Today’s letter was “f”, and there are a lot of words that start with “F” that we are thankful for in our lives. Faith, family, and freedom are at the top of the list, but we are also thankful for food, Fridays, friendships, finances, flowers, fields, and so much more!
“Food”- Emma said that this was on her list for today, but she is especially thankful that God created FRUIT!
“Freedom and Firearms”- These were both Garett’s picks for today, but freedom was also on my list for today too. We are so thankful to live in the United States of America, even when it seems like common sense and thinking have completely vanished from our culture! I am thankful for “elections” (a word that I forgot to add yesterday, but I am thankful for the opportunity to vote.) Garett is also thankful for firearms, as that makes deer hunting a lot more fun!
“Faith” -Wyatt’s word for today. We are so very thankful that we can cling to the Rock in the midst of any storms of life. Faith allows us to rest in the fact that God is working even when we don’t feel or see it. Faith in Jesus is what secures my eternity in heaven, and I am thankful for the opportunity to live out my faith.
“Faith” Travis also chose this word for today, but it was in regards to the school at which the boys and Emma currently attend. It’s not perfect, and there are some things I’d change, but since we aren’t perfect either…it works! We are thankful for the opportunity to have our children receive a Christian education, and I am thankful for the opportunity to teach in a Christian school. Travis said he’s not always thankful for school, but he knows that he should be anyways! Well, yes!
“Future”- I am thankful that God knows the future. Because of my faith in Jesus, I can also trust that He holds the future confidently for us. “Friends” - I am also thankful for friendships. This one has been a little bit of a struggle for me since we’ve moved, but I’m reminded that deep, meaningful friendships take time, energy and effort. I often miss my friend, Allison, in Maine, as we did lots of church and school activities together and could read each other’s mind across the room. We have some fun memories of many “terrible, awesome ideas” that we did together. Terrible because they were a lot of work and energy, but awesome because the end result was usually pretty amazing! I am thankful for my friendship with Roger. It sounds kinda odd to even say, but sometimes I feel like a lot of married people aren’t really good friends with their spouse. It’s work, for sure, but I am thankful that Roger and I are friends…best friends. We have made many friendships over the years in Alaska, Arizona, Wisconsin, Maine and North Carolina, and each one is a special gift to us. We are thankful for friendships.
“Fantastic wife”- Roger’s word.
Chandler is missing a word for today because I forgot to ask him about it this morning. He is attending College for a Weekend at Liberty University. Chandler and Jenn left this afternoon to head to Liberty for the weekend. Chandler is looking forward to seeing more about what the college has to offer, and we are looking forward to hearing about scholarships and how will we possibly afford this?! I told Chandler for several years that I didn’t think that Liberty would be a good option for us due to the cost of the college education, but then I was really convicted about my lack of faith in the whole thing. Just because I don’t think that we could possibly afford it, doesn’t mean that God is without the ability to provide for Chandler in this. Chandler went to Liberty University two summers ago to attend a soccer ID camp, and we were all really impressed with the college. I’m definitely not saying that is where he will end up, but it’s an option that he is exploring. I am so thankful that Jen was able to go with him to the college weekend, as I don’t really have days I can miss at school, and Jen will be able to help him remember to ask questions about many, many things! We signed him up for a college tour, a meeting with financial aid, the admissions office and who knows what else?! Chandler is not 100% sure about what he wants to major in, and sometimes I think he gets overwhelmed and discouraged about not knowing what God wants him to do. But we just keep encouraging him to explore options, pray diligently and keep talking through his ideas. He did mention to us about while back that he thought he might want to go into dental work. Umm, absolutely not! As Chan’s family, we adamantly told him that we thought this was a bad idea for Chandler! He likes to move very quickly, sometimes too quickly, and the thought of him rushing around in someone’s mouth is probably a really, really bad idea! He is currently thinking about a business major, but he thinks he also might like to pursue a trade option. Like I said, we have no idea, and we are all busy praying about it for him!
Friday- tomorrow is Friday, and I am very thankful for that! Hooray!
Family trip on a missions trip to Haiti a few years ago
Today is day #4 in our “giving thanks” blog post series, and today I am thankful that we have next Tuesday off due to Veteran’s Day! Tuesday is my craaaazzzyyy busy day without time really to even think about anything other than what the next class is doing in art! My high schoolers are finishing up their “art on a tea bag”, and I’ll have to take some pictures of those as some of them turned out really well! They are going to begin constructing a series of three Christmas ornaments that will be of their choosing, and I’m excited to see what they turn out!
The letter “d”…Well, every kid immediately said “Dad”, and we are very thankful for Dad! Roger works hard to provide for our family. He faithfully serves us every day, and he works hard to spend time with our children. I am very thankful for all of Roger’s efforts in demonstrating to the boys character traits like patience, discernment, hard work, etc.
“Doughnuts” and “Delicious food” - Emma’s word choices for today. She is a fan of doughnuts, and although we don’t have them often, she likes just about every doughnut! Emma told me that delicious food is definitely something she is thankful for in her life. Me too!
“Deer hunting”- Garett’s word for today. He is especially looking forward to going to Wisconsin to deer hunt with Papa and his brothers and dad. We are praying for a successful hunt for the boys as the freezer needs some meat!
Not sure that this kid will be successful! :) But actually he did get two deer in one evening two year ago! :)
“Dreams” Yup, this would be Travis’s word for today. I was like “Why?”, and Travis replied, “Well, mom, dreams make my sleeping more interesting. I like dreaming of food and sports as those are some of my favorite dreams.” Well, okay then.
“Dunkin Donuts” Another word that Garett picked for today. He actually doesn’t stop for Dunkin much as he’s busy working, but I sure agree with this one. I like Dunkin coffee too! I am also thankful for Dunkin, especially after nights when I don’t sleep well!
“Doctors”- This is my word for today. With Wyatt seeing the doctor this past month for a few concerns, it’s a blessing to have a doctor that was willing to take action to get Wyatt a referral for the lump on his head and our other concerns. I am thankful for doctors.
“Delightful wife” sigh. This one is Roger’s word for today. I told him that he needed to be thankful for something else this month too, and he said he is thankful for other things, but he’s currently sticking with the theme. Well, okay then!
Chandler and Wyatt missed adding their words to today’s list as they’re currently at basketball practice tonight. Maybe I’ll have a chance to add their thoughts later.
Thankful for dear friends and family- Photo taken last November 2024
The month of February felt like a year long, but March is steaming full speed ahead! We’ve begun spring sports, had revival services at church, survived with about half of the school being sick, began spring yard work, and are enjoying some warmer temperatures this week!
Wyatt and Chandler are both on the golf team, and they are enjoying that immensely. The boys had their first match yesterday and while it wasn’t their best game for either of them, their team placed fourth out of seven. So it wasn’t terrible! Both boys are relatively new to the game of golf, and I know about nil! I didn’t know what a “boogie” was or if it was a good or bad thing- I still don’t completely know! I’ve decided that I need to learn to play golf as all the boys seem to enjoy it, but I’m a fair weather golfer. It can’t be too hot, too cold, too buggy, too muggy, basically I guess I’ll learn when I feel like it! Haha! I’ll learn eventually! My friend, Laura, and her daughter, Ava, went to watch the boys play their golf game yesterday, so I’m glad that she was able to go and take some pictures. With both boys playing, I think I’d need a golf cart to get around the course. I gather that it’s a shot gun start with different players at different holes on the course. The teams are all split amongst each other and keep track of another players score. Since Wyatt and Chandler can’t keep track of each other’s score as their on the same team, they were at different holes on the course yesterday. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot about golf over the next six weeks!
Garett is playing baseball this spring. He likes golf too, but he decided to play baseball this year. He likes baseball, but his mama doesn’t like the long practices! Wyatt and Chandler are generally done with golf practice around 5:00pm, and Garett isn’t done til about 6:30pm, so it makes getting everyone home a wee bit interesting! We are working on figuring it all out, and hopefully Garett will be getting his license in the next couple of weeks. Garett’s first game will be on Friday, and the weather looks like it will be beautiful, I also like watching baseball when it’s warm and sunny! I guess I’m a fair weather fan! :)
Travis is anxiously waiting his turn to play spring sports, and that should start happening at the end of the month. He will be playing youth soccer, and he is very excited about that. Emma is happy to have warmer weather, and more time outside. Spring is a fun time of year!
We’ve survived a week of feeling like everyone was either getting sick or getting over being sick! Last week, I took Wyatt to the walk-in clinic as he was running a fever and his throat was hurting really badly. I’m not one to run off to the doctors, but there have been several cases of strep throat going around! He had the flu, but not strep. He missed a few days of school, and Emma was sick for a day or two, but so far the rest of us have remained relatively healthy! We praise the Lord for that! I’ve felt very tired, but daylight savings time also has that effect on me.
Two weeks ago, we had grandparents day at school. This event is for the elementary students, and they sing or say a poem for the grandparents that attend. We host a book fair where the grandparents can buy a book for the library. They purchase the book in honor of their grandchild, and the library gets a few new books! My friend, Jennifer, and I host the book fair for the library. This year we set out 59 books to sell, and at the end of two hours we had five books left over! It creates a lot of work to get the new books barcoded and labeled into the library, but it also helps bring in new books for the library. We live in an era where kids are not reading nearly enough, so we try to incorporate ways for the students to enjoy reading. I enjoy reading, but I find it hard to engage a lot of students in books these days. If you have any suggestions about great books for young readers, we are always open to ideas!
We are still waiting to hear back about the opportunity scholarship for our children. Originally we were supposed to receive word in March about whether or not we would get any scholarship help, but now that date has been moved into April. Please continue to pray with us about this scholarship. It would be a huge blessing to our family. God has always provided, and we are so very thankful for that!
Garett and Chandler have the unique opportunity to go on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic in just a little over a week! We are so excited about this opportunity for them. Garett has been to Haiti a few times on missions trip, but that is a very unsafe country currently. God opened the doors for the boys to go with my sister, Jen, as well as my Dad on this trip to the Dominican Republic. We are praying fervently that God will work in their hearts. The boys are praying that they’ll be able to host a little soccer clinic down in the D.R., and our athletic director from school gave the boys some old uniforms to take with them. It would be an exciting opportunity to incorporate sports and the Good News of the Gospel, so we are praying that God will make a way for this to happen. They will also be helping with work on various projects, helping with Vacation Bible school, and whatever else needs doing. If you feel led to help them financially, I am including a link in this post. This link is for Chandler, but the money will go towards both boys. We appreciate your prayers for our sons as they travel, serve, and bless others during this week in the D.R. The link below is the donation link for the boys trip.
We are also looking forward to spring break! We have about two and half weeks til break, and I am very much looking forward to having a break from school. I always have a lengthy list of things I think I’m going to accomplish over break, and I never complete the list! However, it’s good to dream big!
In art classes, we are doing lots of spring art! Since tulips are one of my favorite flowers, we are doing a lot of “tulip” art. I have a great art assistant, Kaycee, who willingly helps me with whatever messes we are creating in art. I’ve been blessed to work with her this year, and God knew it would be good for both of us. We are also trying to drive home to our students the importance of loving God with all our hearts, glorifying Him with our lives, and being intentional. It’s a big job to teach young hearts and minds, and I don’t take the opportunity lightly.
Recently, I needed to write out my philosophy of “Christian Education” for something I’m working on. I reflected back on what I had written in college, and while I’ve taken some of that through the years, I was very young. :) I believe that the importance of Christian Education is to glorify God. If we were created for His glory, shouldn’t that reflect in our teachings to our students? As a Christian educator, my calling is to point my students to Jesus as well as to educate them to the best of my ability in their academics. This should be done whether I’m teaching art, library or anything else. Because we live in this world, I also need to prepare my students to reach certain academic standards, but Christlikeness should be seen in both my educational teaching and my interactions of with my students. Both should reflect a desire to glorify God as that is why I was created and so were my students! There are certainly a lot of educators doing “Christian education” in our public school systems, and we need that. We need teachers to pray for their students in those classrooms, point them to Jesus through their actions, and disciple them. I’m thankful that I can pray out loud with each of my classes, correct them with what the Bible says, point them to the Scriptures, and pour into their lives. I don’t know how long God has for me in Christian education, but if ever I lose that passion and desire, it’s time to be done. For now, I’ll do my best to teach intentionally and glorify God. Obviously, my Christian education philosophy is much longer than those few sentences mentioned, but the gist is there. I learned so much about “Christian Education” from being mentored by a fabulous older and wiser teacher. Garett and Chandler both had the privilege of being taught by Mrs. Becky Martz in their junior high years. She taught them academics, but she taught them so, so much more than that. Through her example, I learned so much about how I wanted to have my approach to my students when the opportunity presented itself. Oh, teaching kindergarten is different than junior high, but loving Jesus and pointing kids to Jesus is the same. I’m so thankful for her investment in the lives of all our children, but especially Chandler and Garett.
As Resurrection Sunday approaches, I hope and pray that you take some time to reflect on what Jesus has done for you. God loved you so much that He sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sin and mine. But- praise the Lord- Jesus rose again! The invitation to accept Him into your heart is open for all of us, and I hope that you’ve taken the time to accept the free gift of salvation. We certainly cannot get into Heaven on our own, and our only hope is in Jesus. Praise the Lord for salvation!
Update: January IS over, and I didn’t manage to write a post all month. (It’s been a few years since that happened!)
(1-29-24) January is almost over, and I haven’t even posted once in this entire month! It’s not because I didn’t want to or that nothing exciting has been happening, but it has been a busy (and very, very long month)! This month I just want to praise the Lord for how He orchestrates things for our good. At the time, the situations may not seem good, but God is always, always good.
We started off the new year by taking a family trip. It’s been a while since we’ve gone on a trip as a family, and about 336 days ago we booked a cruise! Roger and I have been on several cruises, and we’ve enjoyed each one. Some we’ve done on our own as a couple, and some we’ve done with friends. This was the first cruise for our children, and it was truly a wonderful experience. We went on a cruise to the Bahamas with our dear friends, the Everett’s. The kids went to school for three days after Christmas break, and then we headed down to Miami on Friday, January 5th. We boarded the cruise ship on Saturday, and we had an amazing time away for five nights. When we booked the cruise, 336 days prior to going on the cruise, we didn’t know that Laura and I would be coaching cheer. It literally seemed like the worse timing to go on a cruise as we’re knee-deep in cheer season, Homecoming was the week we returned as well as school spirit week and two pep rallies. However, as I look back over the course of the month, I think God had us book that cruise for that week so that we could re-group, relax, and prepare for one of the hardest weeks of the year upon our return. God was/is good. We choose that particular week because it was cheapest, but God directed us to that week because He knew it was best.
On our cruise, we went to Falmouth, Jamaica and Nassau, Bahamas. The weather was beautiful the entire time we were away, and we didn’t know that back in North Carolina the weather had been quite rough with lots of rain and wind! We had no phone or internet service for almost a week, and it was glorious. The kids enjoyed the formal dinning experiences on the cruise and the opportunity to taste so many food options. Our kids and the Everett’s kids spent hours at the pool, eating ice cream, rock climbing, playing mini-golf, and all kinds of other fun events. For the most part, they got along fabulously, and everyone slept great at night as we were tuckered out from so much fun. We didn’t do any excursions through the cruise line, but instead just got off at the ports to see what we could find. In Jamaica we found a local guide who took us on a tour of the city, showed us the authentic spots for the locals, and entertained us for several hours as we walked around! We tromped right through the local school grounds, and he told us all about the school and the routines of the students. He led us to a local fisherman’s beach, and told us that it was a fine place to go swimming. Laura (my friend) pointed out that the sign said “no swimming- sharks”, to which he replied, “we just put that there so that kids wouldn’t go swimming here.” Hmm… well a few of the kids and Roger and Justin did get in the water for a bit, but it was colder than they thought it was going to be in the ocean. It was a quick swim, and then back on our tour of the town. The memories of Jamaica will bring back lots of smiles and laughter as we look back on the memories some day!
We also went to Nassau, Bahamas. At Nassau, we spent most of the day at the beach. The weather was gorgeous, and we took a lot of pictures that day. We created a pyramid with all twelve of us, which also created a lot of laughter and smiles. Travis and Emma got plenty of sun on the cruise, as did Garett! You’d have thought we would’ve remembered to bring sunscreen for our blond children, but we forgot! Thankfully, we did get some on the cruise ship, but Travis and Garett both did get a sunburn. However, they bounced back quickly, and back to more sunshine activities they went (with sunscreen this time!).
We arrived back in the port of Miami on Thursday morning, and then we spent the day driving home. We arrived home around 10pm, and back to school we went on Friday or rather some of us did. Since Roger had off work on Friday, he stayed at home with a few of our kids while Wyatt, Chandler and I went to school. I needed to go back to school as there was a basketball game that night and the cheerleaders would be at that game. It made for a crazy day back, but we made it. We came back with full hearts, lots of memories, and the desire to save money so that we can go again someday!
Laura and I had a crazy busy week the third week in Januray (15-19). The kids had off of school on Monday, January 15th, but it was a teacher workshop day. I spent the day preparing for art classes, library classes, spirit week, and Homecoming. Homecoming is an annual event in which the cheer team prepares a special routine for the audience. Also there are two representatives chosen from each class to represent their class and the school. Travis was chosen for the 7th grade class, and I’m thankful that he is a boy! The girls had to find formal dresses, worry about hair and makeup, while Travis just had to figure out a suit. The cheer team hosts the spirit day events, so that meant a lot of work for Laura and I (read -way too much), but we made it through. The cheer team had decided that we would host a coin challenge for spirit week, which was based of the weight of coins brought in and not the amount of the coins. We gave each class a small bucket, and every day the cheerleaders would go to the classrooms to weigh the coins and collect the coins. The girls also were responsible for choosing the “best dressed” student in each classroom. We did an “American” day, “Anything but a backpack day”, “Any decade day”, and School color day. It was a wild week with the grand finale resulting in two pep rallies on Friday, the girls cheer routine, and the Homecoming event. We also had cheer leading practices from 6-8pm during the week to help us be ready for Friday. Honestly, I tell Roger often that it was the grace of God that brought us through that week! Garett was also supposed to bring a dessert for the junior class fundraiser, but I knew I couldn’t possibly do one more thing that week. Laura made his dessert for him, and another cheer mom also sent me a text offering to make a dessert on Garett’s behalf. I was so thankful for their acts of service to help us get everything done. It was almost midnight when we got home on Friday night, and we were all very thankful to fall into our beds.
Last Saturday we went to Virginia. Virginia is where the Everett’s have been moved to via the Air Force. We went up to help them unpack, spend some time unwinding from the busy week, and to prepare for our lives to change as they wouldn’t be so close anymore. Thankfully, Virginia is only about three hours away, and we’ve made the trip twice already. Last Sunday we visited a church with them, and this past Sunday we did the same. It’s always interesting visiting other churches, and now that all the kids are older, we have plenty of opinions! Last Sunday was an emotional afternoon as we said good by. Although they’ll be close enough to visit, it’s still not the same as seeing them everyday. Laura has still helped me with cheer routines, ideas, support, and all the other things that a great coach does to help the team, but we sure do miss their family!
Chandler’s 16th birthday was on Friday, so the Everett’s came down for his birthday as well as for the basketball games that day. I can’t believe that boy is 16 years old! It seems like just yesterday he was born, and now he’s maturing and changing every day! Chandler is a sweet boy (most of the time). He’s an entrepreneur, and he’s good with young kids. He’s not particularly fond of school, but he’s mostly independent. He doesn’t yet know what God wants him to do with his life, but I have a few ideas and lots of prayer invested! Laura and her kids took Chandler out for his birthday lunch, and he enjoyed that. I’m thankful for friends, family and coaches that have invested in his life. We need people to be involved in our children’s lives and to point them to Jesus. We try to provide our children with opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work in their lives, so for that reason, we are looking to send Garett and Chandler on a missions trip!
Garett and Chandler have appointments at the passport agency this Wednesday! Please pray that this appointment will go smoothly, as there is a lot of paperwork invovled! A few years ago, we tried to send Chandler to Haiti on the missions trip that Garett and I were going on, but due to Covid, it was near impossible to get him a passport. The situation in Haiti has grown increasingly more dangerous, and at this point in time, there’s not a missions trip planned for Haiti. However, Jen, (my sister) is taking some students from her former school in South Dakota to the Dominican Republic. Garett and Chandler have been interested in going on a missions trip, and God seems to be opening the doors for them. They’d both like to find some work to do to help pay for this trip, so please pray that God will provide them with some extra jobs in the next couple of months. Please pray that the passports will come quickly and the process will be smooth! We could’ve gotten Chandler’s passport earlier, but I wanted to wait until he was 16. Garett’s needs renewing and now both boys will have passports that will be good for ten years…whew! Lots of prayer is needed for this trip to the D.R. We are asking God to work in the hearts of our boys. We are praying for a great trip for them and that the Gospel will be presented with great boldness. We are praying for God’s protection and mercies, as well as His blessings to be evident in the lives of each member of the team. (UPDATE: we did get to the passport office, and $360 later the passports are in the processing stages!) I am thankful that we were able to get this step done, but please, please pray that God will provide work for both of these boys to help them offset the cost of their trip. God is so good!
This is a brief overview of the month of January. There are so many more things that happened, but I can’t possibly touch on them all. We’ve had some really big trials and testing that happened this month, and some that are too personal to share. We’ve had some quality family time together, but there’s been an overshadowing of some hard experiences. I’ve had to lean into what I know to be true this past month, and really rely on Jesus for my strength. I certainly have not done it all perfectly, and I’ve sure cried an awful lot this past month, but God is my strength and my song. We will praise him through it all.
November! Here and gone would be the title of this month’s book. We’ve survived our first basketball games, a tournament, a trip to see family on the other side of the state, a kids cooking competition, making Christmas ornaments, and lots of things that I don’t even remember doing!
Our family photos were taken the first weekend in November, and they turned out so well! The kids were happy that it didn’t take too long, and we’re happy that we have an updated family photo. As everyone gets older and busier, it gets harder and harder to squeeze in time for family photos. I don’t know when we will have the next one taken, so I’ll rejoice in the fact that we got it done this year.
We enjoyed having the day off for Veteran’s Day, and we set up a little cooking competition for our children. We divided them into teams with the Everett’s kids and gave them a budget. They had to come up with their own menu and cook for Roger, myself, Justin, Laura and Jen. It was so fun to watch them come up with their menus, shop for ingredients, and cook and prepare! We told them that they could use any ingredients that we already had on hand at our houses, so that helped them out with their budget a lot! Ava, Chandler and Travis were on a team together, and Savannah, Garett and Brody were on a team. Wyatt helped on both teams with a variety of things. One team had their menu planned early on and made minor changes. Another team made so many changes, we weren’t sure that they knew what they were going to make! Savannah and Garett were going to make a cheesecake for dessert, but then realized that they were not going to be able to get that done in four hours! So they made a cake instead. Laura and I had a hard time not commenting when we saw that self-rising flour was being used instead of all-purpose flour, but that’s part of the fun! (And the cake actually wasn’t too bad, but there was enough sugar in there to make your teeth chatter!) It was a fun evening, but whew! The cleanup! Every counter in Laura’s kitchen was covered with ingredients, pots, pans, and mess! But with everyone working together it didn’t take forever. Chandler and Ava and Travis won the event for the evening, but Garett and Savannah did pick much harder dishes to make. Next time I think we will give them the same menu and see what they do with making the meal. It was a good experience for all of us. We also realized that our kids need some additional instructions in the fine dining department. The table was not set correctly, they forgot to give us napkins and neither team served the dishes to the adults with utensils! They just picked up the biscuits, potatoes, etc. with their hands! Haha! Oh well. We love all those kids dearly, and we were thankful for the memory.
I’ve been busy in art classes with trying to help the students create Christmas ornaments for their parents. Since many children are coming from split homes these days, I felt it was important that we create at least two ornaments. Oh wow! Do you have any idea the amount of materials needed to create any ornament for 225 students!? And since I don’t want every grade to create the same ornament, it’s been a hot mess! I’ve been so thankful for my Art assistant, Kaycee, as she’s helped wash several 100 paintbrushes, hot glued together 100+ wooden popsicle sled ornaments, scrubbed tables, and endured all my crazy ideas! (But, I’m also excited for the kids to have these ornaments to give for Christmas presents) I am so thankful that God brought her to art this year, and I’m going to miss her as she fills in for Emma’s teacher who is leaving for maternity leave.
We’re into our third week of the sports season, and wow are we tired! This past week, we had our first basketball games. The cheer teams are responsible to cheer for the JV Girls, JV Boys, Varsity Girls and Varsity Boys teams, so it’s a full afternoon! The JV Cheer team cheers for the JV teams, and the Varsity cheer team cheers for the varsity teams, but since Laura and I coach both teams, we get to stay all evening! Twice last week, we had meals from the crock pot at school. I brought a crockpot of Taco Soup on Monday, and Jenn made potato soup for the kids on Tuesday, which was game day. Since we spend a lot of time at school, and going out is expensive so it’s better to just bring along the crock pot of food.
Wyatt got to start in the JV boys basketball game, so that was exciting for him! Chandler didn’t start, but he did get some playing time. He spends a lot of time trying to improve his game, but he does seem to get nervous when he plays. I’m guessing he probably just needs to get more comfortable with being in the game. The boys are enjoying playing basketball, but whew- it was about 9:30pm when we got home! Then there was a tournament this weekend, so the varsity boys had an 8:00pm game on Thursday! I didn’t know if the cheer coaches would be able to stay awake through it all! We made it. Thankfully, Jen took home the four kids that weren’t involved in the basketball game, so it was just Chandler and I with a super late night. Roger was happy to come get the kids, but they were all eager to stay the night at Aunt Jen’s so that’s what they did.
Friday was a crazy busy day with teaching library, a doctor’s appointment for Travis, and then heading to the basketball tournament to coach cheer with Laura. Laura and I have learned a lot about cheer, our team, different personalities, coaching these past few weeks. We’ve prayed (a lot), cried (quite a bit of that too), and have also laughed and created memories too. I’ve watched more cheer videos and read more articles on stunts and cheers in the past few weeks than I have at any other point in my life! Laura is an amazing cheer coach- I’m just kinda along to support, encourage, pray and and assist however I can. I try not to think about what’s going to happen when they need to move, and instead we just take it one day at a time. We’d appreciate your prayers as we continue to try to invest, pour into, and point our cheer girls to Jesus.
The boys and Roger left for Wisconsin on Saturday morning. The original plan was to leave on Friday, but Chandler had a basketball tournament, and it was a long week without a moment to get anything ready for the trip. I left at 6:15am to be at the basketball tournament with the cheer team, so I missed seeing them leave. (However, it was like the rapture had occurred when I came home as there were definitely signs that they had packed up and left! Haha!) Emma and Jen picked me up from the basketball tournament as we were headed to my Aunt Lisa’s house to celebrate and early Thanksgiving with them. We ate dinner with them, enjoyed some time outside soaking up the sun’s rays, and then decorated their house for Christmas. It was fun to decorate the Christmas tree, and we enjoyed the time together. (Emma wasn’t feeling well last week, so I had spent the afternoon decorating our house when I was home with her. I don’t usually decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving, but the season is so short and my time is very limited!) We’ve enjoyed having the Christmas lights shining on the tree as we prepare to celebrate the real reason for the season- Jesus.
My friend, Allison, told me that one of the older folks at our home church in Maine passed away this past week. Clayton Dorr was one of those “heroes of the faith” in my eyes. He was easy to talk to, had a ready smile, loved Jesus and really did seem interested in pouring into the next generation. Both of my older boys have fond memories of working with him at cleaning up his yard in the spring time or work days at church. Sometimes I fear that we aren’t being diligent enough to raise up the next generation to be “men and women of the faith”. We entrust the care of our children to perhaps good people, but are they vibrant and invested in pointing our children to Jesus? I want to be that person, whether it’s in teaching art, library, cheer or anything else, I want to be the person that is genuinely interested in others and points them to Jesus. Really there is nothing more important than preparing people for eternity because it’s going to happen…either eternity in heaven or eternity in hell, but those are the only options.
Also in news from Maine, the company that Roger worked with for the years we were in Maine is selling out to another person. So much changed in such a short amount of time, and I look back at our early years in Maine with some of the most precious memories. God brought along a job for Roger at Penobscot Island Air and working for Kevin Waters was a blessing. This is a quick video of a snapshot of what Roger did in Maine. God brought us to Maine for a reason, and I am just as sure that he has a purpose and a plan in bringing us to North Carolina.
The boys and Roger left for Wisconsin on Saturday morning. Oh boy! The boys were so excited about going to visit Nana and Papa and go deer hunting. I’m not sure if Travis went along because he wanted to see Nana and Papa and hunt deer or because he wanted to get out of school! However, he did finish his hunter’s safety course, and he was going deer hunting! They arrived in Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon, and went out hunting on Sunday night before church. Guess who shot the first deer? Actually the first 2 deer? Well, it was Travis! He was in a hunting stand with Roger and they spotted a doe. Roger said that the doe meandered up close enough to shoot, and Travis got ready to aim. He was all set up and ready to shoot the deer when he leaned over to Roger and asked, “How badly is this gun going to kick?” Haha! He did just fine with one shot right through the lungs. The deer went right down, and there was still plenty of light, so they just sat and waited. Within the hour another doe walked right up and Travis dropped that one about 20 feet from the first deer! It was an exciting event for Travis! The other boys haven’t seen anything yet, but they are waiting and praying for more deer. Travis texted me on Monday morning from my mom’s phone. He said “Lights are up (referring to Christmas) and I’m smiling and you are crying because you’re working and I’m not at school.” It wasn’t the clearest sentence ever, but you get the idea. We are thankful for this opportunity for them, and I’m positive it will be a memory for the rest of their lives. Please pray that they will get a few more deer this week as all the boys would like to shoot one.
It’s a quiet week for Emma and I, and that is okay! I’ve made such a mess in the art room this week that I can’t imagine having left today’s activities for a substitute teacher. Emma’s not really in a good position to miss school, and I also work to provide for the school bill. There were a lot of reasons why Emma and I didn’t go to Wisconsin, but we are going to enjoy these moments at home together. Since our friends, the Everett’s, are also away for the week, Emma is watching their dog. Emma would love to get a dog- it’s the rest of us that don’t know if it’s a good idea! However, this is good for Emma as it shows her that having a pet is not all fun and games!
God is good. As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I hope you take a few moments to take some time to reflect on some of the many blessings that God has bestowed upon you. I’m thankful for salvation. My future is sure, and for that I am so very thankful. I’m thankful for Roger- not many men could put up with some of my crazy ideas and still be sane! I’m thankful for the five children that God has entrusted to our care, and I pray that they will grow in grace and knowledge of their Lord Jesus Christ. I’m thankful for meaningful friendships. I have a lot of acquaintances, but I’m thankful for the friends that pray for me, invest in me, and also encourage my walk with Jesus. I’m thankful for Roger’s job. It’s not been perfect, and there’s a few more challenges than we would’ve hope for, but God is good. I’m thankful for my sister, Jen, who helps out with feeding my kids, driving them where they need to be, and investing in their lives.
And…back to school we go! I don’t think any of us were ready for Thursday morning, but we survived the first 1/2day and the second full day of school. So much work (i.e. blood, sweat and tears) goes into the first day of school and the preparation for it!
Every year brings about changes for all of us, and this year is no exception. Time marches on and I am not ready to have a junior, sophomore, 8th grader, 7th grader and 3rd grader. I tend to be a tad emotional these days as my children grow older and taller than me every day!
My sister, Jen, joined the school to teach history. I wish I could say that it’s been smooth sailing, but the truth is that it’s been a hard transition for her. I know that God is at work, and even though my flesh wants God to work faster, I know that He has a plan that He is working through. We’ve adjusted to a lot of different things, prayed, cried, and got back to work. We serve a good, good God regardless of how my feelings might feel. That is why I do not base my salvation in “how I feel”, but what I know! I know that Jesus died for me, loves me unconditionally, and is working out His perfect plan for my life.
This year also brings about changes for me as I take on elementary art, library, and cheerleading! It’s a lot, but again God is showing Himself strong. I’ve been busy writing lesson plans for art and library as well as playing with all the cool tools in the art room like the document scan, overhead projector, and connecting wireless speakers! I am excited about teaching art even though it is WAY outside of my comfort zone! God is stretching and challenging me in new ways every day. It’s over 200 students for art every week and the same 200 for library. That’s a lot of “life touching life” and I really want to impact and change lives for eternity. My passion is to help students discover a love for their Heavenly Father as well as develop talents that God has given them. While art isn’t necessarily in my background, I’m thankful for a husband and several sons that art come easily for them. I’ve had my family practice several of my art projects and whenever I start to get out supplies one of our kids will ask, “Experimenting again, Mom?” Oh yes!
The first day of school was a 1/2 day with cheerleading tryouts for the Junior Varsity Team immediately following school. It felt like a long day, but we were excited to see the girls who came out for cheer. We asked the girls to write out a few sentences describing their personal salvation testimony as well as why they wanted to be a part of the cheer team. The answers were “enlightening”, and Laura and I have plenty to pray about and work on together as a team. We know that God placed us in this position for this year, and we will work hard at coaching the JV and Varsity cheer teams for God’s honor and glory. It’s another opportunity to pour into students and point them to Jesus. We would surely appreciate your prayers as we work with the teams.
Travis is struggling in school and that would be probably the understatement of the year. He asked me on the second day of school, “Mom, how many days are left in the school year?” Honestly, it breaks my heart. I’ve cried; he’s cried; he’s stressed; I’m stressed; he looks so sad most of the time; and we need a lot of prayer on how to help him. He doesn’t feel like he has any guy friends at school, and he’s a very sweet boy. He loves outside play, golf, digging holes, soccer, swimming, and building things in the yard…see a pattern? He enjoys outside time, and a large majority of children these days are spending a lot of time on video games. Travis likes one video game. Want to know what it is? It’s a farming simulator game in which you build a farm, take care of animals and plant fields. That is his favorite game. He’s coping at school and beyond frustrated at home. He’s agitated, wild and frustrated. We need wisdom. We are planning on some additional testing for him, but the earliest available date is the end of November! That seems like a really, really long time away!
I don’t want to seem like a “Negative Nellie” in this post and that is certainly not my intention. It’s just that sometimes there are really heavy things on my heart. It’s been a “heavy week”. However, God also answered our prayers in allowing us to enjoy some extra family time this week, spend time swimming, working together, and loving these years. Garett wrapped up his time at his job, and he was actually sad about it. God provided the perfect job for him this summer. Garett worked with two other Christian guys, and the job was about a mile and one-half from our house. He worked with a seamless gutter team, and he would say that one of the perks of the job was getting to go out to lunch everyday! If you know Garett, he loves food! He told Roger that he was going to need to start running more if he kept his job because the food was really good every day! We are thankful for his job.
I’m also thankful for my friend, Jennifer. We’ve been working hard at getting the school library up to speed for the school year, and we are enjoying the results of some hard work. Oh, the work isn’t done yet, but we’ve done some things that have created a soft and welcoming space for our students. I’m thankful that Jen is so easy to work with, that we share some common dreams and goals, and that she enjoys working in the library with me. God is good. (If you want to contribute to our library, we are always looking to add updated books - especially non fiction genre! Also, we are looking to update some technology in the library.)
I’m also thankful for my friend, Laura. God brought Laura into my life when I wasn’t even really looking for a friend. She walked into my life with her three sweet children and I can’t imagine our lives without them in it. We share Sunday lunches, play dates with our kids, walks, prayers, tears and laughter. She kept my kids all day on Wednesday when I needed to be working at the school. She loves and prays for our children just like I do for hers. I’ve been blessed by her friendship.
This morning we were late to church. It doesn’t happen terribly often that we miss Sunday School and are late to church, but we were. Roger has been busy flying a fire for the past two days, and that always makes Sundays harder. We got up in time this morning to make it to Sunday School, but then Travis needed help with some homework and then there were tears, and then frustrated children and then trying to get lunch ready so that we could eat when we got home, and then, well you get the idea! On the way to church, I about lost my mind over the boys arguing about something dumb. Then when we arrived at church, I couldn’t let one child get out of the car with his attitude so I made him stay in the car. It was a longer conversation than I planned, but it was necessary. I don’t think the Holy Spirit works on the same schedules that I might, so when he is working in my life or my child’s, I need to take advantage of “moldable moments”. It wasn’t fun, and it was painful as we talked through some of his struggles. I love this young man and the person He is becoming. God has gifted him in ways that I can see as well as ways that I know that God is still developing. So yes, we walked late into church, but ya know…it’s okay. As I get older, I get less concerned about what people might think. I’d much rather be sensitive to the needs of our children and the whisperings of the Holy Spirit than being on time. I’m not saying that not being on time isn’t important- it totally is! But there’s a time and place for everything.
So, in wrapping up this post- whew! All I can say is that my confidence is in God and God alone. He’s my Rock and Fortress.
Next week we go back to school! How is that even possible?! The summer has literally flown by, and I am not ready to see it go. We’ve had a busy last couple of weeks as we’ve wrapped up our final cheer camp, the younger boys and Roger took a trip to Wisconsin, we spent a few days at Myrtle Beach and now in-service for school!
We’ve spent a lot of time swimming and being outside this summer. With two kids running cross-country this fall, I’ve tried to make sure that they run a least some during the summer. Garett has stayed busy with his job with the gutter company and his favorite part is that they go out to lunch every day! His boss generously pays for meals, so Garett has enjoyed that immensely! They often go to the same Mexican restaurant, and Garett gets the same thing. The owner recently told Garett, “You don’t need a menu. I know what you order.” It’s been a good experience for Garett, and we are so thankful that God provided a job for him.
Chandler and Wyatt have tried hard to do odd jobs here and there. They were paid very well by a man in our church for spreading pine straw, and that was encouraging for them. Chandler would’ve liked to have found steady work, but it is what it is, and God knew that this would be the plan for Chandler this summer. Wyatt has kept our pool clean and he helps monitor the water chemicals and vacuum it out. We’ve been thankful for his help this summer.
Two weeks ago, I had a meeting with the IEP team with the school district that the kids are enrolled in. The people in the meeting were very friendly and kind, but it’s so much information to take in! Neither Garett or Travis will qualify for an IEP, but they both are needing some modifications for education in the form of a 504 plan…which means another thing that needs to get done before school starts! There’s a certain score that a student must fall below in order to get an IEP plan or funding. One of the boys was 3 points away from that marker and 10 points below average range. The IEP team said that both boys scored high on their adaptive behavior testing (which basically means that we are doing our job as parents). I have some concerns regarding the testing of one of the boys, and there were some markers for some other things that are concerning. I need to get a pediatric visit set up, so please pray that can happen quickly. While the scholarship funding would’ve been nice, I’m more concerned with how to best meet the educational needs for these boys. We’ve got some things to figure out, and figuring out how to do it in Christian education can be trickier. I’m not complaining as that’s the best option for our family, but it can pose a challenge. We are just a few short days away from school starting, and I have a lot of ducks that need lining up. (Currently, I don’t know where my ducks even are and they’re certainly not in a row!) We’d appreciate your prayers as we try to figure out how to best help our boys.
After the boys and Roger got back from Wisconsin, we headed to the beach on Thursday morning. Emma’s birthday was on August 8th, so we kinda made plans to go to the beach for her birthday. We weren’t there on her actual birthday, but we had such a good time together with our friend, the Everett’s. We’ve become very dear friends with their family, and we share a lot in common with raising teens, moving a lot, and life experiences. We are thankful for them! Jen was able to come with us to the beach, so that was an unexpected blessing. The kids (except Garett), Laura, Jen and I left on Thursday morning. We arrived at the beach in the afternoon in time to use the water park for a bit and go to the beach. The lodgings weren’t the world’s finest accommodations, but they were workable, and the company was so fun. We had left Garett at home because we figured he would be working on Friday. However, he called me on Thursday night and said that he didn’t have to work on Friday. He asked me to come and pick him up so that he could spend time at the beach. (Roger and Justin were coming on Friday night). I made plans with Roger and I left early Friday morning to meet up with them. I picked up Garett around 6:30am, and he was able to spend the day at the beach with us. It was a full day of swimming, beach, shopping, mini golf and laughter! We soaked up the sun and the memories! On Saturday evening we went to the Pirates Voyage dinner show with the Everett’s and Jen. It was so fun! I would definitely do it again, and all the kids enjoyed the show too. We’ve never been to a dinner show, so that was a special treat for us. We also had relay races in the lazy river at the hotel, played mini golf, and did some school shopping. It was a great weekend away, and I don’t think that any of us were ready to come back to reality, but here we are!
Emma’s 10th birthday was on Tuesday! I can’t believe that our baby is 10 years old- where did the time go?! The Bible says that “life is a vapor” and it surely is! We blink and the years pass by. We made an ice cream cake for Emma’s birthday, and it was similar in taste to Dairy Queen’s except much cheaper! The boys said it was good, but the cookie crumbs weren’t smashed enough. Emma thought it was delicious and she especially liked the frosting. It wasn’t hard to make, but it was a little time consuming. Travis has already asked for one for his birthday which is also just two weeks away. We celebrated Emma’s birthday with cake and she decided on shrimp, pasta, breadsticks and fruit for her birthday supper. She had gotten her ears pierced for her birthday while we were at the beach, but she also got some legos, jewelry, clothes and art supplies. She was thrilled. She did tell me that the only thing that would’ve made the day better was if she had gotten a dog for her birthday. She is convinced that we need a dog, but Roger and I are certainly not convinced! I love this girl so much! School doesn’t always come easily and she struggles with a lot of things. But she is sweet- hearted, loves hugs, and spending time with her daddy. We are so thankful that she is a part of our lives! My specific prayer requests would include the following: that she will understand salvation fully, and that she will understand school this year. Also that she would make good friends and be a good friend.
The summer speed is disconcerting at best! We are trying to savor these last few weeks before school begins again, and time is flying by way too quickly!
Early morning at the storage unit with Chandler
A rare “date” with this youngest son!
This girl has enjoyed swimming so much this summer!
For those of you that have followed us along on the journey of my sister, Jen, and her move to NC, we have an update! The moving company misplaced (spelled lost) all of her belongings for about ten days. They didn’t seem to know where her stuff was at, where it was going to be delivered, or what had happened after it had been picked up in South Dakota! The original plan was for her stuff to remain in Rapid City until she found a place to live here. However, it was discovered on Monday, July 11 that her stuff was on a moving truck in our area. Tuesday morning found Chandler and I waiting outside a storage unit at 5:00am! Jen was able to find a storage unit, so Chandler and I made sure the stuff was delivered. It was an early morning and made a bit more hectic by the fact that Travis had IEP testing that morning and that was Garett’s first day at his new job! Whew! But, by the grace of God, we managed to get it all done. Chandler and I came home from the storage unit escapade to take a quick nap. Then Travis and I went off to his IEP testing. He was NOT a happy camper, but Travis was still polite and respectful to the lady doing the testing. This whole process has been daunting and draining, but we are in the final stretch. We will hear the results of their testing on August 2, and then decisions will be made. Please pray that we will be at peace with decisions made and that God will be glorified. I’ve had to fill out paperwork for the boys, and it seems to be a struggle to separate bad manners/parenting from an academic need! A bunch of the questions were related to manners in my opinion. Questions such as “does he say please?” Does he manage money well?””Does he help with chores around the house?” And so on…I understand that there are children that mentally struggle with those capabilities, but so much of those questions are parenting related! One of the questions asked was, “does he bathe regularly?” Let’s see. Travis went to camp for a whole week and bathed once! That’s because he’s a sixth grade boy who’d rather be grubby than a child with a handicap! It’s hard to know how to answer the questions, so please pray for clarity in this whole matter!
Garett has been at his job for almost two weeks. It has seemed to be a good fit for him, so we are thankful for this opportunity for him. It doesn’t look like Chandler will be getting a job this summer, and that’s been a disappointment for him. He’s done some odd jobs here and there, but nothing on a regular basis. But we are thankful for the little bit of work that he has been able to do. And actually this past week, both Wyatt and Chandler were able to acquire work for two days. They spread out pine straw for landscaping for a man in our church. It was hot, sweaty work, but they were paid well and got the job done. They were even given some Chick-fil-a coupons for food -which totally made their day!
Roger and the boys (except Garett) left EARLY Wednesday morning for a whirlwind trip to Wisconsin. Roger is visiting with some of his family during the air show, and the boys are visiting with my parents. They were all excited to go even though it will be a very quick trip as they’ll be coming back on Sunday. Garett was a little disappointed to not be able to go, but that’s part of growing up and having a job! Emma wanted to see Nana and Papa, but not enough to take a 16 hour road trip!
Roger told me yesterday that he was able to get the deer hunting tags for the boys for the fall hunting season, so that was good news! Each boy will be able to deer hunt over Thanksgiving break, and hopefully, shoot some deer for the freezer! We have a lot of mouths to feed, and grocery prices are skyrocketing, so I’ll be thankful to have some deer meat should the boys be successful in their hunting. We had originally planned to take them to Montana to hunt elk and deer, but that’s a very long ways away from North Carolina, and the tags were much more expensive than in Wisconsin. This way they can have the opportunity to hunt with my dad at a much more affordable price and still do something that they really enjoy. They’re already looking forward to going in the fall.
Meanwhile, we’ve stayed home and worked on a lot of various things around the house like mowing grass and doing laundry. We’ve spent some time in the pool and with our friends, the Everett’s. I’m sure that Chandler, Wyatt and Travis will have a great time in Wisconsin and come back with many stories to share. I sure do miss them when they’re gone! The house is too quiet! (I don’t know what to do when I don’t have to referee the fights!) -Kidding! :) Emma had the opportunity to go with the Everett family to Beaufort to visit some friends on Friday evening. It was a quiet evening for Garett and I, but it was so good to spend some undivided time with this oldest son. He struggles SO much with school that sometimes it just makes my heart hurt. But he’s kind, respectful and a leader in a quiet way. I’m so proud of him, and I was reminded that I don’t tell him often enough how much I love him. I’m thankful for these moments with him.
Laura and I have conducted two cheer camps on Mondays this month, and that’s kept us busy and tired. Laura has the experience, and I like communication and information! I lead strength and conditioning and Laura teaches them the routines. It seems to work so far, and we have fun while we do it. We also come home tired on Mondays- one more to go! Pray for us as we pour into these girls during the winter sport season. We want to point them to Jesus, help them deepen their relationship with Jesus, and grow together as a team. We’d ask for prayer for Laura and I to have wisdom, direction, and discernment. We’re sure to make mistakes, but we want God to be glorified through it all.
I’ve also been putting in some time at the school as we work to get the library up to speed for the school year. A private school library is a challenge to maintain because we don’t have access to new books like a public school does or a public library. We did managed to add over 400 new books last year though generous donors, so that’s a really good start! But that also means that some books have got to go to make space for the new ones. As adults, I think we’re often attached to books due to our own childhood experiences, but the next generation has no such connections. So what will they read?! Well, it’s a challenge for sure! We’ve discovered that graphic novels are appealing to a lot of kids and even some of the classic series like The Boxcar Children have been re-written in graphic/comic form. Kids are drawn to the comic type writing in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the I Survived series is also popular. Children also seem to be drawn to books about facts, interesting quick tidbits of information, and the Who? What? Where is? Series of books. My friend and fellow librarian, Jennifer, have been working hard at making some changes in our library to make the shelves more appealing to our readers. Reading is a challenge for so many kids, and I think reading aloud to all children is important.
My sister, Jenn, is heading our way this weekend. She has a few houses lined up to look at, so we will see what happens with that adventure. We are excited to see her, and we are praying for a smooth transition for all of us. Change is hard, even if it’s good change. It looks like there may be changes for myself this year during the school year, but we are still praying about making good, wise decisions. I know that God has a plan and a purpose in all that He allows and that He is our Rock in the midst of uncertainty.
The summer has literally flown by, and I am not ready to go back to school! It means that another summer with our children has come to a close, and I’m reminded daily that our time with them is so very fleeting. We are thankful for the memories we’ve created and the time spent together.
I’ve had this song on my mind a lot the past few weeks. I’ve been overwhelmed with a lot of thoughts and changes that are looming upon me. Sometimes when I lay my head down to sleep, my mind runs away with all the responsibilities that I need to do. I want to do what I do and do it well. I want to love Jesus and point my kids and students to Him. I want to pour into others knowing that I am filled by an almighty, all-powerful God. I love this song, and the words in it. “Praise God, Just as I am!” I’m thankful that the God Who created the sunset this morning is the same God that loves me. He is faithful.
Do know what happens when I don’t write a blog post for a couple of weeks? A lot! The answer is that a lot of things happen in a short amount of time around here!
Emma and I arrived back from Maine on a Tuesday afternoon. It was a flurry of activity as we prepared to leave for a week in Florida. My friend, Laura and I left at 4:10am on Saturday morning with 8 kids in tow to leave for Florida taking the kids to camp at Pensacola Christian College. We made good time down to Florida on Saturday, and arrived at the condo where we were staying for two nights around 3:30pm. Everyone was happy to arrive and spend time in the pool and at the beach for a few hours. We certainly were all happy to go to bed on Saturday night!
On Sunday morning (6/ 25) we visited a church that the Everett’s had been a part of fifteen years ago when they had lived in the Destin area. The church was very friendly (of course, it’s hard to miss two moms coming in with six teens and two elementary students!). The preaching was solid, the people friendly, and it was a church that I would re-visit if I was moving to the area. Living in a post-Covid world, so many churches are plagued with the same problems: people not returning after Covid, an aging generation of pastors and laypeople, and the struggle to find the balance between technology, Bible translations and music. But we press on in Jesus’s name to share the Good News and to live our lives for His honor and glory.
Monday afternoon found us dropping off six teens at camp where they met up with the other 9 kids that came from our church. It was a great group of teens to take to camp, and Pensacola Christian College definitely put their “best foot forward” as they represented the college and camp. The boys all had a great week and the favorites from the week were the preaching and the food! It was a little bit of a struggle having three of the brothers be in the same room, and I could do without that next year, but overall, it was a positive and great experience. All the teens said that they would like to go back next year, and Chandler and Wyatt said that they’d like to try basketball game, We are so thankful for all those that poured into them and mentored them during that week of camp.
Meanwhile, while the kids were at camp, Laura and I hung out with our children that were too young for camp- Emma and Brody. We stayed at a place about 20 minutes from the college, and it was the perfect spot for the week! I had heard about this place through our friends, the Falde family. They have a great little Airbnb that was the perfect price for us. Emma and Brody played together so nicely all week! We spent a day at the Pensacola Beach with our friends, Laura and Cara, who had also come down to drop kids off at camp. Emma and Brody spend probably seven hours outside playing in the beach and then playing in the pool! Needless to say, they slept very well at night! It was a fun time of relaxation and enjoying each other’s company, and we wouldn’t complain if it became a yearly tradition!
It was a long drive back from Florida! We left the campus about 8:15am on Friday morning, but we didn’t get home until around 11:00pm. Traffic, rain, and longer stops than usual, ate up our time. We also decided that we prefer the route down to Jacksonville, Florida and then over to Pensacola versus the route through Alabama and Atlanta, Georgia! But now we know!
Roger and Justin stayed home to work while the mamas and the kids went off to Florida, so everyone was glad to be home on Friday night. Roger told me earlier in the week that he thought the washing machine was on its last leg- something that no mama wants to hear! We arrived home to discover that the washing machine had quit working altogether. It came with the house and had been used multiple years without the water filtration system and I’m guessing that the hard water has just worn it out. But a family of seven has a hard time going without a washing machine for too long! We went to get a replacement one on Saturday, but we were told that it wouldn’t arrive until Wednesday. Nothing to do but let the laundry start piling up! Thankfully, my friend, Laura took some of it home with her and that certainly helped diminish the pile- but we are looking forward to having a washing machine!
We spent the Fourth of July floating down the Neuse River on air mattresses and rafts! It was totally red-neck, but also free! The Neuse River is not very clean, but it’s not very deep and the current doesn’t flow very quickly. It was a fun afternoon with friends, rope swings, laughter, fellowship, and only one lost flip flop! We followed up the afternoon with an all-American barbecue and fireworks. It was a very all-American day, and a reminder of how much we have to be thankful for in our land. It’s very easy to become discouraged by the wickedness swirling around us, but I still pray fervently that God will continue to work in hearts and lives and bring revival to our land. We are a blessed people.
We hosted a missionary family for supper on Friday night, and that was a good blessing as well. It’s always great to hear missionary speakers in church, but it’s so much more personable to have people in our home. We had a great time of fellowship as we talked with the missionaries to Togo,Africa. Our older boys both said how they think that they’d like to go on a missions trip to Togo sometime soon. It’s expensive to fly across the world, but it’s definitely something that we’d like to see them do also. I made lasagna for supper last night as it’s one of our kids favorites. I’ve been making lasagna for 20 years now, and rarely use any kind of recipe and it turns out fine. On Thursday morning, I had Wyatt brown the meat for the lasagna while I mixed up the egg, cheese, and cottage cheese mixture. We started layering the two pans we were making, and I was feeling very accomplished about getting the lasagna made a day ahead of time. We finished the lasagna, wrapped it up, and put it in the fridge. I turned around and looked at the stove and there sat the three pounds of browned meat! Yikes! I had forgotten to put in the meat! I texted Roger to tell him that I was going on a run as I clearly needed to clear my mind! I ended up making one additional pan with the meat and saving the rest of the meat to use for tacos on Saturday. Anyways, the lasagna was still delicious!
On Saturday, we had the Hardison family over for fellowship and tacos! The Everett kids were here as it’s Justin and Laura’s anniversary weekend. Since five of the kids are on the cross-country team, we had them run before supper. There were minimal complaints although it was very, very hot! Thankfully, they were able to run and then jump in the pool to cool off. It’s been hot and humid here- welcome to summer in North Carolina.
My friend, Laura, and I are coaching cheerleading this fall/winter, so we’ve been preparing for our cheer camp which starts next Monday! We’ve typed a lot of notes, talked through a lot of different ideas, rehashed some more ideas, and are still a work in progress! Cheerleading is out of my wheelhouse, but I’m fairly good at communication, coming up with games, typing out schedules, and coordinating things. Laura will take on the teaching of routines, stunts, etc. Together we are hoping and praying that we will encourage these girls and point them closer to Jesus. We are looking forward to the challenge, but we surely would appreciate your prayers!
My sister, Jen, has been facing all sorts of challenges in trying to move across the country to North Carolina. Please pray that God will give her peace and that He will make the way clear. We are looking forward to having her in the area.
The summer days are flying by- way too quickly for my liking! We are trying to soak up memories and moments as we see our children growing up so fast. Garett will be starting his job tomorrow. He will be working with a seamless gutter company right near our house. God orchestrated this job to be 1.5 miles from our house, and the two guys that run the business are both Christians. Pray that God will help Garett to understand the job, be a hard worker and have a good testimony. Chandler would still like some summer employment, so he would appreciate your prayers that God will provide some work.
Garett took his IEP testing last Wednesday and Travis will take the testing tomorrow. The testing is long and it’s tiring, but we are praying for an accurate representation of any learning challenges that might be present. It’s a long and tiring process, but we do feel like it’s important.
Many things we are praying for this summer- school, employment, experiences, and so much more! But God is so faithful to lead us step by step. We continue to trust that He will direct our steps.
