January Experiences - Welcome to 2026!

 Hello January! (Oh wait…it’s almost over already!) 

This month has been a whirlwind of activity as we came back to school on the 6th of January, and we’ve been busy with basketball, school, upcoming art competitions, a trip for Roger and I, Chandler’s 18th birthday, and a whole host of a bunch of other activities that I’ve already forgotten! 

I was greatly encouraged by multiple texts to one of my dear friends from Maine this month. I am so thankful for Sharon’s investment in my life, her prayers for our children, and her encouragement to me to “keep the faith”, and press on in Jesus’s name. January is often a month of feeling overwhelmed with many things happening at once, and being over stimulated is a real struggle for me. Sometimes the noise feels very loud at our house, and it is, but I have to ask myself, “are my children deliberately trying to get on my last nerve? Or are they just being boys?” Truthfully, sometimes, I’m just a grouch and need to get over myself! Anyways, I was encouraged to know that Sharon prays specifically for our children, and I need women in my life to mentor and encourage me. It was an unexpected blessing this month. 

Also this month, we had “spirit” week at school and “Homecoming” night. It’s a fun week of activities for the students, and I think most of the teachers willingly join in on the fun. I had the opportunity to help with the “pep” rally, and while it always takes me a minutes to get over myself and get hyped up for the event, I typically have a good time with it. It’s fun to interact with the elementary kids, and I try hard with the Middle school/High school students! It was a fun and tiring week, and I don’t think I remembered to take a single picture of our kids that week, but oh well!

Roger and I got away for a few days to celebrate our 20th anniversary …which was in September, but now was when we had the time to get away. It was such a wonderful and relaxing week with just Roger and I. We talked about everything under the sun as we soaked up the sunshine. I read four or five books on the trip, and it was a wonderful week! The weather started out a bit on the cool side as our first day in the Bahamas was about 69 degrees and overcast, but it was 84 degrees the next day. Roger and I took our first cruise with the MSC cruise line, and it was a great experience. MSC is owned by an Italian company so there are some different things that they do from other cruise lines, but overall the experience exceeded our expectations. It’s hard to know what to expect when the cruise only cost about $720 for both Roger and I for six days, but we were pleasantly surprised by our experience. I am very thankful for the time away with Roger, and it was a reminder of how hard we need to continue to work on our marriage and relationship. After all the kids are out of the house and we face an empty nest, I want to still be in love with Roger. I want to still desire to spend time with him, value his opinion, cherish our time together and that doesn’t happen without intentionality. God is so good, and I am so abundantly blessed. I often fail to realize how God has blessed and orchestrated so many things in His perfect timing, and it was a blessing to have some extra time (in the sunshine) to think about many things regarding our future, children, etc.

 

We arrived home from our cruise on Saturday, and we arrived home just before the ice storm hit North Carolina. We are thankful for God’s protection on the trip home. We had church online on Sunday, and it was nice to spend the day catching up with the kids on all their experiences from the week. Emma stayed with Aunt Jen, and all the boys stayed at home. I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the boys kept the house. We didn’t have a lot of food left in the fridge, but they survived quite well together! The boys were on time to school every day, and the dog survived the week too. We had a snow day on today (Monday), and it was an unexpected day to prepare for the rest of the week. My middle school and high school students are in the beginning stages of preparing for an art competition in a few weeks, so we have a lot to do! It’s probably the most stressful time of the year for me, so I am thankful that Roger and I got away for a few days before the craziness begins. 

Today is also Chandler’s birthday! Where did time even go?! This little bundle of boy has grown into a young man with an entrepreneur spirit, inquisitive mind, and a hard work ethic. He doesn’t always speak his mind in a group of people, but he always has an opinion. He sees the world in “black and white”, and he is a deeply loyal friend. He exasperates me to no end at times, but I pray often and fervently that he will continue to grow in his relationship with Jesus and desire to serve Jesus all of his life. I am so very thankful for this second son of ours, and please pray with us that he will love Jesus and that Chan will have wisdom about college. He is planning to visit Pensacola Christian College next month, and we are praying for God’s clear direction for him. I’m thankful that God loves my children more than I ever could imagine, and that He has a perfect plan for each one. 

God has been teaching Roger and I a lot this past month. We’ve had some new and different experiences, and I feel like God is challenging us to trust Him in new ways these days. Parenting adult and teen children is the most difficult thing I have ever done, and each day brings new challenges. I am thankful that God walks before us and beside us, and that I can constantly lean on Him. We serve an amazing God!

September 2025- A Month that We Will Not Forget!

September. Oh, how overwhelming and “heavy” this month has been for my brain and heart to process and digest so many deep emotions. This is one September that we will never forget, and I really am praying that we will have a “Turning Point” in our nation from the youngest to the oldest.

 Yesterday, while at the Teachers Convention in South Carolina, the keynote speaker spoke about not being ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus and being equipped. Ben Schettler, the founder of The Center of Truth in Love, spoke a powerful message about equipping the next generation. He was the first speaker/ pastor that I have listened to in-person that  has spoken clearly about Charlie Kirk, his memorial service, his vision and love for young people, and what are we going to do now. I’m sure there are other speakers/pastors that are speaking on this topic, but I haven’t heard very much in-person around me lately, so  I found the message to be refreshing and challenging, and encouraging. One of the problems with social media is that the flood of information is so great, so overwhelming and not always factual. I appreciated hearing from someone who had been at the memorial service, personally know Charlie Kirk, and was passionate about preaching about our responsibilities as Christian educators. I’ve shown patriotic art videos to my students, spoken to them about the need to be the next generation of leaders, and tried to encourage them to live their lives passionately for Jesus Christ, and sometimes, it still feels like an uphill battle! However, I was encouraged to stay the course and keep at it. The Center of Truth in Love has some powerful resources to help us be faithful and work to equip the next generation for Jesus Christ. I want to teach my students about art mediums, artists, and all things art, but more importantly than any of that, I want them to know Jesus and to make Him known! 

We arrived at the teachers convention on Wednesday afternoon, and we will leave this afternoon. Attending any teachers convention is a little like drinking from a fire hydrant! The amount of information is fast and furious, and it’s hard sometimes to separate out the most important things or things I can implement in my classroom. My boys and Emma are at home, and Emma has called me often to see how it’s going and when I’m coming home.  I’m thankful that the boys and Emma are old enough to stay on their own while Roger is at work, but I know that it makes for some long days for Emma. The boys have stayed busy with putting up tree stands, golfing, more golfing, picking up leaves, and eating. Emma enjoys making crafts and coloring (and I’m sure that the craft stuff is all over her room), but they’re surviving and it’s good for them to miss mom. :) 

I’m going to back track a little back into September to fill in some more thoughts and events that have happened in our lives. 

Written (9/16)  “Rise up, O men of God”… these lyrics from a very old hym have resonated with me this past week. This past week has felt very “heavy” and somber both from a Christian’s perspective as well as an American. The assassination of Charlie Kirk was a shock and Lord willing, a wake-up call to all of us. 

For me, as a mama, a wife, a Christian, and an American, I am heart broken by so many things from this past week. As a mom, I grieve for Charlie’s children. I grieve for Erika, his wife, as she will have so many decisions and challenges that she never envisioned. I grieve, as a Christian, over the martyrdom of another Christian. I grieve for the body of Christ as we rejoice in Charlie’s home-going to Heaven, but he will be missed by so many here. As an American, I grieve for the division in our country. How did we get to the place where evil is so celebrated?! No longer can people disagree with each other in a civil manner. Instead, there are so many instances where the death of another person is celebrated?! How is this even so?! There are a lot of people that I’ve disagreed with over the course of my life, and they’ll be more to come. However, I would never wish evil, pure wickedness, upon them. I have a hard time even wrapping my mind around that kind of hate. It’s heartbreaking.  I soaked up a lot of information those first few days after the assassination, but eventually I took Facebook off of my phone as it became overwhelming to process it all. I needed to take a step back, get my head on straight, and be present for my family. 

If I’m completely honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Charlie Kirk prior to last Wednesday (9/10). Oh, I knew who he was, and I had some idea of what Turning Point USA  was standing for. But now…now I’ve signed up for emails and texts from Turning Point USA. I’ve inquired about starting a chapter in our area to encourage youth to be involved in the world around them. I’m certainly not going to sit around and wait for someone to do something when I can inquire about information and keep learning and hopefully be a difference maker!

Emma had a minor surgery on September 16th. I took the day off of school for her surgery, and we had to be at the hospital at 5:30am. It was an early morning for us, and it was several hours before she was taken back for her tonsil and adenoids surgery. Emma was extremely nervous about the surgery, and I was a little concerned about how she was going to do with the IV that they wanted to put in her hand. However, God provided Emma with an amazing nurse! Really, God’s hand was evident in it all. As I was talking to Emma about trusting in God and quoting Scripture to her, the nurse was in agreement with what I was telling Emma. She told Emma that she has three girls, and that she could tell Emma was nervous. Emma really needed to get that IV in her hand, and it was time to do it. The nurse asked Emma if she could pray with her, and of course, Emma said yes. We prayed together, and then the IV was put in. I’m not saying that it wasn’t a bit traumatic, but by the grace of God, the IV went in her hand. The surgery itself was really quick once Emma went back to the surgery ward. In about twenty-five minutes, the surgery was over. They called me back when Emma was in recovery. Wow, she was so grouchy! The nurse was talking to her and asking her about her name. The nurse was said, “ Do you like to go by Emma or Kate?” Emma replied, “I go by Lou. Aunt Jen calls me Lou!” It was so funny to her Emma declare her name was Lou as Aunt Jen often calls her Emm Lou, but not just Lou! We were on our way home by about 9:30am, and we spent the rest of the day resting at home. We had some challenging moments, but Emma is on the mend. Roger stayed home with her two days last week, Jen took one day, and I took a day. Emma came to school on Monday, but we didn’t quite make it through the whole day. Thankfully, the kids have a short week at school as they’re on Fall break.  It was encouraging to Emma (and me) to hear from many that were praying for her or gave her a sweet gift. Emma was delighted with a gift card to McDonald’s, a few awesome gifts from my sweet friend, Laura, and Mrs. Kennedy, and Emma’s piano teacher. It was a blessing to know that many prayed and loved on her. 

Emma’s surgery, our 20th anniversary, and the soccer team took a field trip to watch a college team play soccer. 

Emma was delighted with some gifts while she was out of school! 

Roger has been busy coaching the boys soccer team, while Jen and I have couched middle school volleyball. Both have had their challenging moments, but also a lot of really great moments, memories, and experiences. The boys team has only lost one game in their soccer season, so that’s been exciting for them. Jen has done a great job coaching the Middle School volleyball team, and I just help in whatever way that I can. 

We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary early in the month of September…at a soccer game. :) It’s life, and the season that we are in right now. I am so thankful for Roger and who he is, what he does, and all that he believes in. He’s faithful, loyal, hard working, and he loves me. I am so blessed. We are looking to get away for a few days by ourselves sometime in the near future, but for now, we press on doing what God has called us to do. 

Updated: 9/26. Last Sunday, we went to the early morning service at a church in Wilmington, and it’s early, but we enjoy the service. After the service, we walked at the park for a bit, ate some lunch, and then hung out on the beach for a few hours. The service for Charlie Kirk started while we were at the beach, so I started watching the live stream. The boys were interested in it also, so we ended up watching the service in the car and at home. It was a long service, but wow…it reminded me of the weekend that a few ladies and I traveled to Washington DC for a Freedom Walk in November of 2020. I think it’s easy to have momentum and motivation after watching a service or attending a Freedom Walk, but it’s in the day to day of “life touching life” that we are going to have a Turning Point. May God give each of us wisdom, determination, and direction to do the next right thing, and to not be weary in well doing. 

The month of September has been busy with life, heavy with events that have happened in our world, and encouraging as we have seen the Gospel presented to so many this month because of the death of Charlie Kirk. God is working, and we need to pick up a shovel and start working too! 

I found this quote to be especially appropriate in light of recent events in our nation. Press on! 

Celebrating a Birthday, an Anniversary and an Adoption! God is Good!

 Good by August and hello September! Summer is fading and fall is coming. (We’ve had a few cooler days, which has given us a taste of fall days to come.) We’ve had four soccer games, and we’ve won one, tied two and lost one. The three oldest boys are at the annual High school retreat, so we are soaking up some time with just two at home. 

Garett turned 18 last Friday, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind the fact that he is 18 years old. We were supposed to have a soccer game on his birthday, but it ended up cancelled due to thunderstorms. It was a bit of a mixed blessing as then we were able to go out to dinner for Garett’s birthday, but it was a bummer that the game was cancelled. 

Last Thursday, Jen and the three youngest kids had planned to fly out to Maine for the adoption of Hannah and Josh’s kids. We ended up leaving right from Thursday’s game (before it had even ended), so Wyatt and Travis were hot and smelly, but they had a plane to catch. I took them to the airport, while Roger finished coaching the team (we ended that game in a tie). I dropped them off at the airport in plenty of time and headed home. The airport is just over an hour from our house, and I was almost home when Jen called me. The flight leaving Raleigh was delayed, and flights were grounded in Washington D.C., due to storms. Jen said that the flight delay might cause them to miss their connection in D.C., unless that plane was also delayed. She said that the gate agent said that they would make an update at 8:30pm. (The flight was originally supposed to leave at 8:03pm). I said that we would pray that the flight would take off, and I was going to continue home. At 8:30pm, Jen called me to tell me that the flights were still delayed, but it was unlikely that they would make the connection in D.C. She had asked the agent when the next flight to Maine would be, and the agent said that the next flight in would be on Saturday morning! Um- the adoption was Friday at 3:00pm! Jen asked the agent where the closest flight to Maine would be…Boston, Portland, ME, etc. The agent said, “we can get you to Philadelphia by about 5:00am on Friday morning.” That’s the closest?! Apparently due to the holiday weekend, and overbooked flights, there were not any options. The agent said that at 10:30pm, they would make one more update to see if the flight would leave that night. Jen called me around ten pm,  and told me that nothing was looking promising. She said that I should probably think about heading back to the airport to pick them up. Roger offered to go with me to the airport, so we told the oldest two to go to bed, and we headed back to the airport. We arrived to pick up four very disappointed people at about 11:30pm, but there was nothing that could be done. Maine is too far to drive on a whim, and it would be about impossible to get there by the adoption at 3:00pm. Jen said that she was not planning on going into school on Friday since she had already made sub plans for the day. Emma quickly asked if she could stay home with Aunt Jen! Wyatt and Travis asked if they could come into school later, early enough that they could still play in the soccer game, but late enough that they could sleep in. It was 1:30am by the time we had dropped Jen off at her house as well as the three youngest kids. It was a short night on sleep as Garett, Chandler and I were back out the door to school by 7:00am! I’m not sure why God didn’t allow them to get to Maine for the adoption, but I know there’s a Master plan in there somewhere. We were all disappointed as well as Hannah and Josh’s kids, but it is what it is. We had already planned to spend some of Christmas break in Maine, so we are all looking forward to that.  We are thankful that the adoption went off without a hitch, and that now we officially  have two nieces and a nephew! Praise the Lord! 

Chandler had the opportunity to attend a Duke football game on Saturday evening with a few other boys from school. Nicholas had invited Chandler to come with them to the game after the soccer game. Well, the game ended up being cancelled, so that worked out well for the football game. I’m thankful that Chandler has a few good friends in his class that he can spend time with at events like these. I’m thankful for Nicholas’s parents investing in Chandler’s life as well. The older I get, the more I appreciate those the mentor and invest in the lives of our children. 

On Saturday morning Roger and the two oldest boys went to play golf with the Everett’s. Travis, Wyatt and Emma stayed home (since they originally thought they would be in Maine). Emma and I went grocery shopping, and spent some time cleaning the house. We made plans to go to the beach on Sunday afternoon with the Hardison’s, so we gathered up all the beach stuff for that as well. 

Sunday afternoon found us looking for a parking spot on the beach! I had no idea that half of the state of North Carolina would also be at the beach on Sunday afternoon before Labor Day! Roger and Stephen ended up dropping us off by the beach, and then parking the vehicles a ways away. We found our spot and got all set up around three pm., and by 4:00pm, there was a shift as people started to leave the beach. We enjoyed the afternoon fellowshipping, relaxing, eating, and playing in the ocean. Another family also joined us at the beach, and there were nine boys…and Emma! We stayed until around 7:00pm when everyone was water logged and filled with sand. It was a beautiful day to be at the beach, and I’m thankful that we took the time to go. Since everyone was working so much this summer, we really didn’t get to the beach at all. Even though it was crowded when we arrived, a good time was had by all. 

Monday was our 19th wedding anniversary. Whew! And where did time go!? It was nice to have the day off of school for our anniversary since it was Labor Day. When we got married 19 years ago, I definitely wasn’t thinking about a school calendar to work around down the road! It was not the most exciting anniversary in the world, but ya know…it’s okay. We have plans to celebrate our anniversary by getting away for a few days in October (after soccer season is over), so it is okay to have a very low key day. Roger had to get some goalie glove glue for one of his soccer players, so we made a trip to get that. We brought along the “tribe”, but I’m recognizing more and more that these moments of all of us together are quickly fleeting! 

We had a soccer game on Tuesday night, and it was rough! Last week the team had three games and no practices. They went right into the game on Tuesday without a practice, and it was rough. Lots of miscommunication,  frustration, and aggravation amongst the team. We don’t like to lose in this household,  and with having four players and the coach in the same house…well! We had a lot of big emotions and feelings last night! Some hurtful things were said to each other, and apologies had to be made, and sometimes the best thing to do is to send everyone to bed!! The four boys share a room, so sometimes we have to say, “You can’t talk to each other until tomorrow.” Usually the boys will stay up for a while talking, but its typically about the day or an event, and I don’t mind as their usually in bed plenty of time to have a little conversation with each other. However, last night was not that night. Last night was the night where we say “just stop talking. Stop talking. Not another word. Brush your teeth and go to bed.” Just happens in our family or yours too?!  

I had a special moment on Sunday morning when another mom came up to me. She mentioned that she has a son in 7th grade, and Garett had gone out of his way to include him during teen evangelism. (Teen evangelism happens on Wednesday afternoons, and Garett hasn’t gone in a while. But the youth pastor asked him to go last week, so Garett went.) She told me that she was just so thankful that Garett had been kind to her son and included him and didn’t seem annoyed. It was just so kind for another mom to take the time to speak kindness to me. We are so, so far from “having it together”, and I’m on the struggle bus every single day. But it encourages me so much when someone else speaks words of kindness and encouragement to me about our children. It made me tear up, but it was a special way to start the day. It was also a reminder to me to speak kindness to other moms around me. We all need encouragement and uplifting from time to time, and I want to “speak love and light” to others. 

This week found us in full swing at school as middle school art started this week. I have 37 middle school students that are in Middle school art. This is a whole new ball game from teaching elementary art, and I want to do it well. I’m taking the same principles of introducing the names of God to these students as well, and we are working through elements and principles of art. Travis is in one of my middle school art classes, and he’s sure to keep me humble on the job I’m doing. :) I never have to worry about what Travis is thinking as his face will show it or he will just say it. But it’s good to have feedback, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to invest in my own child as well as in the lives of 200 plus other ones! 

Through it all, God is good. Life is full of uncertainties and disappointments, and we faced some of those this past week. But we also celebrated Garett’s 18th birthday and our 19th wedding anniversary. God is good. 

Names of God: Week #1 

Church Adventures, Life and Freebies!

 The past ten days have flown by with my parents here and then my sister, Jen, from South Dakota. We’ve enjoyed our time with family, and the kids have certainly enjoyed the week with my sister too. In the past ten days, Roger and I got away for an overnight; we took a family day to the beach; we visited a new church last Sunday; the boys have worked a lot for the neighbor; and we have gotten a little rain! Praise the Lord! 

Garett told me the other day that one thing that North Carolina does not have is medium sized bugs! He said that it seems like the bugs are super little, like lots of annoying gnats, or the bugs are large sized, like big beetles and spiders! I guess I kinda would have to agree! When it is dry, we have lots of the tiny annoying gnats. They go away for a day or two after it rains, and it’s pleasant outside in the evenings. We are blessed to live on a property with trees so we do get somewhat of a breeze in our yard. 

Jen arrived at our house last Thursday, and we’ve been enjoying spending time with her.  She bought most of the kids school supply list as well as contributed to their school bill- we are so thankful for her investing in our children. She’s played lots of games, helped with yard work, and done lots of grocery shopping with me. It’s been a good week, and she has a long drive back ahead of her. 

On Saturday night, we spent some time discussing which church we would visit on Sunday. We’ve been here for five Sundays. The first Sunday, Roger was working so the kids and I visited a church. The second Sunday, we were visiting Roger’s family in South Carolina, picking up Garett’s car and visiting my aunt and uncle. The third Sunday we went to the church associated with the school. The fourth Sunday, we were staying with my Aunt and Uncle for Saturday/Sunday as my parents were heading back to Wisconsin. And then the fifth Sunday, we visited another church. One challenge is that often church websites are outdated, as well as their Facebook pages. So when you check out either of those for information and the last post was from two years ago, it’s not exactly inviting to visitors. Anyways, we did a google search for area churches and came up with a bunch. We decided to visit “Miller’s Chapel” as it was about nine minutes away, the information seemed to be fairly up to date, and it said that they were a P. F.W.B. Church. I know what F.W.B. Stands for as it’s an abbreviation for Free Will Baptist. I wasn’t sure what the “P” stood for, but we would find out. We pulled into the parking lot a little before 10:00am for the service. The pastors name on the sign was not the same one that was listed on the website, but it was a man so that was a good start! Here’s a suggestion- if your church congregation is not meeting in the main sanctuary, it would probably be a good idea to direct visitors to which part of the building they ARE meeting in! Anyways, we found the spot. We stepped in and we were warmly greeted by the people standing near the entrance. The pastor introduced himself and told us to help ourselves to the snacks before the service began. It wasn’t snacks- it was like a meal! Sausage biscuits, muffins, chips, drinks, etc! The boys always seem a bit shy around food when it’s around people that they don’t know, but Emma has no such qualms. She spotted a juice box and a sausage biscuit, and she was happy. The boys took a minute, but the cans of soda caught their eye. Great! Anyways, we found a place to sit which wasn’t a challenge as there were plenty of open seats! We settled in and people came and said hello to us. The church was friendly. And the service began with a children’s devotional up at the front, which none of our kids were comfortable with going up to the front. Then they had some congregational singing which was to lyric videos. I completely understand that not all churches have accomplished musicians to help with music, so I can appreciate the fact that they had found a way to worship through song. Then the preaching began, and it was long. Those cans of soda and juice boxes had made their way to the bladder section! The preacher used his ipad (and I’m not against technology in church), but it would’ve been nice if he had asked the congregation to open their Bibles to certain passages of Scripture. Maybe it’s weird, but I like to use my Bible at church! Towards the end of the service, we found out what the “P” stood for- Pentecostal. The pastor had people that wanted prayer to come forward to the front, and then those that wanted to went up to lay hands on them and to pray. But not one at a time, everyone at one time. Clearly God can still understand us if we all pray at one time, but it can be hard to focus or is that just me?! Anyways, to close this story, we won’t be going back. There are a lot of other reasons that aren’t listed here, and I think there are people that are serving God in that church. Roger and I just don’t happen to think that it would be the best fit for our family. Moving on…

Roger and I left on Sunday afternoon for an overnight get-away. The kids are almost old enough to stay by themselves overnight, but since none of them have cell phones and no one drives, we aren’t there yet. Roger and I didn’t really have any big plans other than to spend time together and exploring the state of North Carolina. We went up the coast a ways and visited an old fort, we walked along the beach, we ate at a quaint restaurant, and enjoyed our get away. We came back on Monday afternoon as we were taking a family day to the beach on Tuesday. On our getaway, we spotted 100’s of these shade tents along the beach. We thought that getting one of those would help make our Tuesday beach day more enjoyable if we weren’t frying in the sun. However, $250.00 is more than we wanted to pay for some beach shade! Roger figured that perhaps he and the boys could improvise. 

Monday afternoon found the boys and Roger rigging up a shade tent. Roger had this old parachute, and after looking at the design of the shade tents that were so expensive, they came up with a plan. Using a piece from our tent, part of the parachute, a tent spike and some paracord, they came up with a beach shade tent. We would have no problems finding our on the beach, but maybe we should get to the beach early so no one could see us setting up our redneck shade tent. Just Kidding! We headed to the beach around 7:00am. It’s just over an hour to the beach, and it’s an easy route. The kids were excited about the day, and we had packed plenty of snacks, water, Gatorade, and more snacks! We found a spot to park (not hard in the morning) and set up our place on the beach. The kids were delighted to feel how warm the ocean water is/was and it’s hard to believe that this is the same frigid water on the beaches in Maine. Roger and the boys set up our shade tent, and we will need to make a few modifications for next time. However, it worked out for our adventure, and it was free! There were probably about 60 of the shade tents that we could see by the time we left, and as far as the eyes could see they were up and down the beaches. Could we have spent the money? Yes, but then the boys would’ve missed out on improvising, being creative, managing money and resources well, learning to not be embarrassed when things look different, and a whole host of other lessons. We had plenty of shade, learned that we can make a few changes to make it better, and enjoyed our morning at the beach. Emma is not fearful at all of the waves, and we just had to remind her that she needed to be by Roger or Garett. She did lose her googles and that was a bit hard, but she still went back out. I’m thankful that Roger was able to take Tuesday off of work so that we could have a valuable family day making memories. 

The boys have been working hard for the neighbor. They do all kinds of odd jobs including picking melons, hauling trash to the burn pile, selling cantaloupe and watermelon and whatever else needs doing. Last week they spent several days selling melons. One of the boys came home and announced that he’s never been called “sugar” or “honey” so much in his life! Haha! Chandler is not intimidated to ask anyone at the gas station if they want to buy a melon, and together they’ve sold quite a few! The lady at the gas station has been kind to the  boys and told them that they could have free re-fills on drinks while they were working. Then the boys came up with this game. You get one gulp from the cup if you don’t make a sale, but you can get two gulps from the cup if you sell a melon! Sounds like boys being boys! They come home with all kinds of fun stories and it’s fun to listen to them as we sit around the dinner table. We are thankful that they had this opportunity this summer, as it’s provided them with some money to earn as well as a time when we don’t have any friends in the area, so we are thankful! 

Garett and Chandler both start drivers ed next week. It’s a full week of class, but then it will be done. The course is offered for free for students that are going to school in that county whether private, homeschool or public. It was an unexpected blessing to find out that they could take driver’s ed for free. It’ll be a bit of a wait before they can do driver instructed time behind the wheel, but we are just taking this one step at a time. 

We appreciate your continued prayers for us as we prepare for school that will start in three weeks! Garett’s class is taking a trip to Washington DC in September, so we are praying that he will have made a good friend by then. The boys have all be going to soccer practice, and they will probably all make the soccer team. Chandler was undecided if he wanted to do soccer or cross-country, but for this year, he’s decided to do soccer. They’ll need to keep up their grades to play, and I have a few that are concerned about that. Please pray that the transition to a new school, new classmates, new teachers, new rules, etc., will be as smooth as possible both for them and their parents! 

We are still looking for a church “home”, so please be in prayer for that also. Thank you!

School! Anniversary! Birthdays and a Dirt Bike!

We have survived the first three days of going back to school, we celebrated Garett's eleventh birthday, and we also celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary!

 

We started off the week with a day taken as our family to celebrate Travis' birthday. His birthday was  on August 25, but with Roger working we just weren't able to celebrate it together. One of the things on the kids bucket list for this summer was to do mini-golf. Roger has been saving his tip money over the summer, and we had enough to go take the kids on a little adventure. We went up to Bangor to have lunch a chick-fil-a...yummy! Then we went to a family park that offered go-carts, mini golf, and batting cages. It was a bit of a bummer that Chandler wasn't quite tall enough to ride on the go carts, and Garett could not take a rider because he was too young. I ended up taking Wyatt (we won, btw!) and Roger took Travis, but Chandler and Emma had to sit by the gate and watch. That was a bit hard, but they handled it very well. Wyatt and I did win, but I'm pretty sure it's because Roger waited to make sure that Garett's car was not going to stall out on him again! It was fun, but it'll be a more fun experience in a few years when all the kids can do it. Then we did mini golf together. The boys really enjoyed that and they were all within a few points of each other. It was a fun day together, and we enjoyed our time together.

Tuesday was our first day of school for the new school year! It seems like we never even missed a beat as we walked back to school that morning! The kids were excited about seeing their friends, the new year, and new adventures. Garett and Chandler have the same teacher, and it's just a reminder to me of how God takes care of us. Since Garett struggles so much with education, I was a bit concerned about who his new teacher would be. However, through a series of events, Garett and Chandlers teacher moved up in grades to teach fourth and fifth grade this year. Wyatt and Travis both have teachers that are new to them, but not new to the school or teaching! I'm excited about the new year. Roger had off on Tuesday and even though he had a bunch of things he needed to do, he took the   time to help me with a bulletin board. I know he loves me! We worked on the bulletin board and finished it up, I spent a few moments cleaning and tidying up a classroom, and then Roger and Emma went to do a few more errands. I got to do some grocery shopping...all by myself!! Yay! We went for a walk together before we needed to pick up the boys from school. They had a great first day. Travis told me that his teacher was nice and, "School was good today, mom. I think I'll go back tomorrow." Umm...yes, yes you will go back tomorrow!! Wyatt seems to be struggling a bit with the adjustment back to school, but I'm hoping it's just fatigue and adjustment to the routine again.

 

Wednesday was Garett's birthday! I can't believe that our oldest child is now eleven! I look back over the years, and it never ceases to amaze me how time has flown by! This boy struggles with learning, but he has a happy countenance. If you know Garett, you know that he loves to smile. He has a heart for aviation, and he wants to get his pilots license. He is sweet to his little sister, and plays nicely with other kids ( just not always his brothers!)  He asked if he could bring treats for his class, and I said yes. I told him that I could make cupcake, bring doughnuts, or make fruit cups for his class. He asked if I would make fruit cups for his class. So we cut up watermelon, grapes, blueberries, mangos, and cantaloupe to make treats for his class. Cupcakes would have been cheaper, and doughnuts would have been easier, but I'm thankful for the choice he made. His class enjoyed the treat, and it made his day a bit special. Garett's birthday was a bit of a dud (in my opinion) as he had school, I had a meeting after school so we didn't get home until late, his daddy was working, and there was prayer  meeting that night. I probably would've forgone going to prayer meeting, but it was one of my friends from college representing their ministry. Thankfully, Roger and I had talked with Garett about his birthday before it came around. We assured him that we would do something together to celebrate his  special day. My sister, Jen, had sent him a birthday present, so that was a highlight for him! Garett enjoys wearing his cowboy boots, and Aunt Jen sent him a cowboy hat! I fail this young boy so many times in my examples to him, how I respond to him, and pointing him to Jesus. I'm thankful that  Garett is quick to love and forgive, but how my heart yearns for him to grow up to love the Lord (which is also my prayer for the rest of my children!)

One of my highlights from Wednesday was spending some time with my friend, Allison. As the summer flew by, our coffee dates and time to spend together was about nil! Since Emma got to go to her preschooler class in Wednesday morning, Allison and I spent the morning solving the world's problems...well, not really. But we certainly discussed plenty of them! I am so thankful for her  friendship, and having a friend to share my burdens and concerns with as well. We spent some time praying for many things, and it's such a blessing to have a friend to pray with me.

Thursday was the third day of school and also the last day of school for this week. Since it's Labor Day weekend, we get to ease into school a bit. Emma and I took the morning to go visit a friend that recently had a new baby. Hannah has become a good friend to me, and since she has three littles in three years, we have many things in common! Emma and I took a meal out to them, visited for a bit, and enjoyed our morning together. I am trying to make sure that I keep Tuesday and Thursdays as my days away from the school. Not that I couldn't find opportunities to serve or be a blessing there, but I also have other people that need to be visited or encourage, a house to maintain, meals and laundry to stay on top of, and a husband and children who need me. It was a good morning.

 

Friday was a down day. Adjusting to school is hard work, and the kids were thankful to have the opportunity to putter around in their back yard. We have a skunk that's been seen several times around the yard, and the skunk sprayed sometime in the night. Roger and I woke up to the smell of skunk around three in the morning, and since the windows were open....well, the house smells a bit like skunk! Emma woke up in the morning and kept accusing the boys of passing gas! They thought it was quite funny, and told her that the skunk had passed gas. It was quite a strong smell for much of the day, but I think the smell is fading! Either that or we are getting used to it! We took Roger lunch today since he was working, but other than that, we had a very uneventful day. And we need uneventful days now and then!

Saturday was our twelfth anniversary! We celebrated twelve years that have flown by through various jobs, raising children, job training, a trip to Alaska, a baby girl, moving to Arizona, and settling in Maine. This year was probably the most unromantic anniversary we've had in twelve years, but it's another year to celebrate the fact that God's grace has been evident in our lives. Since Roger had the day off work, we took the time to celebrate Garett's birthday. A trampoline park was having their grand opening event, and it was a free day to the public. Hooray! It was something that Garett really wanted to do, we could all do it together, and it was free! We spent the morning doing that, and then came home for some rest time. I was able to squeeze in a little run, and then we decided to take a walk as a family. We went on a walk by one of the nearby lighthouses. It was a fun time together as  we watched the moon come up over the water. We closed the day by having ice cream at McDonald's. Although not the most adventurous or exciting day ever, I have much to rejoice in tonight. Roger was able to have the day off so we could celebrate Garett's birthday, we have been married happily for twelve years, and the day was well spent. I look forward to many, many more years of marriage. Roger works hard, loves me, loves his kids, spends time with us, loves the Lord, is committed to church, sacrifices daily of his time and energy  to make our marriage better, and I am so blessed!

Tonight, Sunday, wraps up another week for our family, and marks the beginning of a new week. We went to church this morning, and then the boys and Roger went to pick up the dirt bike. Remember how the boys had been given money early in the summer for a dirt bike? We've been looking and researching over the summer, and today we bought one. We were able to get one that was on sale for Labor Day, and it was in our budget. The boys and Roger spent the afternoon putting it together, and taking it for a drive around the yard. Of course, it happened to be pouring down rain this afternoon, but it certainly didn't bother the boys! They are excited about the adventures they can have, and we are looking forward to the memories they will create. Chandler wanted to know if we could ride it after the evening church service since it has a headlight. We had to disappoint him with a no for an answer. There will be opportunities to ride it and I don't think we need to start out by riding it in the dark and the rain!!

Anyways, that is the conclusion of our week. We are excited about another week of school, and we would appreciate your prayers as we continue forward. Have a wonderful week!

34 Years in a Nutshell!

Tomorrow will be my 34th birthday! I had to think about that for a moment, as the years are passing so quickly. In my defense I have a lot of birthdays to remember, and mine just falls lower in my list of importance. 😀
Roger will be working tomorrow, but the important thing is that we are together as a family this year. For the past two years, Mother's Day and my birthday have been events that we've celebrated without Roger as first he was in Arizona, and last year he had already come to Maine. The last two years have been a bit of mad craziness in our lives, and I think we are both relieved to find some stability and routine to our lives. That's not to say that everything couldn't change quickly, but I'm enjoying where I am for the time being.

As I reflect back on my 34 years of living, I could count for a long time on all the blessings God has bestowed on me. However, I wanted to take a few moments to just look back on a few significant phases in my life.

1) On May 17th I came into this world. I think that's a pretty significant day in my life! 😜 I was born the second child to my parents in East Hartford, Connecticut.

2) My earliest memories are of time spent with my dad working on the church building that he was helping to pastor. Through my dad I learned the value of hard work.

3) My dad felt the burden to return to his home state, Wisconsin. He felt the Lord leading him to help start a church there or assist in one. We moved from Wisconsin while I was in first grade. Looking   back at how hard it was for me to leave my familiar comforts to come to Maine, I can relate some to how my mom must have felt as she said good-by to many dear friends.

4) Berlin, Wisconsin, became home for many years as my parents faithfully served in the church. Through their examples of faithfulness I learned the importance of being faithful to the local church,  and loving and ministering to those God has brought across my path.

5) I attended a week-long summer camp at a great Christian camp in northern Wisconsin for many of my elementary, junior high, and senior high years. It was through these Christian camp experiences that I was exposed to great Biblical preaching, Godly mentors, and a desire to know God deeper. It was at summer camp at about fifth grade that I surrendered my life to do whatever it was that God wanted me to do.

6) I attended a Christian school for my junior high and high school years. I had a piano teacher, Mrs. Hammond, who gave of her time and invested in my life both through her music lessons and her Godly direction. She instilled in me a love for playing in church and using my talents to serve God however He directed.

Fun Memories, a Birthday party, and our Anniversary!

Pardon me, but I've been "off grid" for a few days. What a wonderful weekend it was to remember!

Roger arrived home about midnight on Friday night/Saturday morning. We stayed up late "talking"... You can read into that however much or little you'd like. :) The boys greeted Roger about 6:30 am, and I was surprised that they waited that long! :) We enjoyed our morning coffee, breakfast, and then headed to the farmers market. Roger took Garett alone in the rental vehicle, so we would have one "date" squeezed in. :) It was so much fun to do the farmers market as a family. We feasted on carrots, kale, cucumbers, cheese, buffalo sticks, and lettuce...no need for lunch! :)

After the farmers market, Roger took four of the kids with him, and Chandler and I headed to run a few errands for the birthday party. We finished picking up the items we needed and came home to get ready for the party. We had some very excited children!

It was a fun evening, with good fellowship with friends and family. Travis and Garett were thrilled with the gifts they received. They both received nerf guns, and those have been a huge hit with all the boys! We've been running around the house chasing each other. :) The boys will have several thank you notes to write. :) 

It was a late night on Saturday, but we have no regrets about the time we spent visiting and fellowshipping. How we've needed that!

Sunday was a full day with children's church, a church dinner, an afternoon service, and family time. Roger and I drove separate vehicles on Sunday, so that Roger could have some alone time with two more children going to church and on the way home. It was a special blessing to have Roger home as we were able to serve together in helping with the church dinner and children's church...one of the few times, I've felt complete at church this summer. It was a full day but a good day. Although we were both tired when we got home, the boys were ready to play with daddy. It was time for baseball, hide and seek, and wrestling...I went for a walk. :)

Monday was spent with a leisurely breakfast, doing work together as a family, and a date! Woo hoo!!

A friend, Tressa, came over about one, to watch the boys and Emma. Roger and I took off to celebrate nine years of marriage! We first went to find some athletic shoes for Roger as his are very worn out. Then we headed to High Cliff State park for an afternoon of hiking and visiting together. We had decided to drive the rental car so we could put the miles on a different vehicle. However, at the state park, we had to pay extra because we had out of state plates on the vehicle...oh well. We spent the afternoon hiking and discussing everything under the sun. We hiked five miles, took some great pictures, and enjoyed our time together. After the hike, we headed to dinner. We decided to go to Red Lobster since we had a gift card for there. :) We go there about once a year, and I'm glad it's a special treat...I'd be way too fat if I ate there often! However, it was delicious and I'll get back to the diet tomorrow. :) 

While we were hiking, we discussed all our past anniversaries.

Married in 2005

First anniversary...spent at home, with a newborn infant. (Garett was born 5 1/2 weeks early, so he interrupted our anniversary plans!)

Second anniversary...dinner at Red Lobster (I was pregnant with Chandler)

Third anniversary...dinner at Red Lobster (we were saving money for a house, so we decided not to go anywhere over night) and I spent the night crying as we discovered that I was pregnant with baby number three! 

Fourth anniversary...stayed home...it had been a tumultuous summer for a variety of reasons, and we had eleven people at our house on our anniversary. And I was exclusively nursing our four month old little boy, Wyatt. :)

Fifth anniversary...stayed home...with a newborn :) (Travis had been born eight days earlier, and I was a tad overwhelmed with four boys in four years!) 

Sixth anniversary...not pregnant or nursing!! :) (We had plans to go away, but a big storm came through; so we ended up spending the week end cleaning up the yard) We also figured out that out of 72 months of marriage, I had been pregnant or nursing for 67 of those months. :) 

Seventh anniversary...Roger had just been laid off, and we were praying about taking our missions trip to Alaska...we did have dinner at Red Lobster. :)

Eighth anniversary... Emma was three weeks old. :) We did go out to dinner with some very dear friends.

Nineth anniversary...not pregnant and barely nursing! :) A whole afternoon we spent by ourselves, with five miles of hiking, and a great dinner...at Red Lobster. :)

Nine years...it's not been a walk in the park, we've had lots of challenges, but the good times far out weigh the bad! If I had to do it over again, I'd still pick this man that God has given me. 

Tuesday...I spent the day trying not to think about Roger leaving. We enjoyed brunch with my parents, and a nice walk as a family. We decided not to have school today, and Travis missed the first day of 4-k;  but we needed to spend as much time together as possible. None of the boys were sad about missing school. :) We did go get ice cream cones at the cheese store before Roger had to leave. Each time we have to say good bye, it gets a little harder on all of us. I try to stay up beat and positive for the kids, but honestly, I wanted to go home, eat ice cream, and have a nice cry...all by myself! But, with five  small children, that didn't seem like a lot of fun. So instead, I went to the YMCA and worked out, which was the better choice for my diet. :) (I had lots of good food this weekend, and it wasn't all scale friendly!)  After the YMCA, we did a little grocery shopping at Aldi, and then headed home. The boys spent time outside, while I tried to organize my thoughts for the rest of the week. Our schedule will be changing since Travis will now be having school in the mornings. So, it's back to setting the alarm for 5:30 for this mama. I also have quite a bit of Bible reading to catch up on. With Roger home this weekend, I kept distracting myself while I was trying to read my Bible! I would remember things that I wanted to ask him or tell him, and I am now behind...again! Oh well, at least I had great fellowship this weekend while I was drinking my coffee! :)

Please continue to pray for us. This was a rough day on all of us, with some of the kids showing more emotion than others, but I can tell we are all hurting and trying to pull this together. It's not been easy or fun, but I'm happy to think that we are on the downside of this journey. In two 1/2 weeks, Roger will come home for the weekend again, so at least it's not so long out there. Roger is hoping to have his instrument certification by the time he comes up in two 1/2 weeks, so please pray that he can get in the flying hours, the studying, and the test taken before he comes home again. 

We've made some tough decisions as a couple this weekend, and we need continued prayers for the Lord's direction as we have more to make. Thanks for your prayers, Sarah