in Louisville while mutually attending the Southern Seminary and have remained friends since. Channing is ministering in a Baptist church in Whitwell preaching, teaching & counseling. Being fully systematized in His theology, he addresses the serious implications of dangerous worldview philosophy from a Biblical framework, just as easily as he wins people over with his redneck charm & humor. He plays guitar, enjoys hang gliding and ballroom dancing. He is searching for the right woman.

Finally we arrived back across the Georgia state line. As we got closer to Atlanta the sky grew more and more threatening with dark grey/black clouds and rain. The wind began to pick up acceleration also and motorists reduced their speed significantly. As we continued to drive I noticed that those same black clouds appeared to be dipping down toward the earth in the distance on either side of the highway. I've never seen real tornadoes before and I was growing more and more concerned that I might be seeing them now! Then we crossed a point on the highway where a tornado had certainly passed through because the trees on both the right and left sides bore an obvious path of destruction and we had just missed it by about 5 or 10 minutes! That's less than 3 miles at the speed we were driving. Scary.

We finally arrived back to G'Wanda's house to pick up the girls. I was so thrilled to see them! After reading about the Edwards' and having a significant time of refreshment, I felt eager and energized to return back to my role of motherhood. The girls were somewhat distracted when we entered (Dora the Explorer). Moriah was the most exited of them all. "Hey Mommy!" She said quickly with a smile then her attention turned back to the TV.

Shiphrah was on the kitchen floor amused with the plastic storage containers and looked up at me as though I were a faint memory from somewhere that she just couldn't put her finger on. Either that or she was really thinking, "Oh, Momma! Where have you been?" Her expression was just an open-mouthed worry. I did my best to comfort her, though she did not cry or refuse for me to hold her. It took about 30 minutes for me to get her to laugh and smile again! Note to self: Don't ever leave my babies for six days again!

Lily was so preoccupied by Dora, she wouldn't even look my direction! When Dora was over, she finally acknowledged our return and after a little coaxing came over to give me a hug and kiss and sit in my lap. I guess some people just can't compete with a cute little Latino cartoon. :-)

We ate dinner and Jeramy replaced the car seats and loaded up the girls stuff only to notice that we had a flat tire! A screw had become lodged in our rear passenger tire at some point along our journey! I had not noticed it before, neither was I looking! We drove through our fare share of road construction, but we had no idea when or where we picked it up. We drove along in complete ignorance as to the condition of it. And we had just as much uncertainty as to whether we would make it home without an immediate repair (at 8:30 p.m.). We pumped it back up and prayed the whole way home and arrived without any problems. Can you imagine that tire blowing out in the middle of a storm or some other state far from home? God certainly showed us a great deal of grace on our journey!

C/S Trip Day 5: Heading Back

Sunday morning we began our long drive back home. We left Colorado, then Kansas, then Missouri and after a long day, we settled in a hotel in Mt. Vernon, Illinois.

So, what did you do on the long drive?

We passed the time talking about almost everything. We spent a little time listening to music. It may have been more time, however our CD player is broken and batteries for a boom box are expensive. There was plenty of passenger doze off. Jeramy did some Hebrew/Greek flashcards. And while Jeramy drove, I would read aloud.

A few weeks ago Jeramy bought a book for me at my request, Marriage to a Difficult Man, by Elizabeth Dodds. This is somewhat of a double biography of Jonathan & Sarah Edwards in relation to normal married & family life. It is endorsed by many influential evangelical leaders of our day: John Piper, Doug Phillips, Don Whitney and R.C. Sproul just to name a few. This is an excellent marriage book because you can see how two sinners saved by grace covenanted together in marriage with 11 children made it work 300 years ago. This is a powerfully encouraging book because the reader sees their daily example. It's not just a typical marriage book that outlines 7 keys to marital bliss, but here you see their struggles, pressures, concerns, trials, triumphs and short comings. This is a very real couple. We were blessed to read and discuss almost half the book together on our trip. I highly recommend it for every married couple.

C/S Trip Day 4: Forest & Garden

Saturday morning Jeramy took me to Pike National Forest for a 2 mile hike down to the reservoir. The forest was very much secluded from the city, driving up into the mountains away from all the busy-ness. It was beautiful! No paved roads or constructed buildings here. The pale green grass was long and wispy. The tall and thin aspen trees abound here. There were plenty of inviting spots like this where sunlight peeps through the forest canopy with partial sun, partial shade.

Notice the steep grade!

I must be truthful and say that there are no restrooms here. (Duh!) And so I was a little concerned about meeting a bear while finding a spot to relieve myself. There are also elk, birds & squirrels. Snakes are not as abundant, but they have been spotted.

Along the beaten trail.

Pretty fuzzy purple flowers

After 2 miles of hiking downhill we come to the reservoir. Currently the level is low, but that will change when the snow comes and melts later in the season. I counted about 5 other small groups of people out here fishing & hiking, which is very busy for any one time.

Then we hiked 2 miles back, up hill.

This picture doesn't do the view justice.

(Nor do any of the ones I've taken.)

Finally, one together.

The sign, marred by bullets.

The following pictures are on the descent from the Forest. Notice how it looks so desolate. It is so peaceful there. You feel like you're alone, in the middle of nowhere. At first you're overwhelmed at the vast expanse, the splendor of it all. It's very humbling. God, the Lord, who created all of these things just out of the word from His mouth and it all came to be. And it's as if this great work were of no effort for Him. And how is it that God, who made all this marvelous wonder, would bother to create humans, as small as we are in comparison to all this?!

O LORD, our Lord,

How majestic is Your name in all the earth,

Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength

Because of Your adversaries,

To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;

What is man that You take thought of him,

And the son of man that You care for him?

Yet You have made him a little lower than God,

And You crown him with glory and majesty!

You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;

You have put all things under his feet,

All sheep and oxen,

And also the beasts of the field,

The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea,

Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

How majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Psalm 8:1-9

THESE are mountains.

After leaving Pike's Forest we set out again for The Garden of the Gods. I'm told that the name, "Garden of the Gods," comes from the old Indian name (Cheyenne?). It is kind of peculiar when you see these natural rock formations. The relative landscape around it is somewhat normal hilly, then suddenly giant, bare, red rocks jut out of the ground like sky scrapers. (Remnants of the worldwide flood.) This is one of the more tourist type sites.

Here is a view of The Garden from the highway.

The Balanced Rock.

The Garden has a Trading Post where we grabbed lunch, two Bison burgers made to order, and good souvenirs. I found this cedar plank very appealing.

After the Trading Post we visited the American Neumismatic Headquarters & Museum where they are currently displaying many Civil War relics and old coins. Jeramy found it especially interesting. We saw the old mint printing machines and balances. It's hard to believe that something so massive is needed to make such a small coin.

We ate a kingly dinner with the Bishops, including 1" thick grilled steaks, parmesan-crusted baked potatoes, sweet corn on the cob, and crunchy broccoli salad (with bacon, raisins & sweet onions). Jeramy and Paul enjoyed a cigar outside with peach cobbler a la mode while Jenny and I played Wii bowling & Mario Kart and watching Hello Dolly! the musical. We all had a lot of fun.

C/S Trip Day 3: USAFA

Friday morning Jeramy took me to the Air Force Academy. The Academy sits on several thousand acres at the base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado Springs. Labor Day weekend has historically been "Parent's Weekend" where families come and visit after Basic Training is completed. There is a beautiful view of the campus and a beautiful view of the Rockies from the campus. The high elevation of this training facility makes physical activity especially difficult which is advantageous at lower altitudes when the body can produce better results with the same effort levels. One morning I went to run (on a straight away) and I found it more difficult than usual. The weather was gorgeous, moderate 70's, windy with wonderfully clear blue skies and scattered clouds.

This first picture is overlooking the Academy.

The dormitories were restricted to Cadet families, however the public was free to view the new Chapel. Here is looking from the rear to the stage/pulpit area.

This is the ceiling looking straight up. Stained glass shines like neon lights through spiked steel surfaces.

This is the vertical walls.

From the front of the Chapel, looking back, this is a picture of the grand pipe organ.

On the large platform in front of the Chapel.

We walked a long distance on and around the Academy and I couldn't help but notice all these beautiful wild mountain flowers. Daisies also grow wild and abundant.

After visiting the Academy we drove through The Garden of the Gods and ate at a comfortable local restaurant, The Mason Jar. They had a wonderful Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup which, after praising to our server, she gladly offered me the recipe! Whooo doggies! (Imagine my excitement!)

We left the restaurant right at about 3 p.m. when it rained. Jeramy says that you could time your clock by the afternoon rain. We walked around the eclectic souvenir shops in Old Colorado City before heading back to the Bishop's home for dinner. Jenny prepared a succulent Chicken Piccata - a lightly breaded chicken breast pounded thin, smothered in a light lemon butter & caper sauce, served with rice and garden peas. Yummy! After dinner we went to Culver's for ice cream.

Colorado Springs Trip Day 1: St. Louis

Early Wednesday morning we left G'Wanda's house with all three girls still snug in bed. It was hard for me to leave my babies, but this trip would provide a much needed respite and a chance for a real honeymoon/vacation. We fought average traffic from Suwanee to I-285 via PIB. From there forward it was pretty smooth sailing. We stopped once for gas before reaching St. Louis.

The Zeigler family awaited our arrival in their apartment on the beautiful campus of Concordia Seminary. Jeramy trained Michael as a Fourth Class (Freshman) Cadet at the Air Force Academy and they became fast friends after the initial training period. Michael is attending the Seminary while serving in the Reserves. We were delighted to be invited to dine and lodge with them, gleaning encouragement during our fellowship together. It was truly a blessing for Jeramy and Michael to reconnect and for me to be able to meet them.

On The Road Again . . .

Tonight Jeramy and I safely returned home to joyfully reunite with our babies from a much needed honeymoon/vacation to Colorado Springs! Many pictures were taken and there are a good many stories to tell in these next couple of days as I begin to post the record of our happenings. Some of the highlights are reuniting visits with old friends; almost hiking for gas in No Where, Kansas; breath-taking views over vast distances; skirting tornadoes; and grace shown in a screw.

Stay tuned.

A Visit From Friends

Don and Linda Hardester came down to visit us and see our new home. This is a wonderful couple who Mom, Jeramy and I have been blessed to know. I was fortunate to play violin in their wedding nine years ago. Linda volunteered to coordinate our wedding and they gifted us with the wedding cake! We really enjoyed their fellowship last week and feel very privileged that they made a point to come see us. The girls loved for Linda to read to them and she and Don really enjoyed meeting Shiphrah for the first time. Visits like this make me wish we lived closer to home.

Daddy's Little Helpers