Camping with "12,004" other people

We went camping with Kirk, Eileen, and the Templeman family this past weekend. It was a blast!

When we left the driveway Kirk said something about the Templeman's "12 children." Eileen and I corrected him and told him that contrary to popualr belief they only have 5 children. Then we stopped at Wal-Mart to get fishing licenses and lunchmeat only to hear KIrk say the Templemans have "12 hundred children." Again, Eileen corrected him, but Kirk, being Kirk, didn't care. By the time we got to the Moose Visitor Center to meet them they had "12 thousand children." When I shared this with Sarah she pomptly said, "Oh no, we have just under 12 thousand children." So, the running joke became that they have 11,999 children. Add in the adults, and I camped with 12,004 other people! And what a camping trip it was!

We were supposed to meet the Templemans at the Moose Visitor Center on Friday evening, but when we got there at 10:00 there was no one (except a nice ranger) there. So we left a message on their cell phone saying we would be back Sat morning at 8:30. We showed up and waited....

But we had fun doing so!
And then Sarah called my cell phone from somewhere and she came and found us! Yay!

We saw a Moose down where we were camping (right next to a little river)


We sent the munchkins down the river in a raft...ok, Curtis, Kirk, and Bailey did. We just caught them at the end!


And played fetch with Suga...she LOVED it! Especially playing in the water!




Isn't where we stayed beautiful?




On Sunday we all went for a hike to Lake Agnes before coming home

Yesterday

Yesterday I wrote:

Today is the day Hubbin goes to court about the careless driving ticket...
Today is the day Hubbin is supposed to talk to Greg about his "promotion."
Today is the day sales tax is due for our company-the first time I have had to do it.

And today the update:

Hubbin's court date was reset for Aug 17th so the City Attorney has time to view the video. If there is nothing in the video he will throw out the case. If he finds something in the video it will go to trial unless he gives Joel a really good plea bargain.
Hubbin did not talk to Greg yesterday since he was only at work until 11:00. Then he ran a DV tool last night and just got off work for the day a few minutes ago.
Dad showed me how to do the sales tax and I mailed it before court.

Today

Today is the day Hubbin goes to court about the careless driving ticket...
Today is the day Hubbin is supposed to talk to Greg about his "promotion."
Today is the day sales tax is due for our company-the first time I have had to do it.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 4:6-7

I feel like I have laid everything at His feet over and over again and there is still no peace...

Please pray with me that everything works out.

Par-Tay!

Cindy B's birthday is on Saturday. So Mom decided she needed to do something VERY special for her. She decided Cindy B needed a "Menopause" skit. And she prompty recruited Linda (my mother-in-law) and myself.
We decided to play some of the music from the CD of the musical and dance/act out the songs...It was fun, but crazy! We all wore wigs and at the part where it talked about the roots turning gray Mom pulled hers off and I had to help her get it back on! They also gave me saggy boobs....ziplock bags full of air located below the costume bra! LOL
And then Cindy invited us IN!

If I can get some pictures I will post them!

Above The Line

I just finished the “Above the Line” series by Karen Kingsbury…amazing!

Take One drew me into every aspect of the story line. My heart was engaged.

Take Two was a mix of emotions…frustrated at one of the characters, angry about another’s decisions, and oh so glad for others.

Take Three was both joyous and awful…one character walking through a situation I can’t even begin to imagine, another finally seeing what I could see from Take One. Miracles occur in this book.

Take Four caused me to bawl my eyes out, from both joy and sadness. As I finished the book a few moments ago I so desperately want to scream at Karen Kingsbury for not finishing one of the characters’ story line, but I am so glad there will be an entire series about her!

As one who is reminded how truly gifted KK is every time I read one of her books I have to say I was so anxious to find out what happened in Take Four that I often skipped paragraphs and then read them after I had figured out what was took place.

If you have never read a KK book. Please, please do so soon! Here is a link to her website so you can decide which book you want to read. :)

Enjoy! Oh, and before you start your read grab a box of kleenex...I have not yet read a KK book where I didn't cry at some point...


Ok, so the link didn't work... www.karenkingsbury.com

Ephesians 1 (New American Standard Bible)

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Practically speaking, be impractical

"Practically Speaking...

Be impractical.

Structure stifles spirit. Caution curbs creativity. Fear fosters faithlessness.

Don't be afraid of word vomit. It won't always be life-changing. And most of the times you might mess up or say something pretty simple or mundane. But sometimes, every once in a while, when we leave enough space...

our words are not our own.

sometimes there are moments of brilliance

sometimes there are angels

and sometimes the Holy Spirit says something we would never think to say...

sometimes He says something perfect through us.

Today, I am grateful for that. That God knows what to say when I don't."

-Jenny from Addison Road in her blog: http://www.jennysimmons.com


Think about that for a moment before you read on.

I don't have anything inspirational to say today, except that I too, am thankful God knows what to say when I don't. There have been many times throughout my life when I know I was not the one coming up with the words escaping from my mouth. It is such an odd feeling, knowing you have no clue what you are about to say. Yet, it is a good feeling, a freeing feeling.
This is what it is to live by the Spirit. And oh, how hard it is to not allow mundane, legalistic rules and regulations to take over instead of following the Spirit's leading. How difficult it is to live life in the here and now instead of the "already has beens" and "yet to comes." How tough to lay down your life and your plans every moment of every day to our Maker. To cast our fears and anxieties and worries into the hands of a mighty God who is really in control anyway.

How many of the plans you have in the morning have actually happened by the time you go to bed that night? It doesn't matter how well-laid out the plans are nothing ever goes exactly as planned. Yet, the Maker knows all the plans He has for you, not plans to harm you, but plans to give you hope and a future. His plans always come to pass. We may thwart them a little, but He already knows that and has planned ahead for it. He uses our "mess ups" for our own good.

Living by the Spirit is impractical by our culture's standards, crazy even. Yet that is what we are asked to do...
John 4:24 (New American Standard Bible)
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
Our lives should be lives of worship. Everything we do to bring glory and honor to our King, the King of Kings. If we are worshiping in spirit all the time we should be impractical at all times...always taking the road less traveled, always striving to follow the promptings of the Spirit on a moment by moment basis.

This is what it is to live by the Spirit. Its not a lifestyle reserved for those serving as missionaries in Africa or South America. Its not a lifestyle that is unattainable in our lifetime. It is a lifestyle of choice. Choosing every day-moment by moment-to live for our King, to listen to the Holy Spirit's promptings, to step out in faith, to believe with everything we have that He knows the plans he has for us and that they will come to pass. It doesn't matter if our lives look impractical to others, in the race to the Lord anything is possible!