Our Cousin MC

I must introduce you to my cousin's baby, MC. She just turned one this month and on Sunday the 13th, my mom had my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins over for lunch. So we got to meet her for the first time. What a cutie she is! She was so much fun to watch. Her mom blogs, so we get to keep up with how much she is growing at Miley Minutes.

It was so good to see my grandfather that day. He looked a lot better than he did when we saw him Mother's day weekend. He is thinner and weaker, but his appetite is good and he is starting to gain some of the weight back. His dementia was not as bad either. He received good news from his CT scan report this week and began his chemo this week also. They did not find the cancer in any of the other organs. He doesn't have to go back to the oncologist till August 21st. The home health nurse will draw blood for his lab work, so they will not have to travel to the doctor's office every week, which is 30 minutes away. This will be a tremendous blessing to my grandmother. She is hanging in there with him. I just wish she would learn to sit and prop up her swollen ankles for a little while every day. Here's my grandfather in a picture where the kids are playing. He always enjoys playing with his great grand babies while he sits in the recliner.

And this is Aaron with his great Grannie!

Cousin Time

My brother and his family got to spend the night while they were visiting at my mom's. On Sunday morning we had some play time with the cousins. My brother has remarried and so I now have a new nephew and niece. Will's daughter, HJ, usually does not have much to do with me when we are there, but this time she loved on me and wanted me to play with her and tickle her. For the longest she would not let me take her picture, but I grabbed her and asked my brother to take our picture. I was successful in my endeavors as you can see.


We really enjoyed getting to know his new wife and her two sweet children. They make a beautiful family. We wish them the best as they begin their new journey as husband and wife and as a family.

And last but not least, I must share a picture of our three dogs who traveled with us all the way to see Nana. Aaron is not asleep in this picture. He just doesn't want me to take a picture of him. I want him to remember when he is older how much these dogs meant to him as a child. He will probably try to deny it!

A Moment of Thankfulness

As I said, my next post for the trip will be totally dedicated to Aaron's enjoyment of his first fishing trip. I wasn't sure if he would get into it or not. He enjoyed being outside, but he did not have the patience to wait on the fish to bite. He walked around on the pier a lot. We were all together as you can see. Aaron is beside my mom trying to get a cricket in this picture.

Several moments later my brother moved off of the pier to the bank to fish with his two daughters. Without me realizing it, my brother had moved to a different pier. He was on the smaller pier you can see towards the front. We were still on the pier that's farthest away in the picture.

This picture shows Aaron's boredom with fishing and it also indicates he was leaving the pier where we were. He is holding his fishing pole by the wrong end and he is dragging it along.

Well, little did I realize, Aaron had moved to the pier with his Uncle Will. All I remember was hearing a big splash in the water that came from the direction where my brother was located. I turned around and saw Will laying on his belly and watched as he pulled my son out of the lake. I dropped my pole and ran to the other pier. And this is how the story goes.

Aaron was fishing next to my brother. You must understand what Aaron does while he is "fishing". He watches the cork as he pulls it along in the water. The pier they were standing on does not have rails. It has a piece of wood that raises the edge of the pier just a little. As Aaron was pulling his cork along, he forgot to pay attention to where his feet were going. Will said that all he saw was green Mickey Mouse crocs in the air and Aaron going head first into the water. But my baby came up swimming and he never let go of his fishing pole! The worse thing out of the whole ordeal for Aaron was the fact his clothes were wet. If you know him really well, you know he doesn't like to be wet(unless he is truly swimming with swim trunks on) or dirty. I had no change of clothes for him. He has really come a long way because he continued to dry out without too many complaints.

Even though I had poor reception for my cell phone, I had to call Kevin and tell him the several hundreds of dollars we have paid for Australian swimming method swim lessons the last three summers has finally paid off. Thank you to Mr. Richard! Thank you to Will for acting so quickly to get him out of the water. Most of all, I am so thankful to my Lord for taking care of Aaron that day. It could have easily turned out different. Life can change so quickly!

Our Trip Home

Two weeks ago the kids and I began our trip home to visit family. I had huge plans to leave around 8:00, but my computer would cause me to start my trip later and put me behind by an hour and a half. I cannot understand why I always have issues with my computer. But this time it was Window's fault, not mine. I now have my computer set where it will not automatically update for Windows. I had to fix the problem before I left, because Kevin does not deal with computer issues and he would need to use the computer while I was gone. I am finally getting better at understanding these techs who work for Dell, but I still hate having to call them.

We made it to my mom's that afternoon where my brother and his family were waiting for us to take the kids fishing. My dad brought his bass boat and met us at a local lake. I enjoyed this time with my family and I'm glad my kids got to experience it as well. Fishing was always a normal activity for our family when I was growing up, so it brought back lots of memories. A lot of my memories are of being stuck on a boat with my dad and brother and wanting the fishing trip to be over. However, their patience far outweighed mine.

This particular afternoon turned out to be an interesting one. We all started off fishing on one of the piers, the pier with the wooden rails. It was a very hot day and the fish were not biting very well. The only catch of the day was one little fish caught by yours truly.

I grew up in the country all my life, but when my kids and I stepped out on that pier to fish, you would have thought the city slickers are here to learn how to fish. I spent a lot of my time stepping back and dodging hooks and line. This was the first time my kids were learning to cast. Alli was convinced she had it all figured out. I stayed out of the way as much as possible and this picture tells all. The hook with the cricket attached to it, is caught in her hair.

We have discovered that this is one of Alli's favorite activities. She thoroughly enjoyed it. And she loved being in the boat with my dad. Of course, she is all about her dad, grandpas, and uncles. At first all the granddaughters started out in the boat with Papa Bill. When they decided to get out, Alli stayed and I got in with them.

I enjoyed riding around the lake with Dad and Alli. I don't get to spend a lot of time with Dad and I miss that. If I would have had more time that week, I would have gone fishing with him again. Fishing has become one of his favorite pastimes again. I am like my dad in the fact that God's creation(nature) has always brought peace to our lives. I think this is why he has started fishing again.

Aaron and Hannah enjoyed their time at the lake. My next post will tell you more about how well Aaron enjoyed his time at the lake. Hannah doesn't have much patience for fishing, but I think she enjoyed being with her family.

God Is Still In The Miracle Business!

I will soon post pics and stories from our trip home last week. I have been catching up on laundry and housework this week. Since his big sisters have been at music camp all week, Aaron has required a little more entertainment. I do have lots of stories I can tell, so as soon as I can download pics, I will post.

This week our family and friends have been reminded that God is still in the business of performing miracles in the lives of His people. We pray for all kinds of miracles. We are not always answered in the way we think we should be. And we are not usually answered in the time frame we think we should be. But God knows all. He sees all. The news I am about to tell you makes me think of Samuel's mom, Hannah (in the Bible). Hannah wept for a child for years. She pleaded with God to give her a child. He answered in His time and gave her Samuel, who would eventually anoint King David. And then when I think about Jesus being from the line of David it gets even more exciting. Point is, God knows what He is doing!

One of my friends tried to get pregnant for years and could not. Seven and a half years ago God brought a little baby girl into their lives who they adopted. That little baby girl is now one of Alli's best friends. So all these years they have not been able to conceive. When I came home this week, I found out my friend had not been feeling well. She took a pregnancy test Sunday which was negative. The nausea would not go away, so she decided to go to the doctor on Wednesday. They ran blood work and a urine pregnancy test. While we are in the middle of Chick-fi-la, the doctor calls her and tells her she is pregnant! I cannot begin to describe the shocked look on her face. When she told her husband, he was speechless. Kevin's response: "Holy Cow!" (I love shocking a doctor with miraculous news!) Today she went to the doctor and it's official. They are going to have a baby in March. She has a picture to prove it and she got to hear the heartbeat! My friend is like a second momma to Aaron, so when he received the news, he said, "no!" I am sure he will come around at some point. We have several friends who are having babies, so maybe he will catch on to the excitement.

God, thank you so much for this miracle in our friends' lives! All praises to You!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

A Little Time Away

Tomorrow the kids and I will be traveling to our home state for a visit with our family. I will visit my family first and we will finish the trip with Kevin's. His baby sister will be married next Saturday. I am sure it will be a wild week, but we will enjoy getting to be with everyone. As I was looking at his sister's bridal portraits, I couldn't help but think about a 12 year old girl I met about 16 years ago. Time flies so fast! When I get back, I will try to post some pics of the wedding and other activities we get into while we are there.

I found out today that my grandfather will have a CT scan done on Monday. He will be taking chemo by mouth and may have to have chemo by IV in the oncologist's office. Don't know many details right now. I hope to talk with my uncle this weekend and find out more. Please continue to remember him and my grandmother in your prayers.

I ask you also to pray for two couples in our Sunday School class. Both couples have had miscarriages this week. One lady was 20 weeks and the other was 16 weeks. My heart breaks for them. I cannot begin to imagine the pain they are in. Please remember them.

I Have Been Tagged

I have been tagged by a friend to answer some questions so you can get to know me better. So here it goes!

What I was doing 10 years ago:
I had just entered the world of motherhood. Our Hannah was born on July 1st weighing 9 lbs, 3 oz by c-section. We came home from the hospital on July 4th. I think learning how to get Hannah to nurse was my biggest obstacle at this point.

Five favorite snacks:
Apples with peanut butter
Tortilla chips with salsa and sour cream
Granola
Small scoop of vanilla ice cream with a tsp of peanut butter
Homemade Cheerios Bars

To Do List:
Go to grocery store
Take sister-in-law's shoes to have repaired at shoe shop downtown
Deliver tomatoes and blueberries
Wash clothes and clean the house
Get Oil Changed in the car

Five jobs I have had in the past:
Pharmacy Tech at a hospital
Nurse's Aide at Children's Rehab
RN on a medical/surgical unit for eight months; postpartum/gyn unit for a little over a year
RN health department; RN contract nurse with health department and medicaid
Mom, Best Job of All

Places I Have Lived:
Clinton, MS
Little Rock, Arkansas
Bentonia, MS
Hickory, MS
Montrose, MS
Goodman, MS and Jackson, MS---for school

Bad Habit:
Unorganized
Misplacing things due to my lack of organizational skills
Eating too much
I am sure there are more, they are just not coming to my mind at this time.

Five Random Things People might Not Know:
1. I love to read books and it's hard to go to Barnes and Noble without buying a new one. It's better if I stay away from that place.

2. I took piano for 11 years, 3rd thru 12th grades, plus one in college. I don't play much anymore. No time for it. I do love music.

3. I love to scrapbook when I have time.

4. I grew up as a pk, also known as a preacher's kid. That's why I lived in several places growing up.

5. My favorite vacation so far is the Disney Cruise. I would love to be on one right now!

CD's I would want if Stranded on an Island:
1. Anything by WaterMark
2. Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir CD's
I also like to listen to old 80's music as well.

What would I do If I was a billionaire:
1. Give money to church, school, and other mission type projects
2. Give money to our parents and grandparents
3. I think I would pray that the Lord would send me divine appointments, since He knows whose in need.

When I figure out how to put links into my post, I will tag two people as well. Thanks to georgiamom for tagging me.

One Down, Two To Go!

Kevin has three siblings. He has a brother and a sister who are twins, and then another sister that is a couple years younger than the twins. During the month of July, Kevin's side of the family has two weddings within a two week time period. The brother got married in Gatlinburg yesterday and the baby sister will get married in two weeks in the same church we were married.

So, on July 4th, we all met in Pigeon Forge to spend some time with Darin and spend the night before the big day. Of course for this crew, our meeting place was the outlet mall in Sevierville. I had a very interesting shopping experience for tennis shoes and flip flops at the Rack Room with my father-in-law. He was in dire need for new shoes and yours truly was left to assist him with finding the right shoe with the right fit. I knew Kevin had a big foot, but didn't realize his dad could wear a 14! The shopping trip to the Rack Room was successful and we came out with two new pair of shoes at the buy one, get one half off price. I think I have four or five bags from the Lenox store to carry home when we go for the next wedding. Kevin's mom found some great deals there; however, there was no room in the Camry for those bags when they left today. After we finished our shopping, we took Darin to The Chop House for dinner. Kevin, the kids, and I ate there two years ago and I loved it. It was great once again! We then headed to the Ramada for a night of rest.

When we woke up Saturday morning, it was raining. But by the afternoon, the sun had come out and it turned out to be a beautiful day for a wedding. The wedding was beautiful. It started at one and lasted no more than 10 minutes. I think we were gone from the reception by three. Jessica was beautiful in her wedding gown and Darin, of course, was smiling and cutting up, joking around as usual. I will say that I have never seen hands shake while lighting the unity candle as much as I did when they were lighting theirs. Other than that, they were cool as cucumbers. Here's the bride and groom!

Here's Aaron getting a little sugar from his new aunt. He looks thrilled! The boy is spoiled rotten!

And here's the groom with all of the nieces and the nephew! They love their Uncle Darin!

And last but not least, here are the brothers.

We came home after the wedding reception. Kevin's parents, aunt, sister and soon to be brother-in-law went home this afternoon. I think we all had a great time this weekend. We will soon be seeing each other again. My son will be a ring bearer for the first time in this next wedding. I am sure it will be an enlightening experience for us. On the way to the wedding yesterday, he got a little upset because he realized he didn't have his "suit" on. We had to explain that he would wear that to Aunt Tracy's wedding, not Uncle Darin's. I pray he loves his tux, because all the boy wears is polo shirts/t-shirts, shorts, and crocs!

Thanks to Jessica and Darin for allowing us to be part of their special day. We had a great time! And yes, I did get teary-eyed. I did inherit my late grandmother's ability to shed tears even during the happy moments of life. I am sure I will at the next one! That's just me!

I Will Start Back Soon

After being told once again that someone(my mother) has checked the blog and there's nothing new, I will try to download pictures from my camera and get you caught up on the happenings in our world really soon. I must work on housework this morning.

It has not been boring around here since summer began. Kevin is home after a 10 day trip to the Ukraine. My oldest is at camp and will come home tomorrow. It will soon be time for all the July weddings in the family. What happened to those quiet summers I experienced as a child?

Needless to say, I have enjoyed this summer with my kids. I will soon share more with you!

A Very Thoughtful Gift

Wednesday evening, after choir rehearsal, I unlocked my car and opened the door to get in. When I opened the door, I saw the steering wheel. My thoughts were, "This is not my car. How did I unlock another person's car?" I can say this because we have several people at our church who own cars the same color and make of our car. Then I looked on the passenger seat, saw the paperwork and clutter that was mine, and thought, "Yes, this is your car, Karen."

You see, Wednesday night was store night at AWANA's at church. It's the night that the kids get to spend the money (it's fake money) they earned for saying their verses every week. My sweet Alli had already given me one gift before I went to choir. It's a cross necklace and the cross is made out of two nails. She told me it was my mother's day gift. Well, before Kevin took the kids home, he helped Alli leave my second gift. Funny thing is, I saw this item laying on the table close to where Alli was sitting during AWANA. I just didn't know it was for me. So, here's the reason I was convinced I was getting in the wrong car.

All I could do was laugh! When I walked in the door at home, Kevin was laughing. He said he told them I would probably have to take it off because it might make me have a wreck. He's right. I would probably wreck from laughing hysterically. I think I laughed all the way to school Thursday morning.

Thank you, sweet Alli, for thinking of me! You are precious! After talking with a dear friend who is also one of Alli's AWANA leaders, I found out that Alli was so excited about getting this for me. It cost her 8 or 10 AWANA dollars to get it.

If you can't tell what it says, yes, it says "Princess." I think I will save it for when Alli gets her first car. Can't wait to see what she thinks of it then!

One of My Favorite Smells

When I arrived home from visiting family, I had a pleasant surprise awaiting me. I knew it was coming, but wasn't sure when it would happen. It was nice that it arrived on Mother's Day. It actually may have happened before Mother's Day, but this is the day I got home.

When I got out of my car, I was greeted by the wonderful smell of roses. I have five knockout rose bushes that are right outside our garage. This year Kevin cut them back early, before the birds had a chance to nest in them. Before we left last week, they had already started blooming, but I knew they would soon be covered in blossoms. This year they are gorgeous and I had to take pictures of them. I love this flower and this particular kind of rose is very low maintenance, which is good for me. I would love to have more of these around the house and one day I will. Right now I am enjoying the sight and the smell that greets me every time I go to my car or get home from all of my running around.

A Quick Trip Home

Mother's Day weekend we made a quick trip home to see our families. The big purpose for the trip was to see my grandfather. We got to my mom's on Thursday evening around 11:00. We let the kids sleep in on Friday morning while Kevin and his dad cut my mom's grass and finished the yard work at my grandparents' home. My mom worked till lunch and we headed to the hospital that afternoon. We had a three hour visit with my grandfather. The minute we went through the hospital room door, my grandmother asked Kevin to shave my grandfather's face. Papaw had a nasogastric tube in his nose, so it was hard to work around that tube. Papaw has pretty much wanted to be left alone, so I wasn't sure how this was going to go. However, he let Kevin shave him without fussing at Kevin.

My Papaw is 86 years old. He will be 87 in October. He has been healthy for the most part all his life. He has always been a hard worker. Even after he retired, he continued to preach. Until just a few years ago, he has always been strong. I guess I have continued with that picture in my mind all this time. So, seeing my Papaw on Friday was a little difficult. I think the dementia is the hardest thing to comprehend. It's just not him. I had to read between the lines to understand what he was trying to say. It's like he can't put his thoughts into words anymore. He watched the kids a lot while we were there. He held my hand and kissed me on the cheek even though the tube was between us. We are still waiting to hear the official word on the report from the mass and lymph nodes they sent off for testing. Grannie says that they told her there was a trace in his lymph nodes. However, I think this is one of those things where it's there or it's not. Thursday evening, this week, they moved him to the hospital in the town where my grandparents and mother live. He is receiving physical therapy to help get him ready to come back home in about 2 weeks. He won't start chemo for another 4-6 weeks. Hopefully, if they give him chemo, it will be something he can take by mouth. I have heard that there's a type of chemo for colon cancer taken by mouth that doesn't make the patient nauseated and lose their hair.

We stayed at my mom's till Saturday. After lunch, we went to Kevin's grandmother's where we visited his family for the rest of the evening. Kevin's mom cooked dinner and brought it to Mamaw's. It was a great visit. The kids even sat in the same room with Mamaw's dog Charlie, a Boston Terrier. Mamaw had no idea we were coming, so when we stepped thru the door, she was shocked. I think it made her Mother's Day weekend a great one! We spent the night at Kevin's parents. We took Kevin's mom to lunch at the local catfish house on Sunday for her Mother's Day lunch. All of their kids and their families were there to celebrate the day with her.

We had a great weekend with our family. The kids are ready to go back to spend more time with everyone. It won't be long till July!

The Boy Loves His Pups

From previous posts you have learned that Aaron got his first puppy for his birthday this year. He loves Fudge. Fudge is a little hyperactive. That is actually an understatement. Before the kids come outside, I have to put Fudge in his kennel. I have a few scratch marks that can attest to how wild Fudge can be. Aaron enjoys feeding Fudge treats, but it's always while Fudge is in the kennel. We love Fudge.



What's most interesting is Aaron's love for two little dogs that get to live in the house with us. Please meet Brownie and Fudge!




You guessed it! Brownie is the brown one and Fudge looks just like his real Fudge. These dogs sleep in the bed with him at night and they ride in the car in the pocket on the back of my seat when we head to town or church. These pups are part of Aaron's webkinz collection. I think he has a black lab and a dalmation as well. At least he doesn't have a zoo like his two sisters!

He loves these dogs but will quickly tell you: They are not real! But as you can see, the puppies attended Alli's awards day!

Happy 36th Birthday!

As I told you before we have four birthdays in about four weeks time. If Alli would have waited about six more hours, she and her daddy would have shared the same birthday. I guess Alli's celebration was a celebration for Kevin as well. Aaron has continually told me that I needed to make his daddy a chocolate cake. However, I think that is Aaron wanting the chocolate cake, not his daddy. Kevin spent the morning with us and then he went to work for the evening shift. Thank you, Kevin, for all you do for your family: for loving us and providing for us. Happy Birthday!

Sweet Seven

And, now on a happier note, our youngest daughter, celebrated her seventh birthday last Friday. As I was sitting on my back porch this evening, I watched Alli play, as she walked back and forth, counting to ten. I am not sure what that was all about, but she was constantly moving and enjoying every minute of it. It's been that way since she arrived seven years ago. She was my easiest delivery and was the smallest of the three, weighing 7lbs, 4.2 oz. Hannah weighed 9.3 and Aaron weighed 9.2. I can picture in my mind right now how she looked as an infant, sweet and precious. She is my butterfly and she's daddy's girl all the way! They say she looks a lot like I did at that age and I was a daddy's girl, too.

I made cupcakes and took them to school during recess time, so she could celebrate with her classmates. We sat at a picnic table outside. The wind blew so hard, we couldn't keep the candles lit long enough for her to blow them out. Instead of throwing a big party, we had a family night. She wanted to see the movie, "Nim's Island," so we went to the movies after school. The girls loved the movie. Aaron did well, but kept asking "when is him going to come out?" I kept asking who that was and finally understood after the movie was over, that he was talking about the elephant from "Whorton Hears A Who." I told him we would have to come back later for that one. We let Alli choose a place to eat and had dinner in town. Then we went home for cake and presents. Alli loves strawberries, so I made her a strawberry cake that actually had pureed strawberries in the cake and the icing. They were the strawberries I saved from the night before. Alli couldn't understand why I wouldn't let her have those strawberries the night before, but I didn't want her to know my plans for those strawberries till she got home and saw the cake. The cake was a hit! They loved it and Hannah has requested the same cake for her birthday. I think Alli enjoyed her evening. What a blessing you are to us, Alli! We love you! Happy Birthday!

Thoughts for Today

Before I continue to post to catch up on all our family happenings, I must confess where my thoughts have been lately, especially today. I say all this not to complain, but to share that I get overwhelmed sometimes with all that's going on around me.

Basically, the "C" word has invaded our family again. Kevin's father was diagnosed several years ago with prostate cancer, and thankfully he is cancer free at this point. While Kevin and I were on our trip, I found out that my grandfather had been sick and was admitted to the hospital on that Wednesday. He had surgery yesterday. They removed a mass from his colon. They are not sure if it is stage 2 or stage 3. We will hopefully know next week sometime. If it is stage 3, he will need chemo. My grandfather also has issues with dementia which have worsened since he has been in the hospital. They have tied his hands to the bed several times because he keeps trying to get up. He's so weak, and he has lots of tubing connected to him . I finally got to hear him tell my grandmother to leave him alone while I was on the phone with her today. I don't think I have ever heard him sound like that in all my life. Of course I joke with my mom and tell her that he's just been saving it up all these years and is now letting her have it. My grandfather is in his 80's. The Lord has given him a long life. He is a retired preacher and he and my grandmother enjoyed the years they were in the ministry. Although I know that this cancer could possibly kill my grandfather, what a comfort it is to know that he knows Jesus Christ as his Savior. I don't want my grandfather to have to suffer a long drawn out process with this, and I know that it's a possibility as well. I hate all of this, too, for my grandmother, my mom and her brothers. We live 5-6 hours away from our family, so I can't just drive over to the hospital whenever I want. I knew we would eventually have to deal with this when our parents got older, if we were still living two states away. I guess I have gotten a little taste of it this week not being able to be there for my grandparents. Then I start thinking about all the people in our church who have been affected by cancer in some way or who actually have some type of cancer that they are currently dealing with. I then think about our friend, M, who has a disease with no cure and she's only 3 years old. One of Kevin's nurses just died from injuries in a motorcycle accident. It's very overwhelming! My heart feels so heavy today. It's been one of those days where I feel like I could just cry at the drop of a hat. Thankfully, we will be able to leave tomorrow evening and spend the weekend with our family.

It has also been one of those days where I feel like I will not be winning the "Mommy of the Year Award". I have to be honest. Today I asked the Lord why he decided to give my kids the mommy He gave them. I know that sounds crazy, but I was in one of those moments where I was questioning myself. I have forgotten so many things lately. The one thing I can see that needs to definitely change is my daily walk with Christ. I haven't been in God's Word lately. My heart is yearning for time with Him and sometimes I just don't see that. Basically, my priorities have not been in the right order.

Tonight we did not go to church. I spent some time on the back porch after dinner with a cup of my Bifferdoodle coffee, watching the kids play. The wind was blowing. It was very relaxing. Tonight I will end the day with my Bible. It truly is a balm to my soul. We have to rest in Him, knowing that He has a purpose for it all. As one of my favorite songs (Total Praise) from Brooklyn Tabernacle says,

Lord, I will lift my eyes to the hills.
Knowing my help is coming from you.
Your peace you give me,
In time of the storm.

You are the source of my strength.
You are the strength of my life
I lift my hands in total praise to You.

A Little R & R

Kevin and I were able to get away for a couple days last week, just the two of us. Some friends of ours kept the kids Tuesday and Wednesday night, so we could head to Asheville, North Carolina for a stay at the Grove Park Inn. We love this place. Our first trip to Grove Park was three years ago and we knew we would have to go back again. It was once again cool weather while we were there, but this time we did not get to see snow. It started warming up again on Wednesday and we got to enjoy the outdoors at Biltmore Estate. I love to ride bikes, so I got Kevin to agree to renting a couple bikes and seeing Biltmore from a different perspective. The Lord gave us a gorgeous day for it. We had appointments back at the Spa at Grove Park Inn, so we didn't get to stay as long as I would have liked. We decided that a family vacation at the Biltmore Inn would be something we might like to try sometime. We enjoyed our afternoon at the Spa and then went out for Japanese that evening. Soon it was Thursday and it was back to reality for us. We finished up the adventure by stopping by the local strawberry patch to surprise the kids with 5 lbs of strawberries. Except for the cup and a half of strawberries I saved for a special someone's birthday cake, all the strawberries were eaten on Thursday night.

Birthday Tulips

Within a month's time, our family celebrates four birthdays. Mine happens to be one of those. On April 24th, I turned 35. I feel no different, but 50 seems a lot closer than before. I enjoyed my day by myself, exercised, got some things done at the house, and was off again to get the kids from school. After we went to a second grade open house at school, we met Kevin and some friends for dinner.

I received one of my gifts earlier in the day, which I was expecting, because I saw the confirmation email Kevin received after ordering them. So much for a surprise birthday gift! But when I opened them, I was pleased with how beautiful they were. Kevin knows I love flowers. These were the prettiest tulips he has ever given me.

And for the second gift, he gave me a book called, "The Shack." I have not read it, yet. It's on his side of the bed.