Journey

Every December, our church does an interactive journey to the manger. We dress up in costumes and take groups of people on a mile long walk. They get to meet a mapmaker, run into beggars, cross the Jordan, be interrogated by Roman soldiers, talk to a broken down Jewish family, meet the Wise Men, talk to shepherds while an angel appears with a wondrous message, become accosted by robbers, experience the demeaning tax collector, shop in the Bethlehem marketplace, get turned down at the inn, and see baby Jesus with his mom and dad in the stable. It is really quite the experience. I wish that I could show you pictures, but cameras aren't allowed, as it would take away from the experience of going back into time and it may scare our real life animals -( we even have a camel!)

This time can be a lot of work and very tiring. On busy nights, the tour guides walk the trail 5 times. It can be cold and wet. There are times we don't get home until midnight. There are times we do this ministry just out of duty and with an unwilling heart. But how can one be around so much Truth and not be blessed at least once. Our journey to the manger is such a great start to the season. It truly is a blessing. I want to end my post today with the lines that people hear when they come into the stable and see the baby Jesus.

Tour Leader's wife: Family, look! There's the baby. It's as the angels have told us -"A babe, wrapped in swaddling---" look, it's Joseph and Mary from Nazareth!

Leader: The Messiah! Family, we have found the Messiah!

Singer: O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Singer's Comments: This is the final scene. We hope that we've brought a meaningful portrayal of the events that led up to the birth of Christ.

Permit me to share with you the message of this special birth. Through our disobedience, we were separated from our Creator and a penalty had to be paid. Our Holy God loved us so much that He provided a way to pay that penalty and bring us back to Him. Somehow, God came to earth in the form of a baby, born of an earthly woman - truly God, truly man. And Jesus willingly took the punishment we deserved upon Himself and died at Calvary on a cross, that we might be forgiven and set free. It would serve us well to think seriously on these things as we celebrate this Christmas season. Wise Men still seek their Christ.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas. May God richly bless you this coming year. Shalom.

Whatcha Cookin'

I started a new blog. rebecca-whatchacookin.blogspot.com It comes from the fact that I get discouraged with cooking. This is my outlet. I am going to share recipes/foods that I make. This will help me get out of my rut of cooking the same food over and over and over again. I will have to be stretched, so that I will be able to share them on my blog. I have a bunch to share now, but I am exercising restraint, because I am sure there will be a time when I will be at a loss of something to share.

PLUS, I am hoping that you, my non-commenting readers, will also share. Just think you would be helping me out - giving me new ideas of foods that you make. If you are unsure how to do this, you can leave me a comment. If you have my email, you can send me your ideas and I can post them for you. Also, if you want to be a regular food contributor, we can share the blog. Just think of the possibilities.

As you know, food brings people together. Do you think that people would really travel to such great distances for the holidays if there was not food involved. My great friend Kim and I, and our families of course, celebrated Thanksgiving together. We had a great time making the food together and everything turned out wonderful. Food is important and I want to use this blog to celebrate and encourage each other.

My Big Mouth

Have you ever said anything and then wish that you hadn't?I am sure most of us have, but it seems like some of us have a knack for it. I also know that there are times that I have wished that I had said something, but I didn't. (I attribute that to my slow thinking). Well, this past Sunday in church, I needed to get up and make 2 announcements and while I was up there I may have said a little too much.

You see, our church building, as new as it is, is rather small. While church is going on, there is a children's program going on at the same time. There are few times that we have been asked to keep it down because we are too loud. My opinion is that as long as the doors are shut and we are not being destructive, that "Big Church" really needs to get over it. Of course I didn't say that, but I did say that there may be times that they could hear the children and that part of me was sorry to hear that it was desruptive, but a part of me is not sorry. The small church that I grew up in, didn't have children's church and the children came into the sanctuary, so we at Grace have become a little spoiled that someone else is taking care of our children. And when we hear the children, we should remember that they are learning about Jesus and we should be grateful for that.

I prayed about it before I went up there, so I was confident about it at first, but I didn't sound so confident and afterwards, I felt even less confident. So even now I have been teeter-tottering about if it was the right thing to do. I guess only time will tell.

The fact of the matter is that the children aren't running around with their heads cut off - maybe only if Kirk is teaching their class and he is doing it with them, and the only people who hear the noise are the ushers in the hallway or the people in the very back, if the sanctuary doors are open. I think that I would rather be apart of a noisy church that is being used, than a quiet church that has no children.

Break

I have been taking a break from the computer, although it was not in my plans. Kirk disconnected our DSL for reasons that are way too complicated to share at the moment. As much as I miss having the internet, it has been nice too. A kind of fasting from something that sometimes takes too much of my time.

We went to a movie last night. We don't get out much, so it was a real treat - eating at Red Lobster and then going to Dan in Real Life at the the theater.(We had gift certificates for both - thank you to our church and pastor appreciation month). I must admit that I cried practically the whole way through. Not that it is a real tear jerker - everyone around me was not crying. It touch my heart and once I started crying, it was hard to stop. The movie was also very funny - so here I am cryng and laughing, crying and laughing. Have you ever done that? I highly recommend it - it is good for the soul. And I recommend the movie - Kirk even enjoyed it, and didn't mind his weepy wife.

The Question at Breakfast

Mom: Hey kids, do you hear that sound?

Daughter: Yeah.

Son: What is it?

Mom: A siren.

Son: What's a siren?

Mom: The sound that firetrucks and ambulances make. I don't know which one it is though, I can't tell.

Son: It is a fire truck.

Mom: I think it is an ambulance.

Daughter: I think it is too.

Son: Fire truck.

Daughter: Ambulance.

Son: Fire truck.

Daughter: Ambulance.

Son: Fire truck.

Mom: That's enough.

(while mom's back is turned getting something out of the refrigerator)

Daughter: (whispered) Ambulance.

Mom: I said enough.

Daughter: How did you hear that?

Mom: Because I am mom.

Coffee - the Great Spiritual Experience

I love the fall weather. I love the cooler mornings and evenings. In the summer I sometimes partake in a morning cup of coffee, but when fall and winter come - I enjoy it a lot more.
I love the feel of the warm cup in my cold hands. It is comforting. It is energizing. Coffee crosses historical lines, social lines, ethnic lines, and ages (even my kids like to drink "coffee milk"). It brings people together in fellowship.

One of my favorite times is meeting some of my friends at a coffee house and enjoying a cup of coffee. We could sit there for hours, enjoying each others company. There is always plenty to talk about and we usually have to tear ourselves away because we know if we stay any longer we will be in trouble with our husbands. It is a great release of our frustrations and we know that we can go home and be moms of little ones once again.

Another favorite time with coffee is in the morning while I do my Bible study. (I make that sound like I do it everyday.) It is my dream to do it everyday, but I struggle to get that time, but when I do, coffee adds to the experience.

Dear God, thank you for coffee, for cappucino, for frappucino, for latte, need I go on? Thank you for the wonderful gifts that you have given us in this world to bless us as we go about our day. Amen

Playing with Shadows

The kids and I had fun playing with their shadows. I still remember the first time my daughter discovered her shadow when she was 18 months old and she chased it . I so wished I had a camera.
I am so glad that I had a camera this time.

A Mother's Love

A mother's love is this: cleaning up stinky, make-you-want-to gag, projectile vomit at midnight and not minding so-much.

All three of my kids have been sick, including myself, but last night's sickness was one of the worst messes I have had to clean up. I have not had too much of a problem cleaning up my own kids' messes - whether it is dirty diapers or vomit. I don't know if I could clean up just anyone's vomit. That takes a lot of love.

Good-Bye Duck Friends

As many of you know, at the beginning of the summer we had about 20 chicks, 10 ducklings (4 were geese), and 10 turkey chicks. Kirk thought that they would be a good addition to our VBS. Unfortunately, a fox got into their pen and killed all of them except 3 ducks and 1 goose. Ever since, we have had them at our house. When they were little, we enjoyed being outside with them.

Unfortuately, babies grow up. We just didn't have the room for them and we have been considering what we should do with them. After having considered butchering them, we found a duck pond for them to go to instead.

I didn't have a camera with me and it was late Friday night when we dropped them off, so we went back today and they are doing great. They won't leave each others side. Our 3 year old had a hard time leaving them. He cried the whole way home on Friday night. He was much happier today when we went to see them. The kids had a great time chasing all the ducks around the pond. I bet they were glad to see us go. Good-bye duck friends.

Another Favorite Recipe

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show:	30 Minute Meals
Episode:	Get the Day Started Right

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 ounces, 1/4 cup, chopped walnuts
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 really ripe bananas, mashed up
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 stick butter, 1/4 cup, melted, plus additional for buttering skillet
Maple syrup or honey, for drizzlingHere's a great tip: if you cannot find really ripe bananas, just nuke them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and they will become super soft for mashing.

Mix dry ingredients, the first 7, in a bowl. In a another bowl, mix the wet ingredients, the next 4. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then fold in the mashed up bananas and the raisins. Stir in the melted butter.

Heat a griddle over medium heat and brush with additional melted butter. Cook pancakes, each about 1/3 cup, until bubbles form on the top, then turn. Cakes will cook in about 2 minutes on each side. Keep pancakes tented with foil as they come off the griddle to keep them hot. Serve with drizzled honey or maple syrup over the top.

Some of My Latest Favorite Recipes

Baked Beans

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

Show: Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee

Episode: Weekend Gathering

1/2 pound slab bacon, thickly sliced and chopped into 1/2-inch dice
2 (32-ounce) cans baked beans
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons honey

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, add the chopped bacon and cook over medium heat just until the fat begins to render, about 4 minutes. Add baked beans, ketchup, brown sugar, hot pepper sauce, and honey and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly to maintain a simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until flavors are combined.

Baby Back Ribs

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee

2 full racks (quartered) baby back ribs
1-quart beef broth
2 cups barbeque sauce (recommended: Bullseye Original Barbeque Sauce)
1 cup honey

Place ribs and beef broth in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, and add enough water to fully cover ribs. Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Once tender, remove and set aside.

Preheat the grill to medium heat. In a medium bowl, combine barbeque sauce and honey. Baste ribs generously with sauce and grill for about 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Rainy Days and Mondays

Karen Carpenter use to sing a song called "Rainy Days and Mondays." It was about how those things, "always get me down." Well no more - not me. Rainy days and Mondays don't get me down anymore. In fact, I look forward to them. Living in the part of California that I do, it doesn't rain all summer. It does start raining until sometime in the fall and goes off and on through the spring. It gets so dry here in the summer that I long for the rain. Doesn't rain make everything feel so fresh and new and clean? I can't wait for rain. I am praying for rain - isn't that another song?

And Mondays. Who likes Mondays? Well, now that I am a stay-at-home mom and a wife of a minister, I enjoy Mondays. The weekends are always so busy that Mondays are my let down day. A day to get everything refreshed and start a new busy week.

Thank you God for rainy days and Mondays.

Life's a Beach

This picture was taken this weekend while we were visiting our friends, Kim and Lance. I was just thinking that it would be way cool if we lived close to the beach and we could go there all the time. I saw one house that was super cute and it was just a few blocks away. What a life.

Thanks Kim and Lance for all you did this weekend. We love you!

Looking Back At Our Summer Accomplishments

With summer drawing to a close, I have been looking back at some of our accomplishments in the last 3 months.

Our dughter started the summer being too afraid to jump into the pool, even with her swimming vest on. She loved swimming, but she did not like going completely underwater. We tried to force her to do things, but she just screamed through the whole ordeal and was mad at us afterwards. What helped the most was having other kids her age over for a swim party and seeing that other kids would go down the slide, jump in the pool, and go completely underwater and have a great time. Slowly, after the party, she started putting her face in the water. Then she started swimming without her jacket (daddy taught her to swim) and jumping in with her jacket on. After we got home from our big trip, she started jumping in without the jacket and going down the water slide.

Our 3 year old son was also afraid of jumping in the pool. Now he does, while wearing his big floaty swim suit. The biggest accomplishment for him is just in the last week he is finally potty training. He tells us if he has to go. He had 2 accidents this past weekend, but other than that he is doing fabulous. What a long year it has been. I have been trying to train him for a year. He would go if I took him, but wouldn't tell me if he needed to go and would just make a big mess.

My 18 month old son started sleeping through the night just this summer. He is still not a great sleeper, but I am finally getting some sound sleep. Yee-haw! Plus, I finally weaned him from nursing about 6 weeks ago. It took a little bit longer than I had wanted, but it is finally done. ( I may have to blog about my nursing experiences at a later time.) Also, he started the summer hating the pool. Now he likes it. (Don't worry grandma and grandpa, daddy was nearby in this picture. The baby is never out of arm's reach when we are near the pool.) Isn't he a cutie?

I have learned a lesson in all of this - the kids had to be the one to decide that they could do it. I couldn't force them, or when I did force them, it all ended in frustration for everybody. Could all of these things been done a little earlier? Perhaps. Maybe I could have created situations that encouraged them more. Now, with all of these accomplishments behind us, I think, "Those things weren't so bad. Why did I get so frustrated?"

I do know that the kids acted just the way I act sometimes. When I have to learn somthing new, I don't enjoy being forced to do anything. I need to make the decision to change, before change will be even attempted. I think that is how it is at church too. A preacher can preach until he is blue in the face, but until the listener can say, "I need to change my ways", than nothing will get done. I think that can be very disheartening to a pastor of a church. What can pastors do to encourage change?

Our Wedding Anniversary

Yesterday we celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary(My profile has said that we have been married 9 years for the last 6 months, but it wasn't correct until now. I guess it felt like we had been married longer than 8 years. We have known each other for 13 years - wow! If we would have gotten married when Kirk wanted to get married, we would have celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary. I am glad we waited.) Anyway, Kirk took me to a fancy restaurant. We know the owners of the restaurant, but we can't afford to eat there very often. The only reason that we went there is because we had 2 gift certificates that we had been holding onto since Christmas.
It was so good and the waiters were so classy. They put the napkins on our laps and moved our silverware around for us. They have a wine list - although I don't drink wine, it sounds very classy, don't you think? The whole experience got me to thinking about when I worked as an intern at CIY(summer of '97). I was at a CIY in San Diego and one of the guys took the CIY staff out to a fancy restaurant. While we were there, the director of the conference, who shall remain nameless, asked me what the fanciest restaurant that I had eaten at. He says that I said that it was my prom, where we ate with plastic forks in our high school gym. (Which is true, we did eat in our gym with disposable plates and silverware.) I don't remember telling him about that. A couple of years ago, I saw this director once again at a California CIY (Cal Poly) and he was telling me (in front of someone I went to college with) how he had related the above events to the current CIY interns. I have to tell you I was quite embarrassed. Not that I am embarrassed about my background, but I am sure that I told him that because I was joking around. By that time in my life I had eaten in some classy establishments, but he took me seriously. I think what bothered me the most was that event was the one thing he remembered about me. I could think of a few better things for him to remember me for. Now as I am writing this, I just laugh. What a thing pride is. What a silly thing to be bothered with. There are plenty of other things in life to be bothered with than someone making fun of me. I do have a ton of respect for this man and I will not to let a silly old memory ruin it for me. That being said, the restaurant that I ate at last night is the most classy place that I have eaten at.
Kirk and I had a great time. We talked about the last nine years and we talked about our next nine years, Lord willing. I must say that they keep getting better and better as time goes by.

Friends

We just had an enjoyable visit from one of my Best Friends, Kim Marshall and her husband, Lance. Kim is one of those people in my life who has made me a better person. Plus we have great times together. It was great that they came over and the time went by fast. They introduced a new game to me called, Blokus. It is for ages 5 and up - only four players. If I was describing it, I would say it is a competive puzzle game. You are trying to get all your pieces to fit on a game board, but the other players can block you. If you like to play games, I recommend it.

Sunday, we went to Chuckie Cheese. That was a real treat. I was unsure how the afternoon was going to go, but the kids had a good time playing the games. It was good that we went with friends, because it would have been a lot of work keeping track of 3 kids.

Thanks Kim and Lance for the great weekend.

The Sin of Presumption

So I had another communion devotion to do. My idea came from a sermon that I heard this summer. I discussed the idea with my dad and he came up with part of it. The paragraph in italics is written by him.

As children, we make plans of what we want to do when we are older. As highschoolers, we plan on where we want to go to college or what career path we want to choose. As adults, we continue making plans about career changes, trips, family, where we will use our money. Some of us plan out our days to the last detail. Maybe we need to take a look at our plans again. Is something missing? For many of us, we have planned a day, sometimes a life without any thought of God being involved. And isn’t it easy to accept compliments on a life lived well and isn’t it easy to blame God for the things that don’t go as planned?

Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting in the Burlington Christian Church in Burlington, KS. I was there with my family, aunts, uncles, and cousins, celebrating my grandparents 60^th wedding anniversary. That Sunday, the preacher preached on what he called the sin of presumption, taken from James 4:13-17. “Now listen, you say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

How many of us actually live out our daily lives in reference to what God’s will is? How many of us make plans and include any thought of what God would want us to plan? These verses say that not considering God in our plans is a sin. It is a sin of presumption.

The sin of presumption is that we order our lives without reference to Jesus. Jesus died for us so that we might live for Him. This Lord’s supper that we take reminds us of our responsibility to live for Jesus and to include Him in all of our plans and all of our lives. To do otherwise is the sin of presumption. 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”

Lets’s pray,

Dearest Heavenly Father,

It is so easy to boast and brag about our lives, as if we were wholly responsible for the blessings we were given from the work that we did. Father, remind us, that we are a mist, we have no idea how long we are here on earth for. Help us use our times here, wisely, always in reference to Your Will. Today as we take this communion, remind us that we should no longer live for ourselves, but for Your Son Jesus, who died for all and was raised again.

In Jesus Name, Amen

First Day of School

My family has entered into a new chapter in our lives, the "School Years." My oldest started school yesterday. She was fine for awhile, but then after we got to school, she started to cry. I wanted to cry as well. After I left, a friend called and told me she was doing okay. I am so proud of her. She has been with me for as long as she can remember, what did I expect? When we moved to CA, I kept her at home - no daycare, no preschool, and not very many babysitters. She had a moment, but had a great time after that. Now with her gone during the day, I need to focus on my two boys. If you know my two boys, you know that this is important. Keep me in your prayers as I "train up" these 2 boys "in the way they should go."

Homecoming

The sweetness of coming home. We have been home since Thursday morning. We were gone 2 weeks. Isn't it nice to have the comforts of home? We are still going to bed Pacific Time and waking up Central Time, but besides that, we have adjusted nicely. The sweetest part is that we finally got to see daddy on Saturday. We haven't seen him for 17 days. Now that was the sweetest homecoming. The kids were so excited, Daughter and Son #1 couldn't stop giving him hugs and Son #2 just couldn't stop jumping up and down. It was a picture perfect moment that I didn't get a picture of.

And isn't God's love for us so much more than that? When a person that has been lost, comes back to HIM, what a celebration that would be?

P.S. One of the sweetest parts of my homecoming is when I got home, Kirk had scattered all over the house, chocolate kisses with notes declaring his love for me.

The Last Few Days

After the anniversary party in Kansas, my family traveled to Omaha for a few days together before the kids and I flew out. We had the pleasure of meeting my brother Paul's girlfriend, Alyssa.

On Tuesday we went to the zoo. The highlight for Daughter were the flamingos, penguins, polar bears, the "zebra cow", and the Dinosaur movie in the IMAX theatre. Son #1's highlight was the train. The train letting off steam left quite an impression on him. The picture on the left is at one of the waterfalls in The Jungle. The last time we were there, 5 years ago, Kirk, our daughter and I took a picture right there too. Later on Tuesday, Suzi, Tom, and me went out to eat with some college friends, Tim and Betsy Green, while everyone else stayed at the hotel and had McDonald's. Betsy and I had our second to last kids on the same day, and then we had our last children a couple weeks apart. Tim is one of Kirk's good friends and was a groomsmen in our wedding.

On Wednesday, we traveled to Nebraska Christian College, located in Papillion, NE. My whole family attended Nebraska Christian College, but that was when it was located in Norfolk, NE. The college felt like they would have more opportunities for the students if they were closer to Omaha.So in the last year they made the big move. The campus looks good. I wish them the best. I haven't always supported them moving, but now that they have I hope that they just keep moving forward. If I were to ever win millions of dollars, that would be one organization that I would give some of my money to.

Well, after lunching at Red Robin, we shopped at Borders, the book store until it was time to leave for the airport. After checking in, my mom was allowed to come up with us as we waited. Which was a good thing. We had to wait for awhile because the plane was late. It is always bittersweet saying goodbye to my parents, I never know for sure when I will see them again. After we started down the ramp, my struggles began. I couldn't get my big ' rickety stroller to close. Then the whole trip, Son #2 struggled with me to stay on my lap. We spilled the drink the stewardess was trying to hand us. Right towards the end of the very long flight to the Phoenix Airport, Daughter had to go potty. I told Son #1 to stay in his seat, that we would be right back, but we had to come right back because the bathroom was occupied. After it was free, we tried again. The stewardess wouldn't let me stand outside of the door, I had to go in. Just as we were closing the door, Son #1 came running up, so I pulled him inside as well. We were squished in there. The whole time I was saying, "Son #1, no" "Son #2, no." As we were leaving the restroom area, the stewardess says, "You should get the Mother of the Year award." I had no time to respond, because my children were headed down the aisle and I didn't want them to miss our seats. Just when were landing, Son #2 finally fell asleep. It just happened to be the wrong time, because as we got into the Phoenix airport, Son #1 started throwing a fit and I couldn't figure out what gate my plane was suppose to fly out of. The monitor was wrong, so I had to rudely interrupt someone to ask because I was starting to panic. I actually had plenty of time and the gate was close. After a potty break, we got back into line, just in time for Son #1 to throw another fit. I did talk him out of it and we got on the plane with no problems and I had Daughter and Son #1 asleep before we left the runway. Son #2 took a little more time, but was also asleep. What a glorious last hour and a half flight it was. I would like to say all was well when we landed in Sacramento, but it wasn't. Son #1 threw another fit as we got into the airport. Thankfully, I had friends waiting for me to take us home. We walked into our house at 1:30 a.m. It was good to be home.

Thank You Mom and Dad for everything that you did for us on this trip. We had so much fun, thanks for the adventure!

Kansas

The main reason that the kids and I came back to the Mid-west this summer was the fact that my Grandma and Grandpa Huff were celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary. I haven't seen them or made it down there in 5 years - My daughter was just 6 weeks old.

It was a little apprehensive for me because I hadn't been back for awhile, but it was great to see everyone and visit. Almost everyone showed up for at least part of the weekend (we were missing one cousin that is stationed over seas). On Saturday we took family pictures. Of course my kids were having issues and I couldn't get them to smile. The Daughter said that she was embarassed because there were so many people there. Son #1 was just grumpy. I even tried bribing them with an ice cream cone and then threatening them. Nothing worked until the last few pictures, I think that Daughter finally smiled. Afterwards she asked me if she could have that ice cream cone. I never clarified that she had to smile for every picture, but I didn't give into her. I told her that she needed to smile in every picture and that she missed out.

Some of the highlights for the kids were going to the city pool that was reserved for our family and great-grandma's fish pond. I think that only 2 or 3 kids ended up falling in the whole weekend, but boy they got messy.

The highlight for me was seeing everyone, especially my brother Tom and his family and my brother Paul. My neice and nephew had grown up so much in one year. That is one thing that makes me sad about living far away, missing a relationship with all my nephews and neices. It was fun to see my kids playing with their cousins, and their Uncles and Aunt.
By this time of the trip, I was getting a little exhausted living out of a suitcase and being a single-parent. The kids, especially Son #1 and Son #2, were having a hard time sleeping and that was wearing on me as well. Besides that, we had a great weekend! In this last picture, Grandma Helen showed Son #1 and Daughter how to put these flowers on their fingers to look like witch's fingers. I guess mom use to do that when she was a girl.

Camp Nebowa

On Tuesday night of my stay at mom and dad's we took a trip to Camp Nebowa in Onawa, IA. They are on the camp board and they had to go to a meeting. This is the place I had my first "boyfriend" and my first kiss (Okay, it wasn't a real kiss on the lips, but it was close). I worked there as a gopher for the cook, Jim Blake, and then as the salad lady for my mother when she was the cook. I made a lot of friends there and have had some great times. Some of my favorite times are playing tricks on the cook or taking moonlit canoe rides with Jamie Cooper, Jason Cooper and Ben Hedger.

On this trip, I got to see Nate Powell, Kelly Turney, and Mr. Cravatt (all from my Nebraska Christian College days). But the most important person that I got to see was Jill (Fiscus) Killian. My roommate from college. She is one of the nicest people that I know. When I called her at the last minute to tell her that I was going to be there, she made a special trip to see me. Even though we don't always stay in close contact, I love her, she is great and it was great to see her cutie kids.Son #1, Son #2, Daughter, and Grandma looking at the beautiful sunset over Blue Lake.

The Trip to the Farm

After going to church with Pat and Duane- Wymore Church of Christ - we ate lunch, packed up, and left. The trip should have taken me around 5 hours, but I got there in 4 hours. I was pushing the speed limit, but I wasn't even going as fast as others around me. I guess I was just anxious to get there and during the last hour of the trip I had Son #1 fussing in the back. You see, I moved his DVD screen in front of Son #2 and he wasn't happy about it. Even though he could see his sister's screen, he was complaining. Besides that, the kids did a great job. The DVD player was a blessing on the long trip, it passed the time for the kids.

It has been a year since we have seen Grandma Helen and Grandpa Tom.










One of the highlights of the farm was riding on "Bucky" the horse swing. That is a new feature on the farm. Another highlight of the trip for the kids was walking Obie the dog with Grandpa. They also loved swimming at the Willoway, my old elementary school. The kids love Grandma's books and Grandma is always willing to read them a story.

We went to see Great-Grandma Doris. She is always a pleasure to see. I also got to see Don Gordon. He was the first pastor that Kirk and I worked with after we graduated. We were at Central Church of Christ in Griswold, IA. Then he became the pastor at my parent's church in Sutherland, IA.

Some of the highlights of the trip for me were: going to my old schools ( I wrote about that the other day), seeing Grandma Doris and Don Gordon, and playing the stash of old records that Mom and Dad still have. What a trip down memory lane. I have one more highlight of my trip in Iowa, but I will save it for next time. We did leave for our Kansas trip after 4 days of being on the farm. It was good to be home.

My Trip to Nebraska

As, I have written before, my three kids and I traveled to the Midwest for a 14 day visit. What a whirl-wind. We landed in Omaha and I was met by my sister-in-law and niece - Pam and Sarah (they live in Omaha and we were going to spend the night with them since we arrived at 12:20 a.m.) and we were also met by my parents. They were going to let me use their mini-van on my trip in Nebraska. They were dorm parents at Camp Nebowa, so it wasn't too long of a trip for them.

I had a good visit at Pam's house. We saw her other daughter, Jessica. Cathy, another sister-in-law, stopped by and her daughter Allison. It was so good to see them. Cathy's husband passed away in May. Kirk went back for the funeral, but I stayed home. It was really touching to see them and talk to them. They are really sweet people and I am so sorry for them. I do know that Doug loved the Lord, so it is very comforting to know that.

We drove to 2 hours to visit my mother-in-law and father-in-law. I think the highlights of that trip for the kids were going to the pool and their County Fair. The highlight for me was being able to see Amy's family and James' family (Kirk's younger sister and brother). The only sibling that I didn't get to see was the oldest, Cindy. We had a good visit, but it only lasted four days and then I was off to my parent's farm in Iowa. I will write more on that tomorrow.
We love you Grandpa Duane and Grandma Pat.
Thanks for all the fun we had.

Whispered Memories

Have you met Rebecca Steele from Sutherland, IA?- South O'Brien Graduate. Well, I met her again briefly. I was placed back in time yesterday. My mother took me to my high school. I walked the halls and I had glimpses of another time that I hardly remember. I heard whispers of past conversations and glimpses of embarrassing moments. I saw my senior picture in the class of '94 picture frame mounted on the wall. Who was that girl? - I hardly remember her. In the 13 years since I have graduated this is just the second time I have been back in those halls. The highschool looks great, they have added on and remodeled. Later that day I walked into where I went to elementary and middle school. It isn't a school any longer. Where the gym used to be there is a swimming pool and where classrooms used to be, they are now apartments. Just walking through the halls took me back to another place and time, it really was quite strange and sad really. It seems like a lifetime ago. It has left me feeling a little melancholy. My memories are mostly happy, but now I am filled with "I wish..." Mainly, "I wish that I studied harder."

Our airplane trip to Omaha was pretty smooth. The two oldest did really well. Son#2 on the other hand made the trip a little rougher. The last hour and a half he finally slept, so I could finally relax. Thank you for your prayers. Besides the trouble with my youngest, everything worked out perfectly. It definately could have been worse. We miss daddy, but we are enjoying family. For some, it has been 1 year since we have seen them. I will post pictures when I get back.