World's Greatest Place to Live INSIDER

We couldn't play Ultimate...but it was still a good day...

2007-09-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

God made a beautiful fall day for us today. Perfect tempature. Beautiful. Couldn't have been better. But we couldn't play Ultimate, because no one else could play with us. Just five people isn't quite enough. So that was sad.
But, I have lots of things to be happy about.
- we watched a John Piper DVD today. He is powerful!
- yesterday was Mama's birthday so today we had a big breakfast and it was good!
- as I said, it was a beautiful day
- we had the windows open and the attic fan on all day! (mama usually wants them closed before noon so that was special)
- I played the piano a long time
- the others rode their bikes around the block alot
- the one little neighbor kid was riding his bike too…then I noticed that he was sitting in the middle of the road listening to me play piano :) but he didn’t there long.
- playing Vivaldi, and boy, is my Vivaldi rusty!
- reading Jim Elliot for an hour and a half
- Mrs. O came by
- we had [leftover] hamburgers for supper
- gmail
- looking at molly’s blogspot and laughing at all her very funny pictures
- I fixed my xanga profile (so that its actually about me)
- we had ice cream after supper
- the Reeves family left today to go up north to get the Reeves girls which I have been missing terribly…now, it will be the end of the month before they get back…but at least the first ten days are nearly over…

But if you're planning on playing Ultimate anywhere, let me know and I'll be there! :)

Happy things

2007-09-14T15:33:00.000-04:00

happy things...
- getting all my school work (except wisdom booklet work) done before lunch
- deciding to like fall this year
- having time this afternoon to do things
- finally finishing a book i'd been reading for at least 6 months
- starting Shadow of the Almighty a biography of Jim Elliot
- enjoying my little brothers
- being on xanga
- hearing from journey friends
- hearing from other friends
- getting a letter...i've not gotten one in probably 3 months...but that's because i've not mailed any.....argh... :(
- clemson football season is back
- hearing ben count his blessings
- i'm wearing my favorite skirt and favorite shirt
- god is teaching me how to pray (i tell you, that's the guy to get lessons from!)
- trying to apply the things i learned on the journey
- watermelons

---
i walk into the kitchen at noon and find some columbo's pizza: i want some lunch. i want it now, i want it quick, this lunch will do!
---
peter: josh a. says he can move his scalp without using his hands. he just does it.
ben: i can too!
(benjamin vigorously nods his head to demonstrate)

Teach me Thy will, O Lord

2007-01-12T17:55:00.000-05:00

Teach Me Thy Will, O Lord
I am playing this hymn on the piano this week, and I've been thinking about the words. It's also our wisdom booklet hymn, and goes along with the theme of the month--Determining and following the will of God.
So, here are the two of the verses...

Teach me Thy will, O Lord
Teach me Thy will, O Lord, teach me Thy way
Teach me to know Thy word, teach me to pray
Whate'er seems best to Thee, that be my earnest plea
So that Thou drawest me, closer each day.

Teach me by pain Thy power, teach me by love
Teach me to know, each hour, Thou art above
Teach me as seemeth best in Thee to find sweet rest
Leaning upon Thy breast, all doubt remove.

Benjamin quotes

2007-01-12T12:48:00.000-05:00

"The hot air is hotting my up."

"I figured out what problems me."

I love that kid.

The babysitter's pocket guide to David's own personal language

2007-01-11T12:03:00.000-05:00

You can learn this language in only six weeks!

agah go, get down, get up, get out, get in,
buh bread, bun, ball, bye
doo juice
adlaah! light
caa car, truck
tadah tractor, cracker
diggah digger
ah guh all gone
uh, nuh! Oh no!
a MMah!! Mess!
Mama Mama
Paba Papa, Poppy
Dzeedzee ZZ, (Suzanna), Carrie
ihNinni Nini (Carrie)
ahNina Nina
Beh Ben
Gunna Grandma Lyn, Grandma, Grandaddy, goodnight
ahaoh apple
fis fish
ihBEEji Luigi (the italian guy in the movie CARS), frisbee
aghen again
vutah water
duh, duh, DAAH! 1, 2, 3, GO!
mah mouth
bibi Baby
HHHH! Hot
dzah sock
dahdah Diaper
cah cat
doow Door
Beebee BBTB (Black Bean Tortilla Bake)
moow More
Nuuuu, nuuuuuu, nuuu car engine sounds

Adventures in Frisbee Golf

2006-12-26T20:39:00.000-05:00

Today we played some more frisbee golf on campus...so fun!!
It was a bit chilly though! At one point, I had finished that particular hole, and just Papa and Mama had to finish...we were all waiting, and watching them finish up. It was cold and windy, so I crouched in the bushes to avoid the windchill...I was about a foot or two from the lamp post that was the goal...Papa was just on the other side of the patch of boxwods and hollies. But, I figured that if I just kept on eye on Papa, and his frisbee, then if I needed to I could get out of the way. After all, wouldn't it be funny if of all the places, Papa actually did hit me? I tore off a few leaves, and started to mindlessly tear them apart. Guess what, I got hit pretty squarely in the jaw with Papa's frisbee.
Two throws into the next hole of golf, I was back behind a row of holly trees...they are about 6 or 7 feet tall, and so, I was kinda looking around for my frisbee...and i saw a pink frisbee. Now, the college students that play this cours regularly have to play at midnight when there aren't any pedestrians on the sidewalks...etc...so, because its midnight, its dark, and therefore very easy to lose frisbees in the bushes. We'd found really neat discs in these holly bushes before, so I pulled it out to look at it. It was one of those cheap flimsy frisbees that businesses use for advertising...but i shouted to Peter, "Look! I found a disc!" He shouted to the others...but then I showed him it was not a good disc...and then I tossed it to the others...and we all laughed...about finding a disc, a very junky one...but a disc.Still scanning for my disc, I looked around some more in the bushes. This time I saw a yellow one...mine was yellow, but this one had water in it. Apparently it had been there a while...so I told Peter that maybe I had found something good. I crawled carefully through the holly to where it was, dumped out the water and leaves and turned it over: INNOVA Champion Shark. That is a good disc. The Champion means that its the 13 dollar version of the Shark disc instead of the 8 dollar...pretty good!
The other three discs that we have found on campus have all belonged to the same person, but this one I was happy to find out, has very little wear, no identification, and our friend doesn't have any clue who it belongs to. So pretty much, its mine. A very nice disc!

What is the true meaning of Christmas?

2006-12-22T15:30:00.000-05:00

Dudley: Benjamin, what are we doing on monday?
Ben: We are opening presents!
Mrs.M: Why are you opening presents?
Ben: Because its Christmas
Mrs.M: What is Christmas?
Ben: Monday
Mrs.M: But, who's birthday do we celebrate on Christmas?
Ben: Carrie's

I guess he doesn't quite undrstand it all yet...

Uggg. Blogger. It won't co-operate!

2006-12-21T15:37:00.000-05:00

Well, Joanna...
I was going to change this site too, for you....but I an't make it...maybe BLOGGER is just having a bad day...but even after I "save changes" and "republish" it and all...it still it the same...

So...maybe another day it will let me...or maybe I should give up...I'll try to check it again later....or let me know if it automatically changes...cause in my settings, it says its changed. Whatever.

Reflections on mission work....

2006-12-21T15:33:00.000-05:00

Ever since I was very small, I have felt that God wanted me to be a missionary. But, recently I have really been thinking a lot more on it...

Why am I attracted to mission work? At times it is easy to be attracted to the thought of glamorous adventures, or perhaps to receiving fame as a missionary. Is that why I want to be a missionary, or do I really feel a burden for souls? Am I driven by the love of Christ for those which are lost? If my true passion is for the salvation of lost souls, then what action am I taking? If I feel a burden for lost souls over seas, then how can I ignore the lost souls around me? Everyday I meet people in the store or on the street who have not heard. Do I not care that they are destined to eternal punishment? God cares about these people too. Jonathan Goforth was a missionary to China in the late 1700s to early 1800s. He grew up in Canada and when about twenty years old he sensed God’s call to the mission field and he surrendered himself to the Lord. It was said of him that, “from that minute on, he was a missionary.” He did not wait to arrive in China to begin evangelizing and sharing the gospel. He was completely taken up in this work. All of his spare time, all of his efforts, and any spare money was put into distributing tracts, evangelizing in the slums, and praying for lost souls. William Borden once said, “Any day in which work is not done for Christ is wasted.” If I want to be a missionary, then am I a missionary now where I am?

Missionary life requires character. It means suffering, humility, denial of self. This life involves a life of prayer, complete surrender of rights to the Lord, uprooting of all pride, a spirit of service even when unnoticed. Sacrifice and an emptying of self are a daily exercise. I must learn to love the unloved, and those who seem hard to love. Am I preparing myself now for that kind of a life? Is that what I am expecting? Am I willing to pay that price? Am I practicing that life now? The life of a missionary really is just laying down your life for the lives of others. But this is never too much, it’s only what Jesus did. He is the ultimate missionary’s example. He never demanded his own way, he loved the unloved, and he sacrificed willing for a people who did not love in return. Jim Elliot said, “One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.”
Jonathan Goforth’s wife, Rosalind, told about how much she had to adjust to Jonathan’s complete commitment and focus on the gospel. Her first lesson was as early as their engagement. She was from a rich family and he was from a poor family. She had been dreaming of the beautiful engagement ring she was soon to receive, but Jonathan told her simply. He had enough money to purchase it, but every spare penny he could get a hold of was used in the purchase of tracts, and other gospel literature, and would she wish him to waste money on a valuable ring when there were so many lost souls who must hear the gospel? It was a sacrifice, but only the first of a life of sacrifice. A missionary is not there by his own wishes or to satisfy his own desires. He is there to lay down his life for those he came to serve.
To be a representative of the kingdom of God means to live as Jesus would, and to empty myself of my own desires and wishes and take on the humility of a servant.

Missionary life is hard. Besides the character that a missionary must have, I must be fit and ready to take physical suffering as well. Weariness, hunger, illness, may be reoccurring struggles. I may have to face an angry mob, take beatings, or imprisonment. Would I be able to face the loss of a loved one, or even to surrender my own life? These are solemn thoughts indeed, but a missionary is not out to satisfy his own wishes and goals, but those of the Lord.
Adoniram Judson, a missionary to Burma in the early 1800s, demonstrated a right understanding of the hardships and sufferings of a missionary. The following is a letter which he wrote to the father of his beloved to ask for her hand in marriage:
“I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean, to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India, to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution , and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this for her and for you; for the sake of perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?”
Though now times are different, and I may not face all the dangers that may have been faced in the early 1800s, I must be aware that a life over seas is one not without suffering and pain.

Isobel Kuhn— “I believe that in each generation God has ‘called’ enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth….Everywhere I go, I constantly meet with men and women who say to me, ‘When I was young I wanted to be a missionary, but I got married instead.’ Or… some such thing. No, it is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!”

I'm Happy!

2006-12-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

- taking Sunny for a walk
- everyone looking in the holly bushes for lost frisbee golf discs, and me finding one!
- Ben telling me that Ann Sullivan looked like Baker.
- people everywhere talking about Christmas presents....
- David seeing a picture of Nina, and saying her name
- David saying please, "Mooooon" …you just gotta be able to understand his dialect…
- Benjamin asking if he can have milk on his Chex Mix (Blah!)
- hearing a song about "that precious brown building in the yard..." and then realizing that it was talking about an outhouse...
- Benjamin calling David "Stickers"
- having played frisbee golf four times; three times we have found discs…and as far as we know, all three discs belong to the same guy! (we're not sure about the one I found)
- David's enthusiasm over Chex Mix
- good country bluegrass songs...done by totally not bluegrass people...
- Benjamin: "Papa, on Christmas day, you can open you Luigi!"
- giving 5 spelling tests yesterday
- re-doing my xanga! (Do you like it?)

A Happy Birthday!

2006-12-18T18:05:00.000-05:00

- a very happy birthday
- lots of christmas shopping
- being online, chatting with gma lyn, then her telling me she and Poppy were gonna call me...and them calling before I could get off the line!
- Megan calling me on my birthday!
- Benjamin informing me that I have a striped shirt on
- A good piano recital, even though I accidentaly played my second stanza--first.
- getting tons of packages and Christmas cards in the mail everyday!
- finding something that's very cool, and buying it.
- finding a strange picture of me on nina's xanga...hey, at least she didn't put it on mine!
- changing my password again, now that I just said that...
- getting a Christmas box, all for me, and yes, from WA!
- getting invited to Chicago!
- Christmas shopping with Nina
- frisbee golf on campus, with all the Reeves
- Ben telling me that Dudley is making "Farmer John Chicken" for supper. its really Parmesan chicken.
- trying to write our Christmas letter
- freaking things happening like the air clip jumping off the rear-view mirror, and acting like a bat...
- Church at the horticulture gardens in the ampitheatre!
- getting two CDs for my birthday! The piano one that I really wanted, and Steve Petit's bluegrass one!
- and some really good cappacino mix!
- and the Bible that I really wanted!
- and a really cool vest!
- and Phase 10!
- reading happy lists
- wishing that I could shorten the distances between here and other places...such as...easley, WA, Chicago, ...and lots of other places!

Well, they were not all on my birthday, but they all made me happy!

My sweet Ben

2006-12-13T19:34:00.000-05:00

I was having a kinda hard afternoon....you know when things just aren't going like you'd planned, and now you're behind in your work...
Benjamin came through the room, and I caught him. "Benjamin, you know what I need? I need a..."
"A HUG!!!!"
Aww, he is soo sweet!

Happy Things!

2006-12-13T13:23:00.001-05:00

- Wreaths on the front windows of a cute house
- people who are crazy about the most minut details of 'CARS'
- looking through files of random pictures
- wishing for a quiet place in the house
- trying to learn to obey HIS voice
- matching long medical words to their latin roots and finding that gastrectemy literally means "the removal of the belly"
- God giving me a verse this morning
- trying to follow the Lord Jesus in Servanthood
- figuring out a way I can braid my hair
- songs like 'Okie from Muskogee'
- thinking about I should work for Milton Bradley when I grow up
- Alan Jackson's hymns CD 'Blessed Assurance'
- praying for people
- wishing people would be online at the same time as me
- wishing I could only try selling unassmebled snowmen around here. the thing is...we rarely get those raw materials here. ours usually look more like disassembled snowmen.
- frizzy hair today (cause it was braided last night)
- revisiting my old cubby space down in the basement (where once upon a time I liked to hide to do my schoolwork)
- making a soup that I didn't think would be very good, and everyone really liking it
- Emilie's Noodle Bake for supper
- my piano piece coming together
- God's amazing creatures! (we watched a documentery on tree hopping monkeys tonight)
- watching the hygenist type the results into the computer, and noticing that she was totally doing "hunt and peck"
- feeling that Jesus sees what I do
- Clara Maguire (because today is her birthday)
- reading a long xanga post that totally inspired me!
- tea early in the morning
- finally getting gmail to work right
- its my bedtime...

100 things I'm thankful for...

2006-11-27T12:48:00.000-05:00

I really tried hard to make it random. Placement means nothing...except for the first five. : )

1. The Love of God
2. Jesus' sacrifice for me
3. The Bible
4. A God Who has planned out a perfect future for me
5. The incrdible suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross
6. Benjamin
7. serious moments
8. Parents who love me and care for me
9. The United States
10. My piano
11. A big family
12. dogs
13. REAL cristmas trees
14. Gospel for Asia
15. people who comment on my xanga
16. skittles
17. Charlie Miller and is piano CD that I absolutely LOVE
18. David
19. Goldie and Associates
20. little babies
21. English Ivy green
22. my awesome friends, they really are an encouragement to me!
23. goldfish
24. The letter J just becuase I like it
25. Riders In the Sky
26. Spanish!
27. piano lessons
28. smoothies
29. Dr. Morales
30. Megan Rowland
31. Fall colors
32. Carry on, Mr Bowditch by Jane Lee Latham
33. Pumpkin pie
34. Hannah Reeves
35. Mama, who earnestly desires to have her children walking with the Lord
36. pansys in the snow
37. My fiddle
38. Grandma Lyn
39. The number 39 because its my favorite number
40. the internet
41. Molly Watkins
42. fajitas
43. Papa, whose first desire is to please the Lord
44. Ever in Joyful Song
45. Mrs. Webb
46. South Carolina weather!
47. Bethany
48. Finding Nemo
49. The letter K because I like it
50. Perky Lewis
51. inashoe.blogspot.com
52. gerber daisys that look so beautiful in the summer
53. The Reeves
54. callwave
55. cell phones
56. Esther Verrinder
57. Google
58. Clemson Community Church
59. Rod and staff
60. Poppy
61. Clemson Tigers
62. fresh tomato sandwiches on homemade bread
63. Bill Gothard
64. Marli Reese
65. really cute little brothers!
66. frisbee golf
67. Peter
68. Christmas!
69. Lewis Creativity
70. the Grascals
71. Suzanna
72. bluegrass music
73. xanga
74. Joanna Harlin
75. Granddaddy
76. Daniel
77. Clemson Orange
78. homemade peanut butter
79. happy lists
80. The mailman
81. enchilada bake
82. Gan Gan
83. ATI
84. Gmail
85. Elayna Pierce
86. country music
87. Daffodills in the spring
88. homemade blueberry jelly
89. Amelia Bedelia
90. Nina
91. President Bush
92. Our homefellowship
93. Grandma
94. christmas music
95. Dudley
96. Ultimate frisbee
97. Douglas Briley and his piano arrangments
98. hymns
99. postage stamps
100. A God Who is preparing a home for me for all eternity

Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T21:26:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
We surehad a great time!
We had all the good stuff...turkey, stuffing, corn, green bean casserole, jello, sweet potatoes, jellied cranberry sauce...etc. It was SOO good! Then there was apple, fudge pecan, and pumkin pie! wow! If only I had mulitple stomachs! lol
Grandma and Granddaddy came, though we were sad that my cousins couldn't come...We did invite my dad's cousin who lives local, but we never see...we called him two hours before the food was ready, and he came! It was great! He is a national autoharp champion and is really incredible! He brought two atouharps and we jammed for awhile. It was really great!
Then, after they left, and we got the house cleaned, everyone but Mama, Nina, and the two little boys packed up and went to campus to play frisbee golf! The course is not one of those that has the real baskets and chains and all, its just an unofficial, course that goes all over the heart of campus that everyone just knows. Daniel and a bunch of his freinds play pretty often...but since its all over campus, you can't play when lots of people are around...so, they usually play at midnight...but for some reason Papa didn't want us to play then...But, today is Thanksgiving, and there weren't many people out today...so we played. It was really awesome!
Then this evening, we just sorta "grazed" on leftovers (cause no one was really that hungry) and we asked each other what they wanted for Christmas, and made lists...and planned...and had fun!
Here are ten things I'm grateful for today:

- My Lord Jesus Who traded places with me, so that I could have Eternal Life in Glory!

- My family! they are great! I think that is one of my biggest blessings!

- My awesome friends who take the effort to encourage me in the Things that Really Count

- The beautiful world that God has created for us!

- Parents who truly desire to live their lives to be pleasing in the sight of the Lord, and whose desire is that their children also walk in the Light

- Adorable little brothers! Whatever would I do without my sweet Benjamin and David?!!!!

- Music! Piano and fiddle! Oh, and CD players that let me listen to music that I don't know how to play....western, bluegrass, country, hymns, and such...

- The ability to write! cause I sure do alot of it!

- Internet connection...even if I sometimes hate the way it acts, I'm grateful for it.

- The mailman

Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! And don't forget to tell the Lord what you're thankful for, and be grateful to those in your life that help to make your days special!

Thanksgiving at our house this year....

2006-11-22T08:07:00.000-05:00

For thanksgiving, every year we go to our grandparents' house (20 minutes away) and our aunt and uncle and cousins that live about 20 minutes farther on the other side of our grandparents....but my grandma has not been feeling so well this year as in past times, so we volunteered to host the holiday at our house. It will be so much fun!!

Is "age" the same as "size"

2006-11-18T13:17:00.000-05:00

Benjamin has a little digger...and he has a little Charlie Brown...and it just so happens that the Charlie Brown can fit up perfectly through the bottom of the digger into the cab to look like he's driving.

Ben's comment: If I was Charlie Brown's age, then I could get in and drive that digger.

Benjamin episodes...

2006-10-27T23:06:00.000-04:00

Benjamen says no, he's not a girl, or a boy, he's an onion.

daniel's freind, Austin, comes over for supper...ben thinks his name is "Awesome"

Dud: Have you ever tasted coffee?
Ben: no.
Dud: Do you know what it tastes like?
Ben: coffee tastes like apple cider.

Some nights, when Ben says his bedtime prayers, he likes to pray for "lots an lots of people." So we pray for the whole family, then the extended family, then people who work with my dad, then Daniel's friends, nina's friends...etc... until we tell him its time for him to go to sleep. Well, tonight we were going through itc people, and he tells me, "when kippany takes her glasses off, she looks like Tabi. And when jamie takes off her glasses, she looks like..." so i let him look at the pictures on the wall and was like jamie doesn't have glasses... then i made some comment about maybe tiffany looked like daniel...and he goes, nina's friends, like danielle...that's like daniel like danielle sounds like daniel...

so yeah...he keeps me laughing!

count your many blessings!

2006-10-27T11:56:00.000-04:00

this is not all from today....but it made me happy!
- a long letter from megan!
- a literature discussion on the nathaniel bowditch book
- getting a 45 minute piano lesson instead of the usual 30 minute...
- the lab girl at goldie bringing her daughter in to work...and two people guessing [wroong] at whose kid she was...
- kip calling to talk to nina, but she wasn't home, so kip talked to me!
- being online at the same time as megan!
- juggling a restless david and trying to type...

then a few happy ben things...
- ben telling me the back wheels on the vacuum cleaner look like a corvette *whatever*
- ben bringing mama a pine cone and when she asks him what she should do with it, he tells her to hold it until it makes a mess everywhere....

i like this song...

2006-10-27T11:55:00.000-04:00

The chimes of time ring out the news, another day is through.
Someone slipped and fell, was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength your courage to renew.
Do not be disheartened, I have news for you.
It is no secret what God can do, what he's done for others he'll do for you.
With arms wide open, he'll pardon you, it is no secret what God can do.

There is no night for in his light you'll never walk alone.
Always feel at home, wherever you may roam.
There is no power can conquer you while God is on your side.
Just take him at his promise, don't run away and hide.
It is no secret what God can do, what he's done for others he'll do for you.
With arms wide open he'll pardon you, it is no secret what God can do.

The fate of the balloon

2006-10-25T20:47:00.000-04:00

nina heard tremendous wailing from outside...so, she ran out there to find ben holding a limp balloon. He was very upset that it had popped...for your information...the helium has already long been gone. He's crying...and then nina suggested that we put it in the trash can and give it to the garbage man when he comes. A smile cracks on ben's face through his tears. That's a good idea.
Later he told me, "the sad thing is that the pokey thing on an acorn popped my balloon, but the happy thing is that i put it in the trash can and the garbage man is gonna put it in the truck, and the big thing is gonna smoosh it. that's the happy part."

This week....

2006-10-21T15:12:00.000-04:00

the blues from this week...
- when the only orange shirt you own is way big around, and totally looks aweful...
- when you can't seem to ever find time for a good QT
- hearing that grandma's not doing so well
- wishing i could manage my time better and get things done in less time.
- no one wanting me to read Bowditch aloud on the way to Georgia
- when your siblings don't make their beds
- when the other people's laundry is piling up (the clean loads) and it doesn't seem to bother them...
- when people are already thinking about Christmas...and you really don't want the year to go by that fast, so as a result, don't want to hear about Christmas yet.
- when people visit your blog, but don't leave a comment...

but no, I'm not sad! I know I''m happy....
- when God gives you the power you need to play your piano piece so well.
- listening to david’s gibber
- thinking about what will be coming in the mail very soon…
- when the air feels orange
- playing the piano *a lot*
- a kinda lazy saturday morning…
- reading IN THE ARENA by Isobel Kuhn
- trying to let it sink in that God is so good to me. SO GOOD.
- mama taking be to see the floats on campus...and what impressed him wasn't the floats...but the handful of 4-wheelers
- having mysteries to figure out
- marvelling over the fall colors
- seeing old friends that you haven't seen in a long time
- someone wanting to lern spanish with you
- hanging out with hannah all afternoon!
- nina making really really good bread for us
- awesome p b and j's! oh, yah! homemade peanut butter and homemade strawberry jelly on fresh homemade bread!

Happy moments. . .

2006-10-17T20:04:00.000-04:00

. . .when I get all of today’s work done.
. . .I get some good time on xanga.
. . .remembering the old kids book about a fat man’s club who stole the atlantic ocean and put it in their basement.
. . .benjamin brushing my hair for me and telling me he was going to make it look like a chicken.
. . .finally mailing off two letters today
. . .figuring out the big unexplainable, totally clueless mystery…well, we didn’t figure out, it waited til the proper time and then revealed itself…but until then, it really had me lost!
. . .david, who cannot talk, but totally can tell you what he wants. He makes me laugh!

Ogden Nash

2006-10-15T16:13:00.000-04:00

A few random Ogden Nash poems that I really like. He's cool.

The Ostrich
The ostrich roams the great Sahara.
Its mouth is wide, its neck is narra.
It has such long and lofty legs,
I'm glad it sits to lay its eggs.

Guppies
Whales have calves,
Cats have kittens,
Bears have cubs,
Bats have bittens,
Swans have cygnets,
Seals have puppies,
But guppies just have little guppies.

Celery
Celery, raw
Develops the jaw,
But celery, stewed,
Is more quietly chewed.

The Abominable Snowman
I’ve never seen an abominable snowman,
I’m hoping not to see one,
I’m also hoping, if I do,
That it will be a wee one.

The Centipede
I objurgate the centipede,
A bug we do not really need.
At sleepy-time he beats a path
Straight to the bedroom or the bath.
You always wallop where he’s not,
Or, if he is, he makes a spot.

Fleas
Adam
Had'em

The Catsup bottle
First a little
Then a little

Eels
I don't mind eels,
Except as meals,
And the way they feels.

The Fly
The Lord in his wisdom made the fly
And then forgot to tell us why.

The Hippopotamus
Behold the hippopotamus!
We laugh at how he looks to us,
And yet in moments dank and grim,
I wonder how we look to him.

Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!
We really look all right to us,
As you no doubt delight the eye
Of other hippopotami.

The Porcupine
Any hound a porcupine nudges
Can't be blamed for harboring grudges.
I know one hound that laughed all winter
At a porcupine that sat on a splinter.

The Termite
Some primal termite knocked on wood
And tasted it, and found it good!
And that is why your Cousin May
Fell through the parlor floor today.

Kitten
The trouble with a kitten is THAT,
It eventually becomes a CAT.

The Lllama
The one-L lama, he's a priest
The two-L llama, he's a beast
And I would bet a silk pajama
There isn't any three-L llama

Billboard
I think that I shall never see
A billboard lovely as a tree;
Indeed, unless the billboards fall
I'll never see a tree at all

The Panther
Except that it hasn't been peppered.
Should you behold a panther crouch,
Prepare to say ouch,
Better yet, if called by a panther,
Don't anther.

camping!

2006-10-15T08:19:00.000-04:00

So, where have I been? Camping. Absolutely. This was actually the first time I’ve ever been camping. So deprived… I’d slept “under the stars” in our back yard, and in the Reeves back yard…but never actually “gone camping.”

A blessing is…
- a good camp fire
- realizing half-way through the night that I was sleeping in an upside-down “mummy” sleeping bag…
- everyone going swimming…and it being the middle of october…
- realizing that i was wearing a t-shirt, a sweat shirt, a heavy, lined coat, a very heavy denim jacket, sweat pants, jeans, a hat, gloves, socks and sandals…
- a tire swing!
- biking all over the campground
- feeling the WARM lake…(duke energy uses lake keowee’s water as its for coolant for its nuclear reactors…so it usually stays warm through october they say)
- an awesome QT sitting on a rock right by the lake, with my feet in the water, and the waves lapping through my crocs…
- walking up and down the beach in the water and praying and getting the feeling that God has heard
- laying on the ground under nina’s hammock
- after a while of thinking and praying in spanish, having to fight back the spanish and search for the english word…
- consuming massive amounts of chocolate…
- listening to steve pettit again…
- blaring charlie miller’s instrumental piano hymn arrangements with the windows down…and the guy in the car next to us rolling up his windows… lol
- seeing God’s HUGE spread of stars
- actually seeing a shooting star!
- reading Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by the campfire since nina wasn’t there
- david’s “constable hat”

and then a few that were not from the camping trip…
- polly, lizza, and elizabeth (my three favorite characters!)
- free bacon and sausage pizza
- trying to figure how to write bubble letters with chalk…so writing a to z names of friends then dudley complaining of graffiti all over the patio…(I couldn’t think of any good friends for w…and z…and o…q? u? v? I couldn’t even think of a good one for i…
- zeez and i swapping bibles

A thought and a quote

2006-10-11T20:54:00.000-04:00

The other night I was just thinking, how simple it would be if I could just know what God has for my life. You know…twenty years from now, will I be a homeschooling mom somewhere…or will I be living in some foreign country working at an orphanage…or will I be in some other missionary position… or does God have “behind the scenes” work for me to do…Living the uneventful life of a prayer warrior yet just as active for the Lord…then I was thinking it would be easier to prepare for my life if I knew what I was going to be doing…but, then I thought of a quote from Amy Carmichael… I’ve really been thinking on it a lot…she once said:
“Home, with all it prohibitions and opportunities to die daily offered far greater training than any Bible school curriculum.”
So, it reminded me to be making the most of my time right now. To be willing to learn the lessons God has for me to learn right now. To live the mundane, but live it with the Creator of the spectacular!

A few insights from my Spanish today...

2006-10-10T17:35:00.000-04:00

Amazing the insights you get when you start learning another language!
Such as, a few things that I’ve found…in Spanish, the word for a “fly” is a “mosca.” Now, when I heard this, the first thing that came to my mind was…well, that makes sense! I guess a little fly would be a—mosquito!
Today, I was studying and came across a flash card for housewife, or homemaker. The Spanish…el ama de casa. Which is literally a house lover!
I love learning Spanish!

Current poitically correct WGPL words...

2006-10-09T21:23:00.000-04:00

Today, as Peter and I were working on cleaning up the kitchen, we were discussing the current politically correct words to use around our house…you know everyone generally has a certain word that they use a lot...well, there four at our house that are used a lot. A whole lot! Definitely, random, massive and majorly. Incase you haven’t noticed, I definitely use them a lot. 
Well, so we decided that until we were done cleaning the kitchen, we were going to use at least one of the four words in every thing we said. Not necessarily in every sentence, but at least once a paragraph. It was rather interesting….and definitely very funny. Definitely.

Oh, today I was looking up a ton of quotes…I wanted enthusiasm quotes, and ended up going off and finding a ton of really good quotes on various things…but I saved them all on the other computer...so I’ll have to post them another time…

An awesome day!

2006-10-09T21:20:00.000-04:00

Yes, not getting much sleep and being sick and it being a Monday…would normally make for a very hard day. But today was not normal. Mama declared a quiet time for the whole house from one to two, and the options were reading or sleeping. The idea probably was that we would get to work after an hour or so… Having gotten less than six hours of sleep last night, I definitely chose the sleeping. I’ve not taken a nap in the middle of the day for probably several years…today I slept for over three hours.
Then, after I got up, I was kind of scared…like, was I now gonna have to do all the work that I normally would have been doing that whole time? So, I asked my mom…she says, well what have you done? I did just algebra and I worked for an hour on my magazine. She says, just go get your record sheet and write sick by anything you didn’t do. That’s not something I can let you do everyday, but today, I will permit it.
Praise the Lord! That was so cool!
Then she hands me a book. Go read, she says… I can do that! I read for about an hour and a half. It felt so good! For so long we have just been busy, busy, busy; running, running, running; everywhere at the same time, not a chance to slow down. But, this weekend was so relaxed! Then to have a relaxed Monday like this…Its not a reality to live this way long, but boy does it feel good every once in a while to taste simplicity!

2006-10-09T07:58:00.000-04:00

The idea was that I would post a blessing list…but for some reason…the morning after you stay up and do pretty much nothing…you don’t feel like staying up really late was a blessing…cause really I didn’t do anything…oh well, there blessings to be found…

· praying for friends
· david asking me to read him God Made
· good God discussions at midnight
· the seattle space needle
· leaving to go to walmart past my bedtime
· daniel
· reading acts 1this morning together
· looking forward to a nap opportunity after lunch
· the grascals
· writing letters to friends ( even though I can’t mail them today….but that’s
definitely not on my blessings list…I’ve had this thing for several years
now against postal holidays…)
· when someone special happens to call on our internet answering machine…and then staring at their special phone number for a while…because its there on the screen…

Blessings!

2006-10-08T21:09:00.000-04:00

On the ground, in the air,
I find blessings everywhere!

* a glass of chocolate milk
* asking deep questions
* talking to friends that you haven't talked to in forever
* being online all day
* when friends call you back
* having work done well
* when your friends start posting happy lists too
* David's smile
* a car ride with Nina
* good message from Mitch Miller
* Phase Diez (phase 10 played with UNO cards)
* when your friends call you back
* when your friends post on their blogs
* when your sister lets you talk to her friend with her
* when Benjamin asks you ever so politely if you'll change his diaper
* when your brothers are all really happy cause Clemson won the football game
* when people just stop by your house and stay and talk for an hour and a half. I love it when people do that!!!

Xanga

2006-10-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

So you know...I've been posting a whole ton on my xanga site. I have xanga.com/carrie_belle I try to remember to post it on this blog too, but I don't always...Like I just realized that I posted at least 5 times today on my xanga and not once on my blogspot...so, lets see...if I'm quiet, go over there,...and there'll probably be something there,...

Philippians 2

2006-10-08T08:27:00.000-04:00

This morning I was reading Philippians 2. This is one of my mom’s favorite Bible passages, so I’ve heard it all my life. Sometimes when you read familiar passages, things don’t sink in…you’ve heard it so many times that you just recite it as you read along and it just doesn’t effect you. This time was different. I read the first two verses…
“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”
I guess I formed a paraphrase from this that got beyond the familiar words.
“If there is encouragement in Christ, be of the same mind; if there is any fellowship of the spirit, be united in spirit; if any affection and compassion, be intent on one purpose.”
For some reason, that means more to me. I can hear the spirit of the verse that way.

The Blessing

2006-10-07T17:16:00.000-04:00

Benjamin asks if he can thank the Lord for the food. Papa said he could, so he bows his head.

Thank you for the food, and please keep it safe and help it to not get sick. Amen.

Not sure where he got that from...but it was very cute.

Benjamin

2006-10-05T19:30:00.000-04:00

Today is Benjamin's birthday! I cannot believe that he is three now!
So, here are 10 things that I like about him:

1 He tells me that he loves me.
2 He is very polite.
3 He is very verbal.
4 He loves to cuddle.
5 He appreciates what I do for him.
6 He says and does the cutest stuff.
7 He thinks he's a big boy, but will let me help him.
8 He loves water.
9 He says David is his best friend.
10 He knows that God made him.

All your Anxiety

2006-10-05T12:17:00.000-04:00

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about different songs…what song do I feel like right now…that sort of thing…and a song that I’ve been thinking about more and more is “All your Anxiety.” I don’t know it very well, but the words are really good!

Is there a heart o’er bound by sorrow?
Is there a life weighed down by care?
Come to the cross, each burden bearing,
All your anxiety--leave it there.

All your anxiety, all your care,
Bring to the Mercy seat, leave it there;
Never a burden He cannot bear,
Never a Friend like Jesus.

That’s a pretty good hymn! What song do you feel like right now?

Template

2006-10-03T18:38:00.000-04:00

You like it? I haven't quite decided on everything...but its a change....tell me what you like...or don't like...
I'd love to know!

Isaiah 26:3

2006-10-03T17:01:00.000-04:00

Amazing sometimes how a verse can be significant to one person…but not to another…but its even more significant when the same verse is significant to two people. Last night Nina and I got into a really deep discussion, but afterwards, I felt a real prayer burden. The kind of things you can’t fix yourself, you can only take them to the Lord and leave them there. Then today I was reading and I came to Isaiah 26:3. “The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace because he trusts in Thee.” That verse had been very significant to Megan, but I really didn’t know where in Isaiah it was. It meant a lot to me as I read it, and underlined it…but then I realized it was the same one that Megan had showed me! That was very cool. muy chido…

Bread for the Birds

2006-10-01T16:21:00.000-04:00

I was reminded the other day of something really cute my cousin said. We had some old bread that was dried out and we were gonna tear it up into pieces and give it to the birds…it was then that the five year old goes, “Be sure to tear it into little pieces, cause if you don’t, the birds’ll choke!”

Fulfillment is…

2006-09-30T20:35:00.000-04:00

This.
…having something looming over you…a laundry room that is an absolute mess. A full week after the trip, it still looks the same…even worse…something that definitely needs to be dealt with. Its nine o’clock on Saturday morning, everyone else was gone except Dudley (outside), David (sleeping) and Nina (having her QT)…so I essentially had the house to myself.
This is when I set up my perfect environment for deep cleaning: a the room to be cleaned all to myself, a good stereo system, good ol’ western cowboy music (nice’n loud) and a broom. Under these conditions, the room cleans up all by itself with very little effort. I do this often. Yesterday it was our room, today it was the Laundry room.

Fulfilling. Very.

The Study

2006-09-30T15:42:00.000-04:00

A few years ago, when Daniel was going through ALERT, we had a mini ALERT program going on here…at our house…there were exercises for people who didn’t complete their responsibilities, we had major weekly cleaning inspections, PT every morning…etc. Well, Nina gets back from EQUIP, and the thing is a Learning Center. At ITC, there was a room for the LITs to do their schoolwork, and it was called the Learning Center. No one talked in that room and it was definitely a focused atmosphere. During school hours, there was a “monitor” there to supervise and to help anyone who needed it.
So, we’re doing that. We’ve moved desks and things into one bedroom…there’s a bookshelf in between each desk and there’s a desk for a monitor (either Mama or Nina). We’re gonna try to learn responsibility with working hard and having a focused atmosphere…before now, we have not done a good job in that area! So, starting this Monday, that’s what we’ll be doing! I can’t wait to see how it actually will work!

Poor David

2006-09-25T16:59:00.000-04:00

An old friend of ours often said that Lewis kids are top-heavy…She said this because we were constantly falling down and every time it was the forehead that got banged up…Most of us kids have ugly scars on our foreheads…or near our eyes…its just a Lewis tradition I guess…
Well, David is no exception. Though his aren’t very lasting at this point, he does have a lot of bumps and bangs on his forehead. While we were in Chicago, he hit his forehead on a door facing and scraped it. Then he hit it in the exact place and got a nice bruise to go with the scrape…now, the poor little guy has a huge goose egg on the other side of his forehead. Huge. I was scared when I first saw it…
Oh well, I guess he’s a regular top-heavy Lewis!

Ultimate Frisbee

2006-09-24T20:53:00.000-04:00

Today after church we had an awesome game of ULTIMATE FRISBEE! Yahoo!
Talk about being worn out! We hadn’t played in forever…I was already feeling tired after the first point. Not a good sign!
It was Daniel, Dudley, Me, Peter and Suzanna with three other people. We played for a while and then started keeping score…at 3 to 5 the Reeves showed up. They let us finish up playing to 7 and then we played a while again and then started keeping score…all of us that had been playing for a while were worn out! We started keeping score…at about 4 to 5, Joel shows up! And they put him on the other team! So it was a bunch of worn out people against Joel and another bunch of worn out people. It was very hard! Joel’s team definitely won. :) 9 to 11.

Brownie Chocolate!

2006-09-24T14:32:00.000-04:00

Last night Joel came over about supper time and we hung out for a while….Then all the guys went out and brought back a ton of Brownie Chocolates…definitely an experience! It’s an RC Cola Chocolate drink…

Links

2006-09-23T21:55:00.000-04:00

I updated my links btw...to the ones that I really read... :)

Our trip

2006-09-23T20:51:00.000-04:00

Such an awesome trip!
Thursday was the day that we ended up going to Amish country. We went to a cheese factory then to Menno-Hof. It’s a museum about the Amish and Mennonites. That was really cool….they had the history, how they settled, what they believe, what’s the difference between them…then after that, they had a TV set up and you could listen o these two story tellers and they would tell stories that were just hilarious…like Amish are not stingy, they’re frugal. Know how copper wire was invented? Two Amish guys fighting over a penny. J Another cool thing there was a tornado simulator. They put you in a room and there’s a screen…it shows a tornado coming, it blows tremendous amounts of air in there, makes tons of noise, even vibrates…sooo cool!
Right after Menno-Hof, Amanda, Kip’s best friend, came and picked up Kip, Nina, Ben and I. She took us to her house, well to the mill. Her family has an old flour mill. We packaged pancake mixes for a while…that was so cool…To entertain Ben, we gave him a bin with about three inches of flour in it and a few cups….that kept him good for a while.
Then we played with Amanda’s kitties….then the rest of the family got there and they took us on a tour of their old mill—built in 1846 and still fully operating. Incredible. The beams that the thing was built with were 13 by 13 inch beams of solid white oak fifty feet long. Now, imagine that being hoisted up to the top of a three story frame that was being built on top of an twenty-one foot deep river. The river goes under the mill and runs the generator. But hoisting up that beam….before the walls and floor…fust a frame…and this was done by the Amish folks…they weren’t using cranes…this was a serious building! Planks on the walls were over three feet wide and 26 feet long!
Anyways, we got to see the way that the flour was milled, separated, sifted, and everything.
I am so glad Kip could come! We all had such a blast with her…and that really did help Nina…made it a little bit easier to leave…she's been living in a big huge building with all her friends for a year, and now she's going home...so it was really good for her to have kip that week.
For plenty of pictures, visit Nina. Go back in her achives for even more from earlier in the trip.

What's going on...

2006-09-19T18:38:00.000-04:00

I've been posting regularly...sorry...but Nina and Kippany have, so for funny pictures, check out their xangas!

Indianapolis, Champagne, and Naperville!

2006-09-17T18:46:00.000-04:00

Oops, this is the post I wrote on Sunday that I thought I posted...

We made awesome time up to Indy and our total trip took 9 hours and 59 minutes! And only 3 stops! For eight people, that's doing pretty good!
At 8:00 the next morning we rolled out of Indy along with Nina and Kippany! So cool! The trip from there through many corn fields to Champagne, Illinios where my mom's sister, Dudley and her family live. We spent the day with them...it was awesome!
Then after a light supper, we turned toward Chicago, and began the long trip up to Chicago. We played various games, and then after three people were asleep, we all started singing really loud in the back of the van. First crazy bluegrass songs, then funny bluegrass songs, then bluegrass hymns, then songs that we didn't really even know...:) and then Nina got out Mama's laptop and started playing songs...cool.
Anyways, we finally arrived! Naperville is about an hour west of Chicago. We went to their church this morning, then to the craft fair that happened to be going on.

Off we go!

2006-09-13T20:42:00.000-04:00

Day after tomarrow (Friday) we are leaving for Indianapolis! We'll be picking up Nina and her friend Kippany and heading to Amish country, northern Indiana! Then to Poppy and Grandma Lyn's house in Chicago, then to Mama's sister's house (also in Illinois) and then back to Indianpolis to drop off Kippany, and then home With Nina!!! That's the best part!
We'll be back next Friday night.
Till then...
in case I don't get to post in Chicago...

Chemistry and Biology

2006-09-11T20:48:00.000-04:00

Dudley (16) and I are taking Chemistry this year. We’ve took Biology two years ago. Well, we were asking Mama if she had bought the Chemistry lab kit for us…we needed a graduated cylinder, a scale that measures grams, other such things…
Suzanna, the very smart 10 year old that she is, suggested that we just use our Biology dissecting kit. Its got the same stuff, right?

Ta-dah!!!

2006-09-09T21:22:00.000-04:00

We have just made the plunge…we’re in on technology by now! We now own a cell phone!!! We got Alltel…but I don’t know the number yet! Its just hard to belive that we’ve got one now! One for Mama (and Nina) and one for Daniel.

My day

2006-09-07T21:24:00.000-04:00

I've been busy…sorry I'm not on every day…I'm trying.

This morning Mama found several bugs on the counter…so, she and Dudley ran to Ace to get some insect poison and then began the chore of pulling out everything in the cabinets, wiping them down, spraying them well, letting them dry, and then going through things and re-arranging them in the cabinets. I guess you could say it was like a piece of spring cleaning…but it was good!

Then…later, we kids got distracted. We all attempted to copy each other's signatures and then put them all together and tried to figure out who wrote what…make any sense? It was fun! And Peter actually guessed that the one that I wrote with his name was the one that he wrote! I hope I'm not being too confusing…But it was fun!!! You should try it with your brothers and sisters!!

A discussion on pigs...

2006-09-05T18:27:00.001-04:00

Ben: Mrs. Oxendine! Look at my sock! It has a pig on it!

Mrs. Oxendine: That’s neat Ben, Is that one of the Three Little Pigs?

Ben: No, it’s one of the One Little Pigs.

Mrs. Oxendine: Really? Now, what does a pig say?

Ben: This pig says, “May I have a cookie, please?”

Oh...so cute! and so original!!!

Another Meme!

2006-09-05T18:27:00.000-04:00

1. Are you craving anything and if so, what?
Me? I'm actually not right now...except a tall glass of water!

2. What is the weather outside, and do you wish it would change?
A rainy day here...but by now, its pretty much dried up...so, I'm fine with it the way it is.

3. What two websites do you think you will go to next after you are finished here?
Definatly, next I'm going to check out my Site Meter to see who is reading what I'm typing...and then I'm not sure what next...I'll probably download a hand full of Xanga sites that are updated only periodically to see if there's anything new there...

4. Do you wish you were somewhere else and if so, where?
I love where I am...but Mexico would be a great change...or Olympia? I'll take either one if you'd like to send me somewhere! I'd also love to be in Indy with Nina! That'd be cool!

5. Do you wish you were someone else, and if so, who?
I can't think of anyone I'd rather be!

6. Tag?
Who do I tag to do this? almost none of my friends who read this have blogs...or at least I don't know that they do...but Molly does, so I tag her!

So, I'm not the only one around here who really wants to go to Mexico!

2006-09-04T21:48:00.000-04:00

My cousin said she figured out that her blog is a blog about all the crazy things her [older] brother does...Well mine is a blog about all the absoluetly adorable (to me) things that my little brother does... Is it just me, or is he really that cute anyways!

Today I was putting Ben down for a nap,and all of the sudden he rolls over and says very determinedly, “Let Me!!!” I playfully restrain him. Again, “Let Me, Let Me Cawwie!!”

“Let you--what?”

“Let me go to Mexico!!”

“You may, may I go too?”

“Yes. You may.”

From there he went off into say how we would leave on Thrusday-day and come back on Sunday. We would bring Mama with us…

“May I see my friends down there?”

“Yes, what awe deiw [their] names?”

“Um, can I see Cristina?”

“Yes, is she your fwiend?”

“Yes, Cristina’s my friend.”

“Cwistina’s my fwiend too!

Who does Ben love?

2006-09-04T21:43:00.000-04:00

Me: Who loves you?

Ben: Poppy and Gwamma Lyn

Who else?

Gwamma and Gwandaddy

Who else?

Papa and Mama

Who else?

He heaws my pwayaws…[which, btw, is probably a quote from one of his little books…]

Who hears your prayers?

God does.

Does He love you?

Yes. [grin]

Who else do you love?

I love Nina!

Who else?

Daniel!

Well, Ben, you know who I love? I love Benjamin.

[After a little…]

Know what, Cawwie? I love you!

A few thoughts...

2006-09-03T16:46:00.000-04:00

Here is a summary of the message this morning...

What if you went on a two week mission trip and when you came back, you landed at the airport in Atlanta, and they flopped open the door and you began to walk across the runway. You thought this was interesting because usually you walk right into the terminal. But, then you realize its because there is no airport. It has been destroyed and all that’s left is heaps of rubble. As you leave the airport, you begin to see that the entire city has been devastated. All the skyscrapers are piles of debris. You can only go about 20 mph because the interstate has been destroyed. The forests are burned. Even the lakes are gone because the dams have been destroyed. No wildlife. Everywhere people are walking by the side of the road in tattered clothes. There is destruction everywhere. Your house is gone. Everything is destroyed. What would you think? How would you feel?
You’d have a sense of loss. You’d want to fix it, and put it back right, because you knew what it used to be.
Now, what if you grew up in this same place. You’d be used to it. You would never have known its glory, its beauty, its richness; you’d simply be satisfied. This is all you knew things could be. You wouldn’t feel the same need to rebuild what used to be.

Now, think of the desert in the West. When you see it, you accept it as desert. But, what if you had known an area to be a lush, fertile plain and then came back and saw it as a desert. It would take your breath away. You would feel that something was lost. It would be completely different than just supposing that the desert always was and always will be wasteland.

We live in a spiritual wasteland. A spiritual desert. Many vibrant and powerful Christians have come from the East to America and described a feeling of real demonic presence here in our churches, more than they felt back in China in a communist prison. They feel more persecution here from the American Christians than they felt from their communist persecutors.
The reality is, we really do live in a spiritual wasteland. Our country is a rubble heap, but we’ve never known any different. We are fine with how it is. We must take action!

Now, imagine trying to rebuild a huge city, repair the damage of a flattened city. Brothers and sisters, we have to change our life style. We cannot dedicate ourselves to rebuilding our country without rearranging our priorities and putting time, energy and money into repairing the damage. We may feel very overwhelmed at the thought of trying to repair our country, but the reality is that we have One on our side Who has all the resources, and people that we could need. He’s there and waiting to give to us what we need if only we’ll ask!

So what can we do? We must stand out, and stand up for our country. But what is our direction? How can we figure out how to begin making a difference in the millions of people who need us so badly? We must pray! Prayer is the key by which all things can be reached. Prayer can move things that aren’t possible. Prayer is an instrument that allows us to directly move the Spirit of the Living God, the Creater of the universe, the Maker of all mankind. We must pray!

The Sears Tower puzzle

2006-08-30T20:58:00.000-04:00

It is done! We did it all start to finish in 3 hours and 15 minutes!
The thing is over 3 feet tall!

A survey about me

2006-08-29T20:53:00.000-04:00

Yes, I can't even belive that I took the time to do this...but now that I did it...here it is...

A survey

Time Born: 3:00AM? My mom can't quite remember...and me? I definately don't.

Favorite candy: Peppermint Patties

Nicknames: Carrie, Carrie-belle, Nini, Care-bear

Number of candles on your last birthday cake: Couldn't tell you...I turned 14 thoguh...if that is what you want...

Pets: I wouldn't count Sunny, our dog, as my pet, but my real pets are Ben and David

Birthplace: Seneca, South Carolina

Favorite vacation place: Monterrey or Guadalajara Mexico, or Olympia, WA!!!!!!!

Favorite Food: Mexican! Probably our Enchilada Bake is on top...

Favorite Smell: Peppermint

Favorite ice cream flavor: Very Chocolaty Cherry!

Last book you read: By Searching Isobel Kuhn's autobiography

Been in a car accident: No…Praise the Lord!!

Favorite day of the week: Today

Favorite restaurant: WGPL Kitchen

Last place you went out to eat: Taco Bell...well, I'd hardly say that was "out to eat" it was on our trip home from Indianapolis

Favorite flower: Pansy

Favorite drink: Agua de Jamaica (I had it in Mexico...its a little bit like cranberry juice...but not sour...

Favorite fast food: Taco Bell

What color is your bedroom carpet: Um...I have a beautiful hard wood floor!

Before this one, from whom did you get your last email: Juany

If you had $1,000 to blow, where would you spend it: I'd probably go visit a bunch of my friends...(Olympia, WA; Cary, NC; Indianapolis, IN; Franklin, TN; Muskogee, OK; Monterrey, MX; Chicago, IL; etc....I'd go everywhere!

What do you do most often when you're bored: Play the piano!

Most annoying thing people say to me: I don't know...but its the whiny voice that I don't like!

Bedtime: 9:00 Real Time

Favorite TV show(s): Like I even know any?

What are you listening to right now: the tick of the clock...and the rythmn of the washing machine....

What time is it: 8:45 pm

Responsibility Challenge

2006-08-29T09:46:00.000-04:00

Our family has recently borrowed an idea from EQUIP, a "Challenge!"

Mama listed out different responsibilities that needed to happen (chores, schoolwork, etc.) and most of them had a deadline. She then assigned point values for each completed item(examples: rise on your own-5, math started by 8:00-5, all work done by 2:00-10). There were also verses to memorize. Extra points could be earned for service projects and if we kids took initiative, more points! She set the point goal attainable, and then had a surprise planned for those that made the goal. It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of energy in the house as ones tried to make all the points necessary to go on our "big outing." All did!

The Suzanna (10) has begged Mama to do another one! so we did another one last week.

Mama said she had two goals, to help us see that we can do the things we need to do and to see the good fruit of doing them!!! It rewarded Mama when, after the challenge was completed, Dudley (16) assured her he has seen these results in his life!

Another fun thing Mama did as school started this summer was for the first two weeks of school those that had all their work and chores done by 2:00 would get an ice cream bar reward! This has been a great "carrot"! Before, school had been an all-day thing. Now, most everyone can get it all done by 2:00!

We went to Indianapolis!!!!!

2006-08-23T20:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry...its been awhile...but, guess what? We went up to Indianapolis this weekend for Nina's graduation!

We had a blast! We were able to get a taste of what her life is like there at the training center...I was able to do her chores with her two times, Zeez and I got to sleep with her and her roommates up in their room one night...we got to meet and kinda get to know the people she lives with, works with, and just plain IS with all the time...It was over all just awesome!

Shoe-lover

2006-08-09T17:00:00.000-04:00

Mama had Ben in the car and they were going to the bank. She told hime that on the way home maybe they could go by Salvation Army. Ben quickly returns, "Yes, we should go there!" Then, in a dreamy almost wistful way he adds, "They have all kinds of shoes there!" It was the same awe-filled way one might discuss the riches of heaven!
Shoes definately are worth the world to him. No other customers were at Salvation Army, so Mama let him try on some of the shoes. Of course, he picked the high-heeled ones... He put on one pair, "um, these...these are too big...these are too big." The next, "These fit real nicely, yes, these fit me, Mama."
Full grown ladies' high heeled shoes fitting a two and a half year old? Mama din't buy them.
Ever since he was very young he's been able to help recite the poem:
High-Heeled Shoes

I like to wear my Mommie's shoes.
I mean the pair she doesn't use.

I pick the ones with highest heels,
You can't imagine how it feels

To walk around, go out the door,
Clump-clumping all across the floor.

--By Kate Cox Goddard

Road Construction!

2006-08-09T16:47:00.000-04:00

That's our house, by the way, over in the corner of the picture...The others have had lots of fun watching!
They're replacing the pipes on our street...but the cool part is that they're strating right past our driveway and going to the other end of the road...so we get all the excitement without getting any of our yard messed up!
Cool deal!

P.S. The hydrant I mentioned the other day...well, that's it laying on the road!

Haleluiah!

2006-08-09T16:43:00.000-04:00

When I had my Blessing and Commitment Ceremony (July 9th), my parents gave me a ring. I have practically never worn a ring before. This one was a little too big on my finger and I was constantly toying with it…well, before the day was out, I realized that it was not on my finger and I had no recollection of setting it down anywhere…I wasn’t concerned though…after all I lose stuff all the time. The only difference was, usually I find things. But no, not this time. It was gone. We hunted high and low that night and the next morning for two hours or so. It was gone. Absolutely.
Then, yesterday, exactly 30 days later, Suzanna found it! She was actually holding the box it came in, wondering where in the world it could be…she put the box back up on the top shelf of my closet, look down, and there it was on the floor!I belive God must have moved it that spot. It would be incredible for it to have sat there a month in front of my clothes and I not notice it…
We’re thinking that maybe a Little One found it, picked it up and started playing with it…especially since there was a Little One here most of the day which particularly likes to play in my closet…
All I can say is…Praise the Lord!

Its A Girl!!!

2006-08-06T20:50:00.000-04:00

The Arnolds had their baby!
A little girl!

Her name is Jessica Rose Arnold...and they're gonna call her Jessie. So cute! Don't you just love the red hair?
I can't wait to see her...

More Pictures!

2006-08-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

These are just a few random ones I picked for now...I'll try to keep doing more as I go along! I have Google's free photo software now and that makes blogging pictures worlds easier! If you don't have it, you really should get Picasa!

This is a very poor neighborhood we stopped by. We gathered up the kids that were roaming around and shared the gospel with them. It was amazing! The absolute poverty and hopelessness of the little children...and their eagerness for the gospel...very heart moving!

Strange, huh? I just had to get a picture! Right down the street! A horse-drawn cart...and we actually saw several of them!

This is (left to right) Charity Reed, Mechelle Reed, Cristina Rodriguez, and Christianna Reed Maas. Christianna was the one who started the COMMIT conferences and the Reed family has been doing them together for seven years. This was the first COMMIT conference in Mexico and it was coordinated by Cristina. She did an awesome job!

And this is me with Hannah and Bethany Reeves. We all fell in love with Mexico together!!!

The hydrant

2006-08-04T21:10:00.000-04:00

We always love it when they clean out the water lines! We have a hydrant right next to our driveway! This is Dudley's "Umbrella of Protection." He also called it his head rest, but he said it actually did hurt! With the pressure...I could only imagine...

And when the guy turned it on full blast...it ws like this all the way across our driveway...The boys called it a localized hurricane!

Yahoo!!!!!!

2006-08-04T19:55:00.000-04:00

David caught on! He has decided its time to walk. This morning he wouldn't walk at all, while I was fixing supper he started to leave the cabinet and wal two steps away from it and then fall...he'd never done that before...now, he thinks its so cool to walk...he took like eight steps at a time...this is really cool!

Mexico

2006-08-01T10:30:00.000-04:00

Wow! Its good to be home, but I hope I can go back soon! Me encanta Monterrey!!!!

The first weekend, we stayed with the Quijano family. I don't have a picture of their whole family, but here is Hermana Susie and her daughter Leslie with us...note the famous Serro de la Silla in the background! Both Hermana Susie and Leslie were fairly fluent! That was like an "intro" to Mexico...we went to the markets and saw a lot of the city...but we weren't forced to speak the language...

From Sunday afternoon until Wednesday morning, we stayed with this family. They have a children's home and have adopted 10 children--several with special needs. They have a blind child, one cannot talk, one had water on the brain, and their helper is in a wheelchair. While we were there, we had the opportunity to be a special blessing since the dad and the two oldest kids were on a trip to the states.

This is the conference picture of the COMMIT conference. It was absolutely a stimulating conference. It was incredible!
I'm sure I'll have lots more pictures coming! But..for now, I've got to go!

My cousins!

2006-07-18T12:06:00.000-04:00

This is cool! I have so far been reading mostly other mom's blogs...and a few kid's blogs, but I don't know the kids personally...So every blog I read with only two exceptions I know the author strictly through their blog. Well, I have just learned my two cousins that are my age both have blogs now too! Perky and Molly.

...So I TOTALLY can't wait!!!!

2006-07-17T19:44:00.000-04:00

Its only Friday that I leave! And boy...am I excited! This is also our first week of school and with the packing, planning, Spanish, school, and two little boys, it seems that I really don't have time to be online...I try to squeeze...but even then, I tried to get on, and kept getting interupted and intercepted until finally Ben is on the bed, and Mama has got David. That's why I'm on. But you don't read my blog to find out why I don't post more often...
So, I'll talk about what sort of things I'll be doing in Mexico...that's more fun and entertaining for everyone...me included...
We'll be traveling Friday...Saturday and Sunday, I'm not quite sure what exactly we'll be doing, but we'll be staying with a Mexican ATI family...Monday and Tuesday, we'll be working at an orphanage! Wednesday is the training for this conference and then Thursday to Saturday is the actual conference! The main theme of the whole conference is that each one of us is a Princess because our Father is The King of the Universe! So...we'll have the place decorated, so I hear, like a castle and that its going to be totally awesome! I beg of you to be in intense prayer for all the girls coming—that God will draw them from far and wide and provide for them to come. And that this week will be an extreme turning point for them. That they will never be the same. Also for me, that God would do a work in my life as well.
This truly is a dream come true for me...and yet it seems like a dream still. I can't believe that I'm actually going! And...I keep thinking I'll be going sometime in 4 months--rather than actually 4 days! This is SOO unreal! Praise The Lord!!!

My dad's great!

2006-07-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

He has the amazing talent of song-writing...well he writes lyrics and steals other people's tunes. Here's the song he wrote for his dad...To be sung to the tune of Big John (if you know that song) :)

Big Jack

Well, I don’t know ‘bout your old man,
But mine can outfly Superman.
He can lift a car, or two, or three;
He’s the greatest dad in history-Big Jack.

Well, I don’t know about your pa,
But mine can whistle, paint and draw;
He can make or fix ‘most anything,
And in our family, he’s the king - Big Jack

Well, I don’t know about your pop,
But mine’s number one- he’s on top.
He’s cool, he’s smooth, he’s debonair,
And he can whoop a grizzly bear – Big Jack.

Well, I don’t know about your Dad,
But mine loves God and I’m so glad
That he walks straight, despite the rest –
Ya gotta know that he’s the best – Big Jack.

Well, I don’t know about your father;
Think yours is better? Don’t even bother.
Mines made of steel and he ain’t slack.
He’s my hero and his name is Jack – Big Jack

Well, some far day when my dad is gone,
I’ll take my kids to see his stone
‘Cause I want them all to understand
That their granddaddy was a big, big man – Big Jack.

My weekend!

2006-07-10T14:56:00.000-04:00

Sorry I’ve been so quiet…I’ve been pretty busy…
Friday afternoon, my mom’s parents got here from Chicago! Saturday noon we left for the big Jamboree in NC. The thing went really well! We were really encouraged! We had our first opportunity to play for cloggers, too! Oh, it was SO FUN!
Then on Sunday was my Blessing and Commitment Ceremony. It was an opportunity for me to make some commitments before the Lord to focus my youth more fully on Him and that I would be a more useful servant for Him. It was great! Then last night, Poppy told us all about growing up, and what his parents were like…and what he remembers from his grandparents…It was so cool to hear it! And also it was cool that we got it all on tape…
Then, this morning, at 4:00 in the morning, Daniel left here for the Atlanta airport. He’s going to Texas for a month. Then, Poppy and Grandma Lyn came by for a while before they left to go to the airport to fly home.
Its been busy around here, but its been fun!

Coming up: Tuesday evening, we’re performing at my other grandma’s church in Anderson!

David's haircut

2006-07-06T13:43:00.000-04:00

Can you tell a difference from before and after the haircut?
LOL

Dropping the van off...

2006-07-06T13:42:00.000-04:00

Every Thursday morning, we clean my dad’s office building. The guys and Suzanna usually go in the green van and along the way they pick up a co-worker of my dad’s and they carpool over there…then Mama, the little boys and I go in the little van. This morning, my dad also had to drop off the big van at the shop on the way in…So, here’s how it goes…
Papa: Don’t forget, Daniel, we have to drop the van and pick up Phil.
Ben: Why did…um,…who dropped our van?

Reading material

2006-07-05T21:13:00.000-04:00

Today was just another one of those days…working hard…but, I got my magazine to the printers, and there’s a lasagna in the freezer…so that’s a reward…
I have been trying to read more...because, its good to read, and because I haven't been reading at all lately. The book I'm reading right now is Tish Tales Its about a missionary and her family in Peru. I'm almost done. Then...I'll have to decide what to read next...anyone got any suggestions?

What a Fourth!

2006-07-04T20:53:00.000-04:00

A glorious Fourth!
Started out last night with the City fireworks--which, yes, are always shot off on July 3rd...then today we hung out and did nothing until a little after lunch when we headed off to Grandma and Granddaddy's house...Just as we arrived, we got to see the shuttle DISCOVERY launching on TV...pretty cool...the thing was going 4 miles PER SECOND at one point...and the thing was still accelerating...so, no telling how fast it actually got going!
We had good ole' fourth of July watermelon...then watched a little of the World Cup Semi-finals...Daniel commented that, after having been to Mexico, he had a lot more appreciation for it now! But, no wonder soccer never has been all that popular and thrilling for Americans...the ending score was 2-0. And both points were made in the last two minutes of the game! No, that's not the game for Americans. Americans like basketball. High-scoring games!
We finished it off with a meal from KFC and some of Grandma's peaches...

What a wonderful day!

Two boys!

2006-07-03T15:34:00.000-04:00

Aren't they adorable!?! ....and check out David's new haircut! In the previous pictures, he had the hair definatley going on!

Romans 14:10-13

2006-06-30T07:09:00.000-04:00

This morning I read Romans 14, and I've been reading in an altrenate version because, at least for me, so often I read the verses that I've heard so many times, and they just plain don't say anything to me. But, if I read them in a different version, I can hear them again...So this really spoke to me. It's Romans 14:10-13 from the Weymouth New Testament...

"But you, why do you find fault with your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon your brother? We shall all stand before God to be judged; for it is written, "As I live,' says the Lord, 'to Me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall make confession to God." So we see that every one of us will give account of himself to God. Therefore let us no longer judge one another; but, instead of that, you should come to this judgment--that we must not put a stumbling-block in our brother's path, nor anything to trip him up."

This is such a hard thing for me, because i'm so quick to judge others, especially my siblings. But...I'm working on it.

The flip flop he spotted

2006-06-27T19:49:00.000-04:00

This is what I hear from Ben as he wanders around talking to no one in particular... "There is a flip flop under the wardrobe, and I can’t get it. Can you help me? Its way, way, far under there. Its about two miles. I can’t reach it. It’s way right there. Oh, there’s some peat moss right there, there’s some peat moss…"
Then I see he is playing with a dust bunny…funny that he called it “peat moss”!

Our New Fridge!

2006-06-26T20:46:00.000-04:00

The fridge came today...and it can be described in two words, BIG and BLACK. So big! And it makes our kitchen darker...But it is nice to have a big one! French doors on top for the fridge, and a drawer underneath for the freezer. A nice change from a 32 year old, cramped, side-by-side!

Dry, Dry, Dry!

2006-06-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

That’s it. SOOO dry. And then…yesterday we got a sprinkle and all the plants woke up and turned green. Last night, After everyone was soundly asleep, the show began! The rain fell down…Now, probably around 12 hours later, our rain gage reports 6 1/2 inches of rain fall! Talk about torrents, we’ve seen ‘em! Especially since our backyard is part of the flood water run off for the two yards above us… We had a river going on…
Hopefully the ground will be able to soak up some of this and it won’t all run away!
OK...so its not dry anymore! Its thoroughly soggy!

Family here from Texas!

2006-06-22T14:40:00.000-04:00

My cousin Mikela is here from Texas with her three year old little boy, Jack, and also my aunt from Florida. Its great. They are staying with my grandma in Anderson and came over here Monday and today. Ben and Jack are having a great time together! Especially since they have a big common interest: CARS!!! They both love to play cars, so the two have had some good play time together!

Mexico

2006-06-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

I just realized how much I've not said about my trip to Mexico...So here's the thing. I'm leaving the 21st of July and getting back on the 30th. I am going with Bethany, Hannah, and Mr. Reeves. We'll be staying the weekend with a family down there, then we'll probably be able to help out at an orphanage for two days, then we'll have the COMMIT conference. It'll be great!

Ben's best friend

2006-06-22T14:03:00.000-04:00

We've been telling Ben that he's gonna love David and that David is gonna be his best friend when he grows up, etc. Well, now we know he's programed well.
Today, we went to the DMV to get a picture ID for me, so that I'll have one to take to Mexico...Well, I stood in front of the blue background and they took my picture, then Ben went over there and stood in front of it...yah, the bottom of it is at his eye level...:)
The lady says, "What are you...about two?"
Ben says yes.
She says "Well, you come back in about 13 years and I'll take your picture."
Then she sees that Ben is pushing David in the stroller. She asks him if that is his baby brother or sister...
Ben looks at her and says, "He...He...he...he's my best fwiend."

-- -- --

Suzanna is playing on the floor with Ben, David and our cousin's little 3 year old, Jack. At one point I hear this...
Suzanna says kindly, "David, can you not play with that? why don't you go over there..."
Ben interjects protectively, "Ya'll be careful with my best fwiend."

My ticket is ordered!

2006-06-20T21:24:00.000-04:00

Today the Reeves ordered 4 airline tickets. They leave from Atlanta, Georgia at 12:10 pm on Friday, July 21st. After changing planes in Houston, I'll be getting to Mexico at 3:51! Imagine my excitement! I, personally, don't know if I'll be able to contain myself. Recently, (like this month) I have twice been so excited that I could only bounce up and down and be excited. Once, I was so excited that I couldn't even trust my voice. When I find myself actually IN Mexico, I don't know what I'll be like! I SO cannot wait!

A Definite YES!

2006-06-19T11:10:00.000-04:00

On Mexico, I AM going! Mr. Reeves is going to take Bethany, Hannah and me. Its gonna be so great, I totally can't wait!
Praise the Lord!

How many people does it take to open an Apple Juice bottle?

2006-06-17T21:39:00.000-04:00

Ben asked for some Apple Juice, but the old one was empty so I went and got a new jar, but I cou;d not get it open for anything. I tried using my bare hands, I tried a towel, another towel, it wouldn't work.
"What should I do, Ben?"
"Um, I think you should get a knife."
"Why a knife?"
"Because you can't open it because the little things have to break, and you need a knife."
"No, I don't think that would help."
"You should ask Mama."
"But she's not here."
"You should call her and ask her."
"No...why don't you try it. And we could pray and ask God for us to be able to open it."
We did.
Ben tried, he couldn't open it.
I tried one last time and, actually was successful.
"Ben! It opened! God opened it for us!!"
"Did he come here and open it?"
"No, he just has to say that it can open, and it will do it all by itself."
"That's funny!! It opened by itself!"

I belive God did it.

Kid Comedy Carnival!

2006-06-17T21:19:00.000-04:00

The Carnival of Kid Comedy is up, and so funny!! Check it out over at Kim C.'s Life in a Shoe.
I had a good laugh!

The Duggar Family

2006-06-17T14:39:00.000-04:00

Everyone knows about the Duggar family, right? Well, did you know that all sixteen of the kids have names that start with a “J”? Pretty amazing! You’d think they would eventually have to start back through the list for lack of more names… I managed to find the names online, so here they are…
Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, and Johannah

Can you imagine both a Joy-Anna and a Johannah!?!

New Pole

2006-06-16T20:59:00.000-04:00

So... lets see, how do you like your bananas? I set up a pole for it in my sidebar and right now I have no votes, so please tell me, how do you like your bananas. I've been wondering about this for a while...and then I saw that Kim C. made her own pole for her site, so I made this. I'll tell you, I like them yellow with a hint of green. I'm gonna vote, so that it counts, and then I'm gonna wait to see who comes by to tell me. Og ahead and vote even if you don't know me or this is your first time on here...It doesn't tell me who you are, I see just as much as you do.

Guess what?

2006-06-16T20:27:00.000-04:00

The guys are having a nice "relaxing" time upstairs...doing something you don't do often... Tearing Up The Vinyl Floor In The Kitchen!!! We are officially re-doing the kitchen floor...We were gonna get some contracters to do it, but they said that the first 80% was easy to get up, and then the last 20% is torture, so they were gonna install the new right on top of the old. Well, my parents thought, "BAD IDEA!" SO, the guys dove in after supper and started ripping it up. Well, it turns out that there is another vinyl floor underneath it...and under that is an asbestos wooden-looking floor. So praise God! Asbestos is not that hard to get up, and so they able to rip it up reasonably easier than expected...since what they were expecting was something that contractors would get scared of! Praise God!

Good News!

2006-06-16T07:12:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Webb's surgery went well, they were able to remove the cancer, and now she is home from the hospital. This is extremely good news! Thanks for praying!

Praise the Lord!!!

2006-06-14T14:04:00.000-04:00

Now, Papa has pretty much said I can, but now he’s trying to figure out if Mama should go with me…That would be really awesome! Thanks so much for praying, and please keep praying! I still don’t know what all the Lord has for me in this.

What does he want to do when he grows up?

2006-06-14T14:01:00.000-04:00

Me: Benjamin, I’m gonna go to Mexico!!
Ben: Yes, I’m gonna fly in a big, big airplane to get to Mexico.
Me: No, I’m going to go, and you’re going to stay here.
Ben: I am gonna go and I’m gonna ride in the big, big airplane to Mexico.
Me: Maybe When you’re bigger you can go to Mexico.
Ben: When I’m big up like the ceiling, I’m gonna go to Mexico and I’m gonna drive a big, big airplane.

Well, we’ll see if that ever happens!

Mexico update

2006-06-13T20:36:00.000-04:00

Keep praying! Flight details are alot more of a hassle than I thought! I'm really crying out to God that He will allow me to go!!! To go to Mexico!! Okay, guys, this is a dream...that's about to come true!!! But at this point I really do feel like this is a dream...and in case my dad says no, it'll be like waking up from a really good dream and being bummed that you have to go on with normal life. I honestly can't believe it!
I just pray that his answer is yes, and that God will provide the funds and everything for me to be able to go!!

COMMIT Conference, Monterrey Mexico

2006-06-13T13:38:00.000-04:00

July 27-29
???? Get the hint ?????

My dad has not fully consented yet, but he's positively considering it!
More Later *after* he's decided.

Ultimate Frisbee Once Again!

2006-06-11T19:15:00.000-04:00

It has been forever since we've played frisbee, so it felt so good to play it once again yesterday. And a guy asked us if he could play with us...and he was good too! After a little, he said he had to go... and so Mr. Reeves asked him if he was a beliver and he smiled and said, "Not yet!"
Anyways, Mr. Reeves walked with him across the field to his car, and they talked for a long time, and Mr. Reeves shared the gospel with him, and Mr. Reeves said he was very receptive and very close to being ready to accept the Lord, so I've been thinking some about him, and praying for him!

The Full Moon

2006-06-11T19:00:00.000-04:00

A long time ago, when we were driving home from something (I don't remember where) we were watching the full moon. It was close to the horizon and very large and it was a flaming orange. As it got closer to the trees, Ben suddenly exclaims, "Its gonna pop!"

Riding home from home fellowship at the Reeves last night….We were pointing out to Ben the full moon…when we got home, as Ben chattered along, he mentioned in his talk about a “pop-moon.” I guess it’s a new phrase… :)

Blessings, Blessings Everywhere!

2006-06-09T19:34:00.000-04:00

I’m absolutely surrounded with blessings, and have been from birth. It makes it difficult to recognize and be grateful sometimes, because it never occurs to me that something would be otherwise…I’ve been raised in a Godly home, both my parents love the Lord and train and encourage us to love Him and each other, I’ve been home schooled all my life and been very sheltered and protected from a lot of the lies that many young people today are tortured with, I’m just very blessed!
Thus, it was eye-opening to me when the following incident happened on Tuesday night…We had Joel over along with one of his roommates, David Meyers. The guy had a lot of questions about home schooling and such…then after supper, I heard him tell Papa something. First he point toward me. I was feeding a bite of baby food to Davy in the highchair and then turning around and putting a bite of beans and rice in Ben’s mouth and then back to Davy, then Ben…and every so often taking a bite of my own… Then the guy points out my mom over at the counter serving ice cream for everyone… And then he asks Papa, “How did you do this? I would never think of serving my sisters…” Papa told him it was only by the grace of God. But for me, it was significant. I don’t even think about so many of the aspects of our family that really are, in reality an amazement to others! Honestly, it is true joy to me to serve Ben and David. Benjamin is the world to me, and I think I could do anything for him!