Estuaries Day/Birthday

Friday was the yearly Estuaries Day in Eastpoint, Florida. (an hour and 20 minute drive) We were trying to remember if this was our 3rd or 4th year going? I guess I need to look back in my photo's! 

Even though the kids are older, they still enjoy going, if just to be with their friends! :)

As has been tradition the last two years, we go down a little early and cross the bridge to St. George Island to get subs at Subway and eat down on the beach.

When we got to Subway, we saw a Mowery Elevator truck in the parking lot. We know quite a few employees from there, so we wondered if it was someone we knew. Sure enough, Keith Yoder and Caleb Willis were inside eating! They were surprised to see someone from home way down there! :)
They invited us to come see the beach house they were working at and offered for us to eat on the 3rd floor deck overlooking the beach! We couldn't resist. Scott Cloud was also working at that house! It was interesting seeing how they put elevators in!!

Lunch on the deck of a HUGE beach house....

Lovely view!!

The stairs going down the side of the house.....this house slept 40 some people!! I'm thinking....family vacation!! ;)

From there we headed back across the bridge to the Estuary Reserve for a day of learning and fun!

Touch tanks....touching a stingray.

Candra and her kids....

Sarah Beth touching a starfish.

Teaching us how crabs shed their shells...so cool!

Have you ever seen a pelican on a leash? Me neither! :)

Her name was Doofy.When they rescued her after a hurricane, she had a twitch in her head and that's how she got her name. The twitch has since went away!! 

A dead lionfish....they are a venomous predator fish that they are trying to get rid of in the Gulf. Researchers are encouraging people to get rid of them if they are caught!

Beach front....

It was a lovely breezy day! :)

~ Anna, Shauna and Tamara ~

I called this a kissy face fish! He would come swimming over all puckered up and lay sideways like he was trying to see you....it was funny! :)

Caden :)

The whole crew....minus one!

Riverbend Home Educators represent!!

The teens wanted to go walk the beach on St. George Island when we were done at Estuaries Day, so 4 of us families stayed and let the kids walk while we sat at the playground on the beach with the little kids!

St. George Lighthouse

Watching the kids play on the playground.....Denise's husband Troy works on the island so he met us there when he got off work. 

<3 Troy & Denise <3

Here come the teens......

One of the other Dad's who was working nearby came, and he and Troy took all 23 kids back to Troy & Denise's house.....then the Mom's took me out for supper....it was my 37th birthday! :) 

We ate supper at The Blue Parrot right there on the island!

We got to eat out on the deck overlooking the beach!

My dear friends.....they blessed me by paying for my yummy supper of crab stuffed shrimp, grits and cole slaw!! Sometimes as a Mom you just don't get celebrated much, so this was a treat for me! :)

The view from my seat!!

Kay, Denise, Brandy and Denise's daughter Cortney

Ready to head back to Sumatra to make sure Denise's house was still in one piece and pick up our kids! :) (They had a blast!!)

It was a great day!! And it was great coming home to my hubby!! I missed him! :)

Today, he took our family out for lunch to Sonny's BBQ to celebrate my birthday! It was a nice break not to worry about Sunday lunch!! :) I'm enjoying my 30's and still have a few more years before the big 4-0....I'll enjoy every moment I can! :)

This afternoon Dan decided to go for a run, even though it was drizzly. He asked if I wanted to go along. I wanted to make an excuse, but I had been thinking about starting back on the C25K program, and decided what better time to start? So here goes..... :)

18th Anniversary -Day Getaway!

Every year Dan and I talk about doing a weekend getaway for our anniversary, but there never seems to be funds to do it. Hopefully one year soon! :)
We still had a wonderful celebration! We had planned to spend Sunday afternoon/evening at the beach. Our kids are old enough to stay home alone, but I knew they would enjoy spending the day at Dylan & Kayla Pickron's house. I checked with Kay (their mother) and she said "bring them Sat. already and let them stay overnight"! Well, I couldn't resist that kind of offer!
So Saturday night we dropped them off with friends and spent the evening just relaxing.....talking, talking, more talking and watching a movie or two.

We slept in longer than normal on Sunday morning and by 9:00 we were on the road to Beacon Hill, Mexico Beach. It was a cloudy day but still a bit warm. We didn't spend a lot of time in the water because of the cloud cover. When you got out and were wet, it felt a little chilly!

Had to try out my "barefoot sandals" I bought on Etsy over a year ago! :P

The seagulls could sense every time we got the snacks out! Silly birds!

Sand pipers

<3 In some ways it's so hard to believe that I have almost been married longer than I was single!! Time is going by so quickly! AND, we have lived in FL for half our married life! That blows my mind even more!!

It drizzled on and off till around 2 PM, when we decided to continue on with our day......

We drove to Panama City Beach and went mini-golfing at Pirate's Island. Mini-golfing was something we did often when we were dating and have not been for a long time!! It was fun again! 

Dan is a great score keeper! :)

The alligators looked real!!

We seem to be in trouble! ;)

We both got SO close on this hole on our first hit! :) 

Self-timer! :)

This is such a fun course!! It was pretty empty of people too, so we took our good ole' time and just enjoyed the day! By the time we were half way through, the skies had cleared and the sun was quite warm!! :) That's FL weather for you!

In May I had planned a surprise 40th birthday party for Dan. Friends and family blessed him with gift cards and cash. He asked me to put it all aside for our anniversary, so it was nice to be able to have some fun and spend a little more $$ than usual! :) 

He chose the Gift Card for Longhorn Steakhouse, thanks to my brother Lynn and Lisa!! :) 

Neither of us could finish our food! It was so yummy!!

After our early supper (we ate a later breakfast and then just snacked for lunch) we spent another hour or two window shopping at Pier Park!
Then we stopped for frozen yogurt at Milk & Honey (thanks to Scott & Amy Cloud).

It was a very relaxing day that we both enjoyed and needed immensely!! :) 

A BIG Thank You to everyone who made it possible in any way! :)

Friends/Blessings

We have been so blessed by the generosity of friends over the past week!!

 As soon as friends heard of our miscarriage, we had offers for meals and so much more! I want to take this time to recognize some of our friends who went out of their way to make us feel so loved!

Tuesday night, Emily Gillis brought us a supper of Taco Salad and Fruit Salad!

Wednesday, some of the RHE mom's were planning to come and bring lunch and just hang out here with me, but then we had storms and torrential rain. It just seemed better for everyone to stay home and be safe! Turned out that Wednesday was a hard day for me and I know it was for the best that they didn't come!

However, Wednesday evening Danny & Brandy Hunter brought us chicken & rice, carrots, sweet tea and a delish chocolate cake!! We enjoyed visiting with them a bit too!

Thursday, our friends, Eric & Yolie Miller brought supper! Yolie had also offered to clean church for me, which was such a blessing and a weight off my mind! And then Sunday, she made extra food for Fellowship Meal, so I didn't feel like I needed to make anything! <3

Eric, Yolie and their children.....

Friday, Denise Williams came by and brought some homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies! :)
She also took the kids along to our Homeschool Park Day, which was held at the Hunter's house since it was so soggy outside and still raining a bit. I had a quiet day at home to just rest, relax and spend time talking to my Jesus! <3 A very needed time alone, but I sure did miss them!

Saturday was the GEMS 8th Annual Ladies Tea fundraiser. I want to thank everyone who took over the roles I was supposed to have that day! 

I was thankful to be feeling well enough to attend the Tea. Caroline Yoder blessed me with a lovely bouquet of flowers!!

GEMS ladies also sent me home with one of the table bouquet's from the Tea!! :)

Then today!! :)

Today I felt so spoiled! The plans we had for last Wed. got postponed till today! Brandy, Emily and Denise and their older kids came bearing lunch and their beautiful selves! :) I was ordered to stay sitting and relax while they got lunch ready and served! 

After lunch, Baylee offered to give me a pedicure! :)

She even gave me zebra stripes!! :)

Victoria giving Tamara a pedi.....

Denise was so sweet to help with my wash! :) I didn't even care that she didn't fold things like I do! I was just so grateful!!

 Shauna keeping her little brother entertained!

 Victoria and Ozzy

Getting pedi's and drinking Moonshine with my girl friends!! What could be better? :D
Before you panic, it's Good Girl Moonshine! :)

Later in the afternoon, I heard some noise outside. Zeb Hunter surprised us by edging our sidewalks!! If you need someone to do a super job on your lawn care and you live in the Blountstown/Tallahassee area, I highly recommend Lawn Enforcement Lawn Care!! Check them out!

Too bad I didn't have a "before" picture!

Tonight Heather Falb brought us supper.....and while it was all tasty, their homemade ice cream was the "icing on the cake"! She even brought my favorite! Salted Caramel!!! :)

I have tears in my eyes tonight as I think on each of the acts of kindness shown to our family in the last week!! Not just the people mentioned in this blog, but so many other's who took the time to let us know they care, in one way or another! I know I said it before, but we feel so cared for! It's the love of Jesus flowing through His people!! <3

Keep praying for us!

Shattered Dreams

Sometimes life goes along smoothly. Prayers are answered, relationships are good and you just have an all around satisfied feeling! Then there are hard times. Finances don't hold out, a relationship sours, things break down and dreams fall apart. No matter which place I find myself, I am so very thankful that I have a loving Heavenly Father who cares about every detail! I feel Him rejoicing with me when things are going well and I feel his hugs of mercy when life is rotten. If I didn't know God, my life would be a miserable roller coaster!

 This week, our dream of a new baby was shattered! I'm not gonna lie, the last few days have been so hard emotionally! But through it all, I feel God caring for us in a gentle way through the love and care of our brothers and sisters in Christ! And I am grateful! SO grateful!!

 Monday I went to the doctor after being concerned with some spotting I was having. I went more for my peace of mind than anything. I expected the Dr. to say this was normal and to take it easy. I was also really excited to be planning to go back Wed. for an ultrasound to find out our babies due date and just to be able to see life inside me and be able to comprehend that this dream we waited for so long was about to come true!

 When the Dr. did a "mini" ultrasound and told me there was no way I was 11 weeks, I started getting this sinking feeling, because I knew my calculation weren't far off. He immediately ordered a regular ultrasound. When the technician was done and offered me her hand to sit up on the bed, I was not prepared for the sadness in her face when she whispered, "I'm sorry, there is no life there anymore"! :( :( I thought I could be strong and save the emotion for later, but her kindness and sympathy loosened my resolve and I shook with sobs while she offered me a shoulder to cry on! It was hard to sit down with the doctor and discuss the options I was facing. He told me if I let me body work, I would probably miscarry the baby this week yet. But he could also give me pills (with undesirable side effects) to speed the process up. It was hard to make a quick decision when this type of decision was so far off my radar. After whispering a quick prayer to my Father, I felt at peace about letting my body do what it needed to do on its own time.

 I hid my tears as I walked out of the office and back through the waiting room full of glowing, pregnant women and momma's with adorable newborn babies. I even kept them in check while I walked across the parking garage to my van. The drive home was hard. I hated to call Dan with the news while he was at work, but didn't think it fair to make him wait, since he knew where I was going that afternoon and he was concerned about me.

 I really don't remember much of the drive home. It was full of groanings, prayers and hot tears! I did manage to control my emotions enough to call my Mom and share the news with her and Dad. I asked her to let my siblings know.

 We told the kids the sad news and that evening Dan took me shopping since we were running low on groceries. It was soothing to be with him and just do normal life together.

 It never fails to amaze me how God works things out in advance! Dan was scheduled for a regular day off on Tuesday and boy, was I thankful!! Tuesday morning, I knew this was the day. This was the day our baby dear was to be born, so small and unrecognizable, but already enjoying a place my heart longs to go! It was probably the hardest day of my life, Wed. not being much better. But even though it was hard and the tears flowed and emotions were raw, I felt carried! Carried by the love of my husband and children taking over the normal "mom jobs" and just looking after my needs while I rested, carried by phone calls and visits from friends, carried by friends offering to bring us meals and carried by so many who let us know they were praying on my facebook page and by email!

 This week is not over, but I feel God's love through this situation. I am not done crying and mourning, but I have Hope! And I have a new heartfelt sympathy for those who have had this experience over and over again!

 While this dream was "shattered", it is not the end of dreaming! Only God knows what our future holds. In the meantime, I have a deep desire to serve Him wherever and how ever He wants me to! He alone has a perfect will for my future and I'd be foolish not to follow His lead!

 I would covet your prayers for our family in the coming weeks as we work through this loss, as we see projects we were working on in preparation for our new baby and as we are again grateful for the two blessings we have been given, Danny and Tamara!! That we would not take for granted the gifts we dreamed of and WERE given!!  

~Leaving our future in God's strong hands!

Phillipians 4:4-7  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

A family is a circle of love, not broken by a loss, but made stronger by the memories.

Our Blessing-to-Be!!

Yup, after trying for #3 for 11 years, it has finally happened! :)

I have to share a short story....

After Tamara was born, I prayed that God would not let me get pregnant again till I lost some weight. I had gained 40 lbs. with Danny, and didn't lose very much till I got pregnant with Tamara. I only gained 12-17 lbs. with her. But I was a whopping 275 lbs.!! I knew that living like that just wasn't healthy and I was afraid another pregnancy could put me over 300!

So, out of fear, and a lack of self-discipline, I figured I'd better pray! Well, be careful what you pray for! God heard and answered that prayer. Since we moved to FL, I have lost over 50 lbs., 18 of them just since Feb. So I really shouldn't have been surprised right?

I don't doubt for a moment that God knew what He was doing, whether or not I had prayed that prayer!
It's been a journey of learning and growing and resting in Him in so many area's of our lives!!

So, we are Super excited about the next 7 months.....and the years to come! Our life is going to change drastically, going from two teenagers to adding a newborn to the family. :)

Pray for us, mostly that this can be a successful pregnancy. Although I have never miscarried, because of my PCOS I have a higher risk of that. But God is able.....no matter the outcome! :) We are trusting Him!

Break

I took a break from Facebook and most media for awhile. It's time to get back to blogging. Look for a post in the near future! :) Yes, I'm still alive! :)