13 Years with Luke!

Today we are celebrating our first teenager in the house.  It hasn't really hit me that we have officially entered the teen years.  I'm already seeing glimpses of my little boy turning into a young man with the choices and voluntary serving others.  They are brief, but he is a work in progress as we all are.  I love his heart and I'm excited to see him grown into the young man God intends for him to be!

Flag Football Season!

We were delayed by a cold and wet weekend, but this weekend didn't disappoint.  It was a beautiful day for flag football and hard to picture that I would most likely wear my winter jacket before the end of the season!  Both boys had a really good day with their games.  Luke's team came away with a win and Andrew's team tied at 0 points.  It was actually a really good game despite the score.  They stopped them 3 times right on the goal line.  It was a fun way to spend our morning.  If you need us on a Saturday morning the next few weeks, we'll be at the flag football field!

 Luke caught and ran in this in for the first touchdown of the season!

 Yes, he did catch it!

 This kid LOVES football season and couldn't wait to get his hands on the ball.  He had a good game of gaining some yards for his team as well as pulling some of those hard to reach flags on defense!

Andrew's halftime interview on determination and obedience.  He shared the experience with one of his best buddies!

Family Pictures 2018

 Luke - 12 years (11 months) - nearly a teenager!

 Andrew - 10 years

 Hannah - 11 years

This one was entirely Andrew's idea and I will treasure it as a glimpse of his personality each time I see it!

Catching Up!

 Oh, how I have let too much time lapse since I've last posted.  Here is a brief post to help catch up and the best way to do it is through some of our pictures from our summer adventure.

 The last day of school for the Trio.  Oh, how we needed summer break and the much anticipated fun of our summer.  Last year was a bit of a challenge on a few different fronts.  God was faithful and we made it through, but the break was a definite relief!

 One of our first adventures was a 10 mile bike ride checking out the local community.  I loved it, but some others didn't enjoy it nearly as much!  It was a good ride and we'll have to do it again.  It would help, though, if they all had geared bikes - maybe the next time....

 We had a great time visiting my sister's family this summer.  We first got to see two of them perform in Aladdin Jr.  One of them was the Genie.  He did a phenomenal job and made the play!  It was so very fun to watch!

 They also got to come see us when we all headed to the zoo.  Unfortunately, our visit was cut short due to a torrential downpour.  We were wet, made memories and enjoyed being together despite the brevity of the day.

 Hannah and I took a special weekend away.  The highlight of the trip was to visit Sight & Sound Theatre's presentation of Samson.  I highly recommend!  It was so good with so many good messages.  We thoroughly enjoyed it!

 A first for us this summer was a week stay at camp for the Trio.  They attended a Christian camp in southern Indiana, SpringHill.  They had a great time and asked within minutes of us picking them up if they could return next summer.  It was a good camp with so much growth in a variety of ways for all of them.

While the kids are away, the adults will play.  Chris and I wandered through Northwest Indiana and on up the east side of lake Michigan seeing the sights and visiting friends.  It was a good time away!

For the 4th of July, we took a spontaneous trip to Midway.  We hopped on a plane and rode with Chris to work.  He then flew his routes and we hopped on another flight back home.  Chris's parents were even able to join us.  It was fun to get a glimpse of how Chris spends a bit of his time away from home.

 We attended Annie at the oldest and largest outdoor theatre in the United States - The Muny.

 It's almost un-American in this part of the country, but after 4 years we finally made it to a Cardinals game!  It was the perfect night and a great experience.

 I'd been begging to head out camping for just a couple of nights.  We had a beautiful weekend and headed to southern Illinois.  I was surprised at how beautiful the area was and how nice the campground.  It felt good to unplug and hike through God's creation.

We met my sister and her family at the half way point and took in the State Fair for the day.  We enjoyed the surprisingly hard to find elephant ears!  Evidently, Indiana is the nearly the only place that really enjoys the wonderfully tasty treat.

The first day of school 2018-2019.  We had so much fun during the summer and I never get overly excited about the first day.  However, it is thankfulness that we enjoy God's mercy of a new start.  Luke and Hannah are now at the jr high and Andrew is finishing up his last year at the elementary.

A Defense of Honor - Book Review

A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter was a delightful book to read.  I could have read this book more quickly, but I was enjoying it so much that I just didn't want it to end.  The author brought to light a little known aspect of  life for the royal elite.  She did it in a wonderful way to give light on how good decisions can really improve bad choices that led to a bad situation.  I also enjoyed it because I wasn't exactly sure where she was going with the story line.  It was definitely not predictable!  The characters were believable and relatable.  I'm really looking forward to the next book in this Haven Manor series!

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a review copy. A review was not required, and all opinions are my own.

Together Forever - Book Review

Together Forever is the second book in the Orphan Train series by Jody Hedlund.  I did not have the privilege of reading the first book in this series, but I was still able to follow the story line.  I just might have to go back and read the first one, though! I did like this book.  It was fun, entertaining and shed light on an often overlooked event in American history - orphan trains shortly before the Civil War.  I enjoyed the interactions between the main characters.  However, I felt like some of those events would have been highly unlikely and even looked down upon during that time if they would have been discovered.  However, if you want an easy read that brings up some interesting thoughts and questions on orphans in the mid-1800s, this book is for you.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a review copy. A review was not required, and all opinions are my own.

The Accidental Guardian - A Book Review

Honestly, The Accidental Guardian by Mary Connealy was not my favorite book nor did it even come close.   The idea for the story line was a good one and had quite a bit of potential of being a great book that I couldn't put down.  However, I just didn't enjoy a couple things.  First, I found the character development to be quite lacking.  It seemed like the characters had endured some huge life situations with little effect on their personality.  It also seemed like some characters would be thinking one way and suddenly they were thinking another without enough explanation or story as to why they were now making a different decision that they so strongly felt about just a few pages earlier.  Second, the story just felt clunky to me.  Some aspects of the story seemed to flow quite smoothly, but other parts just seemed unlikely or out of character.  The climax was even hard for me.  It felt like we just missed out on the action and were told what had happened.  I wanted to like this book, but I will see if I read the remainder of the books in the High Sierra Sweethearts Series.

Thank you to Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a review copy. A review was not required, and all opinions are my own.

The DAY that CHANGED EVERYTHING!

As we go through life, there are days that we look on as defining moments in our lives.  The day we got our driver's license, the day we graduated from college, the day we were married and on and on.  However, there are days in human history that have defined us as people and will eternally impact us. 

The first one occurred thousands of years ago in the Garden of Eden.  It was where Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in paradise.  There was no evil.  There was no sin.  However, there was one day where Adam and Eve made a decision that would change life on earth.  They chose to eat from the one tree in the Garden that God forbade them to eat from.  They disobeyed and sin and death (separation from God) entered into our world.  Nothing was the same after that.  That was a defining moment for all of mankind - even today.

Another day came several thousands of years later.  This day we celebrate now as Christmas.  Jesus came into this world as a tiny baby.  He came to seek and save those that were lost (Luke 19:10) - those that were separated from God through sin.  That would be each and every human being. 

Thirty-three years later, Jesus was a man.  He'd spent the three years prior teaching His disciples, teaching the people God's way and loving those He came into contact with.  He was tempted in every way, but never did sin (Hebrews 4:15).  He was perfect.  See, to pay the penalty for our sin, we needed a perfect sacrifice to take that sin away.  That was Jesus, God's very own Son.  He was perfect and died on the cross.  That's what we remember each year two days before Easter on Good Friday.  He died for us because He so very deeply loved each one of us.

The next defining day came just three days later - the day Jesus rose from the dead!  He came to life after dying - taking our sin on Himself and being separated from God.  Jesus defeated death once and for all!  Not only did He defeat death, He offered us salvation. (Romans 6:23)  These last two days are what changed everything.  If Jesus hadn't died for our sins and defeated death once and for all, we would have no hope.  He rescued us from the depths of sin, death and hell.  His death and resurrection brought those that believe hope for today and for eternity.

There are now only two more defining days for all of mankind, but only one of those is our choice and every human will choose one way or the other.  There is no middle ground.

These are the days which we now live.  These are the days that we need to make a choice.  What we choose will impact us for eternity.  Will we accept God's gift of salvation, His payment for our sins on the cross and live eternally with Him?  Will we choose not to accept God's gift of salvation and be eternally separated from Him?  The day that changed my life for eternity (literally) came when I was just 5 years old.  I knew I needed Jesus and asked Him to live with me.  That is the BEST decision I have ever made - hands down!  Sure, my reasons when I was five were childlike, but God has grown me and continues to grow me through the years to love Him more and more and rely on Him.  I ask you, if you have not made a decision to accept His gift on the cross, please do so!  It is a gift (Romans 6:23).  There is nothing you can do.  It is not based on works or whether you're a "good" person (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Jesus doesn't want that.  Jesus wants your heart.  All you need to do is to admit that you're a sinner and repent.  Believe that Jesus is God's own Son and died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice to save us from our sins. (John 3:16)

There is one last defining day for human history.  It will come in an instant, in a blink of an eye, like a thief in the night (I Thessalonians 5:2).  Jesus will come back for those that have made the decision to follow Him.  He won't come for everyone. His gift of salvation is conditional (John 3:16 "whoever believes in Him").   His gift of salvation is for only those that accept Him.  He won't come for the "good" person.  He won't come for those that have a long list of accomplishments.  It will never be enough.  He will return for those that love Him.  He will rescue us and take us to live with Him for eternity.  Not choosing Jesus before His return or our earthly death will forever separate us from the only One that truly, deeply, and sacrificially loves you. 

As you can see, dear, dear friends, Jesus is at the root of the most basic and most important days of all mankind.  Nothing has impacted all of mankind through the centuries as Jesus.  Please, let me know if you have questions, would like to chat about the most important decision that you'll ever make or would like a Bible.  I would have no greater honor!  Love you friends!

Carnival Dream

Not only did we enjoy each of stops, but the ship was a bit of a destination in its own way.  The kids absolutely loved it!  Chris and I enjoyed it, but I doubt if we do another cruise in the near future (we may surprise ourselves, though).  The food was delicious and it was fun to try all of the "things you've always wanted to try, but never have".  We tried fried calamari, ox tongue, rabbit, escargot, frog legs and Luke tried all things seafood.  My favorite was either the calamari or ox tongue and my least favorite goes to escargot.  I'm glad I tried them, but I'm fine to go without.  We enjoyed all sorts of activities on board.  The kids enjoyed the kids' camp while Chris and I often went enjoyed the shows after our dinners.  We attended a Military Appreciation, a towel folding class, Q&A with the cruise director and spent time just sitting a watching the world go by and then eating some more for good measure.  Honestly, by the end of the week, we were kind of done with the amount of food there was to partake.  It was a picture perfect week and we couldn't have asked for a better first cruise, memories or time together as a family.

 So excited to see an ice carving

 One of the many items of seafood Luke tried.

 

One of the highlights was having the same servers each evening.  I was most impressed when he asked our names the first night and from then on always called us by our first names - even the kids.  We really enjoyed their stories of their lives.  Our two main servers were from the Philippines and Myanmar.  They each had babies at home and were hoping to make it home in time for their birthdays.  I was also deeply struck by how hard their lives must be.  They were also both on month 6 or so of an 8 month contract.  That is a very long time to be away from family.  I couldn't help but compare it to our lives as a military family.  However, I felt certain that their separations were far more difficult than those we've experienced. Then again, Chris and I have been blessed not to have to be apart for that length of time and nothing close to that.  I really liked that the kids got to interact with them as well.

 Just a couple of family pictures

 One last picture as we cruise up the Mississippi into our port in New Orleans with the sun rising behind us.

Mahogany Bay, Hoduras

I'm pretty sure our approach was the most beautiful part of our trip.  I thought it was gorgeous!  Again, we didn't have a plan for our third and final stop of our cruise, but there was a nearby beach that we took full advantage of.  Unlike American beaches that offer no relief from the unrelenting sun, this one was full of chairs and all sorts of palm trees making it a lovely place to relax.  Chris and the kids enjoyed swimming.  Chris also found a place to snorkel just a bit.  Everyone enjoyed Belize, but the kids also really enjoyed snorkeling one-on-one with Chris.  They had never been snorkeling so had nothing to compare it to.  It was a good place to start and I think they would enjoy more of it.  We finished our time there with just a bit of souvenir shopping before heading to the ship for a two day stint at sea.

 Watching the boat dock...It really is interesting

 Andrew's fun seat

 Chris and Hannah out for a swim

 A very short jaunt through the jungle

So long to the south and from here, we're headed north

Xunantunich Mayan Ruins and Belize

 Our approach to Belize City

To celebrate Chris's first year with Southwest, we made our next stop in Belize and it was "Un-Belize-able!"  This was my favorite stop.  However, I really enjoy stopping and taking in the culture and our excursion this day gave a very brief glimpse as to more of this country.  We took an excursion to some Mayan ruins about 75 miles from where we were in port.  They loaded us on motor coach buses and we were off.  However, we hadn't traveled more than a few feet when the driver took our breath away by threading the large vehicle between another motor coach and a bus stop with only 5 inches (probably less!) of clearance on each side.  We gasped and he didn't hit anything!  During our drive out, our tour guide, Elmer, told us all sorts of things about the country.  They speak very good English there so we learned they are an independent Commonwealth of Britain.  Mahogany is one of there treasured natural resources.  They have no mosquitoes in the high elevations (yes, we didn't see any and never used our bug spray...in the jungle!)  When we arrived at the Mayan ruins, we learned a bit about the Mayans.  I knew nothing so anything they told me was new.  I really enjoyed the climb to the top and the view of the western part of Belize from the top - not to mention the nice cool breeze.  Afterwards, we were served a traditional Belize meal of chicken, beans and rice before taking the bus ride back to the port.

 One of the many schools that we passed

 Xunantunich Mayan ruins

 Mahogany Tree

 View from the top

 If you look past the white line in the distance, that is Guatamala

 Police Station

 A library

Just a fun little picture from our trip returning us to the ship