Finally?

So we've been without internet for over a month in our house. How did we ever survive without it? It's been crazy for me to keep up with kids schedules for school, evites I didn't know I received, and church news. UGH!

We finally have joined the rest of the crazy people and got cable and high speed internet. Whew! I'm scared of that bill but so thankful for the services.

Now, I just have to keep the kids and hubby off the TV so it doesn't melt their brain!

Hope you're all staying warm where you are. If not, come see us in FL!!!! hee hee

The Elections Over... Now What?

The following was written on a blog I read and offers a fantastic view of what we do now as Christians following the election. Good insight.

The Morning After

It’s November 5. And as the old song from “The Poseidon Adventure” sang, “there’s got to be a morning after”. I realize that today’s news is likely captivating the attention of the majority of us who read this paper, so I don’t have any grand illusions that what a preacher writes today will gather much attention. But I want to speak to the Christian community in the aftermath of yesterday’s much anticipated vote.

There are some biblical principles that need to be remembered by us who claim faith in God regarding government and our responsibility to it. So whether this morning’s news makes you smile or kick the cat, these should apply to you. And take a minute to break out your Bible and read the passages I’ve included.

Human government isn’t perfect, but it is a God-ordained institution. Perfection was tossed out the window in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 3) Whether your candidate is viewed as some kind of a messiah or the lesser of two evils, he isn’t going to usher in utopia. Yet God has created government to protect us from harm and to provide justice. (Romans 13:1-7) If our government misses those marks it will answer to God.

We’ve heard from all the politicians and pundits that our government is “broken”. Well, it was never perfect, not even when the ink was still drying on the Bill of Rights. (I will interject that it’s still the best the world has to offer!) Broken people can’t produce anything perfect. So, as God has done toward us, let’s extend a little grace.

Taxation is part of the deal and we’re to submit to it. Jesus gave that instruction to those listening and during great governmental corruption. (Matthew 22:21) Jesus said we’re to give to God what is God’s and to support our government. Caesar’s government, by the way, wasn’t known as being particularly fair. Regardless of what you may think, you still live a lifestyle higher than the rest of the world. Travel to a third world country and you’ll realize how blessed we are. Be grateful. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Sometimes we get what we deserve. Over and again when the nation of Israel in the Old Testament turned its collective heart away from dependence on God they found themselves in dire economic times. What’s a better wake up call? Unfortunately the American church in the last generation has tried to enact spiritual awakening via political and man-centered means. And judgment, we’re told begins in the “house of the Lord”, and rightly so. (1 Peter 4:17) Before we try to clean up our country we need to clean up ourselves first.

You have a dual citizenship. (Philippians 3:20) By God’s grace you are a citizen of a coming Kingdom. A perfect government is in our future. We just have to wait and be patient. The answer to all our ills is not in any man who occupies the Oval Office, sits on Capitol Hill or dons a black robe. Let’s hope things get better. But whether they do or don’t, your future is a bright one if Christ is your King.

One day wars will be over. (Isaiah 2:4) The economy won’t be a concern. No one will be needy or hungry or disenfranchised. Race won’t be an issue and borders will be removed. And we won’t have to watch any more political advertisements or hear any more speeches from candidates! We’ll live under the rule of a perfect Monarch, giving us a world we could never imagine. (Sorry John Lennon.)

Our responsibility is to pray for our leaders. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) Whether your man won or lost, it makes no difference. He needs your prayers. Why? “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord” (Proverbs 21:1). God is the only One Sovereign in the truest sense. He’s got things under control, whether we can see it or not.

Rick Lawrenson is the Lead Pastor of Nags Head Church.© 2008 Rick Lawrenson

Boys and Adventure!

Our 19 year old brought home a kayak/canoe type of boat this past weekend. The 10 year old was quite excited about this. He couldn't wait to take it out back on the pond/lake/water, whatever you want to call it.

So.. the 10 year old has been bugging me and being quite persistant about taking this boat out, by himself. I cleverly came up with an excuse about why he can't... there is no paddle with the boat and that would not be safe!

If you know the 10 year old... he is Mr. Resourceful. Sunday afternoon I hear banging and hammering of sorts. Since they were outside and not causing any trouble, I let the banging go and figured we'd run on a need to know basis and I didn't need want to know.

Well..... Mr. Resourceful made his own paddle. Quite the invention. It looks like a large golf putter, made of wood. You can see it in the pic below.

I thought you'd like to see what my boy does when he finally gets mom to say yes, and he has covered all the safety bases! He did look like a boy out on an adventure! Especially when he was out at the other end of the water, as far away as he could get from the house.

My New Favorite Site....

is www.myfoxhurricane.com.

It is a wonderful website with everything I want to see on ONE page. It tracks each storm that is churning as well as the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf, and Florida.

Check it out. You might like it too!

Happy storm season!

Fay, Fay has gone AWAY!!! YEA!!!

UPDATE: As soon as I posted that below... it started raining (at least I saw the sun today for a little bit!!) Geesh - what is up with that!? Is she not going away? I need to go check the news.
________________________________
Well, I can't believe it but the sun is actually out this morning. I hope it stays out today. I need it. You can compare the pic below to yesterday's pic and see the water level difference in about 12 hours. The white pipe is just about gone. Crazy. Many roads are flooded but all the bridges are back open - which makes getting to work much easier for John. They worked 14 hours yesterday and did not get to all the calls that came in. They left this morning already to put in another full day... on Saturday.

Fay, Fay Go Away!!!

Well, she's still here dumping loads of water on us. Just since I got up this morning, the pond behind the house has spread at least 5 feet. In the picture below, the white post on the concrete block had about a foot of concrete under it along with about 3 feet between it and the water. And you can see the tree down there with the root ball up. Not good.

This pic below is the neighbors horseshoe pit underwater. (It's the light patch between the fence and the trees.) Just this morning the water was not even up to it yet. Yikes!

Well, John just called and said there is a tornado watch for our area. Geesh.... Gotta run.

Awaiting Fay

Well, Josh and my nephew Casey started school Monday. After two grueling days of school, (not), they now have two days off due to the potential hurricane Fay. So we are home today, watching it rain in spurts, with occasional wind gusts, hoping we don't lose power or find a tree across our house!

But don't worry Heather, we loaded up on bottled water, canned food, PB&J, and the like. However, I did just realize this morning the first aid kit is not quite up to date. So.... if you'd hurry up and get down here you could help with this preparedness thing!!!!!

You all take care and we'll keep you posted, if possible.

Love ya!

Family Happenings

Okay, so I haven't had a new post lately. It's time, I know.

Our summer has been great, having lots of company. Our latest was Brandon's friends from Missouri flew down and they went to Orlando for the week. What a great way for 18-19 year old boys to spend time together. They are all good kids and they really enjoyed each other. I was worried about him mixing his MO friends and his FL friends but it went great. And there was only one minor fender bender, and it wasn't Brandon so that was good! I thank God for bringing them home safely and for the boys flying home safely!

Joshua has been hard at work on FLVS (virtual school) trying hard to complete a half credit of Geometry. Yuck. Not what I think of as a great passing of time. He is also trying to get his permit. Please pray for him on that one! And for him to continue to strengthen his walk with the Lord.

Alex and Micayla are just enjoying being kids. They have some great friends and are playing, visiting, going to the beach, and just hanging out with the family. They keep asking to take "one more week" off school. I am trying to get to where we school year round but man it's hard!!

Uncle Jerry took the boys to Atlanta to see the Cardinals and the Braves play (GO CARDS!!). They won both games the kids went to and they had a great time! Thank you Uncle Jerry. It was strange for me to have only 1 child at home (Brandon is never home anymore anyway) so it was fun to spend some extra time with just Micayla. Gotta love that girl time!

John and I are great. He taught Sunday school last week and did a most fabulous job. I am so proud of him for getting out of the box and for having the courage to teach his peers, even when he doesn't feel qualified or adequate. He is great!!!!

I'm busy getting ready for my sister and her family, and our grandpa, to move here. I'm getting more and more excited the closer it gets. Pray for us for wisdom and direction to find the perfect house for them, that will accommodate everyone comfortably.

Thanks for reading about us! Enjoy what's left of the summer!!!

Father's Day!!

Well... we had a great day. Started with church, then we had dinner with friends at a yummy new restaurant here in town, and then we came home and watched a couple good movies.

John is a great daddy to my children. He truly loves them and enjoys watching them grow and change. He is a good example to them on how to be a man and husband as well as a protector and leader.

We made an album for him on Shutterfly, and I would encourage any of you to try it! It was easy and fun to do and is a great, treasured gift!!

We love you John and are so blessed to call you husband and dad!!

Company

Well... we survived three weeks of straight company. I was glad to have everyone here and am thankful they would even want to come to our house to spend their time off work. It is always good to see everyone, especially family from Missouri. I hate that it is so far away to make a day drive of it. Unless you're crazy like my sister, bil, and mom who drove straight thru. Yikes.

It's also good when all the company is gone and the house is silent, for at least that short minute or two. Aaaahhh... but we sure do enjoy the chaos while it's happening!

And thanks Heather for getting the laundry done while you were here! Always a blessing for me! If it would just put itself away, that would be great!

I also most definitely must say a HUGE THANK YOU to my brother-in-law Darrel, who so willingly (No, I did not ask him to) fixed many things around the house that I so wanted done! Thank you Darrel. You're such a blessing to us!! It doesn't help that you know how to fix everything, does it??!!! And Josh loved spending time with you, even if you were working his butt off!

Love you all!

We love our Grandma's

Grandma Henri and Great-grandma Vida came to visit for the weekend and see Josh in his play. It was great to have them here and they were lots of fun to have. It was so cute to see Micayla and GrandmaVida having their little sleep over! Thanks for coming to see us.

Joshua Prom 2008

Josh had prom last weekend! He went with a friend from school. They had a great time and I wanted to share his pic with you all. He is growing up to be such a great young man!

The Best Goalie Ever....

We're in full swing of soccer... Alex's team is called Team Punishment. What a name, eh? He moved to a different league this year since many of his friends are on this team. It's been a great change for him. He is a fantastic goalie, much to his fathers admiration!! He's walking in his daddy's footsteps. Look at that perfect pose!

Hope you all are enjoying the nice weather, and if you're not, then come visit us here in FL!

Please be Praying

Please be praying for the Lawrenson family, Nate, Tricia and Gwyneth, as Tricia finally received the new lungs and is recovering from a double lung transplant right now. Her husband does a wonderful job of journaling their story and it is an amazing one. Please pray she stays infection and rejection free. Please also be praying for the donor family who had to lose a loved one so she can live. Thanks.

The attack of the HUGE soccer ball!

Alex and Micayla LOVED this ball at a community egg hunt. It was lots of fun to watch too. It didn't hurt them if it rolled over them, unless the crowd behind it ran over them too! Too much fun!!! It was Alex's favorite part of the day. Shouldn't have put him in a white shirt! Micayla's favorite was probably was the face painting!! Does she look like a cat? That's what she was going for! Well... that and the cotton candy!

Easter...

We had a great time on Easter. Went to church and then to a friends house for dinner. Praise God for His son. I can't imagine giving my only son, that is how much He loves us.

Fishing on the Deep Blue Sea

John got to experience his first deep sea fishing trip since we've moved to Florida. He had a great time and really enjoyed his LONG day. He caught several fish but here are a few for your enjoyment.

Hamster Love!!

Well, we've officially lost our minds and had a hamster wedding! Yes, you read that correctly. Micayla's "Hammy" and Morgan's "Fluffy" were married yesterday after church outside on the soccer fields. There was quite the crowd in attendance and most of the adults had that look like "are they seriously doing this?"

Needless to say... when your children ask you a question that requires giving permission, you'd better pay attention a little better just in case they really do whole-heartedly mean what they are asking. So... Mary and I decided we better go ahead with this wedding or they were gonna drive us crazy and the planning was getting out of control on their part! So... enjoy these pics. It was quite the day!

Thanks to those who "attended". It was very special for our beautiful daughter as we are making some great memories!


The attire... the groom... the vows... the kiss... the "grand-daddys".

Organ Donation???

Have you ever thought about it? Are you on the list? Do you know anyone who has needed a transplant? If you needed one, or your child did, wouldn't you want someone to help you? Think about it? I am. Thanks.

For more info you can go to unos.org or donatelife.net. You can read Nate and Tricia's story here. It's amazing and it will give you lots to think about. He also answers some myths about donation.

Have a fantastic day!!!!

Being a Mom...

This is a great video!! A must see. Enjoy!

Preemie baby and family... Please Pray!!

I've come across another site via a friends blog. Their daughter's story is very similiar to Joshua's. Please be praying for this family. You can read their story here Nate and Tricia, or under Friends Blogs. What a wonderful gift this husband has done to chronicle their journey. Please pray for his girls. Especially his wife Tricia. Thank you.

So this is what I should be doing now??

Seems to be the best way to keep in touch with friends and family so I'm caving in and creating this blog. Hopefully someone will actually read it and make comments so I know I'm not just talking to myself. I enjoy reading our friends blogs so I hope the same goes for you!!