A Place to start...at a Thankful heart!

It's been one week since we've returned back from our whirlwind trip to Maine. In that time span we've hit the school books in full force (with my mom's help), searched for a short term job for Roger, made a meal for a mom with a new baby, had dinner at a friends house, went to a ladies get-together with some ladies from church, and have tried to establish some kind of schedule for the weeks we are living at my parents house! 

The boys have been working hard on school work as they are looking forward to Thanksgiving break...me too! My mom has helped out immensely and it's not so overwhelming when we are both tackling the job. I plan to take full advantage of the help while I have it as far too soon I will be back on my own! My sister, Jenn, is coming from South Dakota for Thanksgiving, and Wyatt is excited about his best friend coming while he doesn't have school to do. "She will have all day to play with me!" 

Roger has been diligently searching for a job, and we've been praying fervently! Well, praise the Lord, he starts a job on Monday! The company he will be working for isn't sure exactly how many hours they can offer him, but they are willing to hire him for a short time. We know that God will supply all our needs, and we believe that this will be a good job for right now. He will be working at a wood working shop that makes cabinets. It's also a company where two men from my dad's church family work as well so that is an added bonus. We are thankful for all those who prayed with us, called Roger to offer suggestions, or promised to keep their ears open for work. God answered our prayer, and  we are thankful that He always supplies our needs. 

As for me, Roger has asked me multiple times if I'm excited about moving to Maine. The truth is I'm excited because Roger is excited. We prayed for God to open the doors for another job, and He did just that. I'm delighted to be closer to my sister, but sad about leaving our church family again, my parents, and some of my dearest friends on earth. I'm a little overwhelmed by my feelings and I know I'll have some challenging days when we leave here again. However, God is faithful. If I've said it once, I've said it one thousand times, "God is faithful!" I'm trying not be overwhelmed by the fact that other than the job, we have nothing else lined up. How will we get our stuff out there? Where will we live? What church will be best for our family? Will we make close friends and have times of dear fellowship again? I very much enjoy having people in our home, and I'd rather have people come visit me than me visit them. I'm praying for a home that we have invite others over, be a blessing (I hope), and reach out to those in need. I feel a little overwhelmed by all the uncertainties, but God has never let us down. He knows my heart, my feelings, and my desire to love Him completely...He will take care of us. 

The boys had the opportunity to go up north for deer hunting this weekend. Roger, my dad, and the boys went up north to go deer hunting. They left Friday night and came back on Saturday. Although the hunt was unsuccessful, they had many stories to tell of their adventures. I love the fact that my dad and husband take them on experiences like these and the boys are storing up memories. Moving to Maine is also going to rough on my dad as he very much enjoys doing things with the boys. They've been helping him work on a construction project, and they have enjoyed that very much. The boys also found an old ladder in my dads barn along with some wood and nails. They've been building their own deer stand in the back yard! It's rickety at best and the amount of nails in it is astronomical, but they've been having a blast! 

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I am again reminded of how much I have to be thankful for this year. It was one of the most challenging years by far, but God really showed Himself strong. I learned so much about clinging to God's promises. 

T- I'm thankful for togetherness! As challenging as Arizona was on our family, it was an opportunity for us to be together as a family. God knew that we needed to be together.

H- Heat! My blood has thinned since Arizona, and I'm cold all the time! I'm thankful for heat!

A- Always! I'm thankful that God is ALWAYS faithful. I get carried away in small, mundane details, but my God sees the big picture. He is the great I AM. 

N- Near to the heart of God. Oh, how I'm thankful that I can draw close to God! When I'm weary or tired, I can cling to the Rock that is higher than I. (Psalm 61:2)

K- Kids! God has blessed us with five wonderful children. While I'm not always as thankful as I should be, I am thankful for these five precious blessings. They belong to the Lord, and we are doing our best to raise them for His glory. 

S- Salvation. Really, where would I be without this in my life? God offered me His free gift of salvation. I am 100% sure that when I die I will enter the presence of God in Heaven. (John 3:16)

G- Grace ...I'm thankful that God gives grace as we need it. He doesn't give me a storehouse of grace;  but as I need it, He provides it. When I fail to show grace to those around me, it's a sign of my shallow relationship with Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I- intercessory prayers. I'm thankful for intercessory prayers that our family and friends prayed on our behalf. I'm thankful that the Holy Spirit directs people to pray for us even when they don't know why or what they should pray for specifically. God has protected our family in many ways because of the intercessory prayers of God's people on our behalf. (Romans 8:26-27)

V- vision. My husband has a vision! I'm thankful for his talents in aviation. I don't brag about him enough, but Roger is (in my opinion) a truly gifted pilot. He is confident that God is directing his steps in these aviation experiences, and that God has a plan for our family. I trust Roger completely, and I thank God for him.

I- interesting! While at times I'd like to be a little bored, God has provided us with many interesting experiences in our ten years of marriage! I love the fact that Roger has stepped out on faith to pursue the talents that God has given him and the direction that God has provided at every turn. My flesh desires a little more stability and security, but because of our interesting life journey, I am forced to depend on the Lord every step of the way. It's a good place to be! 

N- New adventures. Well, to be honest, I'm not always excited or thankful for these new adventures. But as I see God at work in our lives, I know that God provided these new adventures to strengthen my relationship with Him and my husband. (And the adventures are not over!) 

G- Gifts. You'll never know how blessed and encouraged I was through the simple gift of an encouraging note in our mailbox. So many people wrote letters and gave gifts that God allowed to come at the exact moment I needed encouragement. I believe that because of our recent adventure, I can relate better to people that are lonely. My desire is to do better at reaching those that might be lonely...a missionary's wife, an elderly person, a neighbor. I am so, so thankful for each one that wrote a note, sent a gift, or prayed diligently for our family. Until we reach eternity, you won't understand the impact of those gifts both monetary and non-monetary. I am blessed! 

           The boys "deer stand"! 

               "Papa and Travis"

Keeping the "Maine" thing the main thing!

It's been a little crazy how intense and busy the last few weeks have been! Two weeks ago, we were in Arizona with no idea that Roger's job was about to abruptly end. One week ago we left South Dakota to come to Wisconsin. This morning we left Maine to come back to Wisconsin. I think I'm done driving for a while!! 

After twenty hours of driving we arrived in Maine. Since my sister, Hannah, and her husband, Josh, are living in Maine, we were able to stay with them this past week. For me, seeing my sister was the highlight of the trip. I don't get to spend nearly enough time with her, and this week I had uninterrupted time. 

One Tuesday, Roger went to check out the job. Since I didn't know how long he would be, I stayed at the house with Hannah. We did some errands together, had coffee and lunch, and visited together all day! 

Roger spent the day at the airport and God provided an unusual but perfect opportunity for him. When Roger arrived at the airport and introduced himself, the owner offered to let Roger tag along for the day with one of the other pilots. Roger was able to see first-hand how the job worked, and he spent the entire day seeing and talking with the pilot about experiences and asking questions about the company. It was a great day for Roger, and the pilot that he worked with is also a Christian. They talked about flying, families, the company, and Roger said it was a very enjoyable day. Roger came back excited and eager to learn more about the job and living in Maine. 

                       

 

On Wednesday, Hannah and Josh both had to work, so Roger and I ventured off to have our own experiences. It was like an all-day date! We have not been able to spend this much time alone since our cruise in February, and God knew that we needed to spend some time together. We visited several cute little towns, did window shopping, and drove by several properties for rent. Although living in Maine will be way cheaper than Arizona, we are still going to have to micro-manage all our expenses for a while. Roger said that the owner of the company is willing to hire him, but Roger wasn't sure when that would be. And since the owner hadn't said whether it would be seasonal or year-round, finding a place to stay would be a challenge. However, we were able to come up with a general idea of the areas that might work for us to live in. We will definitely not be living on the coast as that will sky rocket the price of living! 

On Thursday, Hannah, Roger and myself went out to Acadia National Park. Josh had to work, so he wasn't able to come along. Roger wanted to go back out to the airport to talk to the owner and ask a few more questions in the afternoon. So we left for the park in the morning, hiked for a bit on the beautiful trails, walked through the touristy downtown (which was empty this time of year) and headed back to Josh and Hannah's house. Roger left to go to the airport, and Hannah and I visited together. As much as I love my children to pieces, it was nice to be away from them this week. I'm so thankful to both my parents for their willingness to watch the kids, so that Roger and I could take this whirl-wind trip to Maine. 

Roger came back from the airport on cloud nine...and he hasn't come down yet! The owner told Roger that he would hire him for sure and that Roger would be hired on a year-round basis! This helps us a lot with trying to figure out renting logistics, etc. The owner told Roger that he could plan on coming to Maine for the job mid-January. This will give us sometime to do the things we need to do in Wisconsin, and hopefully line up things for a smooth transition to Maine. You can probably think of a million questions to ask, and so can I! We don't have a lot of answers to anything right now, but I have a very specific list of prayer requests. 

1) That God will continue to open doors and that we will wait on His perfect timing

2) That God will make a way for a smooth transition for all of us when the time comes to move

3) That God will provide the perfect housing for us:

      *will be about $800.00 a month or cheaper

       * a nice home with a place for growing children to play

       * will be in a location that will be good for travel to both work and church

       * that our landlords will be honest, upstanding people

4) That Roger will be able to get a job until it's time to leave for Maine

5) That I will be aware and sensitive to the needs of my children as we prepare to move

6) That God will direct us to the perfect church for our family when the time comes

7) That our friends will start saving their money so that they can come visit us! :) 

This opens a whole new feeling of emotions for me as this job becomes a reality. While we were in Arizona, I knew that the job was short-term and envisioned the day when we moved back home. In this situation,  we have no idea how long this job will be for us. The employees seem to enjoy working for the company, and the owner has a good relationship with his employees. The secretary is a Christian lady who knows Pastor Ken and Debbie (our pastor and wife in Arizona!). Two other pilots that work for the company are Christian men as well, and I'm already praying that these will be good relationships for Roger.  Perhaps they can encourage and have fellowship with each other as this would be a huge blessing to my heart. 

As with any job in aviation, the job is not for sure until the pilot passes the check ride. Roger will have to have training specific to this job before he will be getting a pay check. Many of these flights are to various small islands with short run ways, so the pilot and the company need to have confidence that the pilot can do it safely. While I am confident that Roger can do this type of flying, and he is ecstatic about it all, he will probably be going out to Maine on his own to do the training before we move out there. 

That's about all that I know, so I'll close for now. I'm thankful that the Lord is always in control. I rest in His promise that He loves me, He will take care of us, and I can trust Him completely. We do appreciate your continued prayers. Our love to you all....Sarah

                         

Arizona to South Dakota to Wisconsin...and to Maine!!

 Well, what can I say? Life is a crazy roller coaster, and sometimes it's big, scary and fast! I'm ever thankful that God is in control of our lives, and He knows exactly where we are! These days I'm writing on the blog, so I can keep up with my own life as I'll never be able to look back and remember what happened and when. 

If you don't want to read the whole blog post, the following are the highlights:

1) We had a little trouble leaving Page, but the Lord showed Himself strong.

2) We visited my sister, Jenn, in a Rapid City, South Dakota.

3) We arrived in Wisconsin on Friday evening.

4) Roger and I left for Maine on Sunday afternoon. 

5) You are missing details by not reading the rest of it but those are the highlights. :)

Okay, so a little review and catch-up on our week! We had a fabulous last Sunday with our church family in Page. They had a cake for us after Sunday night church and blessed our family with a love offering. One sweet lady, Sheila, made me some beaded jewelry, and I was blessed by her kindness. It was such a privilege and a blessing to play the piano for the services, and I will miss doing that on a weekly basis. 

We spent Sunday afternoon packing, cleaning, packing, organizing and pulling more weeds! We had originally thought we'd leave Tuesday morning. However, the packing was going so well that we thought that we could leave on Monday afternoon instead. 

Monday, November 2,

Roger and I worked on cleaning up the last few things in the house and packing stuff up. I'd bring something out to be packed, and Emma would haul stuff back in the house! It wasn't going as well as we had hoped, but then Pastor Ken and his wife, Debbie, offered to take the three youngest children so we could finish up. We picked up a lot of speed on packing once they were off to the Pastors house! We managed to get the last of the sheets washed, the oil in the car changed, and everything else loaded up. We then went to the airport to find the assistant chief pilot as he was supposed to come check on the trailer to make sure everything was tidy before we left. And that's when our smooth sailing abruptly halted! 

 First we had to wait around for him because he was no where to be found. Then when he arrived, I could not believe how picky he was about the trailer! It looked over 100 times better than when we arrived, and six different pilots had lived in the trailer before we came along. Basically, the assistant chief pilot said that when the company rented the trailer the yard was clean of brush and weeds. It was FULL of brush and weeds when we arrived! We cleaned up the front yard so that the kids would have a place to play, and when we received the unpleasant note from the landlord, we raked the brush into piles. However, we had no way of getting rid of the piles of brush. The assistant chief pilot had a trailer he said we could borrow; but he never brought it over to fill, and then they abruptly let everyone go. The assistant chief pilot hinted strongly that he felt that we should stay and clean up the brush and stuff, but I felt that since he's still getting a paycheck and we aren't...he can do it!! There's a bit more to that story here, but suffice it to say that when the inspection was over, it was made clear that we were dismissed. We had thought about just bringing in blankets to sleep on the floor on Monday night since it was already the afternoon. But when the inspection was over, we didn't feel like that was an option. 

It was now almost five o'clock on Monday afternoon, we were already tired, and we had a long ways to go. We will forever be thankful that Pastor Ken and Debbie saw our need, reached out to us, fed us supper, and housed our family on Monday night. God knew that we needed that little bit of Christian fellowship after a long day, and our spirits were revived and encouraged. The Norris family loved our kids, and Wyatt cried when we left Page because he was going to miss Justin (the pastors sixteen year old son). 

Tuesday, November 3,

After breakfast, we gathered up our family and headed out of Page, Arizona. I drove Roger's car, and he drove the suburban with the trailer. I will always be thankful that my dad insisted that we learn to drive stick-shift vehicles!  Our first stop was the gas station, where we discovered that our bank cards were not working! Thankfully we had a back-up plan, but it's always disconcerting when something does not work! Since we were both driving, I was unable to call the bank and figure out the problem. When we stopped for lunch, I called the bank. They said that our account was overdrawn! Say, what?! We discovered that I had forgotten to move money from one account to another during the last few crazy days. We had two overdraft charges at $35.00 each! I talked with the bank manager, and I asked if there was any way that they could waive the fees. Since we have never done anything like this before in our history of banking with them, they graciously waived the overdraft fees. Praise the Lord! 

We traveled 557 miles on Tuesday with three kids, two vehicles, one trailer and a partridge in a pear tree...okay, scratch the last one! We made it to Rock Springs, Wyoming. By the time we arrived at 7:30 pm., we were all cold from the temperature change! 

Wednesday , November 4

We were on the road by seven am. The roads were covered with snow, and it was cold! The kids were looking for blankets and coats, and the roads were wet but safe. We thought that we would arrive in Rapid City, South Dakota, fairly late because of all the snow and weather conditions. However, God blessed with good, safe travels and we arrived by four pm. We had some children that were very, very happy to be out of the vehicle as well as one very happy mama! They did great traveling, but we were all thankful to stay with my sister, Jenn, for a day. My sister plays on a city volleyball league team, so we went to watch her play. Well, actually Roger and I watched the game, Wyatt played on Aunt Jenn's phone, and Travis and Emma climbed all over the bleachers. Travis did find twenty dollars under the bleachers though, so he was very happy! 

On Thursday we spent the day with my sister. She has an apartment at the school, and Emma discovered her classroom...every single class hour! Emma would drop in to way and smile, and the boys played in the apartment and in the gym. It was a fun and relaxing day for us. 

Friday, November 6

We drove and drove and drove! We left at four am, and we drove 332 miles without stopping! The kids traveled great for most of the day, and they knew that they would only get to Nana and Papa's house by driving. It was a long day, but it was nice to get home. I've missed my big boys greatly! 

Sunday, November 8

So...you're wondering what happens now? Well, we are too! However, we do have a few options. Roger and I left this afternoon to drive out to Maine. Yes, Maine! Roger has a job interview this week for a job out there.  This looks like a job that will possibly be for a few years, so we feel it would be best if I came along also. My parents are graciously watching our children...I mean, who wouldn't want to travel another 20 hours after traveling for 27 hours?! I I wish we were flying, but driving is a lot cheaper. This will give Roger and I the opportunity to spend some uninterrupted time alone which is something we haven't had since Feburary. So, in that regards, I am happy to be going. Also, my sister, Hannah, and her husband live in Maine, and we will get to visit them! Yay!!

Please pray for safe travels, wisdom, direction, and patience for my parents as they watch our children.  Our children are so very precious to us, and we desire to make decisions that will be the best for all of us and in Gods perfect will. We are desiring that God's will be made clear and plain to us in the matter of this job pursuit. God promises in Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

We saw this rainbow about an hour after leaving Page. Both Roger and I were reminded of God's many promises to us. I certainly don't know what the future holds, and I'm not a fan of uncertainty but God is faithful! 

CHANGE!! It's coming...again!!

It really is impossible to know where to even begin to try to describe this last week of flying home, visits with my parents, friends, and going to our church. I decided to hit a few of the highlights and leave it at that as you'll probably end up confused anyways. If I don't write it down as it happens or that night, my  brain forgets what I want it to say! (I'm sure none of you have that problem!) 

Anyways, on Tuesday, October 21, I left Page with Garett, Chandler and Emma. The Pastor's wife from our church here offered to take us to Phoenix to catch our flight to Wisconsin. This was a huge blessing as Roger ended up being on a flight on Wednsday morning. It would've been really hard for him to drive down to Phoenix to drop us off and be back for his Wednesday morning flight. I am very, very thankful that Debbie was able to take us to Phoenix. It was raining the morning we left, which is unusual for Arizona. It's a five hour drive to Phoenix, and it rained a good portion of the time we were traveling. When we drove through Flagstaff, Arizona the temperature dropped to 39 degrees, and the roads looked like they had snow on them...it was weird. 

Anyways, I had planned to write a lot more about the highlights of my trip home, but now I have other news to share! Suffice it to say that it was a good trip back, the ladies retreat was different (fun but different), the big boys are staying at my parents, and I was able to visit several of my good friends. I wish I had time to visit with more of my friends, but I'm thankful for the time that I did have visiting and fellowshipping. 

Roger picked up Emma and I at the airport on Tuesday night with Wyatt and Travis. We stayed in a hotel in Phoenix since it is a five hours drive back to Page. On Wednesday we were able to meet up with Rogers parents for a bit, and we enjoyed that time with them. On the way back to Page, we took another trip to the Grand Canyon. Since our time here is coming to a close, we wanted to at least hike a few more trails there. Wyatt and Travis did very well hiking with us, and we had a good time. 

                       

Ahhh....there is so much more I'd love to say but on to the next thing! Roger had a flight yesterday and a flight this morning. I was able to go on the flight with Roger this morning and the office ladies kept their eye on Emma. It was enjoyable to see the landscape that God created and that Roger flys over almost every day. He's a great pilot, and I am thankful to see him use his love for flying in a job that he enjoys doing. After the flight we came home to start working on our yard. Apparently the landlord thinks that the yard needs to be cleaned up and all the weeds and brush ripped out. Umm...I didnt do it! It was like this when we came here. However, we received a rather unpleasant note from them insisting that we clean up the yard, and they would be inspecting the property in a few days. Wow! I'm not opposed to cleaning up the brush, but the yard was a haven for snakes when we arrived! Oh well, we are doing our best to help them be happy with us. 

But that's not the big news! We are leaving Arizona....this week! While we were in the yard this morning cleaning up, the assistant chief pilot came by to inform us that all the pilots are being let go, and Rogers job is terminated as of midnight tonight! What?! Wow! We had just asked yesterday if we could plan on being here until the 15th or if Roger would be done early. They informed us that it would be at least the  10th of November but probably the 15th. It was a sudden decision, and to be honest, I'm not thrilled. I feel like I was looking forward to the two weeks to say good by to our church people here, visit a few more trails one last time, and spend time enjoying time with our three youngest children. Now we spent the day like crazy people trying to clean up the trailer, pack up our stuff, and inform Pastor Ken and his wife, Debbie, that we are leaving. Roger called Pastor Ken to tell him about the sudden change of plans, and they immediately asked how they could help. They brought over lunch and visted with us. We have certainly enjoyed getting to know them, and God directed us to Navajo Baptist church at just the perfect timing for us to be blessed by their friendship to us. We will miss them, I will miss playing the piano for services, and we have been so blessed by their lives. 

                     

    

We spent the remainder of the afternoon loading up brush (We aren't don't yet!), and cleaning out shelves and cupboards. We asked Pastor Ken and Debbie if they would like our pantry items, toilet paper, and other useful items that might be a blessing to someone, and we don't want to haul across the country. We stopped by their place in the evening to drop off a bunch of stuff, and again stayed to visit for a while with them. The have become our dearest friends here in Arizona, and we thank God for them. God knew exactly what He was doing when He directed us to Navajo Baptist Fellowship Church. 

I woke up early this morning to take a run on the trail one last time. It turned into a walk as I texted my pastor's wife in Wisconsin and chatted with her this morning. While we don't know what the future holds, we do know WHO holds the future. I am blessed to have such Godly people in my life. 

Tonight after church, we had cake and snacks together. Roger and I shared a little bit about our lives and how we came to Arizona and why we are leaving now. It was a good time to interact with the people, and we have been blessed by that church family. A lady, Sheila, gave me a gift of jewelry that she had made for me. It's beautiful! Our pastors wife, Debbie, gave me some essential oil muscle rub that is fabulous. We've come to love and appreciate this group of believers, and we thank God for them. No matter where we go, good byes are always a bit painful. However, God directs for certain times and for "such a time as this". 

So...what happens now? Well, your guess is as good as mine! Just kidding! We do know a few things! We are returning to Wisconsin this week, and my parents have graciously consented to let us live in their basement while we pursue the next step. Roger has a job opportunity in Maine that he will be trying to look into. There is also the possibility of a job in Michigan. Truthfully though, we just don't know. We know that we need to find work to provide for our family, but we want to make sure that God is directing our paths not money or the need to "hurry up and find a job". We are looking forward to being in our home church in Wisconsin until God gives clear direction. I'll be honest....I'm not very good at this insecurity and instability, but God knows my heart. He gives me peace, and Roger is very good at not making hasty decisions. I'm so very blessed to be married to Roger, and I don't take that lightly. 

We are so very thankful for each one of you that take the time to read the blog, pray for us, and have helped us in so many ways. We are thankful for each and every one of you! 

                        

Two Weeks? Half Marathon? It is Possible...but Probably Not Recommended!

Disclaimer: Do not try this at home! I wouldn't recommend to anyone to run a half marathon without training for it. It is hard work, and it is hard on your body. This is just my story of why I chose to do what I did. You'd have to be a few fries short of a happy meal to try this, and I am not endorsing that anyone should do it. I do happen to be a little crazy, and I enjoyed this experience. However, do not try this at home without consulting your physician first! 

                        

A little over two weeks ago, the office ladies where Roger works asked me what I do for fun in Page. I said that I was pretty busy with homeschooling, keeping up with the laundry, making meals, etc. I said that in my spare time I liked to go running or walking. Immediately one of the ladies suggested that I should run in the Lake Powell half-marathon on October 17. Hmm...it's already October 4, so that doesn't give me a very long time to train! I told the ladies that I wasn't that good, and that the farthest I had run since coming to Page was four miles which is a far cry from thirteen miles! However, the ladies where so encouraging and really wanted me to run in the half marathon. Problem number two was the cost! It was expensive! I would be signing up as a late entry, so the money would be more. But both the ladies handed me money to put towards it, and they told me I should sign up. 

I went home and googled "how to train for a half marathon in two weeks". Well, guess what? No one had a training program for building up miles for a half marathon in two weeks! My confidence in myself was sadly lacking, and I told Roger that maybe I should just give the ladies back their money. The next day I decided to go out and see if I could run six miles. Although six miles is a far cry from thirteen miles, I needed to know if I could at least go that far! I made it, but I still was very unsure about actually signing up for the marathon. 

Over the next week, I thought about it, prayed about it, and increased my core strength training exercises. I know from my past running experiences that having a strong core will prevent several injuries. I wouldn't be able to put in the miles needed to train for this half marathon, unless I was going to kill myself trying. I also cut out all soda and sugar in an effort to give myself as much of a jump start as possible! I just did what I could do, and I signed up to do it. Roger and my friend, Jenna, had far more confidence in me than I did! But running a half marathon is on my list of goals for 2015, and I knew I probably wouldn't get another opportunity! 

The weather forecast for race day was predicted to be rainy, but this is a rain or shine event. Although it did rain quite a bit on Friday and during the night, Saturday was overcast and 58 degrees. Perfect weather for running a half marathon in my opinion. I texted a few of my friends about the race on Saturday, and I asked for specific prayer requests. I've been struggling with a UTI all week, so I knew that I might have to take advantage of those porta potties on the course!  My sister, Hannah, gave me some suggestions of some medicine that might help, so I tried out those this week. Although the UTI is much improved, it is still not completely better. It's challenging to run when you feel like you need to pee! 

Roger was not supposed to be on any of the morning flights on Saturday, and we were both thankful that he would be able to cheer me on at the race. However, that is not how it worked out! He ended up having a flight at nine am. On Saturday which meant that he needed to be at the airport at eight am. But the race was starting at 6:30, so what about our kids? Thankfully, the office ladies told Roger that the kids could stay at the office while he flew. While I was thankful to have that dilemma solved, it also meant that Roger wouldn't be able to see much of the race. We both agreed that waking the kids up for the start of the race would be pointless. And the race was going to be coming right past our road, so at least the kids could see a brief glimpse of mom. I was bummed a bit as Roger is my biggest cheer leader, but there was nothing that we could do about the situation. 

Saturday morning came early! Since the race was starting at the city park, I just decided it would be the easiest if I just walked there by myself on race day. I walked to the park at 5:30 am., and I wondered what I had gotten myself into! Who runs a half marathon without even really training for it? Would I be one of the last people to cross the finish line? Maybe I should just go home and go back to bed? But I kept walking to the park. After all, running a half marathon is on my list of goals for 2015, so I needed to get it done. It was a nice morning at about 58 degrees and overcast. 

Here are some things I learned at this half marathon:

1) IF you are going to run a half marathon without training, you should pick someone to be your buddy thru it. It would've been a lot funner to have a running buddy (Jenna Shubert) along to whine and complain about how hard it is, and what where we thinking! 

2) I will probably never be one of those runners that carries a hydration backpack. In the first half mile, I realized that I needed to avoid the runners that had those backpacks. Why? Well the sound of the water sloshing in the pouch made me need to use the bathroom even worse! (Definitely avoid those people if you have a UTI!)

3) I'm really thankful that this race had porta potties at the mile markers three, five, seven, nine, and eleven! And, no, I didn't stop at each one! 

4) This is a fun course! It has a few hills (the one at mile nine seems impossibly long, but the course is beautiful! I think I had an advantage by knowing the route of the course and having run parts of it as it made the miles go by faster.

5) Because the bike pacer (the person in the very front who leads the racers in a race) went the wrong way at the very beginning of the race, we ended up running 13.8 miles instead of 13.1 miles! I heard my phone buzz me a text during the race, but I wasn't going to pause or slow up to look at my messages. It was the race association sending out a text saying that everyone would be running a bit longer today. During the race I wondered if my running app on my phone was off because my app was not lining up with the mile markers of the race and that would be why! I learned that my body can run farther than I would've imagined it could go. I walked through the water stops at miles five and nine...and used the porta potties at those stops too. Other than those walking breaks, I didn't stop running. 

6) Running  a half marathon is like having a baby...how is that? Here is my anology:

      1-3 miles are fun and everyone is having a good time. Just like when the first easy contractions start and you are so happy to finally be having a baby!

     4-6 miles are a little more intense. It's becoming hard work, and you are wondering if you are up for all of this. Just like in labor when you are wondering how long this might take, and should you get an epidural now. 

       7-9 miles you are seriously wondering about your sanity! You are wondering why you signed up for this, and whose idea was this race?! Just like in labor when you are thinking about forgetting the epidural and just telling the doctor to give you a c-section! 

    10-13 miles you realize that you are almost to the end. You've at least run three miles before so you know you can finish...even if you started walking. As in labor, this is comparable to the "getting ready to push" stage as you realize that soon you will be holding your baby in your arms. 

     13.1 miles...you did it! You are so relieved to finally be done, and you tell yourself that it wasn't that bad and that you'd do it again someday. This is like the part when you finally hold your baby in your arms, and you smile with love at your baby. Then you look up at your husband and say, "it wasn't too bad, and look how beautiful he is!" 

It is a sense of accomplishment to run a half marathon. And although I am sore a bit today, and I am very, very thankful for my husband, kids, and friends that encouraged me through texts or calls. I am going to include how I did in the race. I'm not trying to brag by any means, but I do want to have a memory of what I accomplished yesterday. 

I placed #326 out of 1072 runners. I was the 156 woman to cross the finish line, and I placed 33 in my age division of women ages 30-34. There were 187 women in this age catagory. I did much better than I anticipated that I would do. I ran 13.8 miles in a time of 2:19:11. 

While I wouldn't recommend running a half marathon without training, I have no regrets about doing this one. It encouraged me in ways that I didn't know that I needed to be encouraged, it renewed my confidence in what I can do, and my husband's unselfishness was once again seen as he encouraged me and challenged me to take on this half marathon. I am blessed. 

Erupting Volcanoes...I mean Children!

This week started off on the rough side, and that would be saying it mildly! We've been having some struggles with the boys on attitudes, obedience, speaking unkind words, and anger. I've been at my wits end to try to help them solve their problems; and even after repeatedly pouring out my problems to the Lord, I didn't seem to be any closer to a solution. Since Roger has been so busy with flights, I thought maybe part of the problem was that the weren't getting enough daddy time. However, there wasn't much I could do about that one! I took one son on a date last week, and I told Roger that I didn't really feel that he had opened up much or that anything had been resolved. But life doesn't stop and give us time to solve our problems, the next day's rolls around and pretty soon I feel like I'm wallowing in pea soup trying to figure out which end is up! 

                         

 

Sunday was a rough day for our family. After church on Sunday night, we had a discussions with our children about their actions and how unacceptable their behavior was. However, you know the discussion isn't going well, when you pause and one of the children asks, "can we get a treat at McDonald's?"  What they were hearing was "blah, blah, blah", so we drove to McDonalds for treats instead....just kidding!! Well we did go to McDonald's, but it was for treats for mom, dad and Emma; and I didn't enjoy it very much with hearing sobs from the back seat from four sad boys! 

When we arrived home, we sent the kids inside and sat in the truck. I felt like we were failing big time in the parenting arena, but neither of us knew how to solve the problems we were facing. I felt like just ignoring the problem, but we knew that we wouldn't solve anything doing that. So instead we pulled ourselves out of the truck, and we went to assure our children of our love and put them to bed. After praying with them and kissing them goodnight, we sat on the couch to lick our parenting wounds like two hurting puppies. However, in a few minutes, one of our children came out to talk to us. He explained how frustrated he has been by his lack of personal space, and how he feels like his only friend is Dad. He was like an erupting volcano of emotions, feelings, and tears. As I sat there and listened to this young boy express all his bottled up feelings, I was thinking to myself how much easier this could've been if I had known about these struggles about six weeks ago! It explained a lot of things to me, and it helped Roger and I know how to try to handle certain situations. I don't know about other families that have boys, but in ours it seems like aggression feeds aggression. And by that I mean, if one boy stirs up the pot of fighting or getting angry, in two seconds flat there can be a pile of boys on the floor! God has given boys the ability to be leaders and to stand up for themselves, which is great if you're standing for the right cause...not so great if you're just refusing to back down to another brother! In our case, it's just been a case of four volcanoes simmering beneath the surface waiting for one to erupt. And erupt it did! Although it was a late night for us, I feel like our volcanoes have erupted and been cleaned out. They are ready for a fresh start in communication with us, and our eyes have been opened to problems. God did answer my prayers, and we are, I believe, on the way to a fresh start. 

Monday was a much better day for all the boys. They got along better, played better together, focused better on their schoolwork (always room for improvement there!), and helped out with much better attitudes. Wyatt did the dishes for me without asking, but Chandler ended up dumping his milk down the sink as it had soap bubbles in it! Hmm...I think Wyatt used plenty of soap, and he didn't include very much rinsing! I will be sure to rinse those dishes before using them! 

On Monday night we spent some time looking through old pictures. We picked up the computer last week in Flagstaff, so Roger wanted to take some of the pictures off of it. However, he was distracted by all the memories, and before long there were six other people sitting with him on the couch. We looked through memories of when Wyatt was born, and then Travis, our trip to Alaska (which I was surprised how much they remembered and all the good memories they have of that time), and when Emma was born. It was a fun time as a family to look back at all the memories and see how good God has been to us.

Tuesday was a busy day with homeschooling, Roger flying, and we had company for dinner. The pastor and his family came over for supper. They have their two grandsons visiting this week, ages nine and two, and the boys had so much fun with them! The trailer was vibrating with the sounds of nerf gun wars, laughter, and slingshots, but it was a great time. I'm so glad we made the effort to have them over. It's challenging to have people over for dinner when we don't even have enough room to seat our own family, but it was a blessing to have fellowship with their family. They are praying that God provides a job here in Page....I can't say as I'm there yet! 

Wednesday is always a busy day, but it was busier today since I needed to get the laundry done. Chandler came with me to do the laundry and finish his book reading assignment for the day. He is always diligent to hunt for money at the laundromat, and this time he was rewarded with fifty-three cents! While I do enjoy these moments to spend with my children one on one, I will also be very, very, thankful when God allows us to have a house with a washing machine again!

By the time we finished the laundry, it was time to run home and make supper for the church dinner. We did manage to get to church on time, but Roger had a flight so he didn't make it on time. I know the pastor is trying to encourage the church people to be on time as he has started implementing a policy of starting on time no matter how many are there. So we started the service with just ourselves and the pastors family, but eventually people start trickling in. Since I tend to be a time concious person, I like to start on time. But I can also understand that habits are  hard for people to change, and it all takes consistency. 

Wednesday was also Roger's last day of being busy with flights. The tourist season is really starting to come to a close, the houseboats are being pulled out of the lake, and there aren't as many buses in town. Although the season contract is until the middle of November, we are praying that God gives clear direction before the fifteenth of November. 

We appreciate your prayers! 

A Date, A Rainstorm, and Going Home!

After our adventures to Flagstaff last week, this week has been kinda boring! Although the days do pass by, the schooling is stumbled through, and the clock keeps ticking, so we are surviving! 

On Monday we had the pilots over to our house for supper. There are a few new ones as of late, including one very dark-skinned fellow from Nigeria, Africa. Emma is slowing warming up to him, but she was very uncertain at first. I think he misses his family a lot at he brought treats for the kids, and he seemed to really enjoy visiting with our family. I'm hoping that we can have the pilots over again next Monday. The kids really enjoying interacting with the pilots, and although the pilots might not always have the cleanest words come out of their mouths, I appreciate the fact that they are considerate of the way we are trying to raise our kids. They are always respectful when we pray before meals, and I do appreciate that. It was a good visit and a hearty meal of lots of pasta (that's cheap!) sauce, chicken,  and salad. 

On Tuesday Roger was busy with many flights, I was busy with school, and the day went by quickly. The children look forward to Tuesday nights as it is the Awana night. Chandler has been busy memorizing verses, Garett plods along through the verses, and Wyatt and Travis go along with the brothers! It's been good for them to interact with the kids at church, and Garett has a great teacher in his class. The other boys have good teachers also, but I certainly appreciate the teachers that make an extra effort to get to know the kids in their class. (It's also probably a relief for Garett to have a teacher that is patient and understanding, since that is one area that I am desperately asking the Lord to help me!) 

Since the kids went to Awana's, Roger and I had a date. Of course our chaperone came along in the form of a little girl named Emma. We went to the exciting place of the laundromat! It was actually a pleasant time to sit and visit while we waited for the laundry to wash. We had to scramble to get it all dry before the laundromat closed. Apparently they don't mind if they are late to open, but they definitely want to close on time! And since the laundromat doesn't have a closing time posted, they seem to close when they feel like it. However, the laundry did get washed and dried, and even if it's not folded, I'm thankful to have that much done.

Wednesday is always a busier day with schooling, cooking for the church potluck meal, and folding all that laundry! Roger, Emma, and I took a walk to the grocery store to pick up an item I needed for the dish I was making for the church potluck. On the way there, Emma wanted to get out of the stroller to walk for a bit. So, she walked along the sidewalk, and it was going well until she accidently fell into a cactus bush! She had lots of prickers in her hands, and I imagine that it was quite painful. She apparently remembers the pain because on the way back she commented on the "bad bush". I also had a special blessing at church on Wednesday. One of the ladies handed me two containers of oatmeal and two bags of pancake/waffle mix. It will be perfect for filling the bellies of small children, and not so hot for keeping a mama trim! I am very thankful for her thoughtfulness to our family, and this  was the first time a family in the church has reached out to us this way. It truly brightened up my day. 

Thursday was a little bit of a slower morning for Roger, so he filled out applications and updated his resume. The contract ends in just a few weeks, so we are fervently praying for the next step. After the boys were started on their school work, I decided to take Garett on an impromptu date. This boy has been my greatest struggle as of late as I feel like I can't relate to teaching him. However, it's not all about academic progress, but also about character development. I have felt that I am losing my relationship with my oldest child over our struggles, and I just wanted to spend some time with him to assure him that I do love him for who he is...and the young man that God is wanting him to become. We ate lunch together, went to the library, and took a hike on one of the many trails. It was good to interact with him, and it will hopefully help our relationship become stronger. Unfortunately, schooling was relatively easy for me, and I have a hard time relating to this young child who can't seem to grasp the concepts. As I've said before, God is teaching me more about myself in the homeschooling journey than I am teaching my children. 

A good friend, Katie, recently sent me a book on homeschooling. It has been eye opening, and it is helping me understand a little bit more about this mom/teacher/wife/homemaker role that I'm trying to fulfil. It's called Love the Journey, and I'm looking forward to finishing it. 

Friday was an unusual day for us. Remember last week we left our computer in Flagstaff to get some work done on it? It was done on Wednesday, but the only day we could all go together to get it was on Friday. We planned to leave early in the morning, pick up the computer, have lunch at the park, and then go to Bearizona. Bearizona is kinda like Bear County U.S.A. Except it's in Arizona. However, that was not how the plan went. Roger ended up having a flight even though they had already told him he could have the day off. So instead of getting on the road at 8:00, we didn't get on the road until close to 11:30. It was more of a quick trip to Flagstaff, a run to Sam's Club (to pick up the items I forgot last week), and supper together before returning back to Page. The boys were disappointed to not be able to go to Bearizona, but we knew that we wouldn't have enough time to really enjoy it if we tried to squeeze it in. 

It also rained for two days this week, and it was the first real rainstorm we've had. The boys delighted in making mud pies, filling up containers with water, and digging holes because the ground was soft! The lake rose six inches during the rain storm, so it was two days of significant rain! Since the lock on our door isn't very secure, the boys pitched in by helping to burglar proof our yard. With all the holes that are in our yard, I'd strongly suggest a flashlight after dark! 

                     

  

Meanwhile, while our friends at home are putting on layered clothing, sipping on pumpkin spice lattes, and enjoying fall colors, we are running the air conditioner, wearing short sleeves and shorts, and drinking iced coffee! It does cool down here in the evening to about 55 degrees, but it still warms up during the day to about 80-85 degrees. However, when we went to Flagstaff which is at 7,000 feet, and the mountain peaks are at 12,200 feet, the mountain peaks had snow on them! The boys have starting wearing  long sleeves in the mornings, but while everyone else is wearing sweat shirts and boots, we are still wearing flip flops and t-shirts! 

So, life in Page is on a whole different level from many things. Roger took me to get coffee this morning, and because we were short on time we went to McDonalds drive thru for coffee. The drive thru might be lacking in service when the people in the drive thru put their cars in park and turn them off as they wait for their order to be taken! Oh my word!! It was a little ridiculous, but after talking with others in town, apparently it's a fairly common occurrence. I decided that if Roger and I were ever going to open a business, it would be a coffee shop. With all the tourists that come through, you'd think the town would offer a coffee shop with an Internet cafe open until like ten pm. That is not the case, Starbucks closes at 6:30 pm. There is not another place to get coffee up on the mesa where all the tourists are at. McDonald's offers coffee...if you don't mind the wait...but it's not on the mesa, so it would be a ways to walk for coffee. Not that I'm planning on starting a business any time soon, I'm just saying! 

And now for the big news: I'm going home! Our church in Oshkosh is having a ladies retreat in two weeks, and I have been praying that God would allow me to go. It didn't seem like it was going to work out, but my mom has suggested that maybe I should let the older two boys stay at their house for a week or two. She will teach them school, and it would give me a chance to focus on Wyatt and Travis. Roger and I prayed about it for several weeks, and we decided that maybe it would be best for my relationship with Garett if my mom taught him for a bit. So, I will be flying to Wisconsin at the end of the month along with Garett, Chandler, and Emma. The two little boys will stay here, and Emma and I will only be gone a few days. Since Roger's contract is up on November 15, we will figure out how to get our family back together as the time gets closer. The older two are very excited about fishing with Papa, their friends, and a different teacher. As much as I am going to miss them, I am excited that they have the opportunity have this experience. I love them to pieces, but I think this will be a good thing. We have a lot of decisions to make in the next few weeks, and we need lots of prayers as we continue to wait on God's perfect timing. Roger was offered a job in another state, but it would still be a transition job and not one where we could stay for a year or two. However, November 15 is coming up quickly, so please keep us in your prayers!

Oh, and in other news, I might be running in a half marathon this Saturday. Apparently, the Internet does not offer training plans for training for thirteen miles in a 1 1/2 weeks! I'll let you know if I do it!