Our Life and School Journey

Crazy Hot Half Marathon

2010-06-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, the good news is that I survived! It was insanely hot. I decided about mile 4 that there was no way I was going to push myself to sub 2 today. Turned out to be a very good choice. About mile 5 - at the top of the bridge - someone collapsed right in front of me from dehydration. One of the other runners had a cell phone and called 911. She said the operator told her they had another woman who was already down about mile 4. We later learned this was our friend Teri. The good news is that Teri is ok - just a little dehydrated - getting IV fluids in the ER.

So I ended up walking quite a bit and just "taking it easy", listening to my body and trying not to get overheated. Turned out to be an ok strategy for a day like today. I finished in 2:14 - which works out to about 10 minute miles. Considerably slower than I was planning, but totally fine.

And here is the really funny part. I came in first in my age group. It was just that hot out there -nobody wanted to push it. I came in 21st overall woman. WHOO HOO! And I am not sore or worn out. I have been HYDRATING like a crazy person since crossing the finish line. Another day, another (MUCH COOLER) race, I will go for the sub 2 half.

During my run, I was thinking - what is wrong with me? I run races in the FREEZING cold and the BURNING hot humidity. I obviously need my mental state checked!

Pre-race Jitters

2010-06-25T03:45:00.001-07:00

So I have signed up to do a half marathon here in Vero tomorrow. I am hoping to break the 2 hour mark. I hesitate to even write that because then I have something I have to live up to. Part of me is very confident that I am capable of doing it, but then I think about all the variables and get nervous.

I had all my crazy "pre-race" dreams last night. (so maybe I got that out of my system and will sleep well tonight?) The usual, can't find my shoes, forgot my fuel, my bib ripped in half kind of stuff kept me from restful sleep.

Checked out the race course this morning. It is going to be fairly similar to our usual Saturday morning runs. There is a lot of looping down streets and back though. Hopefully I will be able to post tomorrow about a fabulous run with a great time!

A life well lived

2010-06-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

This seems like such an awful thing to blog about, but I don't know where else to post my thoughts and feelings. My dear sweet Fran went to meet Jesus. I feel so very blessed to have known her and yet it just seems so unfair that she is gone.

Fran and I met through our FIAR message boards, and it sounds funny to say that we met on the internet, but we really did. I was so blessed to have Fran as a roommate at the 2008 conference. I just keep replaying conversations she and I had that weekend. I remember her telling me that her parents always said she was "an old soul" and very mature for her age. I remember her saying that she was certain she would die from cancer (that she had already beaten) but they were just hoping that it would be 50 years from now.

I am reading through the "Bible in 90 days" and my reading for the past two days has been ironically applicable. Yesterday it was Proverbs 31, and I could only think of Fran as I read the words: She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue. . . Her children arise and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her. And then today in Ecclesiastes: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die. Oh how I wish this was not Fran's time. I wish that she could have stayed here on earth to see her amazing daughter grow up. But our timing is not God's timing.

I really can't believe she is gone. I will miss her encouraging and wise words on our FIAR boards. I pray for her family in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. I look forward to the day we will meet again.

Christmas at Tara

2008-12-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to the Annual Christmas Lighting at Tara. It was actually re-scheduled this year due to bad weather two weeks ago. The kids had a great time wandering around and checking out the Christmas decor.

This year they gave out cute shirts to the kids. They say "I got tangled up in lights at Tara Plantation."

Logan turns 9!

2008-12-14T17:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this post is 4 days late, but I am sure he will forgive me. Logan celebrated his "Golden Birthday" last week. I can't believe he is already 9 years old! Where does the time go? If you ask Amy, she will tell you that Logan has celebrated his birthday 4 times (or are we up to 5?), but here are some adventures from his actual birthday.

He requested to go to Disney - and since our annual passes are about to expire, we thought it would be a good opportunity to go. Unfortunately, Mike had to work, but we had a nice day anyway. We let Logan open his presents at breakfast. He had asked for a YoYo and ended up with 4! (We told him there was one from each of his family members.).

We went to EPCOT and then the Magic Kingdom. We basically let Logan pick all day which rides to go on and what to do next. Believe me - this boy likes to be "in charge". He was considerate of his siblings as well.

Here are a few pics of his special day. HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY LOGAN! I love you!

You Know You are a Homeschooler When. . .

2008-12-12T15:15:00.000-08:00

Ok, there are no pictures to accompany this right now, and I PROMISE to get pics of Logan's 9th Birthday up soon, but I had to write about my excitement today.

My Mom called and said she had a dry erase board from a drug rep and wanted to know if I wanted it. I said sure - a little hesitant about what "drug" would be represented ;). So she brings it home tonight and it is the coolest thing ever.

It is a dry erase AND magnetic board and comes with a magnetic pen holder, magnetic stapler, magnetic staple remover and built in post it dispenser. There IS a logo in the bottom corner, but that is easily covered up by all the "magnetic accessories".

Sometimes it is the little things that make me HAPPY!

Forever Florida

2008-10-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

It seems we are taking field trips nearly every week, but I guess that is just part of the fun of homeschooling. This week we went to this place called "Forever Florida" on the Crescent J Ranch. There is a link over on the side bar.

A homeschooling Dad was re-shooting the photo advertising for the Ranch, so he needed "models". They invited anybody in our homeschool group who wanted to go for free. We got to take the Eco Tour and get a free lunch. It was a really cool place! The kids had a lot of fun and we got VERY close up to FL wildlife. At one point we were 5 feet from an Alligator (standing on the ground next to the water where he was swimming) - a little too close for my comfort.

Growing Up too fast!

2008-10-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

ACCK! My son has braces. Ok, so it is only 2 brackets on his front two teeth, but I feel like Daddy picked him up for the Orthodontist a little boy and dropped him back off a "big kid". EEK!! I am feeling rather old. Just for the record - he thinks they are VERY cool!

Green Meadows Farm

2008-10-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Last week I took the kids to Green Meadows Farm. Somebody from our homeschool support group organized a field trip and we had quite a good turn out. The kids had a great time - we got to milk a cow, hold chickens & ducks, pet all kinds of animals, take a train ride, ride some ponies and go on a hay ride. Ella's favorite part was holding the baby chick and riding the ponies. Spencer liked the chickens - he even held a rooster. Logan enjoyed holding the duckling and the Easter Egg Chicken - who lays colored eggs.

Race for the Taste

2008-10-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Amy & I ran in Disney's Race for the Taste 10K. It wasn't a FABULOUS race, but we had a good time. We had actually run 10 miles the day before, as part of our marathon training, so we just "took it easy" on race day.

The kids participated in the kids race and had a great time. Here are a few pics from race day.

Gotta brag on my Spencer

2008-10-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

So today I was having a hard time getting Spencer motivated. He was supposed to be working on his math in my bedroom (he needs the quiet). When I went in to check on him, he had all the kid's DVDs in a pile on the floor. He said he got bored of the math and was alphabetizing the DVDs. I wasn't sure WHAT he was doing, but I told him he needed to finish the math before finishing his "project". Two minutes later he handed me a perfect math test.

A little later I went back in my room to check on his "project". He has all the DVDs perfectly alphabetized (to the 1st letter). I don't think I should complain about him alphabetizing movies starting with "The" with the "T's". Do you? AND I think that should count as his "Language Arts" for today!

Hope you are pleasantly surprised today too!

Lots of Dots!

2008-10-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

Here is Ella in her new "Lots of Dots" outfit from Gymboree. I know I am a bit biased, but isn't she so cute?

Elections and The Raft

2008-10-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

Last week we visited the local McCain HQ. We took a tour and learned about what they do there - which is basically make phone calls. The kids thought it was interesting. We are continuing a month long unit study on Elections.

The week before last we rowed "The Raft" and the kids made popsicle stick rafts. We FINALLY got around to floating them last week.

Trip to Japan!

2008-09-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't actually take the kids to Japan, but we did go to EPCOT so we could get a look at a bit of Japan. I wasn't planning to go, but a friend needed to be picked up at the airport, so I thought we would combine the trips and do something fun. We had a GREAT day - especially for something unplanned. EPCOT was pretty empty (although a bit hot!). We also spent some time over in the Magic Kingdom and caught the afternoon parade. Fun day!

Grass Sandals - Japan

2008-09-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

So we are back in the swing of things. It was SOOOO good to get home and hug my kids. We are rowing Grass Sandals this week for school. Today we wrote Hikau and made Japanese Hats. Here are the kid's poems:

Logan

Volcano

Lava Steamy Hot

Boulders Crush and Bang Loudly

Rushing and Screaming

Spencer

Sharks

Big Chomping Sharp Teeth

Do not chew; Only tear to eat

They can eat us - YUM!

Ella

Seahorses

Spikey on Seaweed

Nice Cute Float Underwater

Happy Smiling Good

HOME!

2008-09-13T18:03:00.001-07:00

I will post more later with some picture from the past 39 hours (the amount of time it took from when we left the hotel in Eilat until we pulled into our driveway in Vero. WHEW!) We are exhausted, but VERY happy to be home safe and sound. There is nothing better than hugging your kids and getting kisses from them!

Thank you for your prayers during our journey. . .more soon. . .

SCUBA Diving in the Red Sea!

2008-09-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am SO tired and it is late - so this will be relatively short, but I HAD to post. Today Dan, Amy & I went diving in the Red Sea. Dan arranged our dive yesterday with a woman who spoke limited English. She said something about bringing our passports because of going to Egypt, but we just thought we would be in Egyptian waters and needed the passports "just in case". Um, not so much. We actually started at a dive shop in Eilat, where we checked in. From there we got into a "bus" (and I use that term loosely) for a 5 minute drive to the border. Then we walked through the border - all 7 checkpoints! We had a guide to lead us, but it was still CRAZY. THEN we got our equipment from a dive shop in Egypt and got on our boat.

Diving in the Red Sea was SUPER cool. I was so amazed by all the fish and colors. We rented a digital camera and got some decent pics. I will post a few now, and maybe some more tomorrow.

The picture of me sitting on the sea wall gives you a glimpse of why the Red Sea is called the "Red" Sea. At sunset, the mountains reflect into the water giving it a reddish hue.

Finishing up in Jerusalem and driving to Eilat

2008-09-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Today we packed up our stuff at the hotel and then headed back to the Garden Tomb. We had a very productive time, wrapping up nearly all of our taping.

After that we went back to the hotel for checkout. We headed south and stopped back in Ein Geti at our favorite "restaurant behind a gas station" for lunch.

It was a LONG drive (about 4 hours) through the desert, but we survived. It was very interesting terrain, but (even with the a/c) it was also HOT. At one point - after putting on sunblock, Amy & I were using tissues to cover our shoulders that were still in the direct sunlight.

We arrived in Eilat - on the Red Sea - about 5 PM. Check in took about forever, but it was well worth the wait. Our rooms are SUPER nice! Dan & Amy are on a top floor in a suite that is bigger than Mike & I's first apartment. I am not sure what one is supposed to do with a hotel room that huge, but we think it is fun. Our room is REALLY nice too - not nearly as large, but recently renovated with a balcony overlooking the Red Sea. (It also has a huge bubbly tub - YIPPIE for me!)

Dan went out to get our dive for tomorrow arranged. He is SO excited! We will be gone on the boat all day. Poor Mike will have to find a way to entertain himself - don't worry - he will be just fine. Our boat will take us over to Egypt and we will get in 2-3 dives. Should be fun!

We ate dinner down on the promenade that runs along the Sea. Did you know that even in the VERY southern point of Israel, you still can't get pizza with meat on it? I was excited to see a Pizza Hut from our hotel room window, but sadly disappointed that I couldn't get bacon or ham on my pizza. We skipped it and went to a place that had some yummy chicken and steak.

BTW, It is HOT out there - even late at night. Oh, I did see a temperature gage when we first arrived an it said 34 degrees (that is in C. We decided that translates to about 1,000 degrees F - lol!). Speaking of hot - I almost forgot to explain our last picture. It is what happens to Mike's gummy worms when they get left in the hot car!

Walking Tour of Jerusalem & Museums

2008-09-09T11:49:00.000-07:00

We went for a walking tour this morning and we were reminded - once again - of how happy we are to NOT be on a guided tour. Our guide this morning was not too fabulous and I am pretty sure the 3 hour walk was taxing the upper limits of his physical abilities. Oh well - we did get to see some cool stuff.

The best part of the walking tour was Hezekiah's Tunnel (and our guide didn't even go on that part with us). It is about a 30 minute walk - through water (usually about calf deep, but sometimes up over our knees!). The water was COLD, but it was a fun adventure. King Hezekiah had the tunnel built in about 700 BC. He built it to bring the water source right to the city while concealing it's source. Neat stuff.

After lunch and a little shopping in the Old City, we headed back to the hotel to get our car. We drove to Yad Vashem - which is a memorial to those who were killed during the Nazi Holocaust. It was a VERY powerful and sobering place, but I am glad that we went. The museum was much bigger than I imagined. It includes personal artifacts and stories from survivors - very overwhelming.

After that we went to The Shrine of the Book. This is the museum built to house the Dead Sea Scrolls. It was especially neat because we had just been in Qumran (where the scrolls were found in 1947) a few days ago. The whole display is an amazing confirmation of the authenticity of the Old Testament scriptures.

We went back to the Jerusalem Courtyard (AKA downtown) for dinner. We ate at a place called Terra. Our wine was from the Ella Valley - we saved the cork and took a picture of the label. More good food and great fellowship with friends.

Not too many photographs today. We did get some at Shrine of the Book and a picture of our favorite security guard at the hotel. He is super nice and helpful - answering all of our crazy questions!

Mt of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden Tomb

2008-09-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

We had another full day, visiting sites inside and surrounding the Old City. We started with a cab ride (in the cleanest taxi I have ever seen) up to the Mt. of Olives. We were told to get there in the morning for the best view and pictures and we were not disappointed. We then walked down with stops in a Jewish Cemetery and the Garden of Gethsemane.

We aren't sure if the garden we were in was THE garden - and we actually went in two different gardens, but we enjoyed thinking about Christ praying on this very hill - most likely near some of these olive trees.

We continued walking down the hill and back into the Old City. We checked out a place called Treasures of the Temple which is a group of Jews who are working on being "ready" for them moment when the time is right to go back in and re-build the temple.

Today we ate lunch at a place in the Christian Quarter where we all had schwarma in pita sandwiches. They were quite yummy! After lunch we went to the Bible Society and then wandered around the shopping bazzar for a while. For those who have never been to Jerusalem, the shopping inside the old city walls is something to behold. It is row after row after row, of what I swear is the same 12 shops, over and over ;). It is interesting to see how different the shopping areas look in the different quarters.

We also climbed a tower in a church (sorry don't remember which one) for 5 shekels. It was an AMAZING view of the whole city. We climbed about a million stairs to get up there, but it was totally worth it.

We did go to the Church of the Holy Seplachure and that was. . .interesting. There were a TON of people in there and it was just odd. I am glad we went - just to say we have been there.

After we stopped in a restaurant for a cold beverage, we took a taxi to the Garden Tomb. This is an area that is near Galgotha and MAY have been the location of the tomb where Jesus was buried. It is run by a British group who function solely on donations. The message they were sharing was such a breath of fresh air - from what we had experienced up until this point. The guy who works there was giving a talk to a group and we listened in. He said that we don't know for sure if this was Christ's tomb or not. The location and type of tomb do lend to the possibility that it COULD be, but that is not what it is important. He emphasized that what WAS important was the message of the cross. Christ died for all and raised from the dead 3 days later. So simple and yet so profound.

Love and Misses to everyone at home!

Inside the Old City Walls

2008-09-07T21:53:00.001-07:00

Today's blog will be shorter as I am actually a day behind. Yesterday we had (yet another) amazing day exploring Jerusalem. We took a really cool tour of the Western Wall that actually runs UNDER the Muslim Quarter. Our tour guide was very informative and we learned a lot about the Western Wall and why this area is so important to the Jews. Mike & Dan both volunteered to help the tour guide demonstrate the HUGE blocks of rock that were used to create the Western Wall.

We spent a lot of time exploring the Jewish Quarter - which was very cool. We had a pizza on cardboard lunch and then went to the steps where Jesus most likely taught.

For dinner we went to an area called "Downtown Jerusalem" (according to our friendly front door security guy at the hotel). We ate at a restaurant called Adom. We ate in an outdoor little courtyard and enjoyed the cool breeze!

Dinner Cam at the Focaccia Bar

2008-09-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ok - here was dinner cam tonight. We HAD to have Focaccia for our appetizer. I had a pesto pizza and Mike had a pesto lasagna made with sweet potato. He kept raving about this, so I HAD to try it. I did NOT enjoy it nearly as much as he did. Amy had a liver and pasta dish (which I didn't even want to try!) and Dan had a salad with "beef" on it. For dessert, Dan had much better coffee than he had last night (I think I forgot to mention him actually SPITTING the coffee out last night!), Amy had some merangue thing, Mike had a cheesecake and I had chocolate mouse. So, see - we aren't starving here!

Qumran and Jerusalem

2008-09-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Amy & I got up and ran 5 miles this morning. There was a nice brick walkway that was parallel to the Dead Sea. It was amazing to run along and watch the sunrise. However, it was VERY HOT!! We saw lots of other people out exercising along the same path, but we were the only ones stupid enough to be running. Oh well - we lived to tell about it! We didn't bring our camera this time, but saw some more interesting art that we WOULD have photographed - had we brought it.

After our run we packed up and left the "lowest place on earth". We headed north to Qumran which is the location where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. We shot 3 podcasts here in the HOT HOT sun. Well, Mike did set us up in the shade, but by the time we finished taping, I was in the sun.

We had lunch at Qumran and then headed to Jerusalem. Qumran is actually located in the PA, so we had to do border crossing (x2) today, but it turned out to be a non-event. Both times we just rolled through without being stopped. (Just in case we WERE stopped, we had already figured out that Mike's Grandfather's name was Seymore! LOL!).

We were having trouble figuring out where to go for dinner, so we ended up asking the security guard in front of the hotel. He and the other employee (bell hop?) were very entertaining - coming up with all sorts of options for us. We settled on a place called the Focaccia Bar. It was YUMMY!

There will be a separate post for dinner, b/c we had so much fun with dinner cam tonight, but AFTER dinner, I found my coveted M&M's at a tiny convenience store. YIPPIE! We also saw a building that we took a picture of for Grandma Cheryl - it said it was the original site for a maternity hospital.

Hiking up Masada and waterfalls at En Geti

2008-09-05T10:21:00.000-07:00

This morning we got up early and drove to Masada where we hiked up the mountain. The travel guide books say that this activity is only for the "intrepid traveler". I am proud to announce that we are intrepid! It wasn't easy and it WAS HOT, but we made it to the top. Do you see the snaking path up the mountain in the first picture? That was what we hiked up! There is a cable car/gondola thing, but we were too intrepid for that! The path you hike up is actually called the snake path. When we were about 3/4 of the way up, some people were coming down and the girl announced to us (in a cool accent) "Soon up on the top". We repeated that to each other several times on the remainder of the climb.

Masada is the location for the Jews "last stand" against the Romans. There were 1,000 Jews living in the fortress at the time and the Romans were invading. The Romans had made base camps surrounding the mountain and a ramp up to the main gate. When the Jews realized they were going to be overtaken, they decided to take their own lives - rather than fall into slavery. The creed for the IDF is "Masada will not fall again".

From Masada we went to lunch. The guide book gave information about this restaurant that was behind a gas station. I was a little nervous, but since they had air conditioning, I really didn't care. Once again, we were surprised (in a good way) by our meal. You can check it out in the "lunch cam" photo.

After lunch we went to En Geti and had an easy hike up to the waterfalls. It was so amazing. You are just walking along in a dry barren dessert, and then poof -- a waterfall. I went in fully clothed - was too hot to care! This is where David went when he escaped from Saul's wrath. He wrote several Psalms in this location. We could see the inspiration for his words.

We then came back to the hotel to rest (the others went for another dip in the Sea - I opted out) and then had another yummy dinner.

Tomorrow we will head to Qumran on our way to Jerusalem.

The Dead Sea is HOT - who knew!

2008-09-04T11:41:00.001-07:00

Ok, I edited this picture so you could hopefully see my face a little better. It was HOT!

Megiddo and the Dea Sea

2008-09-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today we packed up and left Tiberias. Truthfully we were not too sad about this as the past 2 nights people were celebrating something near our hotel (we are pretty sure the first night was a wedding, but not at all sure what the celebration was the second night). Anyhow - they were celebrating far into the wee hours of the morning and none to quietly. This didn't translate into a whole lot of sleep for us. Last night we were considering recording a soundtrack for the blog. We didn't actually do it, so you will have to use your imagination, but just imagine very LOUD Israeli music, barking dogs and fireworks. FUN!

We headed southwest to Megiddo. This is the location for Armegeddon in the Bible. There are somewhere between 20-30 civilations that have built on this very spot over the past 2,000+ years. It was amazing to think about the history that has already taken place there, and what will happen at the end of days. There is an amazing view of the valley from the top. Amy and I saw a housing subdivision nearby and decided that we did NOT want to live there. While they may have a front row seat to the most amazing battle of all time, I am not sure I want to see it!

The group photo is taken in an underground tunnel that was dug out to a water supply. This allowed the area to have an uninterrupted water supply - even when it was under seige.

From there we drove further south to the Dead Sea. We will stay here for 2 nights. On the drive Amy hooked up her speakers to her iPod and she and Mike played dualing DJ. She would play a song from her iPod and then Mike would play one from his. It was amazing to listen to songs that I have heard over and OVER and over again, but now I have a new perspective. We listened to Amy Grant's El Shaddai and when she said "You turned the sea into dry land" - it was just so cool to think - I am going to SEE where that happened!!

Many of you know that the song "Voice of Truth" was a theme song for me last year during Mike's series of procedures. We listened to that song and I got chillls thinking about:
Oh,what I would do to have
the kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves
And realize I have looked out at that very SPOT where Jesus called Peter out of the boat. And then the next verse talks about standing before our giant with just a sling and a sword. We were driving through a valley today and Amy read to us about how that was the location where David confronted Goliath. It just brings things to life! SO COOL!

We arrived at the Dead Sea about 4 PM, checked into our hotel and headed down to the water. I am not sure what I was expecting, but the first thing I should tell you is that the water is HOT. I think I was anticipating that the water would be warm - after all, it was relatively shallow and it was about 1,000 degrees outside, but it was like HOT TUB HOT. You can see from the picture my initial reaction at my toes hitting the water! Then we had to do our obligatory "float in the water" picture. This was particularly exciting for Dan who says he is negatively buoyant.

For dinner we had a buffet at the hotel that had some of everything. I tried Falaffel - or something like that, and decided I didn't like it very much. My favorite was a cous cous (sp) salad that had nuts and oil and some spices. It was YUMMY!! I also had some hummus that I enjoyed - as well as some decent desserts.

The last pic is of me doing laundry in our hotel room tub. FUN!

Tomorrow we head out to Massada.

Our Bumpy Ride

2008-09-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

The BEGINNING of the Bumpy Road:

Nimrod Fortress and Banias

2008-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the Golan Heights and saw Nimrod's Fortress and visited Banias. The Fortress was very cool. Mike loved exploring and taking pictures. Banias is the site where Peter testified that Christ was the Messiah, and Christ said "On this rock I will build my church". The cool thing about this site is that it is not the "traditional site" as some of the places we have visited. This is THE place where this happened. So amazing to stand in a place and realize that our Lord stood in that very spot.

We filmed a few podcasts at this location. I also took a turn at the sand verses. This is a VERY heavy metal "thing" that imprints scriptures (pertaining to the particular location) into the sand in several languages. It is very cool - Spencer would have lots of fun with it.

At lunch we asked for a lemon for our water, and the picture of the cut up lime was what we got. Not sure what that was all about, but it made us chuckle.

On the way home the GPS directed us a different way. We thought we would give it a try. The road was very narrow and I was nervous about the fact that you couldn't see over the ridges. I was worried about on coming traffic. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about - at least not on coming traffic. Nobody else was crazy enough to be driving on this road! The further we went down the road, the less ROAD was actually there. There were huge potholes and places where the sides of the road just dropped off. Mike had to get out of the car 3 times to direct Dan on the best path of where to go. We went on for about 12 Km this way and then came to a sign that said we could go no further because we were entering a live military training area. GREAAAAT! Thankfully we had just passed a major intersection, so we turned there and made it back to the hotel without further incident.

All around the Sea of Galilee

2008-09-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

Today we went to several different sites surrounding the Sea of Galilee. We started off at a 2,000 year old fishing boat that was discovered by 2 brothers who were fisherman. They were fishing during a drought year and the water level was extremely low. One day they just happened upon this REALLY old boat. SOOOO cool. I don't have room to post a pic here on the blog, but you can go to www.jesusboat.com to see it.

After that we went to the Mt. of Beautitudes (sp?) which is the traditional site for the sermon on the mount. They have built a church there.

We also went to Capernaum which is where St. Peter's house is said to be located. While we were here we filmed a few podcasts at a quiet spot overlooking the Sea of Galilee. After we finished taping, Amy & I climbed down a rocky ledge to put our feet in the water.

After this we went to Ein Gev where they had a Kibbutz. We ate lunch at the Ein Gev Fish Restaurant. We have another "lunch cam" pic - can you guess which space is Sarah's? (I did get lunch, it just wasn't fish.) After lunch we toured the Kibbutz, which was very interesting. While on the tour the man stopped the tram (we were the only ones on it) and let us feed an Ostrich. Mike said the circle of life is now complete - since he ate an ostrich the other night.

Then we went to Kursi - which is the location where Jesus cast the demons into a heard of pigs and they ran down into the sea.

For dinner we decided to go simple and came back to the hotel and went down to the promenade. We had some decent pizza and then walked further down the promenade than we had before. We came upon a grocery store, which was very exciting and interesting. Guess what we found inside? Ben & Jerry's ice cream! I was so excited - and Amy was pretty happy too! My quest for M&M's continues though. . .

Nazareth and Mt. Tabor

2008-09-01T11:20:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Nazareth Village and Mt. Tabor. Nazareth Village is a 1st century re-creation of how Nazareth looked during Jesus' time. It was very peaceful and a welcome relief from the streets of downtown Nazareth.

For lunch we ended up at the YMCA (which is housed in the same building with the Nazareth Village). The picture we took was of that meal. It was a really cool cultural experience. There was only one person in the place that spoke ANY English and his was very limited. We have dubbed the picture of the table - Lunch Cam. Dan thinks he will take this picture at every meal we have.

We also drove up to Mt. Tabor - which is the traditional site for the Transfiguration. The drive up there was a little nerve wracking - switch back road, but Dan (or Driver Bob - as I like to call him) did great.

For dinner we came back into Tiberas and ate at a restaurant called - Decks. It is actually on the Sea of Galilee on a pier that has been converted into a restaurant. Our waitress was very cool - she answered lots of questions about Israel and how things work. She is headed to New York next week to visit a cousin, so we gave her some advice about travel as well. In the dessert photo we are showing off our fancy sporks! The perfect solution to the question of "Do you need a fork or a spoon for your dessert!"

We are going to drive around the Sea of Galilee tomorrow. . .

Juicy Pear Jelly Belly in a Bottle

2008-08-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

We spend most of the day at Caesarea today. As we were leaving we stopped for some bottled water. They had one that was flavored with apple and pear and I said it tasted like Juicy Pear Jelly Belly - thus the title of today's post.

First I must back track though - Amy and I got up and went for a run along the Mediterranean Sea. It is much more glamorous than it sounds. There were lots of TINY bugs and traffic, but it was still a neat experience. After our run we went up and put on our swim suits so we could go for a swim in the Med. Mike had already showered, so he just opted to put his feet in. The pic is of Me, Amy & Dan's feet.

After packing up we headed to Caesarea. We had lunch at a neat restaurant inside the national park (group photo) and then filmed a podcast clip in front of the remains. It was so amazing to see actual places that we have read about in the Bible all of our lives.

We saw a statue that I thought needed some censorship ;). The last pic was taken at the Aquaduct that was built during the time of Herrod and functioned to bring water to the city. Amazing!! (Word for the day).

After spending the afternoon there, we got in the car and headed to Tiberius - on the Sea of Galilee. We had dinner down at the promenade and experienced some "culture" of the area.

Amy is waiting to update her blog - next update tomorrow (we hope).

Day 1 (or is it Day 2?)

2008-08-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, just a quick update before I absolutely crash. We had a relatively un-eventful flight both from Ft. Lauderdale to JFK and then JFK to Tel Aviv. I was actually looking forward to the 11 hour flight to Tel Aviv - I was planning to read and then SLEEP! I did manage to read a bit, the sleeping, um, not so much. In fact, virtually not at all! I think the longest I "slept" was about 15 minutes at a time. CRAZY. So, now I am REALLY dragging. We are at a hotel right on the Mediterrean Sea (I know I spelled that wrong - don't have time to fix it right now). Tomorrow we plan to at least put our toes in before hitting the road and heading north.

One more thing of interest. They almost didn't let Mike into the country. When we were attempting to do our "border crossing" the guy took our passports and then proceeded to ask Mike what his father's name, then what is your grandfather's name. Mike told the guy that he had never met his grandfather and didn't know his name. Apparently they weren't impressed with that answer b/c Mike was detained by the Israeli police for 45 minutes. The problem was that Dan & Amy had gone through the line in front of us and had no idea what was going on. They told me I could wait with Mike, but Dan & Amy couldn't come back to check on us, and they had Mike's passport - so we weren't going anywhere! It was a tad stressful - and kinda funny too - I will post more detail when I can put together two consecutive thoughts. Praying for a good night's sleep!

Thanks for your continued prayers. Hoping to post a few pics tomorrow! GOOD NIGHT!

We're Leavin' on a Jet Plane

2008-08-29T01:34:00.000-07:00

Today is the day! Mike and I leave for our trip to Israel. It is 4:33 AM and I am too excited to sleep! I told Mike last night that the excitement is better than waiting for Christmas morning. This will be a trip of so many firsts for me and I can't wait to experience them all!

We are hoping to keep the blog updated with pictures and commentary - so be sure to check back.

P.S. Ella is healing quite well - thank you for your prayers!

Emergency Room Visit

2008-08-24T14:41:00.001-07:00

Well, my dear sweet Ella had to go to the ER yesterday. I was finishing a SCUBA diving lesson on Saturday morning and received a message (when we had just gotten out of the water) that Ella had been hurt. I called home and learned that Ella had been burned and they were headed to the ER.

So, I got to go to IRMC ER in a wet bathing suit for the second time in my life. FUN!

Logan was getting a bag of popcorn out of the microwave and accidentally picked it up from the bottom. Ella was standing right next to him and the butter flung out of the bag and hit her in the face. She has 1st degree burns on her arm and superficial 2nd degree burns surrounding her left eye. Thankfully she closed her eye quickly and that was not burned (she does have burns on her eyelid, eyebrow, cheek and nose).

We have a referral to a plastic/reconstructive surgeon on Monday.

Thankfully she is healing well and we are optimistic that it will not leave a scar. For now our #1 rule is NO sun!

Home Sweet Home - Tropical Storm Fay

2008-08-19T18:14:00.000-07:00

So, we got home without too much excitement. With the exception of Spencer's scratched face, we managed to make the entire trip without injury or illness. However, when we were unloading the van at the Nafe's house, Amy ended up getting bit by a bunch of fire ants. I got one too! I guess if that is the worst of our road trip injuries, we are doing pretty good. I am thankful to be home - after 3,610 miles of driving. Amy is working on a blog to post all 2,100 of our pictures! I will post a link when it is live.

Just about the time we were settled snugly in our beds the outer bands of Tropical Storm Fay came rolling in. We have had about 24 hours straight of rain and winds. The worst of it should be over sometime during the night tonight. There was no public school today (and they only started back up yesterday!).

Here are a couple of clips of Logan telling us about the wind and rain.

Day 17 - Shopping and Celebrations

2008-08-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today Amy & I spent some time shopping for clothes for Israel. The Daddies took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese (but neglected to bring a camera). After dinner we had cake and ice cream - to celebrate Amy's birthday (which is actually on Wednesday, but this was the time when the family would all be together).

Day 16 - Part 2

2008-08-17T18:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics from our lunch at the Sun Dial.

We also went out for dinner with Dan & Amy (horray for babysitters!) at Aria for Amy's birthday.

Day 16 - Downtown Atlanta

2008-08-17T18:41:00.001-07:00

Today we took the MARTA into downtown. We visited the Olympic Centennial Park and the World of Coke. Then we headed to they Wyndam and had lunch at the Sun Dial restaurant. It is located on the 72 floor of the hotel. It a restaurant that rotates as you eat - giving you a 360 view of the city. The kids thought this was VERY cool, but wished that it moved faster than the one hour it took to complete the revolution.

Day 15 - Driving Back to Atlanta

2008-08-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

Today we headed back down to Atlanta. We took a picture at a rest area in NC where we had stopped to get keys from Elisi. Logan wanted to be sure you noticed his new WV hat.

When we arrived at the house we took the kids for a walk down to the river. Mike & Dan got in about 9 PM. We are looking forward to spending the weekend all together.

Day 14 - Part 2

2008-08-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

After the creek we went to Heaven Sent Ministries where the kids got to package some meals to send out to the mission field. We watched a short video and then assembled 864 meals! They worked very well together. Charly wanted to know when we got to take the meals to the people!

Day 14 - Exploring in West Virginia

2008-08-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

So how would you like to sleep like this? LOL - ok so we didn't actually sleep like this, but here is what our bed looked like at 7:30 this morning!

Today we took the kids to explore a waterfall and creek. We packed a picnic lunch and had a fabulous time. The kids played in the water and Ella even had a butterfly land on her finger!

Day 13 - Driving to Princeton, WV - Gravier's

2008-08-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

Our drive today was only about 4 hours. We arrived at the Gravier's late afternoon and the kids had lots of fun playing outside.

We went to "Anna's Chick-Fil-A" for dinner (the kids asked if she owned it) and then came home and had brownies that Molly had made. YUMMY!

The kids continued to play outside until it got dark and they were able to see fire flies. They had a great time trying to catch them. They also picked some daisies.

Day 12 - Canaan Valley, WV

2008-08-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at our cabin today. We took the kids on a hike to a waterfall (It was really more of a decent down 214 stairs, but it was fun). The falls were called Blackwater Waterfalls. There were some CRAZY people swimming at the bottom of the falls. They must have been COLD!

The kids also had fun in the hot tub, and playing on the property. There were some woods and apple trees in the front yard. If you look closely you can see Spencer in the apple tree!

BTW, the rental cabin was SUPPOSED to have WiFi, but it didn't really. The owners told us that we could "sometimes" get it if we sat in one bedroom. So, we spent a lot of time trying to find a decent connection - we are pretty sure they didn't really have internet, but were using the neighbors.

The boys got to see shooting stars last night! It was clear enough for them to see 3 and they were SOOOOO excited!

Back on the Road

2008-08-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we drove from the Kehley's to a cabin in the Cannan Valley, WV. We stopped at Hershey on the way down. We just did a quick tour of Chocolate World and then spent some time shopping at the outlets there. Temps are supposed to get down in the 40's overnight in WV - and we only packed shorts and t-shirts - OOPS! Expect the next few days of pics to be of the kids in mis-matched, but warm clothes (whatever was on sale!).

I did manage to "sort of" re-create another picture. The 2nd pic was from when we visited Chocolate World in Oct. of 2005. And then the kids standing in the same spot almost 3 years later.

Day 11 - Memories

2008-08-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Before heading out from the Kehley's I tried to re-create a picture from 4 years ago. It was taken 4/04 in Vero. I thought it was cool that we were exactly 4 years and 4 months later. We even found the quilt the kids were sitting on in the original picture. However, Ella was NOT interested in sitting on Matt's lap. So - here is what we got. . .

Day 10 - Kunkeltown

2008-08-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

Ella's favorite part of every day is going out to see the chickens and collect eggs.

We have also been enjoying snuggling on the couch and watching the Olympics.

S'mores!

2008-08-12T05:42:00.000-07:00

The kids enjoyed S'mores over the campfire. Ella has also found a new friend in Buddy the dog.

Days 8 & 9 - Kunkletown, PA

2008-08-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

We spent Friday driving from Alena's to the Kehley's. I was a bit nervous about this leg of the trip, as we left the Nafes at Alena's. The kids did just fine in the car. Logan played "car host" in the absence of Amy.

We arrived at the Kehleys at dinner time and enjoyed some pizza before heading out to the kid's VBS finale program. I took a picture of the church because I thought it was neat. The sign said "St. Matthew's Union Church" and Logan said that it was the "Onion church". Silly boy!

On Saturday morning we drove to Beltzville State Park. We went on a short hike/walk to a waterfall. After lunch we checked out the used book store - lots of fun! BOOKS for everyone!

Tonight we are going to have Taco dinner and then S'mores over the campfire!

Road Trip - Day 7 - To PA

2008-08-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

After the kids spent some time playing at the playground, we packed up in the van and headed to PA. We spent about 4 1/2 hours in the van, and the kids did really well again.

We arrived at Alena's house, and the kids wanted to go swimming in her pool. What they didn't realize was that the water would be so cold! The temperature here is about 70 and BEAUTIFUL! We decided to dry off and take a walk instead.

Tomorrow we are headed to the Kehley's! YIPPIE!

Day 6 - Columbus, Ohio

2008-08-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

We spent the day with the Wards - trying to keep 10 kids entertained. We actually had a great day. After lunch we took the kids to the park and they all played forever - it was VERY nice weather (not TOO hot). While at the park the kids played this "Attack Mr. Ward" game where he stood in the middle of a circle and they tried to "get him". They were all laughing and having a great time - even Mr. Ward - LOL!

Then we went down to feed the ducks - and they all enjoyed that as well. After ducks we went to Wendy's for Frosty's. I am pretty sure the guy at the counter had a good laugh when Troy went up and ordered 8 chocolate and 6 vanilla frostys.

Troy agreed to watch the kids so the Mommies could go out to dinner. We had a nice relaxing dinner and walked around a shopping center in Easton.

Stacy observed that due to the ages of our children it is like having 4 sets of twins - and 2 extra singletons - in the house. CRAZY!

Tomorrow we are off to PA to see Alena.

Road Trip - Day 5 - Louisville, KY to Columbus, OH

2008-08-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the Ward's home in Ohio! We got up this AM and drove to the Creation Museum - outside of Cincinnati (did I spell that right?). It was raining HARD on the drive from Louisville to the Creation Museum, but we still made decent time. It was still raining when we arrived and so the outside portions were closed. After lunch and touring the main exhibits we were able to go outside and see the botanical gardens and petting zoo.

Christopher had a great time carrying Ella around! It was so cute to watch the two of them.

Quick review of the museum - it was really cool, but also happened to be very crowded. I would say the 4 year olds didn't have a GREAT time, but they enjoyed themselves. All of the kids enjoyed the petting zoo - where they got to pet and feed a Zonkey (cross between a Zebra and Donkey).

When we arrived at the Ward's they were wrapping up a neighborhood block party, so the kids got their face painted. Here is a pic of our girls with the twins. More Ward pictures to follow tomorrow.

Day 4 - Knoxville, TN to Louisville, KY

2008-08-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

We left the Bardwell's and headed for Louisville today. We actually went past Louisville and into Indiana to visit one of my Five in a Row friends Fran. We had dinner there and then came back into the city to spend the night before heading out in the morning.

The kids had another good day in the car - not QUITE as good as yesterday, but overall not too bad. The girls had a GREAT time playing with their new friend Emma. I think they would have liked to stay there all week - and Emma enjoyed them as well.

Pictures are of the Bardwell, Nafe, and Bristol Moms & Kids, then the 3 Moms. Then we have Ella, Emma and Charly playing, Me with Fran and then our crew with Ms. Emma.

Road Trip - Day 3

2008-08-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

We are in Knoxville tonight. We left Atlanta about noon today and had a great drive. Ella & Charly slept most of the way and the boys watched a movie. It was so QUIET in the car - YIPPIE! We drove straight through.

We took some cute pics of the kids at Elisi's in their Road Trip outfits. After the photo shoot, Spencer was running around and tripped. He scratched his face on a tree root - nearly missing his eye. Thankfully he is ok - but we were scared for a few minutes that he injured his eye.

After dinner we all went swimming. Here is a picture of the girls together - Charly, Bethany, Hannah, and Ella. We will try to get some pics of the boys together tomorrow before we hit the road again.

Ok, last OLD post - I promise

2008-08-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics of the garage sale.

The "After" Pictures

2008-08-03T07:38:00.001-07:00

Here are the "after" pictures from cleaning out the basement. The pile of stuff in the background of picture #2 is to go to the dump. Amazing! I think there is another set of pictures from the actual garage sale - I will see if I can find those later.

Van is almost packed up and we are headed out to our next destination.

Road Trip Day 2 - In Atlanta

2008-08-02T18:58:00.001-07:00

Today we went to look at Elisi and Popio's new house - it is in the process of being built. The kids enjoyed the "behind the scenes tour" - and thought the "secret room" was especially cool!

Then we went to hang out at the pool at River Club. The kids had a lot of fun - in spite of a little too much sun. Charly did a GREAT job swimming. The boys had a super time on the water slide. Ella enjoyed showing off for the movie camera.

After swimming we came back to the house where Amy & I both enjoyed visits from "friends from the past". Amy's friend from college - Jennifer and her 2 kids came over. And my Forever Friend Lisa came over with her daughter. We did have 8 kids in the house for a few hours and that was a bit crazy (Ward's are you ready for us??).

Tomorrow we are headed to Knoxville.

A few more pics from Day 1

2008-08-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

The girls were reading books at the top of the stairs before bed.

2008-08-02T06:14:00.000-07:00

WHEW! We survived day 1 of our road trip. We left Vero about 9 AM and didn't make our first stop until Gainesville. We grabbed some lunch and got back on the road. We only had to make 2 more stops - one for bathroom and one for gas - and we were in Atlanta. The kids were SO excited to get out of the van. Christopher shouted, "We have been in the car for hours and hours and it has FINALLY paid off! We are at Elisi's house!"

Overall the kids did GREAT! We piled the van FULL of snacks and the kids were in snack heaven. They ate about a million snacks before 10 AM. LOL! Here are some pics from day 1.

Old Stuff

2008-08-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

This is an old entry, but an appropriate beginning to our ROAD TRIP blogging. About 3 weeks ago Amy and I spent a weekend cleaning out her Mother's basement and having a garage sale. We were raising money for our road trip. Here are the BEFORE pics of the basement: (I haven't found the "after" ones yet)

Mystery Picture

2008-07-29T05:21:00.000-07:00

So, the question is - WHAT do the items in this picture have in common?

ANSWER? They were all found in the underside lining of our couch! Mike was looking for the remote control - which had been missing for 2 weeks. So, he pulled off the underside of the couch - low and behold - the remote control. And some bonus items as well!

We started back to school yesterday - VERY light. We just did Math, Copywork and "Building on the Rock" (our worldview curriculum from Summit Ministries). We might add in some Language Arts today. . .We'll see.

TODAY is our anniversary - 13 years!! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MICHAEL! I LOVE YOU!!

The BIG "Puddle"

2008-07-23T06:17:00.000-07:00

So, we had our traditional summer afternoon thunderstorm yesterday. Then we all went down to Grandma Ks house. The kids wanted to look for tadpoles in the "puddle" out front. I told them they could as long as they didn't get wet. (We were supposed to leave from there to run errands). As you can see - they stayed perfectly dry - LOL!

Book Recommendation

2008-07-21T17:27:00.000-07:00

Have you read "The Shack" yet? I first heard about it on my Five in a Row message boards. Everybody's opinions were VERY strong, and I intentionally decided to stay away from it. Then my parent's picked up a copy last month and highly recommended it, so I decided to give it a try.

I don't like it when people say that books are SO fabulous because I feel like they can't live up to that expectation. I will say, this book is THAT fabulous. Please go pick up a copy and read it! I would love to chat with you about it!

No Training Wheels!

2008-07-07T12:02:00.000-07:00

Mike worked with Spencer this weekend and got him riding his bike with no training wheels! I don't know why we didn't work on this sooner. He is LOVING it and will spend endless amounts of time riding in circles in the cul-de-sac. Just what my active boy needs - another energy outlet! YIPPIE!

Here are a few pics from 4th of July!

Time Wasters

2008-07-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

I know that my biggest time waster is the computer, but that doesn't stop me from being on it all the time :D. The past 24 hours I have spent way too much time playing with Facebook. I never had an account there, or a need to go check it out, but I got an email from a friend that somebody had set up a group for those of us that attended Calvary (then Temple) in the 80's. It has been fun catching up with old friends and posting pictures. I am hoping that more people join in the fun.

Just in case you are one of those who DID attend Calvary in the 80's come check it out on facebook. I will see if I can add a link on the side of the blog, but I am not sure. . .

Kids are all doing fine. I have challenged them to "no screen time" this afternoon. Logan is drawing, Spencer is playing with Snap Circuits and Ella is playing with leap pad.

Here are some pics from Power Lab VBS. They got to sing in "big church" on Sunday morning. All 3 of them loved being on stage!

Family Fun Day

2008-06-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

We had a great family fun day today. I am SO thankful that I am no longer working weekends and able to spend time just having FUN with my family!

We started off at our local bookstore where they had an annual "Bubblewrap Explosion & 4th of July Party". We had never attended this event before, but the kids had a blast. Well, it was actually geared a little more towards the younger set, so the boys were a bit pouty at first, but then they got into it.

They all got to make jingle bell noise makers and patriotic visors and then had a "parade" around the store. (It is a HUGE 2 story book center, so this wasn't just a march down a few aisles of books.) The boys thought marching was a bit goofy, but Ella was loving it!

Then they brought out the bubble wrap and let the kids STOMP away. It sure did sound like the 4th of July in there. I am attaching some pictures and may even try to get a video clip on here (don't know if I can figure that out of not).

After the party we came home and had lunch and then took the kids back out to see WALL-E. It was very cute and they really enjoyed it. As an added bonus, there was another family from church in the theater, so we got to visit with them for a bit.

The kids are signing their VBS songs in both services tomorrow morning, so hopefully I will get some cute pics of that.

Happy Wednesday!

2008-06-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

I usually enjoy Wednesday better than any other weekday because Grandma Cheryl is off work. This generally means I get some type of respite from 1 or more of my children for SOME period of time. Right now all three of them are swimming (with their cousins). YIPPIE!

I am also VERY happy to report that I have finished the boy's portfolios for the 2007-2008 school year. (For those who don't know, one option for year end evaluation in the state of FL is to complete a portfolio of their work from throughout the year. While I am pretty good about keeping all of their papers and things together, June usually finds me scrambling to get it all completed.) I was concerned because this was the first year I had to do 2 portfolios. Just wait until I get to do 3 of them! Now I just have to get my friend (a certified teacher) to sign off on them and we will be DONE with this year.

I was a bit apprehensive about "completing" this year because I feel like we didn't do very much "school". I have told a lot of people this, but I counted up the nights I spent away from my home this past year - it was 62! So, I was feeling a bit like the "slacker" homeschool Mom when it came to "checking off the boxes". However, I have come to the realization that we have had a landmark year as a family and the things we learned, you can't get from a book. I have found peace in God's amazing ability to provide for us - exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think. (How do you quantify that into a portfolio?).

Off to make the bed and do some ironing. Sound fun?

Testing 1,2,3

2008-06-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Here I am! In the wonderful world of blogging. I decided that it is time to retire the kid's Babies Online pages (since the "baby" is now 4!). I am looking forward to keeping everybody updated on our school and family life.

Here is a pic of the kids getting ready to head to VBS!

ENJOY!