My favorite time of year.........

I love this time of year in Pa. Eugene says it hasn't gone past him that the Lord has brought us back during the fall......my most favorite season by far ! There is something about the piles of leaves everywhere that makes me happy. While most think the leaves need to be raked up to keep a neat appearance I believe they should stay as long as possible. As long as they look pretty and still blow around then leave them ! They are God's gift to us. Think back to the days as a child when we would love to run and jump into a big pile. How fun ! I find so often as humans we overlook the simple yet beautiful gifts God has blessed us with. So today let's take time to enjoy the simple free things in life. :)

Chad Showing Off His Art Project "HAPPY FALL"

Chad pretending to be a squirrel

Hmmmm......Let's try that picture again........

Much better !

Waiting on the Lord........

We have been in Pa. for a few weeks now. It doesn't seem like we have a life yet though. I know that if God calls us to live here then we will start feeling like we belong. I do miss my old life down South still. It is still hard over a year later, to completely let go of what once was. I have never felt such a sence of belonging as I did there. For the first time in my life it all felt complete. Perfect. ( I know it wasn't perfect for nothing ever is but it was wonderful ) Yet just as a wave can come and slowly wash away parts of our sand creation we carefully built, our life was slowly washed away part by part. I know that the Lord can rebuild our life for us all over again. This time on a more solid foundation. Hopefully a more permanent one too ! LOL I really long for a place to call home. A home of our own. A place we can just be a family and feel settled. Chad's toys , books, ext have been in storage for so long. I find I don't need most of my stuff ( even though I do miss my clothes and shoes that are packed away ) but I feel bad for Chad. Most of his Christmas presents from last year were not even opened up ( they were unwrapped but not opened to play with ) and soon there will be another Christmas ! I do not want him to miss out on his childhood. I want him to have his Lego's , stuffed animal, his belongings. the things he associated with who he was as a child. Please keep us in prayer as we wait on the Lord to settle us in somewhere.

Company ........

Tonight we had company :) Eugene and I invited my Aunt and Uncle along with their family over. Unfortunately one of their children were sick and we missed her :( We did have fun with the rest of them though. It is nice to visit with family who are also friends. I think often it is so easy to get caught up in the business of life and forget what is truly important. Eugene and I are trying hard to every day focus on the things that the Lord would want us too and keep His priority's first. We know all to well that if you let it~ life can happen too fast and take away from us the very things the Lord has blessed us with. Does that make sense ? Anyway, Thank you Rick, Lori, Jessica and Alex for the wonderful evening :)

Chad's Birthday 2009

Thumbs down after a "bad" round.

The perfect roll ?

Will it make it ?

Oh yeah ! I'm Good !

Chad's Birthday 2009

Chad with his thumbs down cause he doesn't feel he is bowling very well !

Steffany and Adam

Chad with Pop-Pop and Nanna

Chad with Adam

That night my parents took us all out bowling as a gift to Chad. He has been wanting to go for a long time now and it was the perfect gift. We all had so much fun ! My mom won the first game with me coming in 2nd and I won the 2nd game ! Yay ! I usually don't win so I was happy about my score :)

Chad's Birthday 2009

Cake Time ! Chad was so proud of his cake and happy to show it off :)

Chad's Birthday 2009

Chad with daddy

Yippee ! Another present !

Chad with Nanna.

Present from pop-pop and Nanna.

Enjoying his birthday supper of pizza and chips.

Chad's Birthday 2009

One of the joy's of homeschooling is being able to spend the whole day

with Chad. I love that I am able to bring other activities into our day along side the basic subjects. On his birthday we had a "baking" class and Chad was able to bake and then decorate his birthday cake. Chad loves to be in the kitchen so he loved the idea of baking his own cake. He was so proud of it !

Chad's Birthday 2009

Taking a picture of ourselves.

Chad really wanted these videos and I found them on ebay for $1.99 a piece ! I later heard him telling daddy that God really does still do miracles cause Mommy found the videos on ebay and lots of times when he wants something mommy can find it on ebay so that is proof God still does miracles ! It is in moments like that where I think I am truly the happiest after all what is more important then hearing your son talk about his faith in his Heavenly Father ?

Opening presents time :)

Chad's Birthday 2009

Yesterday, October 22nd we celebrated Chad's 8th birthday. He helped me make his breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes.

Today My baby turns 8 !!!!

Where does all the time go ? I can't believe Chad is 8 ....soon he will be 10....which just seems old ! I mean it makes me seem old ! LOL This morning we made chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream and sprinkles. ( Chad's request, I just ate yogurt ! ). Then this afternoon we had fun baking and decorating a birthday cake for Chad. One of the joy's of homeschooling is being able to do special things like that even during the school year. I love Chad so much and I am so thankful God has blessed Eugene and I with such a wonderful son :)

One week back in Pa......

So we have been in Pa for a week now. Well around midnight tonight will be one week sense we arrived at my parents. LOL. We have been trying to start "living" again. I sorta naively thought once we got here the "journey" would be over. I mean once Gene heard God and stepped out in faith it would all just be. Haha, if only it worked that way. So we are currently staying here at my parents. We are praying that God will open the doors for us to get a place of our own. We have found a foreclosure in Reading. A single with a 2 car garage. Just reduced to $24,000 plus about $10,000 in repairs. So for about $30,000 we could have a home :) So weird to be in a place where we can no longer just apply for a mortgage. Last time we were home shopping we were told we could buy a home over $200,000 and now here we are ! Amazing how fast life can change on ya. Some nights I want to cry in despair but Gene then reminds me of all God's promises. He will be faithful to us. We just need to keep trusting in him. The other night as I laid in bed crying and repeating the words over and over "It's just not fair" . Gene sat there gently rubbing my back whispering word of comfort from the Bible. It made me think how far we have come in things that truly matter. All of this is totally worth it to see my husband become the spiritual leader I have praying for ten years for him to become. I want to thank all of you who have stood behind us in prayers over the last year ( and years ). Without the prayers of those who truly care we might have not made it ! I know that God has good things in store for us. While it may not always look to the world we are blessed God has been faithful and will continue to do so. I am so thankful to God for you my friends, my extended family and my son and husband. I ask that you continue to pray for us as we continue the journey ( I guess it really never ends, does it ? ). My husband feels the Lord has shown him things that we must continue to stand firm on even if some do not understand. Pray that we have courage to stand firm on God's truths and wisdom in knowing how to handle situations that arise. Also that we may continue to have God's love for those in our lives who continue down an unhealthy path.

Leaving Tulsa today

We are preparing to leave Tulsa soon. Will be leaving in about 20 minutes. We will be in Pa in a few days. I really like Tulsa, Oklahoma and could have been content here. I am trying to be very brave ! I know I can trust God with everything yet I still feel a little apprehensive. This is definitely requiring more faith from Gene and I then what we have done so far. I have no fear that God won't be with us and meet our every need yet..... Please just keep my family in prayer. Thanks. Blessings,

Will just have to finish later......last blog of September !

I have 10 minutes till the first of October. There is no possible way I would be able to finish all my blogging for Yellowstone Park and Nebraska tonight ! I thought about going into my computer and setting the time back so my blogs would still post under September but I am really tired. I know I will regret this later but I am just gonna have to finish my blogging on the "WEST" trip in my October blogs. I mean, It really isn't a big deal and I shouldn't get so funny about things. I need to let go more and not be ....... well whatever it is I am that makes me feel like certain things just have to be organized a certain way.With that I leave ya......off to dream land I go :) Blessings,

In Yellowstone National Park *September 2009

During our trip out west it soon became apparent that wild buffalo were the norm. It got to the point were we would be like oh man, it's only buffalo ! We want to see something else......like a bear ! Still dangerous creatures though. A park guide was saying how people come in and think sense they must be use to people you can get close to them. They have had some really bad things happen to people there because of this thinking ! We were able to get pretty close to them but it was because we had no other choice. They would often come close to the road or even block the road. We even were outside close to some at one point. That was kinda scary. We knew not to come anywhere near their baby's. The last picture is blurry but I wanted to post it anyway. This buffalo really scared the geebiezes out of me. We were driving down the road. I was gazing out the window in deep thought when all of a sudden for a split second he was staring in my eyes ! ( or so it seemed ! ) We turned around to take a picture of the big guy.

In Yellowstone National Park *September 2009

I know I am posting a ton of pictures from Yellowstone. Please bear with me. I am using this blog as a scrapbook of sort for my family. It is all I can do for now until I actually have time to make a scrapbook. I know it seems like I am posting pic after pic but believe it or not I took well over 1,000 pictures in our 3 week trip out west ! Thanks to digital cameras I can take as many as I want and just keep down loading them onto my laptop :)