Safari Time!

Over the weekend we decided to get away and visit life in other lands...


or not. I just found it very strange to see camels in the middle of the United States that weren't part of a circus or zoo. Kind of cool to see in the middle of nowhere. If you look at the photos, you will be reminded of just how truly strange camels look. And if you take an even longer look, you might even be reminded that God is so awesome He even gave us interesting animals to look at. His creations are wonderful!
As our new life continues, we continue to thank God for all the kids' return to school and the smoothness of it all. I still watch the clock and smile when my family is all together again but my fingernails are completely in tact and I haven't hidden my head under a blanket so there's something to be said for letting God see a person through. Dirk is settling in to his work and keeping busy with the extras of ministry. And I am still putting away a box here and there. The SUPER EXCITING news is that we have visitors coming this weekend!!!!!!! We will head for Cole's football game and then spend the weekend enjoying the gift of family and friends! YAY!!!!!
So, back to the camels, I hope you enjoy this day and appreciate the strange things that sometimes God blesses us with.

Back to School...

#68

So, Cole's first day of school was today *gulp*, *sniff*, *cough*... The good news is that we survived it. I'm still unsure if it was more difficult for Cole, his dad, or myself. All day long, Dirk and I were clock watchers and even tho he had football practice after school, we seemed to breathe easier from the time we knew he was out of school for the day. (How strange is that? We were relieved that he was on the football field over school!) Anyway, the coach said they would be done with practice between 4:-4:30, so at about 3:40, Dirk said he couldn't stand it any longer and took off to watch the end of Cole's practice. He was smiling when he came in the door and wants to go back tomorrow...(Being the kind of mother that I am, I was willing to let him return to homeschool if it didn't work for him.) So, he is officially #68, a defensive end. And I am officially a public school mom.



These days were a lot easier to handle...


And these days I miss the most...

Go #68, I love you!

Fine Dining

Our need to go shopping superceded the wisdom of staying home and saving gas money over the weekend. And somewhere in the back of my husband's mind there was the tiny thought that IF we were going to a city big enough for good shopping, there was quite possibly a Chipotle in the vacinity.

Sorry, Kristy! Dirk made me put these on here. :)

Friday Nite Fun is Back!

Lately, Dirk and Will have been having some pretty interesting challenges on the Wii. Tennis seems to be the sport of choice and we all get quite a few laughs out of watching it. Dirk gets a little wild with the 'racket' and so far Will has only taken a couple of hits but they continue to have a blast. It reminds me that not long ago having family time on a Friday night wasn't possible. God is so good!



Cole is pretty happy that it's Friday too! It will give the bruises time to heal.

As a 'newbie' sports mom, I am adjusting daily to the site of my son coming home looking a little worse for wear. Altho he looks pretty rough on the outside, it's pretty nice to see how much he is enjoying living out one of his longed-for dreams. He reminds me that we are to "delight ourselves in the Lord, and He will give us the desires of our hearts." *Thanks, God!*

On the third day...

Everyone told Cole that the third day would be the hardest...
...they were right.


After a nap and several bottles of gatorade, he was ready to go again, just a little slower than before.

The Addition Project

A few days ago we recieved the good news that our house is going to be added on to! I thought it would be kind of fun to blog the progress so hang on to your hard hat and enjoy the project...without the dust, noise and electricity outages!

So far, they have just gotten the ok for the addition. This is currently the deck but will soon become the master bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room.

Right now the deck is empty except for being Ally's rabbit's home. Occasionally, Dirk grabs a chair and talks with the neighbor kids from there but for the most part, it's just waiting to become a bedroom! :)

Dirk took our freshman for a haircut this morning. It looks pretty good for being new to a small town and not knowing where to go! Behind Will is the kitchen window that will soon become the entryway to the addition.

School Daze Ahead...

As we continue to settle in to our new location we have lots of changes continuing to happen. After Cole took off for football practice this morning I made a questionable error in judgment. Obviously, one of many. I have no one but myself to blame and so I've accepted that I will be facing the outcome of my actions--or lack of actions--for many days to come. You see, I stayed home while Ally, Will and Dirk went to pick out paint for the schoolroom. For some reason, I had it in my head that Dirk would be the 'voice of reason' (Yes, I know exactly what you are thinking. I've been married to the man for over 18 years, I should have known!) So anyway, they came home with not just green--NEON GREEN to be exact. I had heard mention of orange before they left and for some reason I expected a pale orange to come back. So, as we prepare for another year of homeschool, I will often look at the freshly painted walls and remember that next time, I'm going to the paint store.

This is not your average school room color!

The culprits hard at work.

The sort of finished product...

He's Gone

After days of constant prayer, he left this morning. Ugh, the pain a mother goes through to appear that she is completely confident in her child's ability to stand up against the rottenness of the world and face life on a football field. Yes, I know he is 17, but he is and always will be my baby that began his earthly life inside of me. His dad and I were up early after a sleepless night of 'checking on him'. Funny, how every time we looked in on him, he was oblivious to our concerns and was sleeping peacefully. (Just another reminder that God was acting on our prayers.) So this morning, after we prayed with him and told him how proud of him we were, Dirk took him to his first two-a-day football practice. After pulling up to the field, with not much more than a "See ya later, Dad.", he was gone. Released into God's perfectly capable hands and very much out of ours. So, Dirk came back home, sunglasses firmly in place to cover eyes that shed more tears than they had in years, to comfort me, who is holding her breath and praying unceasingly until 12:00 today when he will come home again... at least until tomorrow and all the tomorrow's ahead where he will walk boldly into the life God has called him to as a very special man of God. Is it strange to miss him already?

I sent this letter to a friend this morning and then decided to blog it. I know it may seem quite strange but when you've been a homeschool mom for ten years, regardless of whether we were living in the jungle, the city or the country, we've always been together. I am so thankful that God transcends boundries and football practices.

***UPDATE***
Practice is over and he loved it! Thank You, God!

Back in the Saddle

This morning was Dirk's second Sunday since his return to full-time preaching. There may be many things I question in life but Dirk's calling to pastor is not one of them.

Guitar Hero and Old Ladies...

Still in the midst of a million boxes, we decided to take time out for a little guitar hero today. There is nothing like rockin out to a few oldies, especially when you beat the youngin's! Sorry Jordon and Aric but this old lady beat you. Just let us know when you are ready to defend your honor... We'll be waiting. :)

The Move

Ahhh... The blood has begun pumping through my system again. The wonderful man from the internet service knocked on our door this morning and life took a big upswing! So here are the photos I've been itching to put on. 'The Trip' as I've taken to calling it, definitely needs to be shared and with this in mind, some of the most exciting photos have been included... Enjoy yourself!

Nothing like looking at the back end of a U-Haul truck that doesn't go nearly fast enough.


At least some of us were having a good time.

My dad wanted me to check out the corn as we drove. Good thing, because that was one of the few things to see on 'the trip'.

Wow, look! A U-Haul truck still in front of me!
Well, he's been a big help!

Oh, for a second there I thought I lost the truck!

My new co-pilot. Fortunately, he's not the sleeper that my previous helper was but he usually has his nose in a book!

Yep, the corn's growing good here too!

Still... rollin' along...

Well, she's not much help. I don't even know which end is up in this photo! btw, I didn't take this photo. Not that I took any of them because I am a very conscientious driver who would never take photos while driving. sort of.

Oh, yea, a lot has changed since we started this trip.

Obviously, someone is completely and totally bored at this point! It's time to reach the end of the road!!!