tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9182859999281474772024-03-05T15:16:31.049-06:00Our Moon TribuneHonest ramblings of mom of four...for better or worse!Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.comBlogger276125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-41655319435718963622017-06-20T17:05:00.000-05:002017-06-20T19:36:35.318-05:00Big Announcement! <div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">Okay, over the years
it seems like we’ve had a lot of “big announcements!” </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">From marriage, to pregnancies and births, to
moves and job changes, we’ve loved sharing our news with all of you!</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">And it looks like we’ve got another big
announcement to share!</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">It is with a mix
of both sadness and excitement that we’d like to tell you that in a few weeks
we will be moving to Colorado where Chris is going to pastor a church in
Redstone – a beautiful mountain town on the western slope.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 13.5pt;">We have truly loved
living here in Kentucky! It’s been one
big adventure after another. We’ve
fallen in love with the Red River Gorge, hiked more trails than we can count,
kayaked in rivers and lakes, and a few of us have fallen head over heels for
rock climbing. (Okay, maybe just Sophia! Some of us are still a bit scared of
heights! By “some of us” I might just
mean me, but that’s beside the point!) Since moving here, we’ve been able to
see so much of the country on our great summer camping road trips! From Florida to Maine, to Wyoming and
back. We’ve had a lot of fun! And man,
this country has so much to see!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The kids have loved
being part of the Swimchester Sailfish swim team and have met some of the most
amazing kids you’ll ever know. Good kids
from good families! They’ve loved running
on their school’s cross country team.
Who knew that my little fish could run? And we’ve met some really incredible people
along the way! We’ve truly loved the
people of Stanton Christian Church and have loved getting to serve God alongside
you. You will all be greatly
missed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s where the
sadness comes. It’s so hard to say
goodbye to so many wonderful people.
Thankfully, we’re really blessed with technology that allows us to stay
in touch so easily. Plus, we’re only going
to be about 21 hours away (or a few hours by plane). So just know you’ll always
have a place to stay if you ever want to head west and check out the Rocky
Mountains! They’re truly indescribable! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">And now we’re
looking forward to our new home and the new adventures that await. We’re most excited about the new church family
that we’ve met in Redstone. You’ve been
so welcoming and kind, and we can’t wait for what the future holds!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><i style="line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed
by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover.”</span></i><i style="line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> ~
Mark Twain</span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><i>“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>~
Susan Sontag</i></span></div>
Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-86879353031989181012017-02-22T11:35:00.001-06:002017-02-22T11:37:14.628-06:00Looking for the light.<div class="MsoNormal">
We live in a dreary world.
A world where people are looking for the light, but just can’t seem to find
it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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People are chanting “not my president” and protesting over
so many things I can’t even get my head around it. Women, illegal immigrants,
pipelines, black lives, police lives, transgender bathrooms, gay marriage…..the
unrest is palpable. The words are often
filled with hate - blasted over social media.
Things we’d never say in person, we now feel free to blast over the internet. And the words - they can’t be forgotten. They will never be forgotten! Name calling. Name calling people we’ve never even met
because of something we read that may or may not be true…It’s elementary. We are better than this. For my kids’ sake, we better be better than this! <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s so hard to wrap my head around all of it. But I think people are just searching for
meaning. They want to stand for
something. They want to right the
wrong. And they want to fight the fight.
They want to make a difference. But
oftentimes, making a difference looks a whole lot like taking action. Doing something to make the world a better
place. I’m much more interested in what
someone’s doing than just reading their very angry opinion. Hateful words on either side won’t change
anything. But honestly, I think people
are just looking for the light. And they
can’t find it in the middle of the darkness.
They’re too busy living in the darkness to see the light that’s right
there. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We live in a dreary world.
Did you know that it rains more in Stanton, Kentucky than in Seattle or
Portland? I keep finding different
statistics, but some estimates say we get ten more inches of rain per year than
both Seattle and Portland. Moss grows on
the trees here. The forests look more like tropical jungles. The grass stays green
year-round. Nobody has sprinklers to
water their lawn. They’re not
needed. And mold allergies are crazy high. It’s overcast, cloudy, dreary, and wet a lot
of the time. The sky is, more often than
not, a dreary grayish white. Not blue. And I catch myself just looking for the
light. Sunny days – they’re
everything! My entire spirit is lifted
when I see the sun. I spend a lot of
time searching for the light in the middle of the darkness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few months ago I was on an airplane. We were boarding, and it was snowing and we were
delayed going through a de-icing process.
And so I had plenty of time to think about this dreary world we live
in. But then a funny thing happened. We took off, gained elevation, and rose above
the clouds. And you know what? The sun was shining. </div>
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And I had a little “aha” moment of
sorts. Even when it’s dark. Even when it’s dreary. The sun still rises every single day. It shines down on us every single day. Even when the clouds are blocking it from
us. It’s still there. Shining brightly. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Just like God. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We all have dark days.
We’re discouraged. We’re
sick. We’re heartbroken. We feel helpless. Defeated.
Lonely. And depressed. But he’s still there. We just have to look beyond the darkness to
see the light. He is our light. And he’s always there. <o:p></o:p></div>
Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-80221607215464125672016-11-28T16:58:00.004-06:002016-11-28T16:58:53.973-06:00Our Thanksgiving Road TripFor Thanksgiving, we decided we wanted to head to Maryland to see my brother and sister and their families. We don't get to see them very often so we were all pretty excited. We got packed up, loaded the suburban and then this happened. <br />
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Yep, dead battery. Luckily it didn't delay us too long. And we were on the road. The first day we just drove. <br />
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But on Thanksgiving morning, we woke up and drove into Shenandoah National Park. We quickly realized this might have been the best day out of the year to check it out because everyone else was home eating turkey! There was hardly anyone there. The few we did run across were either foreign exchange students, or people happily hiking the Appalachian Trail. There is a long skyline drive you can take to see a lot of the park and it was beautiful!<br />
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We were able to eat our Thanksgiving dinner (bread, cheese, chips, cookies and water) right on the Appalachian Trail. <br />
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After we left the park we took a spur-of-the moment trip into Washington DC. The kids had never been so they were excited! Because it was Thanksgiving, it really wasn't too crowded and we were able to park right near the mall. We just checked out a few main sites - the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the White House. But when you only have about two hours, that's what you see! <br />
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Also, on a side note - we had no idea how many thousands of squirrels call the national mall home. But Max tried to chase every single one of them!<br />
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Friday we were able to head over to Annapolis to see family. The kids needed cousin time!<br />
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And then we left for home around 4:15pm. We didn't get home until 1:45 am. And let me be very honest - that last 30 minutes was a killer to stay awake! I was so glad to pull into our driveway so we could quickly crawl into bed! <br />
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We were able to recover on Saturday and then Sunday our small group went to check out the Ark Encounter in Northern Kentucky. It was really impressive answering tons of questions I didn't even know to think of!<br />
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It was a busy few days, but we really packed a lot into it! We are so blessed to be able to hop in the car and head anywhere we want!<br />
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<br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-89247628701470191762016-09-10T18:41:00.001-05:002016-09-10T18:41:46.211-05:00When you're wondering if you're screwing up your kids...or maybe that's just me! <div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="64jf0-0-0">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chris and I (like all parents, I'm sure) spend a lot of time trying to figure out if we're doing the best job parenting our children. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We think about how the choices we make as parents impact their lives intentionally and unintentionally. We think about how our expectations, rules, consequences and rewards affect who they are going to become as human beings. We look at how and when we discipline. We think about what we expose them to and what we protect them from. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">We're intentional about who we put in their lives as mentors and influencers. And we look at the values that we're teaching them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">We think about our words and actions and how they impact these kids. We worry we're not teaching them enough from the Bible, that we're not always modeling "love your neighbor" well enough, and that we are not around our extended family as much as we'd like. We know it takes a "village" and frankly our "village" is pretty small here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We think about all the activities they're involved in. Are they too busy? And man, do we feel bad when we have to say no to some of the things they want to do...whether it's due to money, or simply not enough hours in the day. How will these choices impact their future? Will we always regret one of these choices? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We worry we're doing too much for them. Will they learn enough life skills to be successful adults? Because they're just too busy for more chores. It usually comes down to sleeping, or learning to do the dishes or fold the laundry better. And, honestly, they really need sleep! We <u>really</u> need them to sleep! We think about all the mistakes we've made along the way. And we pray we'll do better! We've only got five years left with all four at home. That's just not enough time!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We worry, because it's well known that pastor's kids often rebel and many leave the church because they've seen and heard too much. The church consumed their childhood and they lost precious family time together. They sometimes want to run far away. We don't want ours to run. So what can we do better? What should we change? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">It's easy to dwell on the what ifs. Will one little decision we make impact their entire future? Will we say no to the one sport we should have said yes to? The one they would have loved and been most successful at? Will the schools we send them to prepare them to be successful in college, and if not, will their entire futures be altered? Will we teach them to love the church or will they run from it? Will they become kind, selfless human beings who look for ways to help others, or will they only think of themselves? Yikes! It's such a big thing when you become responsible for raising other human beings! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Basically, we worry a lot that we're screwing them up and hope prayer and good intentions will go a long way! In the end, we know God's got them. And he loves them even more than we do. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br />But today, I'm going to think about what I know we're doing right. <span style="font-family: "arial";"> We always pray with them on the way to school, at meals and before bedtime. Always. It doesn't matter if we're at home, in a restaurant, in a tent, or at a hotel, we pray together. We read the Bible together several times a week. Some weeks are better than others. We are continually talking about our faith and how to live out what Jesus tells us to. We love them fiercely and are adamant that as a family we will love and respect each other. They may fight like all siblings do, but underneath they are also best friends. And it's awesome to watch those friendships grow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We take the kids on big camping road trips. We've seen 26 states and 9 national parks in the last 22 months. We sleep in a big tent, picnic at roadside rest stops, and teach them you can do a lot with a little amount of money. We're showing them there's so much out there outside of their own little world. We spend a lot of time together. We go to church together. We go to cross country and swim team together. We go to school together. They share rooms. And share a small home. We are together a lot! But we know that's good even when there are times when we'd love a little space. We are a family and our little family motto is "As Family We Go!" </span><br />
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So today, I'm dwelling on what's good. An hour ago two of them were fighting. I didn't solve their disagreement. I told them to go back to their room and find a way to work it out. And you know what, they did. They came out a few minutes later and are now outside on the driveway with milk, dish soap, and food coloring. They're doing some kind of experiment together while one practices her new trumpet. Outside. Together! And they don't need me at all right now! They're good kids who are healthy, do well in school, sports, and are generally kind to others. So I'm thinking that even when we screw up as parents, God's got this and I've just got to trust him more! So for the rest of the day, I'm not going to think about the what ifs. I'm just going to enjoy today! (And be grateful none of the neighbors got upset by the outdoor trumpet practice!) </span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-38782704887416542852016-06-13T16:32:00.001-05:002016-06-13T16:37:27.682-05:00The Great Moon Road Trip of 2016<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4,650 miles. 15 days. 10 states. 13 bears. 4 moose. Hundreds of bison. Over 600 photos. The laundry is done and we're <em>mostly</em> unpacked. What a trip! I want to share some pictures, but man, it's hard to narrow them down. But here's a little glimpse into our crazy road trip! </span><br />
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<strong><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vacation Part 1: Buena Vista, Colorado - cabin</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is Chris' favorite place on Earth. His grandparents built a cabin years ago and the entire family has enjoyed it since. We got to spend a few days with Chris' parents and our niece Lucy. We had so much fun together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mountains! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Chris' happy place....drinking coffee staring at Mt. Princeton.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Shopping Fun.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5r_S6wk41qj3O8jpleUki80TVjLS2g4J4hhQGozJ6N9exmlU5iA9GE_rhWOpUnFfIAGS16lxeYM4JOGvpuZqpKZ9Z8wx_chS0gUjQZLjuybHKeRr_tKbMnGkMVSTHpuQQUlucB0xPXeW/s1600/20160526_132837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5r_S6wk41qj3O8jpleUki80TVjLS2g4J4hhQGozJ6N9exmlU5iA9GE_rhWOpUnFfIAGS16lxeYM4JOGvpuZqpKZ9Z8wx_chS0gUjQZLjuybHKeRr_tKbMnGkMVSTHpuQQUlucB0xPXeW/s640/20160526_132837.jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Cottonwood Pass. So. Much. Snow.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Family Pic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We met two guys in their 60's who were climbing up to the top of the mountain to ski down. They were planning to "hook a ride" back up to the top to do it again, then hook another ride back up to get back to their car. Crazy! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pizza fun! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Swimming at the hot springs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kayaking on Cottonwood Lake.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We lucked out and hit Buena Vista during their annual Paddlefest! There was so much going on down at the river and the kids had a ball! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Learning to paddle board. I watched several adults tip over, but our kids did great! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They loved trying out the hamster balls! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Everyone had a great time in Buena Vista! </span></div>
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<strong><u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Vacation Part 2: Boulder, Colorado - wedding</span></u></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next, we headed up to Boulder for Chris' brother's wedding. Anna was sick the day we travelled. And I will spare you the details, but it was bad. Really, really, bad. Luckily it lasted less than 24 hours and we were back in action! I didn't get many pictures, but it was a beautiful couple of days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Before the wedding! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Giant Jenga was a big hit!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Cousin Lucy looked beautiful at her daddy's wedding!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><u>Vacation Part 3: Yellowstone!</u></strong> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This vacation was about 5 years in the making. We've dreamed about taking the kids to Yellowstone. Every year we said, "maybe next year we can do it." Well we finally did it! And Chris already wants to go back! It's the most amazing place ever. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The Grand Tetons! </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our first night we pulled into our campsite, set up, and started dinner. And a herd of 30 bison walked through the campground, about 20 feet from us. The next morning we heard grunting outside our tent and they were passing back through. We quickly learned the bison kind of rule Yellowstone!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We hoped we would see bears. And man did we. We saw 13 bears. 3 Grizzlies, 4 black bear mamas and 6 baby black bears. At our first sighting, we got WAY TOO CLOSE! We were right by our car when the mama turned and came in our direction. We had to rush to get in the car, but the bear was seriously within 20 feet of us. I stopped taking pictures at that point because getting the kids in the car became a priority. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Mama bear and one of her cubs. This one got VERY close to us! </span></div>
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This man was fly fishing and there was a bear just across the river. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another mama bear and her two cubs.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">On our last morning we were able to see 4 moose. They were a bit far away, so the pictures aren't great, but they were really beautiful! We also saw elk, deer, pronghorn, coyotes and one snake! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This guy was across from our campsite!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So many cool things at Yellowstone!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Max at the campsite! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We definitely need more time to explore Yellowstone!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong><u>Vacation Part 4: Badlands and Home.</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On our way home, we headed directly east through Wyoming and into South Dakota. Chris wanted to check out the Badlands. We passed through the Bighorn Mountains, and I'm just going to say that pulling a trailer through those mountains was a bit of a challenge. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The Badlands.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One little note about our travelling. We spend a lot of time in our car. So our kids (and our dog Max) really are very good travelers. Two of our travel days we decided to skip the motel and just pull off at a rest stop and sleep in the car for four hours and then keep driving. Chris is a champ. This is how we slept. Nice!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are really great rest stops across the U.S. One of them had a little chapel you could go in. Very cool.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sophia gave a good sermon!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had a really fantastic time on our road trip! And I know it was worth the wait getting to Yellowstone because now our kids are old enough to remember it! And I know all of us can't wait to go back soon! </span></div>
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-17342628124123641962016-04-18T14:01:00.001-05:002016-04-18T14:01:57.943-05:00The family that rocks together...from rock climbing to rocking at concerts! <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This past week has been an awesome week for our family. We truly love contemporary Christian music and love getting the opportunity to worship together as a family. Last week we got to do that twice! On Wednesday we went to Lexington to see Rend Collective and Saturday Night we were in Mount Sterling to see Matt Maher. And in between, on Friday night, we squeezed in a little rock climbing fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">You guys. This was such a great time. There is nothing like going to a Christian concert and standing next to your four kids who know all the words to the songs and are singing right along side of you. God designed families to enjoy doing things together so it's always great to find something that all six of us love! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Rend Collective....Seriously, they are amazing! They play the coolest instruments and are such a high energy worship experience. Once the concert started, we basically were on our feet for 2 1/2 hours! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Matt Maher....This is just getting back to the heart of worship and it was awesome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Both concerts were in churches so we were only a few rows back. It was really so much fun! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Now for the rock climbing...well, only Chris and Sophia went climbing at Torrent Falls. But I took the other three kids to watch. They watched for a while, and then quickly found some ropes to play on. It was another great night with the family! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This shows how high up they were...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So much fun!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And, of course, a little military battle going down!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our kids are at really great ages now where we can do fun things together, stay out late occasionally, get dirty, make messes and have so much fun as a family! </span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-84353480738100041642016-03-28T16:33:00.000-05:002016-03-28T16:33:06.245-05:00Sleepovers...<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We don't host a lot of sleepovers at the Moon house. Maybe it's because we already have a lot of kids at our house at all times. Or maybe it's because having four kids means there's always someone to play with already. Or, maybe we're just pretty lazy parents! Or smart, maybe? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But six years ago, we had a big sleepover. We had 10 girls spend the night for Sophia's 7th birthday. These things are pretty tiring for parents. Because, well, there just isn't enough sleeping going on! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Weren't they cute? Good kids. Who did not want to sleep. And look at that stage Chris and his Dad built for the kids? Curtains, stairs, lighting. Maybe we weren't always lazy parents! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is how little Sophia was at seven...adorable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Six years ago. That's how long it took for us to do it again. But the girls begged us to have another sleepover with some of their swim team friends. Our house is definitely too small for that. So we reserved the church gym. Seriously, an entire gym for a sleepover is pretty perfect! We did some fun games, ate, and I'm not going to lie, those girls can really make a mess. Imagine popcorn EVERYWHERE! And six years later, they still don't sleep! But they're older and it doesn't matter as much. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">It was Easter weekend so several of the girls couldn't make it. But we had so much fun with those that could come. Sam was able to spend the night with his little swim buddy Ethan - his first sleepover and, according to him, "the best day of his life!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">These kids work so hard! They train 10 months out of the year for a sport most people don't really understand or appreciate. Training for 1 1/2 to 2 hours five days a week. And these kids love their sport! But, I think they love each other just as much! They are all really good kids and have been great friends since we moved here to Kentucky! They've been on break for two weeks and they were so excited to see each other again. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">So, six years from now, when Sophia is 19, we just might do it all over again! Maybe. No promises. </span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-22545821237361356452016-03-21T18:05:00.000-05:002016-03-21T18:05:51.989-05:00Weekend Fun! <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just a few pictures from our weekend... We needed to pick up all of the fallen limbs in our front yard so we decided to have a little fire in our fire pit and cook s'mores. As you can imagine, Max thought this pile was created especially for him. He was in doggy heaven! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm not sure about the sunglasses. Isabella said it was to keep the smoke out of her eyes. I think Sam was just going for a certain look.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We spent a lot of time Saturday just relaxing. And for some reason, Sophia and Isabella spent a lot of time snuggling. I still can't figure out why, but it was sweet. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sometimes, I think you just need a day to rest! Our Sundays are always so buys that it's nice to have a Saturday to just spend time together! </span></div>
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-71755919237492679942016-01-13T11:46:00.001-06:002016-01-13T12:04:29.794-06:00The Big Room Renovation <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When we moved to Kentucky almost two years ago we knew a big challenge for us was going to be comfortably fitting into the three bedroom parsonage. Our house in Kansas had really spoiled us with 5 bedrooms and 3 baths. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Honestly, we really had too much space. Because the more space you have, the more you fill it. Slowly, over the seven years we lived there, we really filled it. Not only did we have the furniture to fill it, we also maxed out our storage capacity filling an entire storage room and half of our garage. Easy to say we had too much stuff. It just seems to happen over time and you don't really even notice it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But in order to downsize, we knew we had to get rid of literally half of what we owned. We started going through our stuff, having garage sales, making tough choices with sentimental items, taking books and toys to our church, and taking so many trips to Goodwill you might have thought we worked there! But in the end, we fit everything we owned into a rental truck and moved across country. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">And we had just the right amount of stuff for our new home. Less space, less stuff, and less mess! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">In a smaller space, every single thing has to have a place. And I think generally, we've done a good job with that. But one room in our house just wasn't working - the girls' room. Three girls sharing a 12x12 room isn't ideal. So we squeezed 2 bunk beds and three dressers into the space. It worked. Just not well. The room was always a complete disaster because they didn't have anywhere to put anything. Sure, they had a place to put their clothes in their own dressers, but sharing the closet didn't work great because it was so crowded things were always falling to the floor and getting wadded up. Clothes were everywhere! The only place to put any of their possessions was on the top of their dressers. They really just craved their own little personal space. Sophia was so desperate she carved out a tiny corner of the room for herself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We spent months trying to figure out how to make this space work better for the girls, and for Christmas, we finally made it happen! We put in a triple bunk bed which instantly doubled the floor space in the room. Now, headroom is minimal, but this is just for sleeping so it works for them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then we built a countertop desk with shelves so each girl would have their own workspace and display area. They have LOVED it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Last, we ditched the dressers. They just weren't working. At all. So, we went to Ikea and bought some more of our favorite cubbies. We love them! We bought the cheapest fabric drawers to make sure our idea would work before investing in cute baskets. Each girl has 8 drawers and they store their clothes, some shoes, and I know a few of them up high just hold "special" junk. But it's all beautifully hidden! In know it's sort-of a big beast, but we have to tap into all of our vertical space in this room and it is totally working for the girls! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">On C</span><span style="font-family: Arial;">hristmas Eve we installed everything! That sounds simple, right. Some. Assembly. Required. Three little words. Yikes. In actuality, we started working at 10pm and didn't go to bed until 4am. Six hours!! Folks, we are way too old to pull all-nighters! But, the kids were so excited! And, a few weeks later, honestly, it's still working great! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Their room has generally stayed pretty clean. Here's a picture I took this morning. Now that everything finally has a place where it belongs, they can actually put it away! Such a novel concept! It is so nice to walk in and not try to clear a path in to say good night to them! And really, not having to yell at these kiddos to clean their rooms has been a life changer for us! </span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-32043509266743110922015-11-06T09:48:00.000-06:002015-11-06T09:48:05.422-06:00Confession # 327; Sometimes a little bit of Christmas can last an entire year! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is November, and I know some of my friends are already busy decorating their homes for Christmas. They're putting lights on their house, setting up the tree, and making things beautiful. I'm not there yet. I usually wait until Thanksgiving is over to decorate for Christmas. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But I have a little confession to make. I still have something hanging up from last year's Christmas. Last year I started hanging up all the Christmas photo cards our friends and family mailed us. Well, technically I've been doing this for years. I just love to look at them during the holidays, and who doesn't love actual snail mail these days? But last year I just never took them down. Never. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Some time in January I decided that if I left them up there, every time I walked by them I would be reminded of a family. Someone to pray for, a nice memory shared, or just admiration that they could get all of their children to look at the camera and smile at the same time. I pass by this wall dozens of times a day. I can pray for the family that last year adopted two sweet children as they added to their family. I can think about our Kansas friends and family who we haven't seen in 19 months, and I can feel good about new friendships we've made. But each time, I can pray for one of these beautiful families. And I know without the reminder of seeing their picture on the wall, I would probably forget. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So I know how hard it is to take family pictures. We do it every year and it still doesn't seem to get easier. Yes my kids are more bribable now, but smiling and looking at the camera at the same time is still a struggle! I know the time it takes to order cards, address them, and mail them. I know the expense in mailing them out. But seriously, it's worth it! I have enjoyed these for almost an entire year now! And I'll take them down soon, it is November already! </span></div>
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<br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-78241205393643333622015-10-30T12:37:00.000-05:002015-10-30T12:37:35.250-05:00When Did Halloween Become So Much More Than a Day? <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay guys, I'm going to be honest with you. This week has about killed me. It's Halloween week. Yah, I don't know when it became a week instead of a day, but it's a week now. Things started up last weekend with different church and community events </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and have continued all week long. This week, my kids have been invited to three different Halloween parties, two birthday parties, there's a middle school dance and church Halloween event. It is too much folks for this mama to handle! Some of you are super moms and this is no big deal, but I am not. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's not even Halloween and I am completely over it. Seriously, over it. Like no trick or treating for my kids this year over it. Gasp! I know, just being honest, even when some of you will think I'm completely crazy and a terrible mom. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Added into the mix of Halloween - It's national red ribbon week and while I support the cause, I'm exhausted by the effort it takes to fully "celebrate" it with my four children. The elementary school had different things the kids were supposed to wear each day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">"Hat's off to being drug free" - wear your favorite hat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">"I have the power to be drug free" - dress up as your favorite super hero.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">"Follow your dreams, don't do drugs." - wear your pajamas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">"Join the fight against drugs." - wear camo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">"Peace out to drugs." - wear hippie attire.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">"My character counts, I'm drug free" - dress as your favorite book or movie character.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">"It's cool to be a nerd, say no to drugs," - wear nerd attire or your Halloween costume. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The middle school had other things the kids were to wear each day and, of course, they were on different days from the elementary school. And I'm not even sure how to tell you that when my kids asked Chris what a hippie was he described a group of people that was, in fact, generally known for high drug use. So why dress like them? A bit ironic! He told the kids to ask their teachers more about that, but I think they all ignored him. You're welcome teachers! Now, I'm not sure if it overwhelmed my kids or if some of them are just not "joiners" but none of them dressed up every single day. It was just too much for all of us I guess. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So last night was trick-or-treat night. We went to swim practice in a neighboring town. We didn't get back to town until almost 7pm. And then we had a choice. Throw on our costumes and trudge through town for candy (you can only imagine how much candy four kids can accumulate), or skip it. So I did the natural thing, I bribed my kids. I told them if we skipped trick-or-treating I would take them to Wal-Mart and let them pick out any bag of Halloween candy they wanted. I promised it would be there's to keep and not be thrown into a big shared bowl. Oh my gosh, they actually agreed! So we went Wal-Mart, got our candy, and then went out to dinner. It was so much better! And, don't worry, my kids still got to dress up today for school. Who knows what we'll actually do on Halloween! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">At Applebee's.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My little kitty cat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Captain America</span>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6Ju9VmfaJlYt0fSsayLk0P_-GkjMR-YxrHB2ZprxFOtUR1HciOH1wm2STNQ4TXIRZshywzeW5IfAV1vu4byeu_ADyNUjTixB0_vOeN_v7RuC5Llia7kCEFIhSpR0HG13SJt9O9ENSd1p/s1600/20151030_072629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6Ju9VmfaJlYt0fSsayLk0P_-GkjMR-YxrHB2ZprxFOtUR1HciOH1wm2STNQ4TXIRZshywzeW5IfAV1vu4byeu_ADyNUjTixB0_vOeN_v7RuC5Llia7kCEFIhSpR0HG13SJt9O9ENSd1p/s640/20151030_072629.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Missy Franklin, Olympic swimmer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ3yHxmmbTQWsq41NjIIgIOavDh6gTBIyOByq4s5p71F03p39OybNi_I6YXCtnbo_JuXTWoUyohR3hF86RK_y0jREkulGEzlvoNgErJBMiKxFbOLEBR87xDVG-9WmFJ07zGTUxyTlkNOQ/s1600/20151030_072651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJ3yHxmmbTQWsq41NjIIgIOavDh6gTBIyOByq4s5p71F03p39OybNi_I6YXCtnbo_JuXTWoUyohR3hF86RK_y0jREkulGEzlvoNgErJBMiKxFbOLEBR87xDVG-9WmFJ07zGTUxyTlkNOQ/s640/20151030_072651.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An American middle schooler. "I think I'm getting too old to dress up."</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeDbwW8LHgNm3ez4PfqiBUsTgGAp14Bqa69vOqJ4L_eKaJPXi7yneGdS30mV9DRcXtrI6tPLzGohf2nirnt7auacoys-_VnKFM1uNjSTXWIeDUMJFmq_ivJAHutW3qZuuUgGRc7c-_HIJ/s1600/20151030_072700.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeDbwW8LHgNm3ez4PfqiBUsTgGAp14Bqa69vOqJ4L_eKaJPXi7yneGdS30mV9DRcXtrI6tPLzGohf2nirnt7auacoys-_VnKFM1uNjSTXWIeDUMJFmq_ivJAHutW3qZuuUgGRc7c-_HIJ/s640/20151030_072700.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-13519276548767234532015-09-21T08:43:00.001-05:002015-09-21T08:43:17.517-05:00A Quick Trip to Kansas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week we had to make a quick trip to Kansas to attend my Grandma's funeral. We left Sunday after church and were back late Tuesday night. We spent 30 hours in the car in three days! And man, were we tired when we got back. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So while we wish we would have had time to visit more friends and family, it just wasn't possible this trip. But we're planning to go back home for Thanksgiving so hopefully we'll catch up with more people then. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It's been about 18 months since we've been back to Kansas. While I try to describe to Kentuckians how flat parts of Kansas are and how windy it is, they just don't get it. So here are a few pictures to show what I mean. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkF0WMUKq_7pZY-3yTqwU-_OqcvtNH85Q2pWvWOQ9u13Q7XQJxp4x8JDadspvRXnLzTxbfzVC-DrVrVT0080VOsqLOS81iICKjb99ywN-b0dnRBJspJFU8Qt0ew95ZeeD1fpl8vQ_Y9Jho/s1600/20150914_113705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkF0WMUKq_7pZY-3yTqwU-_OqcvtNH85Q2pWvWOQ9u13Q7XQJxp4x8JDadspvRXnLzTxbfzVC-DrVrVT0080VOsqLOS81iICKjb99ywN-b0dnRBJspJFU8Qt0ew95ZeeD1fpl8vQ_Y9Jho/s640/20150914_113705.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrmr_hQ1_xEZpSTCglffSSymgIU_4n6WDwfYeApnh-yvCtMIf9h-ntM6IUpxib31Bu252VE3TLYTi_k4K06L5l8hSk5mr78sCzCujtlkDvIkPJSEFXONk2NYOOvjbISb4yQeOgc8ZosQR/s1600/20150914_145635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnrmr_hQ1_xEZpSTCglffSSymgIU_4n6WDwfYeApnh-yvCtMIf9h-ntM6IUpxib31Bu252VE3TLYTi_k4K06L5l8hSk5mr78sCzCujtlkDvIkPJSEFXONk2NYOOvjbISb4yQeOgc8ZosQR/s640/20150914_145635.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfItlAVnH7xZOr5kpLLsAIzt5WSbD9PJOB4xj7pf4BgsWOnyGto9WDqbyyczUerqzQhXRdaGUyayf52TsSD4AkOSi19ptprgBtYbe48pvti1KnFB9eGnwKuaKhThp1-lQ49yctp2vWnel/s1600/20150915_100439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSfItlAVnH7xZOr5kpLLsAIzt5WSbD9PJOB4xj7pf4BgsWOnyGto9WDqbyyczUerqzQhXRdaGUyayf52TsSD4AkOSi19ptprgBtYbe48pvti1KnFB9eGnwKuaKhThp1-lQ49yctp2vWnel/s640/20150915_100439.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTp_FK6nVLiPKd1OYMRm3RxvBcbzpUARM7E_W3ncgR9y4czcExXArSBeSu-ckOD4JWSSQCuF8SrpmUjb6ihv8mS5dt0wXAX_oVe8yZG6KiFdmToNCOJgi6D6xzHfFnrTHOpSJpzezZfvv/s1600/20150915_114109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTp_FK6nVLiPKd1OYMRm3RxvBcbzpUARM7E_W3ncgR9y4czcExXArSBeSu-ckOD4JWSSQCuF8SrpmUjb6ihv8mS5dt0wXAX_oVe8yZG6KiFdmToNCOJgi6D6xzHfFnrTHOpSJpzezZfvv/s640/20150915_114109.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElWY2YkAfG1nPBSjr4GRGTFhVQ6LA8rIfk31Adx0gbIqYvFJv4X6N0FL4qu57tajacx7T3tHGBzCWEXU5fTRdVAcLtEFBJXAOVL0klThsqGNBLHu5XuDwC9b7d88bMv3rNTvTx6oa49S2/s1600/20150915_114140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjElWY2YkAfG1nPBSjr4GRGTFhVQ6LA8rIfk31Adx0gbIqYvFJv4X6N0FL4qu57tajacx7T3tHGBzCWEXU5fTRdVAcLtEFBJXAOVL0klThsqGNBLHu5XuDwC9b7d88bMv3rNTvTx6oa49S2/s640/20150915_114140.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuhbfjSFvcdstH6Kh2YoT3agduuB9N75kXg73f90uCX5Ut9e5TXc6TCfZsO13fNETjlZ3CVdYfAkQtolu9cMWZJfQWtNc5ENsE0zjf6-K054AsnVHGq_wIsPfcMkdZyeek3pm-0IFa9V8/s1600/20150915_114056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLuhbfjSFvcdstH6Kh2YoT3agduuB9N75kXg73f90uCX5Ut9e5TXc6TCfZsO13fNETjlZ3CVdYfAkQtolu9cMWZJfQWtNc5ENsE0zjf6-K054AsnVHGq_wIsPfcMkdZyeek3pm-0IFa9V8/s640/20150915_114056.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Kansas wind...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNON1tgy6u6fd1WI0KkRwfuFuE5PiCTK9Ks7_RY5EjwiCpkbIgkVqSdnaEB4JFYhl_RdLLRtGcCgoAtOhd9J6IwrOdgLUuyY3MYwSE373uIR13Ob_VlVdvuy-lqR_S3wvarFiPNxHl3I6y/s1600/20150915_114358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNON1tgy6u6fd1WI0KkRwfuFuE5PiCTK9Ks7_RY5EjwiCpkbIgkVqSdnaEB4JFYhl_RdLLRtGcCgoAtOhd9J6IwrOdgLUuyY3MYwSE373uIR13Ob_VlVdvuy-lqR_S3wvarFiPNxHl3I6y/s640/20150915_114358.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And I know some of you don't see much. If you're used to mountains and forests, this might not look like much to you. But man, I think Kansas is beautiful. Kansas sunsets are amazing! Like, indescribably amazing. The colors, wow! I can't even see a sunset here in Kentucky. And storms rolling in....man, you can see so far across Kansas that watching storms rolling in is just a stunning experience. They are real storms with lightening, hail, wind, and many times dark and churning, swirling clouds. They're awesome. And nothing reminds me of how powerful God is like watching a tremendous storm roll through. So far in Kentucky, we've mostly experienced gentle rain showers. It's just different. We LOVE the mountains, forests, and lakes of Kentucky. They provide us a lot of fun on our Saturdays! And we get to do things we just never could in Kansas. But we do miss watching the Kansas skies! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was good to go back home. We were able to see a lot of relatives and that was such a great thing! And we had some amazing people from our church that took such good care of us. As we got ready to head west, we were given two giant baskets full of food for the road. They must know us well because we always picnic on road trips. It's too expensive to travel otherwise. So we were given food for meals and loads of snacks and drinks for the drive. Some other sweet friends also gave us money for gas and travel expenses along the way. You cannot imagine how much that helped us make this trip. We felt very loved for sure!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a quick trip, but such a good one too! We're looking forward to Thanksgiving and catching up with everyone soon! </span></div>
Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-554806497354018372015-08-31T15:41:00.002-05:002015-08-31T15:41:26.494-05:00The Moons Visit the Moonbow.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday night we drove down to Lake Cumberland to try and see the famous moonbow. If you've never heard of a moonbow, (like me) it's a pretty awesome and rare thing to see. Basically, a moonbow is a rainbow created by light reflecting off the full moon instead of the sun like a rainbow. It looks like a big white rainbow. They say you can only see moonbows in a couple places in the world. And this was just two hours from our house. Pretty cool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We went down with the Rose family and spent time at their campsite roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, lighting twigs on fire, and catching frogs. Good times! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTjsna_rXTku-wkiXINGmbjWKGSUHOW57r0hStVJZc960eRCOpF7wm2T8kUz8gpYDIg0ywc_Tal34Zbrq7x74e7JiJvl_h_0SvCPzZTI-tpt_IXaGzKqOz8pBmkeS4ND1anWTOGvm81LR/s1600/20150828_210526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBTjsna_rXTku-wkiXINGmbjWKGSUHOW57r0hStVJZc960eRCOpF7wm2T8kUz8gpYDIg0ywc_Tal34Zbrq7x74e7JiJvl_h_0SvCPzZTI-tpt_IXaGzKqOz8pBmkeS4ND1anWTOGvm81LR/s640/20150828_210526.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then once it was dark out we went over to the waterfall. We (and a couple hundred of our closest friends!) stood on the edge to watch to moonbow come out. It was really beautiful, but clearly not something I could photograph well with my cell phone. It looks white in person, but if you know what you're doing with your fancy camera and shutter speed, you can also see the colors in the moonbow. I found this picture online. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As we were walking back to our car we had a friendly encounter with a little snake crossing our path (looked like a copperhead). And then a few minutes later Ronna, Ben and I SWORE we heard a rattle snake by our feet. I'm not going to lie, apparently I'm not a good mom because I dropped Isabella's hand and took off. I didn't even drag her with me! Seriously. Who does that? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We headed home and got back around 1am. We wish we could have camped out, but we had to be at Cave Run Lake early Saturday morning to watch Sophia race. It was a long day, but sometimes those are the best! </span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-85437866975694072222015-07-31T14:50:00.002-05:002015-07-31T14:50:33.517-05:00The Great Moon Camping Trip of 2015<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, remember that time we took a family camping trip where all six of us and our dog camped for nine straight days in the same tent. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where we drove through ten states and travelled more than 2,500 miles together pulling a trailer...going slower than the speed limit. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where we stopped at what seemed like every single rest stop on the highway. (There's an awesome app for finding those by the way)! That time when we bought the new inflatable mattress right before the trip, but it clearly had no ability to hold air throughout the night. Where we forgot to hook up the brake lights on the trailer one day and drove through heavy city traffic and some rain without any problems. Thank you, Jesus. T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hat time where we hiked, kayaked, swam in the ocean, watched sunsets and sunrises, searched for seashells, ate lobster and saw a beautiful light house. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That time where we realized you have to get up at 4:45am to (barely) catch the sunrise off the coast of Maine, because the sun rises freakin' early there! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That time where we had tons of campfires, too many s'mores, and used lots of bug spray. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Oh, right, that was last week! We just got back from basically my dream vacation. I've always wanted to travel to Maine. Always. Chris got excited once he started looking at the map. He found just about every state and national park or forest along the route to check out. And we had so much fun along the way. Seriously, we didn't even get sick of each other which I'd say is a pretty big miracle because we spent a lot of time together! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Since I took over 600 pictures - yikes - it's really hard to shrink that experience down into one blog post, but here goes! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Gettysburg</strong>: We listened to a LONG cd and drove through the park. Chris loved every second of it. Sam thought he was going to see a battle. He was a little disappointed, but found every cannon he could to play with. We also got to spend some much needed time with cousins we haven't seen in way too long! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Eastern Pennsylvania:</strong> This place was not your classiest campground to stay, but look at this sunset over the pond. Not bad, right? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Birthday Boy: </strong>Sam turned seven while on vacation. It was a bit pitiful really. It was one of our heavy driving days, we went through six states that day. He got some toys early in the morning at the campground. Then that night we celebrated with some grocery store cupcakes. The poor things had gotten turned over in our cooler and were completely smashed and gross looking. He really didn't mind too much at all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The Lighthouse: </strong>This was the number one thing I wanted to see. It was beautiful, especially at sunset. And my crazy kids - and dog - loved climbing around all the rocks on the coastline.</span></div>
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We checked out Old Orchard Beach before leaving the Portland area. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you have to be a little touristy and stop by LL Bean when passing through Freeport.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Acadia National Park:</strong> We had a great time camping out and cooking on the grill! </span></div>
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This tent is AMAZING! It seriously comes together in a couple of minutes. The poles are built in. So, so nice! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The kids played in the unbelievably freezing cold ocean. If you look closely, they're the only crazy ones actually out in the water! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU45Oz3TXCa8kY3UvUiIKKlPkJ3iaTWzlhwEcYbWsYKpl1Au8ppPjBuZ5ElTnWEifU-VjW2F3zWalDZRoCBW374Df70znF8asi4Aecu8ik6ov-SmKiu3jC9GyFz7t_tr3v1UUbygYPHy4C/s1600/20150724_105219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU45Oz3TXCa8kY3UvUiIKKlPkJ3iaTWzlhwEcYbWsYKpl1Au8ppPjBuZ5ElTnWEifU-VjW2F3zWalDZRoCBW374Df70znF8asi4Aecu8ik6ov-SmKiu3jC9GyFz7t_tr3v1UUbygYPHy4C/s640/20150724_105219.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can you believe this coastline was only a 5 minute walk from our campsite? </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1lDFiDABrQ3Pf6r6Ue85jjZ04mJl0qvmYU-GDqKa46y6K4sxTWfJoSDoX_MsZBJZG9nptZ5y3pxCzuQqBcJYk2pXIzIOu7Czqq9yDTSdyLgVdnZSAylJX-fAST87iMQF8qccRVrilN0n/s1600/20150724_135615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1lDFiDABrQ3Pf6r6Ue85jjZ04mJl0qvmYU-GDqKa46y6K4sxTWfJoSDoX_MsZBJZG9nptZ5y3pxCzuQqBcJYk2pXIzIOu7Czqq9yDTSdyLgVdnZSAylJX-fAST87iMQF8qccRVrilN0n/s640/20150724_135615.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were silly tourists who tried lobster and blueberry ice cream in Bar Harbor! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We kayaked one morning in Acadia and Max tried out his new life jacket. He was a bit nervous at first in the kayak, but he started to settle down after a while. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He looks thrilled! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We hiked up to the top of the Bubbles and drove up Cadillac Mountain to check out the views. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCq3u3kO_cVup29liPbyLWyO0SUcFUm8AV4FAlgw4paJKx0qqU-epAU0OWPgzrULhAFC49vFNefM7nQo-pFs5UgyYzzrF4U2Tjp6gjS8XlFwIwnthVSByEoz-Zkj_kkVk9agBMwBiHWWKy/s1600/20150725_143539%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCq3u3kO_cVup29liPbyLWyO0SUcFUm8AV4FAlgw4paJKx0qqU-epAU0OWPgzrULhAFC49vFNefM7nQo-pFs5UgyYzzrF4U2Tjp6gjS8XlFwIwnthVSByEoz-Zkj_kkVk9agBMwBiHWWKy/s640/20150725_143539%25280%2529.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We ended our visit to Acadia with a sunset picnic at the ocean where we a ton of beautiful seashells. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Vermont:</strong> Then we headed to Vermont and found a great campground that only cost $10 in the Green Mountain National Forest. You guys, you've got to visit Vermont. Every single town we drove through was ridiculously charming. Every. Single. One. Like quaint little ski towns that are overflowing with flower boxes and old fashioned street lights. I so want to go back there! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And look at this view in the morning when we headed out! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnfrP3g_8mCcFmUk6ruq8dTkWDf_d5Crp70J_AmN2g_Qd0JkUwgGfVsyCd1YHuuAF57diEWt0qEq5IT7vKSsVkzAT5OdIKeu0G59vImwtc2TOaHQcf-36oQwd0hovCPWx8k9_H_uO_a0b/s1600/20150727_073240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnfrP3g_8mCcFmUk6ruq8dTkWDf_d5Crp70J_AmN2g_Qd0JkUwgGfVsyCd1YHuuAF57diEWt0qEq5IT7vKSsVkzAT5OdIKeu0G59vImwtc2TOaHQcf-36oQwd0hovCPWx8k9_H_uO_a0b/s640/20150727_073240.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Lake Erie</strong>: Then we drove to Headlands Dunes, Lake Erie and got to see it at Sunset! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The kids had a lot of fun here and the water was warmer than the ocean!</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnP40XpDWCnNiVPe47L68nB5G_fYvgctgeo-cvyX_yEuWT9K1KS2cgsShvgebmGtChaIvTnc8zskvuqL-9AzuMv_uyAAwJCh3jYg0ew-_BqsagEdxUcL4di9JCNUOy0XEb8OBRm3FI6rCD/s1600/20150727_202952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnP40XpDWCnNiVPe47L68nB5G_fYvgctgeo-cvyX_yEuWT9K1KS2cgsShvgebmGtChaIvTnc8zskvuqL-9AzuMv_uyAAwJCh3jYg0ew-_BqsagEdxUcL4di9JCNUOy0XEb8OBRm3FI6rCD/s640/20150727_202952.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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And finally, we headed home the next morning. Such a great vacation! Chris is already trying to figure out where to go next summer! </div>
</span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-40181519033118305382015-07-07T17:14:00.003-05:002015-07-07T17:14:37.353-05:00The 4th of July...A Day Early. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We celebrated the 4th of July a day early this year by attending Freedom Fest in Winchester. It was so much fun and the evening really was a complete act of God! The entire day (week really) was rainy and the forecast looked bad. The radar showed rain, and lots of it. But we had a chance to see Among the Thirsty and Tenth Avenue North for free, folks, so we were going - rain or shine! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As soon as the concert started the rain finally stopped. And it literally held off until the fireworks were over and we were back in our cars. So awesome! Lots of answered prayers! Here are a few pictures from the night. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Among the Thirsty!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCo-3V7aJvtSm818KNNLU4QvJEB-vRRGrRw_uB7hW22Z7w2RGYzSQtVYR1MRd9cRbcLKPY5w8nUr8nyJlMz_Ce5t-pcqCtHTG3RGpvZ4FWbrLr71yu291FmMZR7RQvEK6WJtwWqDTzlhy/s1600/20150703_194248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCo-3V7aJvtSm818KNNLU4QvJEB-vRRGrRw_uB7hW22Z7w2RGYzSQtVYR1MRd9cRbcLKPY5w8nUr8nyJlMz_Ce5t-pcqCtHTG3RGpvZ4FWbrLr71yu291FmMZR7RQvEK6WJtwWqDTzlhy/s640/20150703_194248.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Look at my baby's curls...I know he needs a haircut, but he's so stinkin' cute!</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kS6TkvwP6sr-7ol_CarB_XdHZH009_7zd0_IcG2gXnLIBdXmTW2zY4OW4waGCwV1ONj6fDREXjec2n6S4u6e2xxCNrODfJ2X8NyWVpX8pbx5fXlGdc0_UqrX104kQzlMRWLrEoTr8a38/s1600/20150703_201344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9kS6TkvwP6sr-7ol_CarB_XdHZH009_7zd0_IcG2gXnLIBdXmTW2zY4OW4waGCwV1ONj6fDREXjec2n6S4u6e2xxCNrODfJ2X8NyWVpX8pbx5fXlGdc0_UqrX104kQzlMRWLrEoTr8a38/s640/20150703_201344.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBrSnXSyvYNP5-FqUpR4zMEYEs8CeorAXd0l5lklECYxwyuXzn5SduX7E_HbfIErdtrL24M7Kvce8rjnxusdnfaFmRFyzc0vfe3tTq_cDEncL-1ECsu7MxC6uZVYK9c0d36iYnLTgRb-f/s1600/20150703_201935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqBrSnXSyvYNP5-FqUpR4zMEYEs8CeorAXd0l5lklECYxwyuXzn5SduX7E_HbfIErdtrL24M7Kvce8rjnxusdnfaFmRFyzc0vfe3tTq_cDEncL-1ECsu7MxC6uZVYK9c0d36iYnLTgRb-f/s640/20150703_201935.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tenth Avenue North! Front row baby! No zoom required.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDuivL87xBiPvmNvlJ2n5hlmOYcHRtee_rP-PEOnR7aow9W6navOOfZdxGWcJGHV7bdT2gox9OBcRLBIkyMyeU4xhcPXANllELzbxBUTCGaSb5sSorhVdzdKTQsiYlbQspvW4vFv8UoFm/s1600/20150703_210556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDuivL87xBiPvmNvlJ2n5hlmOYcHRtee_rP-PEOnR7aow9W6navOOfZdxGWcJGHV7bdT2gox9OBcRLBIkyMyeU4xhcPXANllELzbxBUTCGaSb5sSorhVdzdKTQsiYlbQspvW4vFv8UoFm/s640/20150703_210556.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wzI6w0knr6ravdN4D6vUP9N_AbMkruMqv-SRQwWXJ1tTKsQvbR6ZttpCrWqp6Tsb9U9DalZk714gLRP4rXeN86XPKdqHLbNowQ2n1YuGXiDY2SHTTRymNDYAZbyldTXG29wcy5tCXGx-/s1600/20150703_210627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wzI6w0knr6ravdN4D6vUP9N_AbMkruMqv-SRQwWXJ1tTKsQvbR6ZttpCrWqp6Tsb9U9DalZk714gLRP4rXeN86XPKdqHLbNowQ2n1YuGXiDY2SHTTRymNDYAZbyldTXG29wcy5tCXGx-/s640/20150703_210627.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Fireworks!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLZWZY6lzlyx4vsizAxcHFoy7S1T_o4Z-ketpp3WNEJ2_jm0agkmJHQDY463StbrrVsySev2-b3IKmIEQ4xAl86f3_Dk7cqmtVGPb-HnhDLYwKdalucm25e-mcnd7zlFWqk-2iu16EBCy/s1600/20150703_220420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLZWZY6lzlyx4vsizAxcHFoy7S1T_o4Z-ketpp3WNEJ2_jm0agkmJHQDY463StbrrVsySev2-b3IKmIEQ4xAl86f3_Dk7cqmtVGPb-HnhDLYwKdalucm25e-mcnd7zlFWqk-2iu16EBCy/s640/20150703_220420.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was such a fun evening. We're definitely going to go again next year! </span></div>
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<br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-9827893218921824772015-06-30T19:59:00.000-05:002015-06-30T20:02:49.095-05:00Son of a Preacher Man....<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week our family went to Cincinnati for the North American Christian Convention. Lots and lots of preachers and their families. The kids got to hang out with a couple hundred preacher kids - and it's always nice to spend time with people who understand a little about your life. Because frankly, not many people understand what it's like being "in the ministry." It's not like most people whose dad is a doctor, teacher, plumber, etc. When you're dad's in ministry, the whole family is in ministry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought about writing about that experience, but instead, it might be more fun to just show you a few pictures through the eyes of Sam. He had a great time! You guys...if you know our family very well at all, you know Sam is my number one source of laughter every. single. day. He is a complete goofball and I love him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like all good conventions, there were vendor booths. Sam enjoyed this part a lot and got a lot of goodies to take home. I have no idea how many pairs of sunglasses the kid came home with. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDT-xrj3utwGsKANW9em071lxBBYagBNeqSZItCXqmUP8c5uewpIcoZPtefYrKXMPXhYREqj4JTYsnA7qPE8XyoIQ1BGiPg2v0vz-BEXW-7QuXD7o6Ptaqh3f8_VdKHdunamn1vMpCNJmC/s1600/20150624_090310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDT-xrj3utwGsKANW9em071lxBBYagBNeqSZItCXqmUP8c5uewpIcoZPtefYrKXMPXhYREqj4JTYsnA7qPE8XyoIQ1BGiPg2v0vz-BEXW-7QuXD7o6Ptaqh3f8_VdKHdunamn1vMpCNJmC/s640/20150624_090310.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hyJBbMpw7f7HePcCtQr5D8Hdh-Em4nzs6kFN11JsxzzfkGy9fpJqgLyu2QLzU-2P5Sc1GlQoZoW9yjMCjYPsUU8VsFB6zq4zQJacRHJQy9AOQdDDy10_tUeXzbZtVwE0Gf2emtakiUIH/s1600/20150624_162156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hyJBbMpw7f7HePcCtQr5D8Hdh-Em4nzs6kFN11JsxzzfkGy9fpJqgLyu2QLzU-2P5Sc1GlQoZoW9yjMCjYPsUU8VsFB6zq4zQJacRHJQy9AOQdDDy10_tUeXzbZtVwE0Gf2emtakiUIH/s640/20150624_162156.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sam also loves to dance. I mean, really loves to dance! He heard the music, saw the spotlight, and started dancing. Then, he saw he was on the tv. I'm pretty sure he could have stayed at this booth all day long! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And of course, at a Christian convention you can get a free communion sample. Sam insisted that they all take communion... in the middle of the IHOP parking lot. Because that's how we roll, folks. </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzqrDtOSzAnnQKUhsX94bF3J2XX-AJg8jtqxZOlolCDQg3kuikMABUaTe1Lu-gWBdyW9dFCNFb7XO8fnMKV1etdwpORkqnsEqMrlrEG_xIuMdj8C-CuKX0f9RAo3jpMMAwKdlgkEJUNQ-/s1600/20150625_130436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnzqrDtOSzAnnQKUhsX94bF3J2XX-AJg8jtqxZOlolCDQg3kuikMABUaTe1Lu-gWBdyW9dFCNFb7XO8fnMKV1etdwpORkqnsEqMrlrEG_xIuMdj8C-CuKX0f9RAo3jpMMAwKdlgkEJUNQ-/s640/20150625_130436.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He also took the opportunity to take one of the stages. He had a lot to say! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Staying at a hotel meant swimming for fun! That's rare when you're in the pool everyday for practice. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And he got to eat out at a few restaurants - a rare treat in our family. So sitting on a hamburger stool was super fun! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w-pbGsUlUXB-w1OAqLBNy82Yk8Pa1DfR_2LdB8mM50Xxjkcc_8IvDoNO9aPc8_W6or_MBeL77GeVhQzIeoiAWocR8e-7lJKJArutBcOk-sbSv0nIFLFUTdS2ZZhVE1idzj650F9y0LNV/s1600/20150626_122800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4w-pbGsUlUXB-w1OAqLBNy82Yk8Pa1DfR_2LdB8mM50Xxjkcc_8IvDoNO9aPc8_W6or_MBeL77GeVhQzIeoiAWocR8e-7lJKJArutBcOk-sbSv0nIFLFUTdS2ZZhVE1idzj650F9y0LNV/s640/20150626_122800.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We all had a great week and came back refreshed and ready to keep serving God the best way we know how. </span> </div>
Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-12805774357543957912015-05-27T13:22:00.003-05:002015-05-27T13:35:57.735-05:00A weekend at the lakes...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So many people we know spend Memorial weekend at the lake. We've never been able to do that before. Mainly, because pastors don't get Sundays off, so it's a little hard to go away for a long weekend. Also, we've also never had a boat. Now that we have enough kayaks to go around, we decided </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to spend each day this weekend going to a different Kentucky lake. Add in the day off we had last week for Election Day and we hit four lakes last week. (On a side-note -- why do we have this day off of school? Having 4 kids home with me makes me much, much less likely to go vote. Just sayin').</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgLxyXuj3peNo1oG3BLTLQcPC1I-ZASH5kaFD7dBwNXrvuTk0sz2rOGqSP0-EaV3dWk3gz4vRkqe7oab6Js4m9p9nJ5Lm2wNo4pG3zGCq-pBuU1Ic0wc-7jCyGE5FMjY_Q9OoZGPwbGP_/s1600/20150519_144333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgLxyXuj3peNo1oG3BLTLQcPC1I-ZASH5kaFD7dBwNXrvuTk0sz2rOGqSP0-EaV3dWk3gz4vRkqe7oab6Js4m9p9nJ5Lm2wNo4pG3zGCq-pBuU1Ic0wc-7jCyGE5FMjY_Q9OoZGPwbGP_/s640/20150519_144333.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We went to Cave Run Lake, Greenbo Lake, Mill Creek Lake, and Buckhorn Lake. There are so many small lakes around Kentucky! All of these were less than 2 hours away. So nice! The kids loved Buckhorn because it had a nice swimming beach. Chris and I loved Greenbo the most because it has a no wake policy which makes kayaking so much easier! Facing the waves is fun for a little while (and the kids love them), but the kids also wear out much faster and we don't get to kayak as long. A couple of times we had to tow Sam and Isabella behind our boats, but most of the time they were able to keep up with the rest of us. Sam is actually a surprisingly good paddler! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Paddling...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being towed....</span></div>
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Working hard and relaxing....</div>
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Some of us may have been dreaming about sliding down the slides on those houseboats!</div>
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Fun outside of the kayaks!</div>
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It was a great weekend. We had a ton of time outside enjoying beautiful lakes and we wore ourselves out! </div>
</span><br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-3271743240805773122015-05-05T17:13:00.000-05:002015-05-05T17:13:22.829-05:00Always my rock climber...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophia has always been my little rock climber. When she was four years-old, she took a rock climbing class at the YMCA and loved it! Here are a few pictures. Wasn't she cute? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Today, she turned 12 years-old and she is still my little rock climber. Every single hike we go on she finds something to climb on. So this year for her birthday, we got her a season pass to Torrent Falls Climbing Adventure. It's this amazing place 20 minutes from our house that has a Via Ferrata climbing system in place for beginners. It uses cables and iron hand and foot rungs to help climbers get around. Today we pulled her out of school so she could try it for the first time. She and Chris had a blast! Here's a panoramic of the climbing area! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just hanging around!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is how high up they were. I am the green dot beside Sophia's shoe!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What an awesome way to spend a birthday!</span></div>
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-14304358894650034312015-05-03T20:16:00.001-05:002015-05-03T20:16:20.372-05:00Our first river trip...and my first experience flipping a kayak! <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Saturday, Chris' parents came to town for a quick visit so we got our kayaks out, rented a couple extra plus a canoe, and decided to head down the river. We were told it was about an 8 1/2 mile stretch that would take 3 hours if you simply floated and less time depending on how fast you paddled. It took us about 5 hours. And we paddled. A lot. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are a few pictures of our adventure. I could only take pictures during the really calm waters, but they turned out pretty well considering I was trying to paddle and take pictures at the same time! We had a great time and can't wait to try again! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Look at this little thing! So proud of Isabella for kayaking all by herself down the river.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kids are good helpers!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Swimming in the very cold river!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And this picture is proof that the waterproof case I put my cell phone in is actually waterproof. Because, you know, I tested that theory out by flipping my kayak and getting fully dunked into the river! Thank goodness nobody else had a camera! </span></div>
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-44334257589044746912015-04-12T16:43:00.000-05:002015-04-12T20:54:11.108-05:00They just don't have these in Kansas, folks! <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had to take Sophia to Lexington Saturday to pick out a dress for a spring dance coming up. You guys, I have no idea how I spent so much time in a mall when I was younger. My step-sister and I could spend hours in the mall. Hours! How did we do that? More importantly, why did we do that? I am officially old now because spending hours at the mall is no longer fun at all! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">While there I did run across something that I've never seen in a Kansas mall. Check these out! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Aren't they awesome? The Kentucky Derby is coming up and look at all these amazing hats to choose from! So much fun just to look at them! I have not yet been able to convince Chris to take me to the Derby though. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Also, I texted Chris this picture while we were shopping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I offered to buy him this outfit for his many afternoons spent playing crochet. Ha Ha! He declined. Bummer! I survived the four hours it took for Sophia to find a dress. But I'll be honest, I hope I don't have to go to the mall again for a very long time! </span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-2641792538996616442015-04-06T18:11:00.000-05:002015-04-06T18:11:01.188-05:00On Celebrating a Birthday on Easter....As a Preacher's Wife...And Maybe a Little Too Much Honesty... <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To be honest with you, I've been dreading my birthday this year. Not because I'm getting older. That really doesn't bother me one bit. I've earned each one of these years! But my birthday fell on Easter this year. It has before, of course, but this time Chris is a senior pastor. It makes a difference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a pastor, the week leading up to Easter is crazy busy. He preached on Palm Sunday, taught that evening, was a guest preacher Tuesday night at a community-wide service, taught Wednesday night, attended the community services Thursday and Good Friday, and then got up Easter Sunday to do a sunrise service followed by the normal Easter service. In between all of that, he was planning each sermon/lesson plus he's still taking classes at seminary. The man is busy! I knew he didn't have time to think about my birthday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know it sounds terribly selfish, but I'm a stay-at-home mom, who lives every single day for everybody else. My ministry right now is to support Chris' ministry and take care of our family. And I know that's incredibly important, but there are days where I just want to be noticed. Doesn't everyone really? No matter what their jobs are! I really just wanted one day that was about me. Gosh, that sounds bad, really bad. I know. But, it's honest and real. I just wanted to feel special in a world where sometimes I feel a bit invisible. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">So I knew this birthday was going to be a little bit of a bummer. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But then I woke up --- at 5:30am (yikes) to get everyone ready and out the door for our sunrise service. It's an amazing, awesome service that I really can't describe well. We hike up this trail to the top of an arch and watch the sun rise over the mountain tops. And this isn't just a simple hike. It's easy - as in the path is well maintained so it's a nice walk. But it's hard. As in, I can't really talk most of the way up because my heart is beating out of my chest and I can't seem to catch enough oxygen as the trail goes straight up. And what blows me away is that 50 people are there heading up the mountain at 6:30am for this simple service. We worship together with a sweet girl playing her guitar and leading us all in song and then Chris gives a short message and prayer as the sun rises. It is something special to experience for sure! An awesome way to start a day, especially a birthday! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We then headed home for breakfast and the kids' portion of our day! They had made such big plans to "go all out" as Sophia kept telling me to make it a special day for me. Anna and Isabella sang me songs. The girls gave me a box of sweet messages and notes that I can open daily, and they had ME do an Easter egg hunt. All the eggs were filled with sweet messages like, "We love you," "Daddy is so lucky," and "You're a rock star mom." So, so sweet! The kids had even made a homemade cake the day before! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We headed off to church for a service where God was truly moving and ended it with two baptisms. Then we went to "the big city" as I like to call it -- driving 45 minutes to eat at Old Chicago. We came home, took a nap (well Chris and I did) and then headed out for a short hike to try to watch the sun set. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was a good day. A day where they all made me feel incredibly special despite how busy we were! And it pulled me out of my grumpy, selfish attitude I had been having. I was reminded what a great little family I have and how loved I really am. Here are some pictures from the day! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Natural Bridge before the sunrise - and Sam photo bombing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kids on top of the arch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Isabella's song.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anna's song. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dresses (and tie) I made for the kids this year</span>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> A little too sunny to smile with their eyes open!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> At Old Chicago. Chris and his crazy eyes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunset hike to end the day. Yes, I told Sam to change his clothes to something more casual to wear on a hike, and this is what he chose. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cross shaped tree.</span></div>
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-22099797986449213112015-03-07T14:08:00.002-06:002015-03-07T14:08:31.676-06:00Trading in our hiking shoes for snow boots!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We got our second big snow storm here in Kentucky this week and let's just say most things just plain shut down for a while due to the snow. We just had our 18th snow day, folks. Today, we traded in our hiking shoes for our snow boots and took the kids down to the Gorge. It was so beautiful! Here are some pictures.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Nada Tunnel, still passable!</span></div>
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Road running through the Red River Gorge</div>
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How we spend our Saturdays! </div>
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Snow covered trail.</div>
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Wow!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Don't walk under the icicles!"</span> </div>
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</span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-21513344667521876042015-02-16T15:05:00.003-06:002015-02-25T16:29:17.641-06:00This. Is. Snow. <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Such an exciting day for our family! We are getting snow. Real snow. Not just flurries, but accumulating snow. We actually got about of foot of snow total! So much fun! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kansas friends, there is no wind here. The snow is falling down gently. Down. Not sideways. Crazy right? And while it's only 10 degrees outside, without the wind, it doesn't feel bad at all. That means we can play in it for hours! We were actually able to dig all of our snow gear out of the shed and put it to good use! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are a few pictures from our afternoon. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sledding on the small hill outside our church. It worked perfectly!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because even adults have to have some fun...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love the eyelashes!</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And yes, sometimes you need to build a ramp at the top of your sledding hill. What could possibly go wrong when you're sledding down a hill onto a parking lot?!</span></div>
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Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-65606930572245298652015-01-29T13:06:00.001-06:002015-01-29T13:07:22.693-06:00When Your 11 Year-Old Stages a Photo Shoot...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sophia apparently decided to stage a photo shoot with her sister and brother last week. The pictures are so funny I had to share!</span> <br />
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<br />Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-918285999928147477.post-87537449044998810592015-01-18T22:01:00.001-06:002015-01-19T09:54:16.801-06:00A Sunset Hike Sounded Like a Good Idea...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had beautiful weather Friday and no swim team practice to rush off to so I got the idea that we could do a quick hike right after the kids got out of school. I thought we might even get to watch the sun set. It sounded like such a good idea! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The weather was perfect. The views were amazing. We were just a little short on time and didn't quite anticipate how slippery the hike might actually be. But we had a lot of fun. And we laughed a lot! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We headed up to Pilot's Knob where Daniel Boone famously looked over this beautiful bluegrass country. We didn't have quite enough time to take the full trail up so we had to go off-trail and scramble our way up to the top. It took us about an hour to reach the top. Check out these amazing views! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Then we needed to get down quickly. The sun was setting. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">So we went straight down the side of the mountain. And man, it was muddy and slippery (and steeper than it looks). Chris and the kids all slipped and fell down a lot. In this picture, all of them were falling down! So of course I had to take a picture. Sam had slid further down the mountain and was waiting for everyone to catch up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And me, Miss Clumsy herself, managed to stay upright. It wasn't pretty, but I had a large stick I used like a ski pole - I dug in and slowly moved down a few feet at a time. I looked ridiculous, but I stayed up. The kids sure got a kick out of watching Chris fall! Honestly, I did too! We really had to race back down to the car, but we made it just before it got really dark out there. We'll definitely do it again though...the views are worth it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04616696598784022457noreply@blogger.com0