The only other problem!!!!!

We had made plans to go the mountains, but sometime during the night Friday, lightning hit at the storage buildings and blew out our digi-gate so our electric gate would not open. We never saw the storm, I'm not even sure there was one, all I know is that our serge protector was fried, but at least the office didn't burn down. The only problem with our gate going down is you have to manually open and shut it, so there is no way to call all 90 of our customers to ask if they would need to get in to their units over the holiday weekend. The only other problem was no gate companies are working until Tuesday, I sent e-mails to the out-of-town owners, called every number I had but still no help. The only other problem was Joey and I were suppose to go the the mountains to work and enjoy the weekend away from the place. I need to get out of dodge for a few days...Instead we have had to regroup, we worked on the gate till about lunch to no avail, left note on key pad for customers to call if they needed help. Instead we went to the movies with my sister and niece, Taylor was so excited to sit next to her Uncle Joey. We saw Prince of Persia, then can home cleaned up and we to MadHouse (Bowman Gray Stadium) to see Audrey's boyfriend (Wesley) race.. Got home about midnight. Then today we drove to the mountains and left Audrey in charge for the day, mowed the yard twice( grass grows fast up there) and 4 hrs later hit the road home. Tomorrow we have decided to stay around the storage unit and clean, mow, and work in the garden I have planted over there. I received a call from the gate people and they are coming tomorrow and hopefully they can fix it and it won't cost us a arm and leg to come in on Memorial Day. The only other problem I have is that thank goodness we can have all these problem, but we have the freedom to fix them, and the opportunity to have fun at the same time....Thank you to all who serve and have served our country your are very much appreciated in our home.......

Vacation Bound

Josh and Abby are taking their first big vacation since their honeymoon 3 1/2 years ago. Josh wants Abby to see the West... He is hoping that once she is there she will fall in love as he has and want to move there. Joey is praying the same thing to so that we can move there also.

Old Faithful, right on time......
These are some of the place we went and they are headed in the same direction,

The beautiful Tetons, we were their in late July and they still have snow, Josh and Abby's pictures will look different, I can't wait to see the comparison.

Buffalo walking down the road, they are gigantic beast......

You realize how small you are when you look down into these valleys...

There are more waterfalls that you can count in Yellowstone, this is just one of the many.

Josh and Abby are flying into Denver, then to Estes Park, then to Sheridan WY to meet up with his hunting guide Paul and his wife Twin (She really is a twin and this is her real name). Then to Cody, WY, West Yellowstone,MT then to Jackson Hole, WY then back up Yellowstone Park to Bozeman, MT to stay with our cousin and his wife, they are just a few years older than Josh and Abby. I am jealous once again of my children, The West is a awesome place and I don't use the word awesome much, (it is mainly used for God) but out there is God's country and you just can't describe it you need to see it......

Daisy Chain

As you saw yesterday I feel a little disconnected from hearing God. Well after I wrote that post, I heard him loud and clear. I know some people don't think God can talk to you through anything but his word, but I believe he can use anything. I knew when I started this book a couple days ago it would be a book that I would love, appreciate, and remember. The only reason I bought it was because it had a $5 sticker on it and said Local Author. I am only half way through so I don't know the outcome but I will share something I learn yesterday. Set-up:Jed (main character, 14 yrs old) is talking to Hixon(crazy man, some say modern day prophet) as they are painting. Jed comes from a abusive pastors home and they are talking about yards. Jed pictured his on home and says lifeless in terms of flowers-flowers being an "idol of indulgence"
but perfectly taken care of.Hixon nodded, Fine yard but what about your neighbors yard next door. Jed remember Ethrea Ree's yard - definitely full of life, but completely messy. Tangles of roses and flowers and grass, you can't see where one begins and one ends. It's crazy. Hixon says true, funny how both yards have the same dirt, the same grass, the same potential, but they look so different, isn't it. Then he told Jed, God gives you your own yard, you're responsible for it. Not anyone else's. God is the gardener. He tills your soil, he plants the seeds, waters them. But if you run around throwing weed seeds in the air, or you don't take care of what God put there, it will end up being a mess. Jed then replied"I hate pulling weeds" God revealed to me that the only responsibility I have for fixing something is in my garden and that I need to tend to regularly.

Psalm 31

I feel pretty isolated from God lately, you know that feeling of your swiming but going no where.
I don't feel him, I know he is there and working for my good. We all go through times of desolation and we have to go on the facts not just feelings. I know what the Bible tells me and this is what I have to rely on. I needed something from God, something from his word and I found this today. I paraphrased it for me...
Psalm 31 :
In you O God I will be safe,
Be My Rock
Be mine strong wall surrounding me,
Lead and Guide me
Keeps me out of traps that are before me
I will trust in You
I know you love me even when I am sick, tired, worried and anxious
You are protecting me from Satan
I'm tired O God, I am becoming weak and weary,
Friends, Neighbors, Enemies, even family are sometimes against me
But you are my God
Let your face smile on me
protect me from shame, keep my from pride, show me your goodness,
Place me in your shelter
When I have felt captive, you have shown me your love
When I feel cut off from you, lonely, needing mercy
I can feel strong because you preserve the faithful
And I can have hope in you O Lord.

Images of his handy work

Last night this is what I saw out my back door, the colors of the pictures do not do it justice however the power of the clouds you can see. What a great site of his handy work As I look at the softness of the meadow with these dainty flowers and the rush of water in this little creek, God has many sides to him.

Just like we have many sides. As I have struggled with myself the last week, I have many sides, some good, some bad, and some confusing. I am trying to decided if the part of me I struggle with is good or bad. Do I need to change or is this how God made me and I need to accept it and love it, even when it sometimes makes me crazy. I am a thinker, I can't help it...I feel as if I am announcing something like at a AA meeting. Now, what an I suppose to do with this...There are days that I would love to be completely frivolous and not think but for some reason it is not me and I am so struggling with what to do about this....I look at Gods wonderful creation he gives us to enjoy and the many characteristic of his personality and think he has made us all so differently and he knew us before we were born so why am I struggling with my thoughts and feelings, why can't I let it go, when I see others who can just forget and go... Why and what made this way and do I need to change God's handy work or learn to embrace it..

25 years ago

Twenty-five years ago today I gave birth to this man, I can hardly believe how the time has gone by and that yes this is a grown man not my baby anymore. This one is very different than his little sister, he did not want to come into this world, it took him about 30 hrs to arrive. As a small child he was content to sit in your lap, his Dad loved to rock him to sleep at night. He liked to be sung Silent Night to in his crib. As he became a toddler all he thought about was ball, fishing, singing and hunting something. Still a very content little boy but really disliked going to school. As he grew he looked after his sister, loved to play with his cousins and never really caused any problems. As a middle schooler he continued to love to sing, hunt and play ball. As he enter High School he still didn't care for going to school but loved playing baseball so decided he would go instead of homeschooling, thank goodness because I don't think I would have been a good teacher. As he matured in his teen years he was a easy young man to raise, he looked after his sister, loved to be with his Dad, hunted and played baseball and as one of the coaches said when he left school, we will (not) miss his singing. Girls were never really important to him during this time, he had a few crushes but mainly thought they had a lot of baggage and he didn't want to deal with it. He struggled with what he wanted to do with his life, went to App for a year and decided we were wasting our money and asked if he could come home. I remember him asking one time how do we know what God wants us to do with our life, and I told him to find something he enjoyed and doors would open. Josh has always been steady, easy to get along with and very confident. He is very logical in his think ing with a little ADD on the side. He married Abby at Christmas 3 years ago, he knew her as a young girl and the first time he saw her at our church he was about 12 he told us in the car that day that she was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Her family started going to another church about the time Josh met her, but throughout the high school years Josh would talk to her some. We would try to get him to take her out on a date, but he never would until he came home from college and to our surprise he finally asked her out, they date one year and were married....As I look back, Josh has grown into such a business man, when he talks to others I think is this really my child, and where did he learn this, he is ethical, and expect great things from the Lord. He was saved as a young child, he came down from his room one night and announced "I was saved last night" well at 5 yrs old I wasn't sure he knew what he was talking about, but after a lengthy conversation I was convinced he was right on the money. A couple of years later I heard him(7 years old) and Audrey (5 years old) having this conversation, Josh was telling her how to be saved, it is one of the sweetest memories I have of my children. I am truly thankful for this man and am blessed to have him as a son.

Paying Attention

Joey and I went to the mountain Friday thur Sunday. The weather was wonderful. The Virginia mountains where we go had the worst winter in about 40 years. All the mountain people told us that they hoped they didn't have another winter like this last one for a very long time. The poor animals are very scarce right now. We found 4 dead deer just around our house, we don't know if they got sick, or so much snow messed them up, or that a bear or coyote killed them. All I know is they were really nervous this weekend. We saw a total of about 8 deer in 3 days, normally we see 80 -100 in a weekend. Our neighbor who is a mail lady said she has seen her share of bears and coyotes the last few weeks. It reminds me of the devil, sometimes you can't see him but you know he is out there. We should be like the deer, really paying attention to all of our surroundings. When he is like to coyote, he hides and watched and waits till just the right opportunity to pounce when we least expect it. He can be like the hungry bear and just charge straight at you ready to devour with a mighty power. I have become a little lazy in my (spiritualness?) I have relaxed a little, I need to regroup and be paying attention not to let Satan near.

Forgiveness

Yesterday at Ladies small group I was going to talk about forgiveness. However only one lady showed up so we decided to talk and leave it till next week. But I will tell you about it today. There is a new song out, Pray for you by Jaron and the Long Road Home. You think that it's this sweet song about praying for someone but it's not......It's funny....but it's not how we as Christians are suppose to pray, even if we want to. The book I am using for our small group is The Christian Atheist, and the verses it used tell us to pray for our enemies. Every ounce of me is not good at praying for someone who has done me wrong, especially if they have done my husband or kids wrong, I can take it better if it's me that has been hit. I come up with justification for every motive and action I have. But as I was reading yesterday, I realize that I have to make a choice to pray for someone I really don't like. I tried yesterday to do that, believe me it was like prying my mouth open, unlocking my gritting teeth, then making my voice say the words. I read the author said in the beginning when it is hard to pray from them and God knows it hard for us, just pray Lord work in their lives and let them know who you really are. I think I can do that, I didn't pray we would become fast friend again, or that as the song in the video says a flower pot fall on their head. Just let them know God. If you need a laugh look up the video on Utube, just don't pray that way even if you want to......

Listen to Trayc626

Back from the Beach

We tried to take several pictures but these two turned out the best.

What a fun time we had at the beach this last weekend. I laughed once again until my face hurt. My sister-n-law Kim (the one in the orange) cracks me up, as Cathy says "she does things we all think about doing but are to embarrassed to do them". We ate at 3 restaurants I have never been too. What great food, talapia, steamed shrimp & oysters, corn and crab chowder, yeast croissant rolls with honey butter to name a few.... can you tell I love seafood and I figure the prices will probably rise because of the oil spill so I took advantage this weekend..I have to tell you we did not have any deep thinking conversations, my brain rested for 3 whole days, we laughed, sung old 80's music and rested. I appreciated as my mother says these younger girls letting me tag along. "I'm only about 5 years older" We decided we needed to do this once a year.

Spring Sunning

I am headed to the beach this weekend. My sister-n-law Kim, Cathy, Gaby and me have decided for Mothers Day to treat ourselves to rest and sunning at the ocean. There is no better present to me from my family than to go to the beach and soak up the sun and smells of the beach. I have 4 books, one for each day and one as a devotional for night... 2 are your run of the mill fun easy reads, one is a bio about CS Lewis by his step-son and the other is called The Atheist Christian. So I think I am covered with mindless, informational and spiritual material.
I have to say that when the four of get together we laugh alot, my sister-n-law is funny......
She has just finished exams that have been tough (she says) so she is ready to have fun. My mother asked me why they let me go, (I am older than all of them), I drive them places...Ha!.Ha!. So I have to say thanks to my family for letting me go, I don't have to take care of anyone this Mothers Day other than myself... I do have to be back Sunday and bake a cake (you know the one that is so sinful) for my Mother....

Mysteries

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law." Deut. 29:29 People are always trying to figure out God. When really not a one of us will ever know it all until we met him face to face one day. Joey and I have been having some great talks about knowing God. We think we have come to some conclusions about our faith. If the Word says it, do it. God gives us freedom in our lives and as long as it doesn't go against his Word, then everything is OK. There are some things we don't know, don't need to know and probably shouldn't know, but what we do know what is written, its in black and white. If believe that what we are doing is OK because the world says it OK, but the Word of God spells it out that it isn't, then we are wrong. There are secret things that only God knows, like when he is going to do something outrageous, miraculous, or unexpected. What is great about all this is that we can relax and let God be God and me be me.....