Christmas Break!

It's been a few weeks since I've updated the blog, but my parents now have Internet!! Woo hoo!! We've been busy with finishing up the school work we needed to get done before break, enjoying lots of family time, and preparing for Christmas. 

What a Christmas it was for our family! Our family was blessed by our church youth group on the Wednesday before Christmas, and our children were ecstatic with the gifts they received. They received Legos, and nerf guns, matchbox cars, and candy, and a stuffed horse for Emma. They also received a few other gifts, and of course, I cried! It is humbling to be on the receiving end so often of people's generosity, but we are very thankful for all that have showered our family with gifts, love and prayers! 

Hannah and Josh came the week of Christmas for a few short days. It was great to have us all together again, but my parent's house did seem a tad squished! We celebrated Christmas on Tuesday, December 22, with Hannah and Josh. We also had a few other close friends join us for dinner, and it was a fun time of food, fellowship, and celebrating Christmas. Hannah and Josh had to leave on Wednesday, and it was hard to see them go. However, I am thankful to know that in a few months we should be close enough to get together for special times with family. 

                            

   

On Christmas Eve, we attended the candlelight service at our church, and then came back to my parents home for Christmas with my sister, Jen. One of my favorite gifts this year was from the boys. My dad spent some time with them on a woodworking project. It's not up to my dad's standard of perfection, but I see the love and hard work that four boys put into it...I love it! Another of my favorite gifts was from Garett. There was a definite change in his gift giving this year as he moved from thinking about what he would want to what someone else would want. He spent his own money, and asked Roger to take him shopping. Garett told Roger that he wanted to buy mom some lotion. So Roger took him to Bath and Body Works. Garett picked out the lotion all by himself. How did my little boy grow so quickly! Roger purchased a new Bible for me with my name on it. I haven't had a new Bible since my college days and this one has my married name on it! I was blessed and spoiled by my family! It was a good time with family, and of course, lots of food and gifts! Christmas Day was a quiet day in the morning, but after lunch we went to play some games with another family from our church. I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend time wit dear friends and family this holiday season. The day after Christmas was the Prahl family get together. We headed up to Wausau for the afternoon as that is where most of my dad's family lives. It was another opportunity to spend time with family and reflect on the blessings of the past year. 

We finally had our first major snowstorm on December 29! We had some very excited children when we woke up to about ten inches of snow! But oh, how the muscles worked on that day! My dad, Jenn, and I spent quite a bit of the day shoveling, and Garett drove the four-wheeler with the plow. He did a good job for the most part and stuck with it for quite a while. I was proud of him. The boys have built snow forts, wallowed in the snow, dug tunnels, and spent about six hours outside every day playing in the snow...and they aren't tired of it yet! However, they are sleeping fabulously at night! 

On New Year's Eve, we attended the activity at my dad's church. They had a sledding activity, followed by a potluck dinner and devotional and family games at the church. We had a good time playing dominoes, quirkle, and other games with the families in the church. 

Our Christmas break passed by entirely too quickly, and I'm not ready to go back to school on Monday! I'm thankful for the memories we made, the opportunities to share about Christ, and the love of so many this Christmas season. As our children grow, I treasure these memories as a family even more. I was in tears this past week as I thought about how fast they are growing, how much we want to teach them yet, how many failures I have as a parent, and my desire to see them grow to become Godly young men and a young lady. It's definitely not a small feat, but I can see the hand of God at work both on them and on me. God is good. 

Roger is gearing up to head to his job in Maine. He is hoping to leave the end of this month, but it just depends on how the pieces fall in place. We are going to miss him terribly when he is away, but it's not for forever. We are looking into houses, properties and rentals online and hoping to have some lined up for Roger to look at when he arrives in Maine. 

So, in a nutshell, that was our Christmas break. How was yours? 

                         

   

Pre-Christmas Blessings!

                        

     

Our Thanksgiving Day was spent with friends and family. My parents hosted the big dinner at their house since we are currently unable to host an event at our house! It was a good time of food and fellowship. The next day we discovered that we had accidently been exposed to hand, foot, mouth virus! We disinfected and cleaned everything, and we prayed diligently that no one would get it. That particular virus has a three to five day incubation period, so I stayed home with the kids on Sunday. Although they seemed to be as healthy as before, I didn't want to run the risk of them passing something on to someone else. We listened to a Bible dvd, and I sent them all outside! However, on Tuesday the incubation period was over for the virus, and no one had gotten sick! Praise the Lord! 

In other news, Roger has been working steadily at a job. While it's not the most exciting or adventurous, it provides a paycheck. I know that Roger is looking forward to taking this job in Maine, but we are thankful that God provided something in the mean time. 

I was asked to give the devotional for our annual ladies Christmas party at church. I was completely out of my element, but God gave grace to me. It was a good challenge to me, and I was reminded of all that God has taught me. The ladies Christmas party is an event that ladies from our church get together for an evening of food, fellowship, games, and a devotional. We also have the option to pick out a secret pal for the following year. I generally do participate in picking out a secret pal, but this year  I decided not to do it. Since we are leaving for Maine, it would be hard to give small gifts to my secret pal. The main idea of the whole thing is to pick out someone from the basket and then spend the year praying for her. It's also a nice idea to leave small gifts or cards at church for the person you have. It's a way to encourage, pray, and get to know one of the ladies from our church. Unfortunately, my secret pal from last year appeared to have forgotten that she picked me, but that's the way it goes sometimes! 

Our family has been enjoying a two week vacation at someone else's house! Some friends from our church took a vacation to Hawaii. They needed someone to feed the dog and cats, and they gracious asked if we would like to stay in their house while they are away. It's been a great opportunity for us to have some of our own space, and enjoy some time with just our family.  Kelli told us that we should feel free to have friends over and to make ourselves at home...so we are doing just that! We've had several families from church over, and we've enjoyed re-connecting with friends. It has been a wonderful experience for our family, and we are thankful that Josh and Kelli invited us to stay in their home. I've been going over to my parents for school every morning, but then in the afternoon we come back, have lunch, take a rest, and enjoy some space on our own. The boys have enjoyed playing with "new-to-them" toys, and everyone has their own bed to sleep in! Yay! God is so good to us! 

I thought last year was a different Christmas for us, but this one is shaping up to be just as different as last year! Last year we had a home, but this year we do not. This has been a little bit challenging for me as I love to have people over, decorate our home, and do all our own traditions. It's hard to have all of our things in storage, and I miss having our own home. However, this isn't for forever, and God knows that this is where we need to be. It does make me look forward to the day when we can put up our own Christmas tree again, dig out our Christmas stockings, plan get-together and events with family and friends, and enjoy our family Christmas traditions. I will say that with this Christmas being a different one for our family again, it allows us to share with our children the real and simple meaning of Christmas. It's about celebrating the birthday of Jesus, sharing our joy with others, and working on our relationship with Jesus Christ and those around us. We are blessed! 

As you also prepare for the Christmas season, I challenge you to take a moment to reflect on your priorities. This year I chose to do a Christmas devotional for the month of December. I am also writing out Scripture passages every day that have to do with Christmas. It's been a real encouragement to me, and I've been enjoying the journey. 

Our love to you all,

Sarah

                          

The following is the devotional I did at the Ladies Christmas Party:

Devotional 

I Kings 19

I really wanted God to impress upon me some deep theological truth that I could share, but that's not what God brought to my attention. Instead He gently reminded me of all the promises that He encouraged me with while in Arizona. There is no possible way to recap all that God taught me and reminded me of, but I thought I'd touch on a few lessons that were and are very special to me. Sometimes it's not what we know, but how we apply what we know! 

Philippians 4: 4-13

I firmly believe that one of the reasons God directed us to Arizona was to remind us that He is enough. Actually, I was reminded of how shallow my relationship with my Heavenly Father was. In a church the size of Wyldewood, it's easy to get caught up in business. It's easy to be involved in multiple things, ministries, and activities, and while those are good things, they can distract us from our relationship with God. God gently showed me how He is enough and that my relationship with Him needed some work.Over and over again, He reminded me that He is faithful, to think on the things of God, to rejoice, to pray fervently, and to be content...even with mushrooms growing inside the trailer! God is so good! My challenge  is for you to examine what you do and why. It's not that ministries, people, and activities are bad...we need them, but we need to be careful. Some of us are doing too much, and some are doing too little. As we enter the new year, I just want to remind you to take some time to discover and listen to what it is that God wants you to do. 

In addition, God reminded me of his lesson to Elijah after his victory at Mount Carmel. Elijah had just experienced this great mountaintop experience, and yet he's discouraged just a few verses later. As Elijah sits in the cave, God comes and speaks to him. First He sends a strong wind, then an earthquake, then a fire, and finally a still small voice. 

Lonliness is a deep and real challenge. Elijah felt all alone as he sat in the cave. He was focused on himself, and God interrupted his pity party. I'm thankful that God did that for Elijah and He does the same for us today. Although we don't hear the audible voice of God, He does give us reminders that we aren't alone and that He knows where we are. I feel that because of our Arizona experience I can relate better to missionary wives. God has already spoken to my heart about praying more diligently for our missionary wives. They face a hard job on a foreign field away from family and friends, and loneliness is a real and deep challenge! I am so very thankful for those that sent a card, a text, or told me they were praying for us. Those are some memories that I hold close to my heart, and I value those friendships and blessings. And they're are others that need encouragement far more than I did or do!

We all get lonely and discouraged from time to time. Even in a big church, I can guarantee that there are a few ladies that are lonely. I have a two fold challenge...one for the ones that are lonely, and one for the ones that need to reach out to the lonely ones. :) So, you should find that you fit in one of those categories. :) 

First of all, if you find yourself in the category of being lonely, let's look again at I Kings 19. After God send the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire, He speaks in a still small voice. He asks Elijah what he is doing in the cave. Elijah replies that everyone has forsaken God and only he is left to serve God. Instead of immediately addressing Elijah's statement, God instead gives him a task to do. He tells Elijah to get going and annoint Hazael to be the next king over Syria. And then he tells him to annoint Jehu to be the next King of Israel. And also tells him to annoint Elisha to be the next prophet. With three separate tasks to do, I don't think Elijah had any more time to think about himself! That being said, how about you? Do you find yourself in the category of feeling alone? My challenge is really quite simple...ask God to help you see beyond yourself and find someone you can be a blessing to. It costs .44 cents to mail a card....just do it! (Getting mail was a huge highlight for me in Arizona) So, write a card to encourage someone, take coffee to a friend you don't know very well, go visit the nursing home and bring your kids along...ask God to specifically help you to be a blessing to someone else! And you will probably discover as I have many times, that you are the one who receives a blessing! 

Or perhaps you are in category number two...you are someone who needs to reach out to the lonely ones. After God gives Elijah his three jobs to complete, he ends their interaction with a strong statement in verse 18. We often look at this verse and think "wow, all those people who still love God!" And it's true, seven thousand is a strong number. However, do you think maybe a few of those seven thousand felt like Elijah and needed someone to encourage them and tell them that they aren't alone? I sure do! This was a time when the followers of Jehovah were scared for their lives, so I'm pretty sure they could've used some encouragement! And what about you? Do you have your eyes on Christ and are you asking Him to help you find someone who is in need of encouragement? I'm not saying this is something you need to do once a week or even once a month, but I'd suggest setting a date on your calendar at least three times a year. Set the alarm to go off on the date a week before it occurs, and ask God to show you someone you can reach out to. Again, perhaps it's a simple as writing a card to someone (which can be done in under ten minutes!) Or perhaps taking coffee to someone you don't know very well, or visiting the nursing home and bringing your kids along...ask God to help you be a blessing to someone who is lonely! 

In closing, the application is the same. :) If you are lonely, reach out to someone. If you are not lonely, ask God to impress someone upon your heart, and reach out to them. :) God has given me a whole new perspective on what loneliness is and how powerful it is, so that is what God directed me to share with you tonight.  

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.