Hopefully this works, thank you Lori!

[rockyou id=84391092&w=426&h=319]

Survived, but barely!

Well, yesterday was quite the day for me! It started at 8am with last minute SS preparations, for those of you that don’t know, I’m not really a “last minute” kind of gal! But Sam had a lot going on with the Pumpkin Patch Preps and SS just got pushed to the back burner. So we had big plans to do a scavenger hunt for the 4-6th graders and the clues needed to be written up and everything organized. So I was busy doing that. Ugh! I hate pressure. Anyway, we somehow got that all done and SS was a sucess according to everyone else, I was just glad that we finished it! Then the service was really great and I was reminded that the Lord wants to use me – not that I have to be in control, but just open in allowing Him to work THROUGH me! Well, it was put to the test as we got to the Pumpkin Patch and immediately, I was thrown in control of the food for 300+ people and meanwhile, kids kept coming up to me asking for their prizes – which, by the way, I had no clue what they were talking about! These two girls came up to me to ask for their prizes and I was like – What?! Ummm… and they said, Sam said to get our prizes from you! So I was like, well, I’m not quite sure where they are right now, but do you want to sell pickles on a stick for me?! And they were so excited!!!! I couldn’t believe it! We had carmel apples and lots of food. Didn’t run out this year, but we didn’t have much leftover either, so that was good. I decided, I’m NOT a leader or an organizer of a lot of people, but under circumstances, I can do it, with the Lord’s help. And only Him.  So all that to say, I didn’t really get to enjoy the festivities of the day too much, in fact, come to think of it, I didn’t even get to eat! But I finally got home at 9pm and took a shower and tried relaxing for the evening, I ended up reading Jan Karon’s 8th book of the Mitford series until midnight – but what a nice relaxing evening! But I know that in the future, being in charge of food is NOT the place the Lord has for me!

The Lord did open another door for us as well yesterday. There is a lady here in town that used to tutor Sam’s little brothers. In the meantime, she’s been struck with some sort of mental illness and just kind of paces the street. She always has this look of complete contentment and it seems as if she’s in constant conversation with the Lord. I know that she loves the Lord, but He’s put her on our hearts and it sometimes pains us to see her pacing this 5 ft. sidewalk a block over from her home. Well, a couple of Sundays ago, she showed up at church and then we saw her in the Library last week and I finally got a chance to meet her. She remembered Sam, which was good. Anyway, she came to church again yesterday and Sam invited her to the Fall Festival. She said that she would see if a friend could bring her down. Otherwise, we offered to give her a ride if she would come to the church a little early! So at 2pm, she showed up at the church and was ready for a full and fun day at the Fall Festival. So she and I rode down in the van and she was such a great help and we visited and got to know one another better. I think it was such a great day for her! She stayed down there the whole time and then helped us pack back up and come back to the church and unload. She was washing dishes wtih the best of them! I took her home with her 30 lb. pumpkin and box of gourds and apples and I think she had just the best day ever! I’m honored that the Lord would use us to help Joy have such a great day! She sent me home with brownies and the learned lesson of knowing that you can find “JOY” in little things and your life doesn’t have to be so dag-on complicated! So thank you Lord for the “Joy” that you brought into our lives!

Well, other than that, hunting season is coming up. So Sam is gearing up for that. I’m looking forward to the next few weekends of kind of taking it easy. I want to celebrate the Fall to make the most of it and I’m excited to start doing some baking and Christmas present planning. I want to decorate the house for Fall too! We’ll see how much of that gets done… gotta clean out the garage to get to the decorations, Need to fix the garage door to get into the garage, etc., etc., etc. You know how that goes!

Well, happy day to you! I hope you can rest in the knowledge that the Lord has big plans for you this week as long as you are open to what He has for you! Love to you!

Is Fall really here?

Good morning. As I get ready to start work, I’m thinking about how beautiful the 5 trees in North Dakota are looking these days. I think Autumn may be upon us! I don’t know. There could always be an Indian Summer around the corner, but I kind of think we had it when my family was here. There is definitely a chill in the air and the trees are getting very yellow and orange. Yesterday Sam and I went on a bike ride and it was such a beautiful day! Our nights are staying solidly in the 40’s and the days are having a rough time getting above 70! It’s about as perfect as weather can get right now! This is definitely my favorite time of the year!

Tonight we are starting our Wednesday night activities, that means back to Confirmation and Rock Solid. We have a whole new group of kids for Sr. High Rock Solid! That should be fun! Beginnings are wonderful, aren’t they? There is something so fresh about it. I remember when I was in school and I used to get new school supplies, I used to just love opening them for the first time and feel like you have your whole life ahead of you, again! I love cracking the spines of books. It’s like there is a brand new adventure waiting just around the bend for you. Without the commencement of school for me, I have to find beginnings in new places. And the Fall always seems to be a good time to do that. We have kids rotating in and out of our youth ministry, they are experiencing newness with grade levels and schools and friends! It’s exciting to be a part of that! It’s also a little daunting at times – the unknown always is!

God is good, He gives us new beginnings all the time – Forgiveness is a new beginning and that’s always available, every day is a new beginning, His Word says, My mercies are new every morning! It reminds me of that saying in Anne of Green Gables, something like, Everyday is new, with no mistakes in it YET! There is something totally refreshing about new beginnings – God is good. I was feeling overwhelmingly tired from the summer with no opportunity to be refreshed for the start of the new school year. And let me tell you, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to re-group once the year starts, so I was kind of dreading it. But Sam and I went on our “Normal” Sunday drive/walk this week and the Lord just allowed me to rest in Him and be refreshed all over again. It was the nicest refreshment for my soul. I’m trying to take it easy all this week, to allow the Lord to heal the busyness and crazyness of the summer, to refocus my heart and life on Him and to see these kids through His eyes. There is so much hurting out there. And to never have reprieve from it is quite overwhelming. But praise to the Father, He is good and His mercies are new every morning!

I think I’ll see if I have any pictures on this computer from this summer! Of course, they don’t go where I want them to! I’ll delete some of my others and add some more later! Have a great day!

Greetings Earthlings!

I feel as if I’ve been disconnected so long, I could have taken a trip to Mars already! Well, the family was just here for a visit. We’ve received calls from all of them, they are all home, safe and sound. I’m glad, because we had a whirl-wind visit and I’m exhausted. So I know how much travelling can add to your tiredness, so I’m glad they are safe! We had a great time! We left last Monday for Rapid City, SD and went to Bear Country USA and Mt. Rushmore. We did a little shopping at Wall Drug (a must see!) and Keystone (ok, but not all that good – Sam and I collected rocks – big suprise, huh?!) Then we came back to Medora and did get to stay at our friends cabin for two days! Wes mastered the ATM as my mom calls it – ATV or 4wheeler to the rest of us! It was great – we got to see the Medora Musical and see TONS of animals at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Uncle Jim was suprised when Aunt Gayle took 900 pictures of Europe in 3 weeks, but I think it really knocked his socks off that she was in ND for 5 days and had already taken 400 pictures! Well, the Lord totally blessed us with the animals we got to see in the Park. Then we headed home for half a day on Thursday and went around town (Bismarck), introduced everyone to Cold Stone Creamery! Then left again on Friday morning for the Farm! It was a scorcher, but a different part of the state and ready for a whole new batch of photos! 🙂  We came back from that and tried to take a couple of days off. Our good friends the Hineman’s took us on a Pontoon ride down the river on Labor Day and that was just awesome! We had 120 wings at Famous Dave’s and Aunt Gayle and Uncle Jim stayed to watch the FSU and Clemson game, which FSU sadly lost, but only by a hair! Then Wes and A. Gayle and U. Jim headed out yesterday morning and then Mom and Dad left yesterday afternoon…. An hour later, Sam’s cousin, Olin and Suzanne and their two kids, Erynn and Faith came to stay with us and they left on the 8am flight this morning – Whew…. I’ve got to breathe!

Anyway, all that to say, we are back in town with no plans of leaving until T-giving. And frankly, I’m very excited about that! I think I’m ready for fall. Sam’s starting to plan the Fall Festival at Papa’s Pumpkin Patch for Sept. 16th and to me, that is the start of Fall! I’ve decided to change my blog page to reflect my Fall musings. I’m about to start baking and making some pumpkin dip…

Other than that, we don’t have much going, except all the regular Fall Routine activities. Sunday School is about to start up on this coming Sunday and then the Wednesday night activities next week. Tonight there is a Confirmation 7th grade kick off dinner and so we are rolling again, but at least we are home and getting ready to get into routine! I did love having my family in town, I missed my sister-in-law, but she’s healing really nicely! In fact, she’s adding more on her web-site. So keep checking it! She’s actually sent a bunch of jewelry into a website called www.craftzooka.com where we get to vote on our favorite pieces – so check that out and vote for Cindy Forrester’s Jewelry, that’d be awesome! Thanks for your support!  Well, I need to get back to work since I’ve been off for so long! It’s good to be back!